What are yalls thoughts on esquisicat?

[elia.jon1]

A few weeks ago i made a coolidor. i used a marine igloo, installed a few box tops on the walls, and strips of sc out of a few boxes on the doors and whatnot. i used wire shelves and have converted a few empty boxes into trays. it seems to be working pretty well. also i have a calibrated xikar hygrometer on the door.


i wanted to try out the kl people are either loving or hating on. i filled up 2 filter bags (i think 4"x12"?) and put them in dry and let it sit for a few days before adding any cigars.

here in my east texas nw la area humidity runs pretty high most of the year, so it seems most of the time its a fight keeping the rh down vs keeping it up.


after 2 days of the kl sitting in the cooler with not much else it was reading 65% the temp has been 62-67 degrees inside the 'dor.

i did not wet the beads or do anything to them, well i actually put the two bags in the freezer over night before i put them in the cooler.


after 2 weeks of having gars in the box, it has the correct smell has been steady at 65%...now if i open it a bunch it can climb to ~70% but within 30min to 1 hr its back at 65%


rh around here has been 75-90% these few weeks.


what do yall think and what do i need to watch for...



i tried to keep a log the first week of rh in the am(before work) and in the pm(before bed) but it was boringly the same...

 

[cartisdm]

You're right about people either loving or hating it. There's a couple threads on here floating around of people using it and reporting their success. I've used it for nearly a year in my 250ct humi and it's rock solid.

 

[iCraig]

I understand that people are looking to save money and use something like kitty litter to regulate their humidors, but I don't understand at all why if you're spending a bunch of money on smokes, why you wouldn't make sure you had good, stable humidification and be willing to spend the money to properly humidify the humidor.

As long as you'r humidity is holding steady, you should be fine as long as your hygro is properly calibrated. Honestly, you're probably over thinking it.

Glad it works out for you, but I know I won't be trusting my humidification to a product intended for feline defecation.

To each their own.

 

[Jfire]

I know a few knowledgeable guys here who I trust with there info. (due to them being here a very long time) They have used KL for years. I will still use beads forever. Whatever helps you sleep at night imo.

 

[cartisdm]

As long as you'r humidity is holding steady, you should be fine as long as your hygro is properly calibrated. Honestly, you're probably over thinking it.

This is something I've grown to learn as a cigar smoker. In the beginning I wanted to nitpick every single decision I made. I research each detail of the hobby and tried to narrow in on the best approach. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot in the process, but it can get to be a headache!

As long as my humidor is holding constant, I focus on my next smoking opportunity. Ignore the fine details because those wrinkles will iron out over time. :cbig:

 

[GoingPostal]

Hey I never used it but if it works for you that's what's important. The main reason i never went with KL is because when reading all the posts seems like you had to use more volume than the Heartfelt or HCM beads and i have limited space so went with Heartfelt beads. Now i'm using a combination of boveda and heartfelt beads so don't overthink it, if it works stick with it. Only thing i see is you may have to add more once that texas heat kicks in.

 

[elia.jon1]

heck, its 40 degrees with near 80% humidity, the heat will make it hotter but it will stay just as wet..

 

[tubaman]

:closedmou:closedmou:closedmou

I will not get on my soap box!

I will not get on my soap box!

I will not get on my soap box!

 

[calgon]

I like it, i have been using it for 6 months or so with good results. I would agree that you have to use more so if space is a issue i would go with beads. Just make sure to get the scentless.

 

[blacklabel]

Just spend a few bucks and get the beads....Let them do what they were designed to do...

I agree with some above posts it's funny, people will spend $100's on sticks, then cheap out on humidification/storage...

Any way I'll shup up and back away! Your money SPEND IT how you like!

 

[aea6574]

I use both, I use the beads in my desktop humidor and KL in my coolerdors. Both work so as long is it works for you I think you are good to go.

Best regards, tony

 

[orangedog]

I understand that people are looking to save money and use something like kitty litter to regulate their humidors, but I don't understand at all why if you're spending a bunch of money on smokes, why you wouldn't make sure you had good, stable humidification and be willing to spend the money to properly humidify the humidor.

Sounds like with using the kl, the humidity is stable and proper, no? The flip side of the coin is not understanding why one would pay 15x for different packaging.

 

[Dave]

Sounds like with using the kl, the humidity is stable and proper, no? The flip side of the coin is not understanding why one would pay 15x for different packaging.

