Expert: James Yee - 12/1/2007

Question
Hi, first off, just want to say thanks for all of you answers to the many questions out there. I know I'm not supposed to ask too many question in one email, but these are all kind of related.   

As for my questions:

1) Humidors seem to very quite a bit in price.  Do cheaper prices, always mean less quality?  Why do some only cost $100 but others cost way more even though they look almost the same? For instance, I'm interested in this display cabinet, but it's only $98 (http://cigarbutts.com/hum-dis5.html).  It looks nice, but because of the price I'm a little leary.    

2) As far as humidors go, is it better to stick with a regular boxed humidor (with a lid) or will a display case do just as well (one that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars anyway).  

3) I'd like to buy an electronic humidifier, but am not a fan of the Cigar Oasis color/design.  I've seen the Le Veil DCH-12V1 Auto Digital Cigar Humidifier which is comparable to the Oasis XL, but it looks a lot nicer.  Do you think it would do as good of a job as the Oasis, or is it better to just stick with what's known?

4) And last, what is the largest size humidore recommended for the Cigar Oasis Ultra?  Do you think it would work well in a cabinet like the one mentioned above or would it be better to get something a little more heavy duty?

Thands for your help!


Answer
Hi Robert,

To answer your questions:

1/ Inexpensive humidors usually does means cheaper quality but this doesn’t necessarily mean “bad” quality.  Usually inexpensive humidors are mass-produced and use more common materials while more expensive humidors may be high in price because they use finer, more exotic materials, have more intricate detail/construction, a more sophisticated humidification system, be limitedly produced or simply bear a high-end designer name.

I’ve seen some very excellent low-end, generic humidors that have retailed for less than $150; some even less than $50(!) and though quality does vary with these humidors (especially when they’re mass-produced), it’s important to remember that you must thoroughly inspect a humidor for any construction flaws or defects before you buy.  If you can pick out a well-constructed humidor – no matter how much you pay for it – it will perform perfectly.

What I would like to suggest however, is that you purchase your humidor locally rather than order online.  Ordering via mailorder eliminates the ability to visually and thoroughly inspect a humidor and this is very crucial when buying a humidor.  Also, when ordering a humidor via mailorder, there is no guarantee that the humidor you order will arrive in perfect, pristine condition.  I’ve met and spoken with many people that have ordered humidors through mailorder before and the outcome is usually the same: the humidor(s) are usually either damaged during shipping, defective from the factory or not what the buyer expected and different from the photograph.  While you usually can get a replacement or refund in these situations, it simply creates tedious hassle and more wait time for the buyer.

2/It’s purely personal preference.  I personally prefer traditional-style humidors but I haven’t seen or heard of any major advantages or disadvantages a traditional-style humidor has over a cabinet-style humidor and vice versa.  The only thing that you should remember when owning a display cabinet humidor is that it should be kept away from direct sunlight.  Direct sunlight can not only heat up your humidor’s interior temperature but also sun bleach your cigars from prolonged exposure to sunlight.  If the humidor will be kept near an indoor light source, use a compact fluorescent lightbulb rather than old incandescent bulbs as compact fluorescent bulbs burn much cooler than incandescent bulbs.

3/ Absolutely, Le Veil makes some great humidifiers that function and perform just as well as Cigar Oasis.  One DCH-12V1 unit should be able to handle a 500-700 count humidor quite easily.  I know several people that use Le Veil humidifiers in their humidors and they love them.

4/ The Cigar Oasis Ultra can - at most - handle a 200-250 count humidor so it can definitely handle the display cabinet humidor that you mentioned.

Hopes this answers your questions.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I’ll be happy to help.

Regards,
James