Hydrometers

ShadowInTheMoon

I just want to say how stupid it is to not have adjustment buttons on Analog Hydrometers. I bought 2 Zederkoff Square Hygrometer and both are reading %15-19 low on the salt test. According to them i need to submerge my cigars in water for them to be at %70 lol (no calibration needed because they will be in the garbage)

No_one21

No no no this is a common cigar storage technique. I'd say about 20% of us submerge our cigars in distilled water 24/7 to keep humidity consistent. It's like using water pillows, but this is more of a water bath.

ShadowInTheMoon

Oh that must be the missing 103 thing on the list noobs need to know. I thought there was just one other thing i needed to know

jlmarta

I'm not trying to be facetious but analog hygrometers are so notoriously inaccurate that I can't imagine why anyone would want to use them, let alone adjust them. Do yourself a favor and toss those worthless pieces of crap into the trash and replace them with digital hygros. Capisce??

ShadowInTheMoon

Sorry i got mixed up. Its digital hydrometers that i have. The square ones are the ones that have the problem

No_one21

lol wow ok well then I say get ones made by a better company. I really think xikar makes a great product and their warranty is pretty damn great.

Cigary

There are good hygros out there that don't cost more than $8...I have about 20 of them. Analogues tend to get a bad name but that doesn't mean they don't work...you just have to salt test them to ensure reliability. Technically speaking there is a difference between hydrometer and hygrometer....a hydrometer measures the density of the liquid while the hygrometer measures the condensation but we know what you were talking about.

ShadowInTheMoon

Ill have a look around and see what i cant find. Im glad i did the test instead of taking them at face value because it did say "A top-notch sensor ensures an industry leading accuracy of +/- 2% RH with no adjustment ever". Ill check my B&M then surf the web.

jlmarta

ShadowInTheMoon:

Ill have a look around and see what i cant find. Im glad i did the test instead of taking them at face value because it did say "A top-notch sensor ensures an industry leading accuracy of +/- 2% RH with no adjustment ever". Ill check my B&M then surf the web.

For whatever it's worth, I got my adjustable hygros from Heartfelt. Dave is wonderful to deal with and worth the extra buck or two, IMO. And I've never had a problem with those I got from him....

ShadowInTheMoon

jlmarta:

ShadowInTheMoon:

Ill have a look around and see what i cant find. Im glad i did the test instead of taking them at face value because it did say "A top-notch sensor ensures an industry leading accuracy of +/- 2% RH with no adjustment ever". Ill check my B&M then surf the web.

For whatever it's worth, I got my adjustable hygros from Heartfelt. Dave is wonderful to deal with and worth the extra buck or two, IMO. And I've never had a problem with those I got from him....

Ill look into that. I paid $20 for each one. Dont know if i can return them but i need abother one (3 total) and those look like what i need

thebeard

Hey Shadow, this sucks. We'll test our inventory over the next week to make sure its not a widespread problem.  My only concern is that the bottlecap of salt you used for the test has too much water in it.  I dont know if that would throw off the readings or not - just the only thing i would have done differently.  Crazy how all 4 hygrometers read differently!

We can set up an exchange for you, or if you want to try a different hygrometer we can do that too.  Email me at service@cigar.com if you want to discuss further!

ShadowInTheMoon

thebeard:

Hey Shadow, this sucks. We'll test our inventory over the next week to make sure its not a widespread problem.  My only concern is that the bottlecap of salt you used for the test has too much water in it.  I dont know if that would throw off the readings or not - just the only thing i would have done differently.  Crazy how all 4 hygrometers read differently!

We can set up an exchange for you, or if you want to try a different hygrometer we can do that too.  Email me at service@cigar.com if you want to discuss further!

I didn't get it from CCom( but I should have) That's why I'm worried about the return. I know both analog are pretty close but the only time I have gotten the digital ones above what's in the picture was in a sauna. I'll look around on CCom and see what you guys have.
I'll retest tonight with less water and see what I get.

BlueDude

Your salt is too wet. The salt should be just damp enough so the grains hold their shape without dissolving.

kuzi16

4 parts salt.
1 part distilled


And one other minor detail...
hydrometers measure specific gravity.
hygrometers measure humidity.

No_one21

If his salt is too wet though, would that not increase humidity? And therefore point to an even greater disparity in his digital readouts?

Bob Luken

kuzi16:

4 parts salt.
1 part distilled


And one other minor detail...
hydrometers measure specific gravity.
hygrometers measure humidity.

Cool. I'll try this exact ratio next time. Never heard a formula for measurable quantities before. I always just made sure it was "wet" and not "soupy".

dr_frankenstein56

could always throw a boveda in the pack... they do make calibration packets if your concerned.

Aj

ShadowInTheMoon

No_one21:

If his salt is too wet though, would that not increase humidity? And therefore point to an even greater disparity in his digital readouts?

Thats what i would think as well. I did retest last night and they are still reading %10-15 low