Recommendation for temperature controlled humidor

[bbesner]

Lucky me, my wife will be buying me a new humidor for Xmas. I am thinking that I should go with a temperature controlled humidor that is large. I have seen many posts on the internet with suggestions on building one, but to be honest, I prefer to get one ready to go and one that looks nice on display in the home. I want temperature controlled for two reasons. First, the temperature in the house will vary from 70 Celsius during the night, to as high as 78 Celsius during the day. Second, there are times that hurricanes and other weather has caused power outages in Florida that can last days. I have one in mind, but I am not sure if it is appropriate to place a link for you to review, so maybe some of you have one you are using yourselves that you like?

[KB24]

Search the forum for this topic. It's been discussed at length.

[perfectform]

I'll recommend Avallo for you temp controlled cabinet. Matt does furniture quality cabinets and has the best humidification system on the market. He and Ron are pleasures to deal with and the price is right as well.

[bbesner]

Thanks for the responses. I did search for the topic, but most of what I saw was out of my price range unfortunately. I did find a local company that has a unit in stock that is in my range. I don't want to offend by putting a link, so I am including an image. Any thoughts? It seems like a really good value to me. I know though, if it seems too good to be true, there is probably something wrong. What would I need to look out for with this? I can get it for $1900 locally. The details of the humidor are:

Holds up to 2000 cigars

Rich Dark Cherry Finish

Push Button Electronic Control Panel

View Temperature & Humidity Levels Through Digital Display

Adjustable Climate & Humidity Settings

High Capacity Remington 2000 Cigar Cooling & Heating System

Temperature Adjustable from 41F-71F

Humidity Adjustable from 65%-75%

Toggle Between Celcius or Farenheit

Embossed Wood & Side Panels

Crown Molding Accents

Full Length Tinted Tempered Glass Door

Heavy Duty Seal

4 Drawer Style Shelves on Metal Slides

3 Adjustable Dividers per Shelf

Features Flat & Angled Storage

Blue Accent Interior Lighting

Built-In Electronic Humidification System

Refillable Water Reservoir

Solid Hardwood Construction

Fully Lined with Cedar

Lock and Key Set

26" W x 26" D x 74-1/2" H

[randomhero1090]

Wow, looks like a nice unit for that price.

But, you said the 2nd reason you wanted a temp controlled unit was due to power outages going for days....

[bbesner]

Yes, I have a Large UPS backup. yes, but that will be solved with my generator. My generator cannot run the AC in the house, but it will have no problem running this temp controlled humidor. Only time it would be needed is after a hurricane. Luckily it's been a few years since we have had one. Maybe we are due..... Any other input on this humidor would be appreciated. Is there something I should watch out for?

[krs]

you could also try freezing your cigars when you get them. Thats what im doing from now on.

[goalie204]

Sorry to bump in on this thjread, but im also looking for a temperature controlled humidor. With no central air or proper heat in my condo its important to me.

Problem is in winnipeg we have nothing local so i dont know the nearest place to get something or what shipping would cost

any help appreciated

[bbesner]

Sent you a link via PM. Good luck!

[CigarGuy87]

GREAT looking cabinet, best of luck!

[Puros Y Vino]

Sorry to bump in on this thjread, but im also looking for a temperature controlled humidor. With no central air or proper heat in my condo its important to me.

Problem is in winnipeg we have nothing local so i dont know the nearest place to get something or what shipping would cost

any help appreciated

X2. My AC keeps me cool but not my stogies come summertime. Pls PM the link when you can.

[bbesner]

Since there seems to be some interest in this humidor, I will post an update if I am lucky enough to find it under my tree this weekend. I am hoping that this will turn into a quality and affordable temperature controlled humidor. I will take pictures and post them and answer any questions I can.

[brazoseagle]

If this is the Monolith model, I have heard great things about it. I am interested to see how many boxes it will hold before I purchase one.

[emopunker2004]

For the others in this thread, depending on your budget and size needs you can always go the wineador route and turn a wine cooler into a humidor. Alot of people I know over on Cigar Asylum do this very thing.

