kuma Posted September 14, 2014 Posted September 14, 2014 FOH members please responed pro / con with any input about which device to use for the keeping of quality smokes. Currently I'm storaging smokes with a combination of desktop humi.'s and tupperware using humi. packs for ph levels. Because of our entreprenrural host who keeps offering such great deals on smokes through the 12:12 and LFTW/H programs it is safe to say I'm at my limit in terms of storage space. Also it is time to graduate to a "big boy" means keeping these fine items in optimum condition. Any feed back will go a long way in what I procure. I know price wise and storage space you get more space with the wineador for maybe 1/3 the price. Only thing I'm not sure about the quality of the wineadors on the market. Many thanks!
perkinke Posted September 14, 2014 Posted September 14, 2014 I've had my wineador (28 bottle I think?) for almost 8 months now and am pretty happy with it, I think I paid about $120USD. Two really important pieces of advice that I received: 1) make sure to get a thermoelectric unit, not a compressor cooled unit; 2) get some small fans to move the air around after blocking up the drain hole. Some guys I know wire up computer fans, I found a couple battery powered Oust fans that do the job.
Maplepie Posted September 14, 2014 Posted September 14, 2014 Some guys I know wire up computer fans, I found a couple battery powered Oust fans that do the job. x2. also, you can get the compressor cooled unit. Just leave it unplugged. won't work in a condo... but will definitely work in a house where there's central air and everything! Also, if the money is available, strip seal it!
tagheuer Posted September 14, 2014 Posted September 14, 2014 If the fridge was to leave unplugged, would it be better to use cooler instead ? 1
Popular Post PigFish Posted September 14, 2014 Popular Post Posted September 14, 2014 Rather than pick on people for posting junk science I am going to suggest just one thing to you if you choose to convert a wine cooler. Whoever gives you advice on one and tells you theirs works great, ask to see a data log of it working… Okay… then no one will give you advice worth listening too. Well, there may be a few exceptions. So in order to not break my own rule I will scrounge you up a data log, or two. Hmmm… maybe not fair to post, has no exterior temp data to compare to, plus April, kinda cool out… What else I got… This more interesting, May, temps in the shop running high 70's to 80's… Lookin' good! How about this one… This one, is one of my humidors working at a 90˚F ambient… but I don't recommend it. Now here is one, start up day for an old cooler, I rebuilt to sell. This is the first day running. Mind you, this is built by a guy with a lot of experience and based on sound theory… meaning, years of proving his ideas work! Hmmm… not so good. So much for good design if you are lacking any aspect of control. How about today… Pretty different! First, a wine cooler is a box with a refrigerations unit. If you are not going to plug it in, then there is no issue with controls. It is tupperware, with SS trim… When you turn it on, it becomes a monster, that is unless you know what you are doing. Knowing what you are doing means having the right controls, design theory and the right parts. Generally, you will also need a lot of experience to understand and fix the problems. Some coolers are easer to convert than others. There is not really much variation in what needs doing and some will work better than others as humidors. Size matters, and a smaller cooler is much more difficult to control because the amount of free water, based on space, is less and therefore they dehydrate easier. Small coolers must be able to be really short cycled. That is experience taking… Any sealed unit with free water, an active humidifier appliance, or water on the cooling coil must have a dehydration cycle. No cycle, it does not work… Not by my definition anyway. Costs… If you need cooling you have two choices. Buy one of the big name humidor makers, or make your own. If you don't need cooling, DON'T GET into it… If you do, you know it and you will have to make choices. Building your own wine cooler humidor can be done, but is not free or cheap, but generally considerably cheaper than if you buy one prebuilt. Check you ambient conditions before you put money into anything. Your ambient will drive your humidor. If it gets hot, wet, dry, or cold and you want stabilization, you need a controlled humidor. If not, pass it by and go with what has worked for the majority of people for centuries… Good luck on your projects. Cheers! -Piggy 6
CaptainQuintero Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 Buy whatever has the best seal that you can find. Don't turn it on, use lots of beads, change the temp of the room that the humi is located in, much easier imo! 3