Cetainly not uncommon, is it? In all manner of consumer products. In this case, it is far easier to understand than most.
First, you may rationalize price difference as a factor of 15. But, perhaps easier to understand if you consider the price difference to be less than 20 bucks or so for a pound instead of 15 times as much.
Second, how could it be difficult to understand that for many who spend thousands of dollars on cigars, the peace of mind that comes with a product they trust is a tremendous value at an extra $20.
Beads are made to regulate RH to a specific value. Kitty litter probably isn't. I won't knock you for using it (anymore). But....can it really be hard to understand the rest of us?

 

[orangedog]

Cetainly not uncommon, is it? In all manner of consumer products. In this case, it is far easier to understand than most.
First, you may rationalize price difference as a factor of 15. But, perhaps easier to understand if you consider the price difference to be less than 20 bucks or so for a pound instead of 15 times as much.
Second, how could it be difficult to understand that for many who spend thousands of dollars on cigars, the peace of mind that comes with a product they trust is a tremendous value at an extra $20.
Beads are made to regulate RH to a specific value. Kitty litter probably isn't. I won't knock you for using it (anymore). But....can it really be hard to understand the rest of us?

I don't disagree with you, more just playing devil's advocate. It is an interesting statement to say you need to spend an extra $20 to get peace of mind.

 

[Dave]

hmmmm....I don't know.....I'm pretty darned cheap....but.....
I paid extra $50 to ATT for my phone compared to what I could have gotten off ebay.....for peace of mind
I paid extra couple hundred to buy used car from a 'dealer' with a 'warranty' compared to what I could have gotten off craigslist....for peace of mind
I pay exhorbitant amount for electric heat instead of just burning logs in the middle of the living room....for...hmmm....maybe that one's worth a try.....
I did buy 'Oakley' sunglasses from a guy on the corner, but the headaches and crooked frames suggested to me that I probably would have been better off NOT saving that $80
I pay an awful lot for auto insurance....for peace of mind

 

[cartisdm]

Maybe I'm stating the obvious here but...how many of you guys throw thousands of dollars worth of sticks inside cheap tupperwear and coolers? Wouldn't it make more sense to secure your belongings inside a well made, well constructed spanish ceder cabinet? Sure, if you want to you can. But if the cooler is properly maintained, it works too! Plus you can spend that extra money saved on more sticks. See where I'm going with this? :stretchgr

 

[RonC]

Maybe I'm stating the obvious here but...how many of you guys throw thousands of dollars worth of sticks inside cheap tupperwear and coolers? Wouldn't it make more sense to secure your belongings inside a well made, well constructed spanish ceder cabinet? Sure, if you want to you can. But if the cooler is properly maintained, it works too! Plus you can spend that extra money saved on more sticks. See where I'm going with this? :stretchgr

with proper humidification, a $1 piece of tupperware will take care of your cigars better than a $1000 humidor with the wrong humidification

 

[orangedog]

hmmmm....I don't know.....I'm pretty darned cheap....but.....
I paid extra $50 to ATT for my phone compared to what I could have gotten off ebay.....for peace of mind
I paid extra couple hundred to buy used car from a 'dealer' with a 'warranty' compared to what I could have gotten off craigslist....for peace of mind
I pay exhorbitant amount for electric heat instead of just burning logs in the middle of the living room....for...hmmm....maybe that one's worth a try.....
I did buy 'Oakley' sunglasses from a guy on the corner, but the headaches and crooked frames suggested to me that I probably would have been better off NOT saving that $80
I pay an awful lot for auto insurance....for peace of mind

Not really good examples, except maybe the phone.

Can anyone show that kl and beads are chemically/physically different? That would shut me up.

 

[orangedog]

with proper humidification, a $1 piece of tupperware will take care of your cigars better than a $1000 humidor with the wrong humidification

Are you suggesting that kl is "wrong humidification"? Why?

 

[KcJason1]

Started with heartfelts in the humis.. They work ok.. Have to recharge often and support them with bovedas.. Kinda a pain really.

Now in the cooler I run KL... Works fantastic.. Not one recharge in 6 months... Holds Rick steady and doesn't move more than 1%..

Buy whatever your comfortable with and easiest for you..

There is also a lot of guys that run HCM beads.. I have never used them, but rumor is that's what museums use.. And people say they love them.