So after looking around I have realized that there are some truly amazing deals (comparatively) at the navy package store. Cigar taxes are apparently high here, so out in town I have yet to find a humidor with ANY cigar less than $5.99 (excluding the little ones in tins of course), and that was the Diesel Unholy Cocktail. So pretty much take any cigar and double what it's worth, shipping all the way to the middle of the pacific ocean + high taxes I guess.

Anyways at the Package Store in the NEX there are cigars for closer to what I want to pay, unfortunately the humidor smells funky when I open it, so much so that I can still smell it on my clothes when I get back to the car. The smell is definitely Mildew, I don't know too much about cigars yet but I know Mildew when I smell it. Mildew happens when things get wet, but the 2 cigars I got out of the Humidors were super dry, so I'm not even sure what's going on inside those Humis and I'm afraid to buy some and try to rehydrate them because I'm afraid they'll taste like the Humidor smells. (Plus I haven't exactly met with great success in trying to get my humidor working.)

I'm pretty new to cigars so hell, as far as I know it might be normal for a humi to smell gross and the 3 or 4 other ones I've been in have just been exceptionally well kept. Is there anyone that lives on Oahu and goes there that can tell me if their humidor sucks or if I'm just overthinking it?
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Personally if their humidor smells bad I just wouldn't buy from them no matter how good the deals are. I'd rather have half as many cigars.
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:-)
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Sucks man, stay away! You could mention it to the OIC of the Nex, who knows they might listen.
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You should only smell a combination of tobacco and cedar, not mildew. You may run the risk of ingesting mold into your system which can be very dangerous. You should definately report the suspected problem to the base.
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As a fellow Hawaii resident (on Maui) I suggest you stick mostly to mail order with an occasional visit into the B&M's for a single here or there. Prices in a shop are going to be high - but on Oahu you do have some good shops to choose from. It would be worth the extra prices for me to go in and sit and smoke a cigar with the company in the shop. For personal smoking at home or at the beach, mail order is the way to go.
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No, it is not normal for a humidor to "smell gross" (like mildew) unless something isn't being maintained properly. Something is mildewing, badly - this can, and will, change the flavor of the cigars over time.

Now, depending on what you mean by "super dry" when referring to the cigars you purchased, it could also mean that someone isn't maintaining, or might not know, realize or care that something is amiss with the humidification system.

I would avoid purchasing any cigars there at the present time and instead look to the online vendors such as cigarsinternational.com, jrcigars.com, holts.com, cigarmonster.com, joecigar.com, famoussmoke.com, cigarbid.com etc where you can get brand and style samplers for very reasonable prices.
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When I say super dry I mean they crack really easy when I try and cut them, then burn really fast and hot, hell some of them sitting in the humidor had cracked by themselves. I figured they were just dried out. I think I'll be doing most of my buying online from now on, some of the deals for samplers on cigarsinternational are crazy, way better than me dropping 50 bucks at the cigar shop and walking out with 5 or 6 cigars.
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That's very bad. Reeks of mildew AND the capas are shattering when you cut them shows complete and total negligence or utter lack of knowledge of the humidor.

There are other ways it can happen, but what I see as the most probable way for heavy mold/mildew odor and dry cigars to occur is that the electronics or fan of the active humidifier have failed and the the water in the tank or the wick is turning into a biology experiment.
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Yeah pretty much, I asked the cashier who takes care of their humidors and her answer was "Uh, the package store?". I don't even know who to talk to about it, wonder how much money in wasted cigars they are throwing away.
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Yikes.....
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The sad part about it is that many individuals who are not knowledgable of humidity and the conditions cigars should be stored in go ahead and purchase them anyway.

Ask to speak to the store manager (every NEX has one). Explain to them the issue. If you see no resolution then bring it up to the NEX retail office where you are located and complete a complaint form. Also you can contact the marcas they carry and inform them of the conditions their products are being stored and sold.

Be prepared to give the manager and/or the retail office a solution to the problem as well.
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Check of Tobacco's of Hawaii. Chris and Justin are good people and have a fantastic selection. Shop is just on the outskirts of Waikiki.
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I work at Tobaccos of Hawaii and though the prices are a bit higher than the NEX the selection and maintenance of the cigars is far better. Also there is a 10% military discount so that helps with the price a bit.

Hope that helps.
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