polarbear Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 I run both desktop humidors and a trio of thermo wine coolers I mainly went with the wine cooler system when my collection out grew the 2 75 count desktops I had because I couldn't find a cabinet humidor in Aus for under $10K I got 3 72 bottle fridges that work pretty well (not as good as piggys systems though) all set up with beads, fans and cedar shelves/draws for lest than $4K My cigars smoke well and aside from a few issues on initial set up my RH and Temp stay relatively solid (maybe a 2 degree and 2% variation by my gauges) 65/65 for most of the year That being said, If I could've gotten an Aristocrat cabinet to Australia without it costing more than the actual cabinet itself I would've gone down that route Piggy is also right (as he usually is), if you don't need cooling, why pay for it? If you just want something that's big enough to store boxes you may as well just by a couple of coolers and save yourself some $$$
nikesupremedunk Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 Rather than pick on people for posting junk science I am going to suggest just one thing to you if you choose to convert a wine cooler. Whoever gives you advice on one and tells you theirs works great, ask to see a data log of it working… Okay… then no one will give you advice worth listening too. Well, there may be a few exceptions. So in order to not break my own rule I will scrounge you up a data log, or two. 4-2-14 Run Picture.png Hmmm… maybe not fair to post, has no exterior temp data to compare to, plus April, kinda cool out… What else I got… g8_80dF performance.png This more interesting, May, temps in the shop running high 70's to 80's… Lookin' good! How about this one… g8_humidor high temperature perf.png This one, is one of my humidors working at a 90˚F ambient… but I don't recommend it. Now here is one, start up day for an old cooler, I rebuilt to sell. This is the first day running. Mind you, this is built by a guy with a lot of experience and based on sound theory… meaning, years of proving his ideas work! Ewave1.png Hmmm… not so good. So much for good design if you are lacking any aspect of control. How about today… Humidor space verses Macro74 to 84.png Pretty different! First, a wine cooler is a box with a refrigerations unit. If you are not going to plug it in, then there is no issue with controls. It is tupperware, with SS trim… When you turn it on, it becomes a monster, that is unless you know what you are doing. Knowing what you are doing means having the right controls, design theory and the right parts. Generally, you will also need a lot of experience to understand and fix the problems. Some coolers are easer to convert than others. There is not really much variation in what needs doing and some will work better than others as humidors. Size matters, and a smaller cooler is much more difficult to control because the amount of free water, based on space, is less and therefore they dehydrate easier. Small coolers must be able to be really short cycled. That is experience taking… Any sealed unit with free water, an active humidifier appliance, or water on the cooling coil must have a dehydration cycle. No cycle, it does not work… Not by my definition anyway. Costs… If you need cooling you have two choices. Buy one of the big name humidor makers, or make your own. If you don't need cooling, DON'T GET into it… If you do, you know it and you will have to make choices. Building your own wine cooler humidor can be done, but is not free or cheap, but generally considerably cheaper than if you buy one prebuilt. Check you ambient conditions before you put money into anything. Your ambient will drive your humidor. If it gets hot, wet, dry, or cold and you want stabilization, you need a controlled humidor. If not, pass it by and go with what has worked for the majority of people for centuries… Good luck on your projects. Cheers! -Piggy I tried to make a wineador when I first started getting into cigars and do yourself a favor, save that $120-300, buy a large tupperware that's air tight or a big 48qt cooler and some 60-65% humidity beads. This will save you money and the headaches that the wineador will cause you. The key to this method is to freeze all your sticks.* Temperature is not as important as RH when storing cigars, it's only an issue if you don't freeze your sticks you might get a beetle outbreak. Think about it…did they use a temp controlled Aristocrat back in the 1800's? For my personal set up, I have a large air tight tupperware that I keep my boxes in and a smaller tupperdor for daily sticks. Neither are temperature controlled, but every cigar is frozen. They smoke great because the RH is always at a rock solid 65% thanks to my beads. *If you don't want to freeze your sticks, you may want to "quarantine" every new cigar coming in for a few months to make sure they are beetle free. But why go through this hassle when freezing is so easy to do?
