kitty litter or HFB?

deejmemixx

KingoftheCove

Bob Luken

deejmemixx

Bob Luken

Cigary

I've been using KL for over 3 years now...32 humidors of different kinds can't be wrong..Tupperware, Wood, Cooleradors, etc. I've used HFB and they work great as well but the cost was something I couldn't afford. I still have half a bottle of KL from the 8 pound jug I bought 3 years ago...the stuff just works.

deejmemixx

Cigary:

I've been using KL for over 3 years now...32 humidors of different kinds can't be wrong..Tupperware, Wood, Cooleradors, etc. I've used HFB and they work great as well but the cost was something I couldn't afford. I still have half a bottle of KL from the 8 pound jug I bought 3 years ago...the stuff just works.

What brand you use?

Cigary

There are other brands but I use this religiously

Vision

I do use KL but its not the same at all. HFB are two way control where KL really only releases humidity (unless you put it in dry without spritzing then it will absorb some). It ends at them both containing silica.

KingoftheCove

KingoftheCove

Vision

Vision

Cigary

Kitty Litter is a one way media...that means you "choose" at what RH you want and it's about how you introduce KL into your humidor. Here is the classic method of doing this. 1. Depending on how big your humidor is let's say you have one that is a 150 count size...this means you use KL as you would beads...except you don't put any DW on the KL yet. 2. Wait for a few hours ( 4-6 ) and see where your RH is...usually when presented dry it's around 58-61%. 3. Take a small bottle of Distilled water and spritz it over the KL ( about 2-3 spritzes should do ) and wait another few hours and check your RH...it should move up about 2-3% ) Here is how KL works...you want to expose as much KL as possible in the container that you choose to put in your humidor...the more exposure the better ) 4. When you recheck your RH again you will know that 2 or 3 spritzes of DW will give you a value of how ever much your RH rises. Once you get to YOUR choice of RH then you stop spritzing. It's pretty simple and once you get your RH dialed in it's just rechecking every 2 weeks to ensure that your RH is where you like it....that's it!

Vision

Cigary

Beads are a 2 way but you probably already know the cost. Not sure how easier you can get with KL as I have 32 humidors of varying sizes and cooleradors as well. I just check the hygros once every few weeks which takes about 5 minutes and if the KL needs a spritz then I give it a couple of shots and I'm done.

Vision

jgibv

Bump for Bob Luken --- lots of info on first page.

Cigary

jadelt

edelrionyc

This must be one of the best posts i've ever read on here..... Lots of info.... Just to leave you guys with my 2 cents i use HFB... KL may be great but i cannot get the image of KL being used for cats to piss and *** on... And because of this i cannot place it in my humidors....

Lee.mcglynn

Well I've found a new bead too use...it's more them kl and less then hfb. Mixed in combo with my boveda packs well I'm happy and crap 4 boveda and a small thing of beads keep my 48qt at a steady 67rh. As for this ugh debate I'm with vision! I've done a crap load of experimenting and well as you can see I've gone too something I can't beat without pulling my hair out

Cigary

edelrionyc:

This must be one of the best posts i've ever read on here..... Lots of info.... Just to leave you guys with my 2 cents i use HFB... KL may be great but i cannot get the image of KL being used for cats to piss and *** on... And because of this i cannot place it in my humidors....

I was at the point you are now about 4 years ago and the more I read the more curious I became. I started with my own experiment of one humidor that housed 150 cigars that was always giving me grief as to maintaining RH at 65%...so I started with the KL and put a half pound in the humidor where I just let it sit for 8 hours to see where my RH was....it was at 60% so I spritzed the KL about 3 full squirts and waited another 6 hours and it moved up to 63%...that gave me my magic number of how to get to 65/66 RH so I spritzed it one more time with 3 squirts and voila'..within 6 hours it was spot on at 66% and stayed there for almost 2 months before it went down by one percent and then I spritzed it with one squirt......checked it at 6 hours and it was at 67%. I tried another humidor with the same results...easy, accurate and I was now a firm believer in that I had 20 humidors at that time and every single one that I converted over to was just as easy. Once you get past the notion of what cats do with KL then you can safely know it's ok to use....there are museum curators who use KL for their priceless works of art to keep them at a constant RH they need to protect those works of art...if they can do it for those then I think it's more than safe to use as a media to protect cigars.

