Recent content by CigarNut

If one product (HCM beads) lasts for ever and the other has to be replaced periodically because it absorbs impurities (turns color), how is that the same?

These beads were developed by another BOTL (Scott Shilala). I was one of Scott's customers. For health and other reasons Scott was not able to continue with the beads so I purchased his business. I am selling them because they are better. You guys on this forum are coming in at the tail end...

The fact is that HCM beads are not made from the same compounds as Heartfelt or similar silica beads. You can generalize and say that both kinbds of beads provide humidification. Beyond that they are different. HCM beads have a much greater capacity to store moisture than Heartfelt. The HCM...

No deceit here. They are made out of clay.

There is some confusion here -- you don't have to put water or a sponge in your humidor -- the recommendation is that you put the beads in a container (tupperware, rubbermaid, ziplock, etc.) with a damp sponge for a short time. If you humidor seals well then this is something you do very rarely...

My concern is that the temperature ranges (45-54 degrees F Upper Compartment, 52-64 degrees F Lower Compartment) seem pretty low for keeping cigars, particularly the upper compartment.

I use the Boveda 65% pack for calibrating my hygrometers and that is it. You could certainly use them for your sole source of humidification in a small humnidor (or a larger humdidor with multiple Boveda packs) but since they wear out I only use beads in my humidors. My beads are in a bag and...

It's Thermoelectric so that makes it ideal for a small humidor... (Not having to deal with condensation is a really good thing :))

I test and calibrate with a 65% Boveda pack. This way I know that my hygrometer is calibrated at the RH that I keep my cigars at. I know that the salt test is accurate for 75% RH, but I figure that there is too much margin for error in the 10% difference. The Boveda packs are not too expensive...