Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier Review

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I've come to trust the Vornado brand, so I had no qualms about purchasing this humidifier. I generally keep it on the "low" setting and it is more than adequate for humidifying my bedroom. However, as others have noted when water is being fed into the main unit, it is loud. I can't say I've been woken up by it, but more than once I've been laying (awake) in bed and have been startled by it. The cat has become accustomed to it though. The filters do start turning brown relatively quickly, but I've not had any problems continuing to use them. The manual suggests you empty everything out if you're not going to use the humidifier for 12 hours, but I only use it at night and am too lazy to empty it out every single morning. Initially I was also concerned that the construction seemed a little flimsy, but I haven't had any problems. I would make sure to put it somewhere where it won't get bumped into though. Despite the "quirks", I would still recommend this product.

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We have tried just about every style and brand of humidifier, trying to find one that is NOT a giant hassle to maintain and is quiet enough that it doesn't keep me awake all night. To make a long story short, the Vortex evaporative humidifiers are the best. They are perfect for the humidity boost we need in winter.

The highest speed does sound like a small box fan, but we just turn the fan speed to the "low" setting at night, which makes it virtually silent. The Vortex does make a "glug" sound (3-6 glugs in a row, in my experience) when water from the bottle(s) periodically discharges (a couple times each night?) into the bottom of the unit. However, I found that my husband and I quickly got used to this. I can tolerate and sleep through this sound MUCH better than the continuous and louder giant-pot-of-boiling-pasta noise made by other humidifiers.

No doubt, how much cleaning and wick replacement you need to do depends on your water quality. I'm on municipal water, which I assume is about average, and my wicks last for at least 2 months of continuous operation. I occasionally use the wick life extension method of soaking them in water with 2 tsp of vinegar, but I don't think it helps all that much. The filters are easy to find and not terribly expensive. There is no complicated disassembly involved to clean the unit and change the wicks, since you just lift off the top and wipe out the base. I do this once a season, no problems. The accumulation of mineral deposits that need to be scraped and scrubbed off is WAY LESS than we had with any of the other humidifiers we tried. That is, we have NO scraping and scrubbing whatsoever with these units.

Trying to find a solution, we went so far as to have a built-in humidifier installed with our HVAC system (forced air). That system boosted the humidity 2% max, wasted water, and had an expensive filter/wick that was painful to change. Just TWO strategically placed Vortex humidifiers do an excellent job of humidifying for less money and hassle. We've had the built-in system deactivated for years now, relying only on the Vortexes ... or "Vortices", if you are a nerd such as myself. (-:

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Pros:

If you want to humidify a small to medium-sized room quietly and efficiently this is definitely the humidifier for you! I have owned other brands of humidifiers that are as loud or louder on their low speeds then the Vornado is at high speed. I found there to be No Loud Gurgling Sound from this humidifier when filling itself from the water tank. With the fan set on medium you can barley hear it & it does a fantastic job of maintaining a very comfotable humidity level.

Cons:

Removing the water tank from the humidifier is a bit awkward. Instead of placing a handle at the top of the tank (which would be easy to grab) the manufacturer opted to only put a slight bump there. You have to be careful carrying & then loading the water tank into the humidifier if it is filled to capacity; or else you might spill water all over the place. The control knob is hard to grab & turn. Anyone that has difficulty using their hands will find this feature very hard to deal with.

Over all the humidifier does what it is meant to do very well & very quietly. The problems are design flaws that Vornado can easily fix on future models if they so choose to do. I would not hesitate to recommend this humidifier to other people. Filter life is about 60 days.

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Okay, this humidifier is good as all previous reviewer said. But one thing is deceptive about this humidifier. Manufacture claim that filter will sustain its use during 60 to 90 days. How come? I had my filter for 15 days and it begin to smell a little. Of course, you can use some water treatment solutions with your water and I guess this will prolong life of your humidifier to say 25 days. But I wouldn't imagine it last for more than 30 days. Of course, everyone has different water in their home, but it seems to me Manufacture used totally distilled without any impurities or mineral content water, in order, to claim one filter to work for a such long time. One more thing, if your house have some smells, they will somewhat diminish, but your filter will be smelling funny faster than usual. So, I think, in one sense, this filter acts as a cleaner of your surrounding air as well. In any case, I bought two of them (humidifiers) some extra filters and I am happy with it.