Lee.mcglynn

Cigary:

edelrionyc:

This must be one of the best posts i've ever read on here..... Lots of info.... Just to leave you guys with my 2 cents i use HFB... KL may be great but i cannot get the image of KL being used for cats to piss and *** on... And because of this i cannot place it in my humidors....

I was at the point you are now about 4 years ago and the more I read the more curious I became. I started with my own experiment of one humidor that housed 150 cigars that was always giving me grief as to maintaining RH at 65%...so I started with the KL and put a half pound in the humidor where I just let it sit for 8 hours to see where my RH was....it was at 60% so I spritzed the KL about 3 full squirts and waited another 6 hours and it moved up to 63%...that gave me my magic number of how to get to 65/66 RH so I spritzed it one more time with 3 squirts and voila'..within 6 hours it was spot on at 66% and stayed there for almost 2 months before it went down by one percent and then I spritzed it with one squirt......checked it at 6 hours and it was at 67%. I tried another humidor with the same results...easy, accurate and I was now a firm believer in that I had 20 humidors at that time and every single one that I converted over to was just as easy. Once you get past the notion of what cats do with KL then you can safely know it's ok to use....there are museum curators who use KL for their priceless works of art to keep them at a constant RH they need to protect those works of art...if they can do it for those then I think it's more than safe to use as a media to protect cigars.

im gonna have to disagree with museum curators using kl...first all museums have vaults that are temperature and humidity controlled. This doesn't mean putting things in a small space for safe keeping. If a museum relied on kl for some of the stuff it's for extremely short term! And your sticks aren't really a short term thing. If they were well you probably wouldn't have a huge humi

Cigary

First of all you can disagree but that doesn't mean you're right. I know at least 3 curators who use the stuff...not as a first line defense for RH but as additional defense for items they tell me it's used for....regardless of short or long term. Your next query about length of term....KL is used for short or long term and I've heard too many debates from those who still want to condemn the merits of KL ...basically because cats pee on it and it becomes anathema to a host of many who do not really know the merits of what it is and what it can do. I do say this with respect and not wanting to enter the KL debate once again...if I've been in one I've been in them for at least a couple of dozen times. People just can't get their heads around it being a humidifier...just like I did until it proved itself beyond a shadow of a doubt. Pushing an agenda based on non factual data does not negate what it does....and if I didn't know the people personally who use the product I surely wouldn't go out on a limb just to debate the subject matter....I may be retired but that doesn't mean I want to stir up things just to stir the waters....I only want to suggest that KL is just as viable a media as others are...respectfully spoken.

Lee.mcglynn

I don't think most people have a issue with cats peeing on it it's more about the space it takes up. In my experiments silica really only has expelled moisture...the only thing that has changed is the rate it is expelled

Bob Luken

This revived thread is giving me a headache,................... I know KL works for me but I still don't get it. Maybe I'm just dense, but how come KL is considered "one way" humidification medium and HF beads are considered “two way”? I know some of you have tried to explain the difference but I'm still not gettin' it. Even though there are differences, (Like you apparently need more KL than HF beads to do the same job) don't they function in the exact same way?

Cigary

There are one way medias and 2 way medias...2 way medias give off and take in to which beads do very well. They are very popular but cost more. Kitty Litter is indeed a one way media that takes in and holds onto the RH until they dry off...that simple. No need to take a science class to figure it out...it just works.

Bob Luken

Vision

Bob Luken

I can assume HF beads and KL are different. But what I want to know is, if they are different, WHY they are different? What factual fundamental physical difference is there?