good morning from the scorching desert gents!

First off, I want to thank you all for the warmest of welcomes the last week, its awesome to be so welcome as a Noob to this "grown up" hobby. Being a 20 something i dont have many around me who can appreciate a good smoke. Thanks to a father in law it has begun. Also, thanks to fellow member I have started a small collection of very good cigars. I am storing them in the air tight baggy he sent them in and have them in a Tupperware...

Now,

Can any of you provide me with a decent Humi for a beginner such as myself? I read thru the threads but it seems outdated and maybe there is new technology or something over the years? Again, Noobness here looking for more insight as I see myself getting further into it! I know all you swell gentlemen started SOMEWHERE! Help a Brotha out!!!! LOL

Thanks in advance my fellow BOTL!

-Chris
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Humidor construction has not changed in 50 years. As the threads you read suggest, stay away from anything with a glass top or a hygrometer on the outside. More holes means more places for humidity to escape. :-)
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What he said.

To add a little extra advice, when a humidor says it holds 100 cigars it's usually referring to coronas, lonsdales, and other similar ring gauges. Don't expect that you'll get 100 robustos, toros, or corona gordos in there. Buy more space than you think you need.
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Cooler!!
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:-)

or you can go with a wineador. :-)
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In addition to this you do not want to pack your cigars in your humidor like Sardines. There should be some space.

If you are looking to store 100 cigars I would buy a 300 count humidor (or two!). Or a 50 quart Coleman/Igloo cooler (or a 100 quart!). Or a 28 bottle Wine Cooler. I say this with only a little tongue-in-cheek -- you should always buy bigger than you need by at least double.
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Coolers are less expensive than humidors when you compare the storage space. Do they look as nice? No, they don't. I started with a 100ct humidor and within a few months, it was WAY too small. Now I have a 150ct Coleman cooler, it's been about a year since I bought it, and guess what? It's 3/4 full. I thought "theres no way I'll ever need this much space" :-)
My humidor leaked like crazy and by the time I got around to sealing it up, I was already in need of something bigger. I know they seem like a big investment for something you may feel you'll never need, but if you get into the hobby like most of us have, you'll need a cooler or wineador. Being in the desert, you may benefit more using a wineador, since you'll have the ability to maintain tempratures better.
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Whatever you decide, Millz, "learn up" on tobacco beetle infestation and it's safeguards.
Once you go from baggy storage to humidor or cooler, you'll have much more to lose.
:-)
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I know that cigarmonster.com will occasionally have a 250-ct blemish Merger Humidor for around $49. I actually just ordered one for $43 for poops and giggles. I'll report back the blemishes.

However, echoing what others have said, buy more than you think you need. If you are just getting into the hobby, then a 100-ct will be fine for right now. Use that as your learning curve in regards to humidity, temp, maintenance, etc. But you WILL want an overflow solution. Coolers are dirt cheap, and easy to set up and maintain. I bought my SECOND 152-quart Igloo last week due to space limitations. I highly recommend Shilala Beads. But, like humidors, buy more than you think you need. If their website calls for 8 ounces for your box, buy 12. Helps recover faster when opening and closing, and will entail a bit less maintenance.

cigarbid.com (affectionately known as the devil site) also will have deals on boxes. Most of the ones under $200 will be ok for your needs. They're built well (not stellar), and will last. Like others have said, stay away from glass lids or exterior mounted hygrometers.

Use our Accessory forum for more research...lots of great info in there.

And whatever you do...DO NOT...I repeat...(points finger at newbie with intense scary glare) DO NOT...post pics of an empty box.

(disappears into the shadows)
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Coming from someone just starting to shed their newbiness, I wouldn't buy a humidor.

If you're storing ~100 smokesor , I'd do it with a handfull (2 or 3) of Sterilite Ultra-Seal containers from WalMart along with a 65% Boveda pack in each. The small one holds ~15 sticks, the middle size ~40, and the large size ~75. If you're storing more than 100 total, I'd look at a coolerdor for overflow and one or two of the Sterilite containers for primary storage.

They're not pretty and maybe you lose a bit of the romance of a cherry veneered spanish cedar humidor, but the Sterilite containers are cheap ($4-10 for the three sizes I listed above), hold humidity perfectly and, when combined with Boveda packs, they are about as hands-off as cigar storage gets... I wouldn't even worry with a hygrometer. If you buy into the affects of cedar for aging, just cut up some pieces of old cigar boxes and slide them in with your sticks.

A single Boveda pack should last ~1 year in these containers given that the only RH losses are what's absorbed by the sticks and what is lost when the lid is opened... no leaks and no wood absorbing RH. The Boveda packs can also be re-charged by leaving them in a Tupperware along with some distilled water for a week or two.

Maybe I'm soul-less but, IMHO, fighting to maintain RH of a low-end humidor is a hassle and buying a high-end humidor that will still require some attention isn't worth the cost.
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I don't think a desktop humidor is a wast of money but I would also recommend setting up a coolidor too. I have a small desktop humi that looks nice and holds about 25 cigars. I keep this out in my office and keep a selection of sticks that I plan on smoking in the near future in there. I also have a coolidor that I keep in my closet.

You can get a desktop humi from the devil site (cigarbid dot com) for pretty cheap. As others have said, don't get one with a glass top or a hydrometer that displays externally.
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