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We found the gurgling sound of the air going into the tank to be noticeable while we slept, but our brains learned to "tune out" that sound, as it does with all other sounds normal to one's environment. The fan is virtually noiseless, as this is the trademark of Vornado fans. Very simple and clean design.

Buy EdgeStar Portable Air Cooler & Purifier

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We purchased this unit last week to help cool our RV. It's a nice looking unit (a little difficult to move as it has no handle), and had a nice wide blowing area when it pivots. The problem is the temperature of the air it blows doesn't change whether it's on fan mode or evaporative cooling mode. I tested it by putting a thermometer about a foot away and ran it on each mode for 1/2 hour. The internet vendor says to contact the manufacturer, and the manufacturer informed me that since the air curtain gets wet and it changed the temp by 2 degrees, then the unit is working, just not as well as expected (the sales literature mentions a 12 degree difference.) So my choices now are to pay the postage and 15% restocking fee to return it and/or perhaps have it worked on (except that the company rep kept insisting that it worked so what could they do?) or keep it and use it as a fan that I paid way too much for.

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I've been through two of these. The first produced room temperature air directly from the fan louveres. I am in a Very low humidity area. Also when the unit is turned off but still plugged in ,the control panel gets almost too hot to touch. Edgestar service said everything seems normal but allowed me to return the unit. It is a really nice looking cooler and I wanted it to work so I got a replacement. The second unit produced 4 degree cooler air. The controls still got hot enough for me to consider it a fire hazard. The ocillating feature also didn't work. This unit was also returned. The service Tech let it slip that 4 degrees was about normal and the catch was " Up To " 12 degrees cooler. A much cheaper tower fan would probably be a better choice than this.

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Just an expensive fan after the water cooling part of it broke. It only lasted about a month before breaking. Didn't cool even our very small room when it did work. If you stood right in front of the air flow, it felt cooler. When it was over 100 degrees, that was somewhat helpful in keeping our baby a little more comfortable in her nursery, so I was sad when it stopped working. I'll update if customer service ever gets back to me (I had to leave a message) and if they can get it fixed. Update: they called back that very day and paid to have it shipped back to them to fix (I had to pay to have it boxed b/c I didn't keep the box).

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Anyone who has been stuffed in a cubicle or works in a stuffy office knows how much one of these would be appreciated. I got this one for myself and was so pleased that I bought one for my father and co-worker as a gift.

This specific unit is good for me because of the ionic air purifier. It works especially good with smoke odor as well as any other office stench. Pretty much everyone in my office has an air cooler but I had read great reviews on this one and how it actually cools the space around it as some other air coolers are pretty much fans, this one really does lower the temperature.

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This definitely provides cooling to a room. But it's louder than I would like and blows air like a fan. Not sure I see the difference btw using water with it. The unit is cool as it is-not sure the water makes it any cooler.

Cheap Cigar Oasis II

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List Price: $199.00
Sale Price: $179.95
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I've had trouble for a long time keeping my cigars in the 60 to 65% humidity range that I prefer. The interior of my humidor measures roughly 45"W x 27"H x 14"D. It's lined in spanish cedar, has two slotted shelves and two hinged doors that open the entire front side. I usually have 10 to 12 boxes on the floor, which is also where the Oasis II sits. The two shelves together hold eight mesh baskets. Each basket holds about 40 cigars, with a couple more boxes on the second shelf. All together I typically have around 600 cigars on hand.

I was using a much smaller Oasis XL Plus. During the winter heating season, it had to be refilled three to four times a week to stay in my target humidity range. The humidor is sealed and gasketed but is not 100% airtight. Tired of constantly refilling the XL Plus, I decided to try the much larger Oasis II. Wow what a difference!

