Alrighty,
So I have a 58 qt. Coolerdoor. At Hearfelt's recommendation I have two, four ounce tubes of 65% beads in there. Anyway, they're about 4 years old now, and I thought of replacing/upgrading. How are the "Shiala" beads different? Should I stick with the HF beads? Should I get more or am I ok with the 8 oz.?

Thanks
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I forgot how much hf recomended for my vino but I ended up getting 2lbs which is way more than enough. I like it cause when I open up the vino it bounces back very fast.

Also I almost never have to recharge. I put a few shot glasses of water in there for a couple days every couple months and I'm golden.

I would stick with hf if it's been working for you brother.

Remember if it ain't broke don't fx it!
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I use Shilala beads exclusively and they are great, virtually maintenance free, but I've heard just as many good reports on HF. I would probably add another 8 ounces just for the quicker bounce-back.
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Would it be OK to buy some Shiala beads to "help out" with the HF beads, or is mixing the beads like dividing by zero?
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That would be fine. No worries.
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What brings you to this conclusion? Shilala or HCM beads are not actually beads they are made from a clay type medium. If you are satisfied with HF for the past 4 years, I dont see a reason to change. HCM beads are a bit more expensive. 8oz is about the minimum for that size cooler, you could add more it you open the cooler on a daily basis, but for normal use 8oz is fine. :-)
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How do your cigars smoke?
Fine? Then don't worry about it, no reason to change or add more.

Recently "not fine"? Did something external change? Did you do something that might have changed the dynamics in the cooler (like drastically more or less cedar boxes or cigars)? Have your tastes changed?

Never "fine"? Are you sure you aren't chasing a "grass is greener on the other side" situation? Why would you wait 4 years to deal with poor humidification.


I would pose that question to Scott or Michael directly. There are some differences between them, and I can't remember Scott's answer the last time that question was asked.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5KeGccP9Jk

But seriously. Don't try to fix what ain't broken. It will be much easier to give a useful answer if you give us a goal. Something like, "my RH fluctuates wildly under the following conditions", or "I've heard that maybe I need more beads, but what's the real scoop", etc.
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If its not broke dont f it up in my opinion however may I suggest the silica cat litter as another option.
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Cheap and easy thats how I roll
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To the original question I don't think there is really an "upgrade" to beads. If your cigars smoke good and the RH is constant (roughly, you know within a few points year round) I see no reason to change what you are doing. As everyone else said if it ain't broke don't fix it.
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If your HF beads are working fine then you don't need to replace them. If your cigars are smoking fine you don't need to change anything.

If your beads are not working fine or your cigars are not smoking fine, and you are interested in HCM beads then I (and many others) can help you. In order to do that we need to know what problem(s) you are having.

There is a lot of information available in this thread that you can search out, or you can go to my website (www.hcmcigarbeads.com) to find out more about HCM beads. The Heartfelt website also has a lot of information on their website.
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Welp,
I finally figured, "if it ain't broke..." so I'm keeping what I have. I did order some more HF beads though, just in case as I have about 30 more sticks inbound.
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You can always use the extra beads as long as they are the same Rh as the ones you already use. But it has nothing to do with the number of cigars you are storing. The quantity of beads needed is based upon the volume of the space(cooler, humi, etc) you need to humidify.
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