[bbesner]

Humidor has worked out great in the end. I had problems regulating the humidity. I have 12 lbs of beads in there now at 65%. I set the built in humidifier to 70%, but there is no water in the reservoir now, only beads. Basically, anytime the humidity drops below 65% the two fans at the bottom will automatically turn on which circulates the air very well. The only time the humidity varies is when the compressor kicks on to lower the temperature. the variance is for only a very short time, but humidity sometimes drops to 60% for a few minutes while the compressor is running. The typical range now is 65-67% and temperature is 67-69 degrees Fahrenheit. As for the number of boxes, taking into account all the beads, I can fit around 40 - 50 boxes total. Could have been much more if it weren't for all the beads. Overall though, i am very happy with the unit. It looks great in the house and works well. It cost less than half of what similar high end units cost (about $1900 USD)

[brazoseagle]

For the others in this thread, depending on your budget and size needs you can always go the wineador route and turn a wine cooler into a humidor. Alot of people I know over on Cigar Asylum do this very thing.

Yeah, it's a great idea, I built a completely custom one.

Here is a link to a thread about mine.

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=107098&st=0#entry245499

[darinjanssen]

Did you end up getting the humidor that you described/pictured up above? I thought those were thermoelectric and didn't have a compressor.

[bbesner]

No, it is not thermoelectric. I can hear the compressor kick on when the cooling starts.

[faulkma]

No, it is not thermoelectric. I can hear the compressor kick on when the cooling starts.

Hey, new to forum but thinking about buying the Remington, do you still recommend it now that you have had it awhile?

thanks

[NapaNolan]

70-78 celsius? I'm more worried about you than the cigars!

[bbesner]

In 2011 I posted in this topic about my Remington Humidor. Fast forward 5 years or so and I have just received my first Aristocrat Humidor. I thought I would share a little about the experience and the product itself. 

First of all, my Remington performed only adequately. I had to replace the humidification system with many lbs of 65% RH beads. The AC worked fine, but the humidity would swing pretty wildly whenever the compressor kicked on. In April of this year I decided it was time to explore a new humidor and once again I was considering Bob Staebell's fine craftsmanship. I made several inquiries by email and phone and each time Bob responded quickly and professionally. I finally place my order on April 13th. Here is what I ordered for reference:

Aristocrat Mxt Plus  26.5- 3674 THC w digital Set & Forget humidification
Quad Peltier coolers
Dimensions:  Crown Top-40" wide x 74" high x 26 1/2" deep. 
Case-36" wide x 74" high x 26 1/2" deep  (add 2" for peltiers & power supply)
Dark Red Mahogany
Standard Top
Crown Molding
Bevel Glass Panel Upper Doors
Crotch Mahogany Raised Panel Lower Doors
1 ea full extension drawer/loose cigars
4ea full extension shelves
Standard Base molding
Lock & keys
Your choice of brass, brushed nickel or bronze hardware
  White glove inside service
 

It took a little longer than expected, around 10 weeks or so. I also asked him to hold it for a little while since I was away for part of the summer. The unit was delivered yesterday. The delivery company was great and I couldn't wait to plug it in. The very first thing I noticed when I opened the doors was the amazing aroma! The fresh wood smells wonderful. Next was the attention to detail and the craftsmanship. All the hardware looks top notch. The 4 AC units seem very solid. Each shelf and drawer slides effortlessly. As the instructions stated, I turned on the AC in the unit yesterday, let it run for 8 hours and then I filled each of the 4 humidifiers with distilled water. It has now been running for around 36 hours and is holding perfectly at 65% RH and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. I will wait a couple more days for the wood to soak up the humidity and then I will start transferring my cigars in. I will post a review after I have it all set up. 

 

[backbone]

Beautiful!

[Hurltim]

Are the Aristocrats insulated?

[Williamos]

That's an heirloom. What a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.


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[BEVOSREVENGE]

4 hours ago, Hurltim said:

Are the Aristocrats insulated?

I believe the answer is yes for the temperature controlled units, but not sure on the regular units.  I am in the process of having Bob design & build a custom unit for me, but he is on vacation this week.  I shall ask the question next time I talk to him.