With the Oasis II, I can now go over a month without refilling. It's reservoir is many times larger than the XL Plus. And with its top side reservoir cap, I can easily refill it without having to take it out of the humidor, as I did with the XL Plus to open its top half to refill.

The dual fans are another excellent design feature. One fan runs constantly to insure the moist air circulates evenly throughout the humidor. That eliminates any dead-air or dry spots, and ensures all the cigars are at the same level of humidity. The second fan kicks in only when its sensor tells it to draw more humid air from the reservoir. The remote humidity gauge has large, bright red numerals that I can easily read from across the room. I also have a second electronic humidity gauge with a wireless remote readout that typically reads about 5% lower than the Oasis II. I split the difference for an average of about 63%. Just a tad on the drier side because I prefer the feel that creates, versus 70%, which feels a little damp to me. But if that's what you like, the Oasis II can easily get to 70%+ and stay there.

It's fairly quiet, with a soft hum when nothing else is creating any sound in the room. Its foot print is about the size of two corona boxes, end to end, and a little more than two boxes high. The power cord and the cord for the humidity gauge are both long enough that I didn't need any extensions.

Overall this is a great product. It's a smart design with all the features a real cigar enthusiast wants in a good humidifier for a larger humidor. The Oasis II is a great value for its price and will in turn take excellent care of your smokes as they age over time.

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I have 2 large cabinet humidors, each holding about 1,000 cigars, stored in boxes and in a bank of cedar drawers built into the cabinet. Great cigars get even better with proper aging. Keeping cigars in good condition over time can also eventually correct minor construction problems like a tight roll, but no amount of care or time can fix a bad cigar. Aging cigars requires precise care, and I live in the Washington, DC area, where summers are very humid and winters are dry. Temperature control is fairly easy, but maintaining constant 68-70% relative humidity is a challenge. I use an assortment of passive humidification devices (I like Paradigm passive humidifiers), and in the winter, I add a couple of inexpensive foam or bead-filled humidifier cartridges to compensate for the dry air. When my house gets REALLY dry, I set up a conventional room humidifier outside my cabinets.

One of my cabinets has an interior AC power outlet and one does not. On the middle shelf of the cabinet with AC power, I have had a Cigar Oasis II XL in constant use for more than four years. By the way, I'm going by the picture and the price for reference, as the product is listed here as the "Cigar Oasis II"; it is identical to the "Cigar Oasis II XL" that I own and which is the subject of this review. I have used several different active humidifiers over the years and the Oasis II XL has been the best and most durable of all of these, by far. The Oasis II XL does a very good job of moving air around the cabinet, which is key to keeping cigars fresh while avoiding mold issues, even in the far corners of the cabinet. I do not use any separate fans, but I frequently open up the cabinets and air them out for a few minutes every two weeks or so. Unlike most other active systems, replacement foam bricks for the Cigar Oasis II XL are readily available and inexpensive (you can get one for $10 plus shipping at cigaroasis.com -The Hydra LG replacement cartridge costs anywhere from $27-48). You can get absorbent floral foam cheaply from Amazon and other retailers (be careful; some foam bricks are designed to REPEL moisture and these are useless for humidification), and you can use this foam inside Tupperware with a perforated lid to construct a cheap and effective home-made passive humidifier. However, I've found that the powered machines work much better with a custom-fitted foam brick made for the unit. The Oasis II XL comes with a control unit, connected to the main housing by a long wire, that measures and regulates humidity, but don't depend on the accuracy of the built-in hygrometer. Use a separate calibrated hygrometer instead to figure out the correct setting on the control unit.

The Oasis II XL requires an internal AC outlet for power, which is only present in some large cabinets. The II XL also makes noise. It has two sets of internal fans, one which pumps out moisture and one which operates constantly, regardless of humidity, that moves air around even when additional humidity is not needed. Both fans make enough noise to hear across the room, even with the cabinet door closed. I wouldn't call it "loud"; it's quieter than the smoke-eating air purifier I use when I smoke indoors (yes, Mayor Bloomberg, I am a bad person. I also drink 32-ounce fountain sodas, cook with trans-fats and I manufacture and discard styrofoam as a hobby), but the II XL makes more noise than any other powered humidification unit. It's about the same volume as the internal fan on a Sony Playstation 3 when it gets really hot and kicks into overdrive mode. But the II XL gets the job done and has proven durable, with proper care.

