Problems with analogue hygrometer

[partagasd4]

I just received a new humidor today. I wanted to calibrate the hygrometer, so I placed it next to a digital hygrometer in the room air. After a while, the digital hygrometer read around 50% so I calibrated the analogue one to match. I put them both in a seasoned humidor and the digital read 65% but the analogue is at 75%.

Does this sound like the analogue hygrometer is broken, or do they tend to be off by this much?

[Disburden]

They can be off at much as 15% from what I have seen. I calibrated two of mine using a salt and ziplock method where you put a bottle cap with salt (Wet the salt a little bit, don't dilute it) and put it in a sealed ziplock bag for 8 hours with the meter. The meter should go to 75% in the bag after that time, if not you need to adjust the back of it to say 75% at that point.

If yours doesn't adjust in the back then you always have to remember the difference it gave you after calibration (usually it's about 10%). I was lucky when I did mine and one of them was spot on 75% after the salt calibration.

Were the two humidors treated or seasoned first?

The digitial meters are way more accurate than the analog but they look low class, imo...That's why I don't like the cooler thing even though it's very efficient at storing boxes of cigars in a large container. It's all a matter of taste and opinion though!

[Fuzz]

Ditch the analogue unless you want it for purely visual effect. Digitals are the way to go.

Then again, with beads, you'll never look at a hygro ever again. Mine ran out of power 6 months ago and I can't be bothered to change them. I trust my beads that much.

[Disburden]

Ditch the analogue unless you want it for purely visual effect. Digitals are the way to go.

Then again, with beads, you'll never look at a hygro ever again. Mine ran out of power 6 months ago and I can't be bothered to change them. I trust my beads that much.

This is spot on. The digitals are a lot better, but like I said they don't add to a look of a humidor lol.

I use beads now and they stay accurate all year around. They're great, they're cheap too.

[partagasd4]

Were the two humidors treated or seasoned first?

I put the hygrometers in the same seasoned humidor to see if they would read close to the same RH.

Ditch the analogue unless you want it for purely visual effect. Digitals are the way to go.

Then again, with beads, you'll never look at a hygro ever again. Mine ran out of power 6 months ago and I can't be bothered to change them. I trust my beads that much.

I will definitely check out beads. Is there any particular brand you guys think is best?

[SandmanTR]

Give these guys a try for the beads. They make some great products.

http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/

[lemmycaution]

All analog hygrometer's are broken...The beads I use are RH beads from cigarmony.com, they have never failed.

[BeeStinga]

I just received a new humidor today. I wanted to calibrate the hygrometer, so I placed it next to a digital hygrometer in the room air. After a while, the digital hygrometer read around 50% so I calibrated the analogue one to match. I put them both in a seasoned humidor and the digital read 65% but the analogue is at 75%.

Does this sound like the analogue hygrometer is broken, or do they tend to be off by this much?

Yeah my analogues are way off too! You still have to remember to callibrate your digital every 3 or 4 months, you can use the Bovida packs or one of the salt methods.

I use shilala HCM beads as I beleive it is slightly superiour and more cost effective than the others mentioned http://www.shilalabeads.com/ Just don't add water directly to beads as the speed that the water is absorbed into the product will create massive heat and also likely break them into smaller bits = less effective. They should last forever as they are a cured clay product. His digital Hygrometers are also pretty competitive compared to heartfelt etc. The heartfelt products are based on different salts added to the standard silica to acheive a standardised humidity (same stuff as you find in you vitamin bottles or some kitty litter etc). The HCM beads can cope with a greater range of humidity more quickly from my personal experience, I have the problem of too much humidity in the environment in winter (depends where you live).