Alright I am not :-) anyone here so don't fry me. I see a ton of cooladores and I ask my self why so I know it is an inexpensive humidor (not saying cheap) but would the plastic of the cooler effect the flavor of cigars? I have been through allot of threads since I have joined and not seen explanation why or why not. (may have missed it) So why do you use one? Or why do you not use one? I currently have a 100 count for my normal cigars and a 20 count for the infused collection. I am looking at increasing my storage and collection. Not at all trying to offend anyone and if I do :-)
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Good option for those who can't/arent ready to afford a large wooden humidor.

Also good for overflow boxes for aging.

Doesn't need to be seasoned, easy to manage.

The plastic will not impart flavors to your cigars.
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yep Tom covered all the bases :-)
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Big cooler, some beads and throw in some cedar and you're good to go.
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Exactly what the Admiral said. I have a 150qt Marine cooler that holds RH as good as a wood humidor (in my opinion). I have spanish cedar shelves/drawers in it so I feel like it's plenty of wood along with the boxes to help keep things stable.
I went from a 50ct desktop and for the money, I couldn't argue with the storage space/price ratio. It was $80 and to get something similar in wood, would have been 4 to 5 times that easily. Mine is kept in my closet so visual appeal wasn't an issue. Someday I'll likely invest in something nice, but for now it's working flawlessly as a humidor for me. Although after 2 years, it's getting a little tight on space........and I thought I could never fill it up. :-) :-)
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Dang that gets my answer pretty quickly.
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Always buy a much bigger one than you think you need, though. I just recently stepped up from my Rubber(maid)dors to a Coolerdor. I bought a 70qt. reach-in. Figured that was PLENTY of room.

Um, yeah... Not so much. Wish I would have spent double the $$ for a 150qt.
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Just don't forget to clean and air it out when you get one.
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No one needs a wood humidor to store/age cigars. Period. They are very nice to have and I have 3, so I am not truly biased here.

Coolers are great. I've used several over the years. The main issue is the seal. I do not like the ones that have plastic latches as plastic tends to become weaker with repeated use. I'd go for one with a metal latch. I'd also do a flashlight test at the store or immediately when I got home to make sure that there aren't air gaps.

I know one brother who has an amazing collection, amassed over years of collecting, that all sits in a stack of coolers.
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I see a lot of people go with these http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Xt...Green/21947771 it's 150qt and has guides built in so you can add your own shelves. Standing the cool up it is more like a fridge, you can either use wooden shelves, or many people buy the white wire closet shelving and cut those down, I remember reading that one 4' piece of shelving cut in 3 equal pieces fits perfectly.

It's 70 bucks on the site but I think it's cheaper in your cart, around 60 and free shipping (at times*).

Happy smoking!
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To echo what the others here have said, coolers are a cheap, very effective way to store a lot of cigars. Set up is simple, just wash out with some soap and water and let it air out for a few days. After that it's completely maintenance free. Toss in a pound of beads and you're good to go for months. My 70qt easily holds 12 boxes, hygrometer and a pound of beads. RH stays at a solid 65%.

Switching over from a traditional SC desktop unit to a cooler is one of the best decisions I could have made. Granted, a cooler isn't as nice looking as a cabinet or table humi, but it's a lot more durable. My kids climb all over and jump off of mine and it handles the abuse just fine.
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Changing to a coolerdor was one of the smartest things I've done; absolutely foolproof.
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Best thing for me is that i have 3 (formerly 4, but son in law now working the big one) humidors. But,weather here is very changeable as is the humidity.
e.g. ambient humidity in our place has been between 14% and 24 %.

This means i am frequently working with the humi's.

Since i got my cooler, cleaned it with baking soda and aired it out 2 days, lined it with panels of empty spanish cedar cigar boxes, and, brought up to 68%;

I have not had to do anything but fill it. This has been my first experience with beads and I can't tell you how happy I am.

My cooler is 50 qt and a cube. Very stackable with a small footprint. ( very important as we sold our house and downsized considerably to an apartment that gives us much more free time)
Now I am planning on my second cooler in likely a couple months so i can separate duplicate boxes for aging and a second for open boxes and singles.
While I keep my day to day singles in my humi's.
It is a beautiful thing:-)
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^^ This. Wash it out with mild soap and water then set it outside in the sun for a day. Some BOTL I know have sworn by packing them to get rid of the plastic smell they have when you first get them. Keep cleaning and airing it out until the smell is gone and you're good to go.

I'd also recommend getting one with a drain plug. After you have everything set up and your humidity is stable, open the plug to let and it circulate. It sounds like you'll be letting the humidity out but mine is rock solid.
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I switched to a coolidor last week and it is amazing. First I got a 25qt then it was too small so I was able to return it to walmart and get a 48qt igloo marine cooler. It's the perfect size and only cost me around $25. It fits right under my desk at school so I can put my feet up on it and always have my stash close at hand. For a college guy like me it's an obvious decision and I can spend my extra cash on sticks. Also I found some mesh like bins in Walmart that fit perfect for organization. Unless you care about looks go for a cooler.
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I was having the exact issue with my Igloo 152qt's. But $3 weatherstripping fixed that. :-) Hard to latch closed the first time, but now it's no biggie.
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Thankfully I had one I wasn't using, as the Aristocrat looks like the ship date is slipping by a couple of weeks, I will be putting this cooler to good use for all the overflow I have now.

Took mark's recommendation and flashlight tested it, good seal, while not metal latches, really only need this to hold a few boxes for 2 or 3 weeks. So even if you don't "need" one at the moment you never know when one will come in handy. :-)
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I have used a cooler for almost 25 years for the reasons mentioned about. The one I have now keeps my cigars well. Rises and drops in temperature are also less effective on a cooler than on a humidor.

I guess I'm still not ready to go to a big wooden humidor. Why not? $500 on a humidor -vs- $500 on more cigars? OK, so I do not have that kind of coin at any one time. Saving up $500 (or more) to buy a big humidor would mean I do not buy any cigars in that time. Hmm, seems like a no brainer to me.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

Todd
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Mark is right that the plastic hinges on typical Igloos are it's weakest link. However, there are metal replacement hinges available from Amazon, etc.
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I am currently in a 48qt Igloo (getting a bit tight!), and I recently used an "8 can" cooler, for travel. I had about 60 sticks in the travel cooler (probably could have fit 100+) and it was beautiful.

I love the look of humi's, and got an AMAZING price on some, so I'm actually moving back into them. But coolers are the way to go, economically.
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