I think I know everything I need to know now. Thanks.

Just one final question... When I season my humidor, should I try to get the humidity up to 70-80 percent and then put the shilala's beads in to drop the humidity? Or what is the best way to get the humidity up and then level?
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This is a really good FAQ, but it does not contain any information about Shilala's beads. If you are interested in information on Shilala's beads you can check out this FAQ: http://www.hcmcigarbeads.com/faq.asp
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Thats similar to what I did... I raised the humidity to 74% for 3 days, took the water out, put in my shilala beads and all the sticks to let them pull the humidity down :-) Worked great.
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Thanks waffle. Do you think I should get 1 large bag of beads? or 2 smaller bags of beads and then place 1 on the top and bottom of the humidor.

Does it even matter really?
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Now that's a question for someone with a humi larger than mine... I've got a quaint 150 stick box, nothing that needs so much... I do know that if you get 2x what you need, it helps keep it wayyyyy more consistent!
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I have a 250 count and have just one 4oz bag and it works great. have not had to touch it in 3 months so far. Maintaining Rh, no flux.
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It is all about having as much surface area of the beads getting exposed to air as possible. Instead of having one bag crammed into a tight space two smaller bags that have better exposure would be better. If you have plenty of room then one bag would be fine.
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That makes sense! Thanks for the clarification.
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In typical UPS fashion, my humidor was delayed by a day on its arrival. Not surprised tbh. You pay an extra 5 dollars for 3 day shipping to speed things up and get about the equivalent of ground in the end anyway. Figures.

I am getting really antsy waiting for all this. I know I need to season the thing and then order my cigars, but I am getting bored waiting. But I guess that is what you get when you live in the middle of nowhere like I do.

I have learned a lot about the industry tho. Each smoke shop here marks up their prices by 200-300% over what the price is online. I'll probably never buy from a local store again unless its just a single to try something new that I can't find online.
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So - I am the EXACT same way when it comes to deliveries... I HATE WAITING... I want to start something so bad.... it was sooooo hard to season my 2nd humi with all the sticks in tupperware b/c I want it to be full and beautiful, I think UPS knows when you're waiting for something and delay it just to be spiteful!:-)
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Well it looks like my humidor did arrive on time. The thing is large heavy, and very well constructed from what I can tell. The external Hygrometer makes me wonder however, even when pushed all the way in there is a little gap, i think it probably will end up leaking humidity, we will have to see, but I have a feeling I am going to have to use some Silicon to seal the thing up.
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After letting my humidor try to collect humidity overnight and watching the analog hygrometer sit at 50% RH for 12 hours, I decided I would wipe down the inside with a slightly damp clean rag to try to get the process going. The RH shot up to 80% on the dial and quickly dropped to 50% within an hour.

I figured I had a leak so I made a run to the hardware store. I got some 100% silicone sealant and made a ring around the gap between the wood and the Hygrometer, used a stack of books to keep pressure on it for 3 hours to allow it to set. I put my bowl of water back in the humidor for an hour and the RH went from 50% up to 60% on the hygrometer and kept climbing slowly. Looks like the leak was fixed. It is now hovering at around 80%, but who knows how accurate that thing is anyway.

My digital hygrometer is currently being tested in a bag, its been 9 hours at it reads 73%. I am going to let it sit overnight to finish.

So, that's all that I have for now. My story of the day lol.
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You did buy one roughly 3x the size you thought you'd need right? My 150 one is about to be met with a coolidor under the desk as the humi is now full (well, was, freezing the sticks after having the A/C go out, I didn't want to take any chances). I couldnt believe how quickly I filled it... its a sickness I tell ya!
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That slope is sure slippery... :-)
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Bead respect notwithstanding, I stay stay away from any beads you cannot
add water directly to. There are positive results and no shortage of true
believers for both types, but I always choose the type is not confusing to my
small brain and can have water poured on them without igniting the ionosphere.
Also nut up from the get go and buy you several pounds. You will not be in a
300 ct for long. Or maybe you will be the first to actually pull it off. We'll see.
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I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, grumpy grumpy grumpy...

Not everyone can afford a $500 humidor you know....
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:-) I Agree!:-)
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Listen To The Voice Of Experience From My Trials & Tribulations. I Have 3 Coolidors With Shilala's Beads That Work Fantastic With Almost No Maintenance. RH 63-65 & 74* Year Round For The Last Year, I Have A Nice Desktop That Maintains 65 With Shilala's Beads, The Other 2 Humidors Similar To The Ones You Have Don't Hold Humidity Worth S**T, No Matter What I Do. I'm Purchasing A Custom Humidor From Ed (waxingmoon), A Great Member On This site. I'll Put The Smokes I Plan On Smoking For The Current Month In This. I've Always Used Boveda Seasoning Packs (84% RH) For Seasoning All My Humis & They Work Great! www.bovedadirect.com

Good Luck!:-)
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Thanks for the advice longknocker. But for now, this humidor will have to do. I seem to have stopped the leak and the humidor has been sitting at a rock solid 81% RH (analog hygrometer) for the last 24 hours. It seems the leak is gone now.

My digital is still calibrating. I am having some issues getting it set correctly, but the Boveda Calibration Kit is good for 3 months, so if it takes me that long to get it calibrated correctly, god help me... I'll probably have it all good in a couple days tho.

@ waffle, yes I did order 3x the size that I was originally shopping for. I started looking at a 100ct, but gauging from my friend's 100 and 150ct humidors being full to the brim, i decided I would pull a few stops and go 200 at the minimum. I settled on 300ct.
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