CanuckSARTech Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 Piggy likes to say I have a giant heatsink called a cement floor which helps keeps my coolerdors cool, already in an AC controlled house to buffer against the summertime high heat and humidity. Depending on where you live, if it's not an extreme environment for temps (like the U.S. southwest), then I definitely recommend coolerdor / humidor. A wineador just leads to more issues than it's worth, IMO, unless you have the right system and the right knowhow.
Maplepie Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 If the fridge was to leave unplugged, would it be better to use cooler instead ? one would think, eh? But damn do i hate digging in the coolers. every time i want a cigar on the bottom, i just get angry at hearing the tetris piece playing in my mind on top of that, coolers i've found are actually cheaper and most space efficient. ($125 for the same storage cooler size at Canadian Tyre) on top of that, they look nicer. much nicer.
1LegLance Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 So I fall into the "giant tupperware with stainless trim" group I like the glass front aspect of the winecoolers and I happen to have a place in my house that is cool enough that I don't need to plug either of my winecoolers in. On top of each is a large desktop humidor. I run beads in all 4 setups and have been happy for years now. Part of the fun is finding out what works for you...and remember that can change if you move!!! 1
habanolover Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 Well, I was feeling very insecure about my setup until reading this post. Not fancy or shiny, I longed for a nice wine cooler setup as an alternative to a pricey cabinet. Today I learned to be thankful for an inexpensive coolerdor setup that is stable and that WORKS! I use a cigar oasis in a large cooler that keeps a consistant range of 63-65% rh. Introducing others to the hobby, I gave away all my desktop humies as gifts to others so I really need to secure another so I'm not in and out of my cooler EVERY day. Thanks to all that posted! This THREAD, not this post...
Skyfall Posted September 15, 2014 Posted September 15, 2014 I prefer compressor technology over Thermoelectric!!! I'm on the same page with Ray on this one. Thermoelectric in our summer heat here, isn't efficient(in many ways), accurate or consistent. It just doesn't do the job. I've only used compressor units with Johnson Thermostat controls. Currently running 2, 24 cu-ft Frigidaire up right, frost free freezers, modified with Johnson A19 thermostat controls. Cut in's, cut off's and anti short cycle settings are all meticulously programmed and locked in the way I like it. I have 2, 4 inch fans, designed to maintain the air flow cycle i like, set on timers to kick on for 3 minutes, every 2 hours, in each unit.
Laxman Posted September 16, 2014 Posted September 16, 2014 I have tried them all thus far. Just recently went with a coolador and they are so simple it is scary. I have 6 winedors and they have been great but the coolers are much cheaper. I would take a look into it there are a lot of threads on here.
leoan Posted September 30, 2014 Posted September 30, 2014 Started from a small to medium to large humidor and finally had to upgrade to a 400 ct. wineador (Whynter model) because of space and the fact that these southern california summers are extremely hot and dry. Lovin it so far
al321 Posted September 30, 2014 Posted September 30, 2014 Three way storage for me. OLH for sticks I want to age - great service offered by out host. Marine cooler(s) kept at 65% and 65 - 70 degrees for the boxes I keep at home. Desktop that I keep at 60% for cigars I'm ready to smoke....basically a dry box. Funny thing is, the best cigar I've had lately was a JL2 that was sitting in a baggie in my golf bag for a couple of weeks. The golf bag was in the trunk of my car the whole time... 1
cjp80 Posted October 1, 2014 Posted October 1, 2014 The storage issue is something I've been contemplating for a while now. I'm based in Cairns, Qld where the temps and humidity can get high during the wet season. Check you ambient conditions before you put money into anything. Your ambient will drive your humidor. If it gets hot, wet, dry, or cold and you want stabilization, you need a controlled humidor. If not, pass it by and go with what has worked for the majority of people for centuries… Time to do some research and get organised methinks.
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