I have tried other powered humidifiers, and some have been better than others. The Humi-Care XG1000 Pro died after only six months. The hygrometer in the control unit began reading wildly different humidity levels and it wouldn't turn on when it was dry, or off when it got too moist. It is complete junk -stay far, far away. The Moist-n-Aire is very powerful, but the dial used to set humidity levels is useless. I set it high enough to turn on, and it never turns itself off, and vice-versa. I still use it in the winter to manually raise the humidity level (like the II XL, it requires an internal AC power outlet), but I have to remember to turn it off after 15 minutes or so, or my cabinet turns into a rainforest. The Hydra LG is better, and it is very quiet, but the hygrometer in the control unit is unreliable and I must make frequent adjustments (as in every day or so) to ensure that humidity levels don't get too high or too low. I use it in the cabinet that does not have an internal AC power outlet because it can be powered through a paper-thin tape-style cord threaded through the cabinet hinge and into an AC power unit outside the cabinet. My Hydra LG has been working for about 2 years so far. It does a decent job distributing moisture. Surprisingly, the worst ones of all have been the smaller Oasis humidifiers, the same brand as the II XL. I owned three different small Oasis models over the years and they ALL broke down within a year. Only the Oasis II XL completely met my expectations. If noise is an issue, or you don't have an AC plug inside your cabinet, try the Hydra LG. It's not as powerful as the II XL, and it only circulates air when humidity is low (unless you buy an additional fan kit), but it's not bad. But with the Hydra LG, you WILL need to adjust the humidity levels VERY often, because the built-in hygrometer does not work consistently. I think the Hydra LG is made by the same company as the Humi-Care XL1000 Pro, so hopefully they have resolved their quality control issues.

If you can live with a little background noise, the Oasis II XL is a good choice, but it does require maintenance. Make sure you remove the foam brick periodically, and check for mold spots. If you see anything, then you need to buy a new brick, or at least treat it with a little bleach if the spot is very small. Just make sure you rinse the brick with distilled water thoroughly to make sure the bleach smell doesn't permeate your cigars, even faintly. Every month or so, wipe down the interior of the chamber that holds the foam brick and the bottom of the section that holds the motor and fans, using a cloth dipped in bleach, before rinsing with another cloth dipped in distilled water. Then dry everything thoroughly.

In the summertime, the challenge is REDUCING the humidity and the II XL's air circulation feature is helpful, as is putting pieces of dry Spanish cedar (which you can gather from used unfinished wooden cigar boxes) to soak up moisture. This is good for fine tuning humidity levels, but if you've got a serious high humidity problem, you should keep a room dehumidifier running near your cabinet. Every summer, I remove the Moist-n-Aire unit completely, and I store most of the Paradigm passive humidifiers in a large cedar cabinet. Bead-style passive humidifiers are supposed to soak up excess humidity in wet weather as well as distributing moisture in dry weather. I've found that this ability is overstated -don't count on it to absorb a lot of moisture. Damp, stagnant air can lead to moldy cigars and, even worse, tobacco beetles. As a cigar smoker, I try not to think about it, but even the best cigars have dormant larvae, which will hatch if the heat and/or humidity get too high. Fortunately, beetles don't migrate between boxes, so if you see telltale pinholes in cigars in one box, just remove that box from your cabinet. There are excellent articles elsewhere online that talk about the treatment of beetle-damaged cigars; sometimes they can be saved.

All of this sounds like a lot more trouble than it is. I've found that, after a few seasons of careful maintenance, a good cabinet humidor will "remember" the correct humidity levels and naturally gravitate toward 68-70%. Of course, it helps to keep the air moving (as with the II XL) and to air out the cabinets once in a while. Keep a few calibrated digital hygrometers within view, and change the position and location of your cigar boxes from time to time. Good luck!

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great humidifier. kept my 3000 stick humi within .3 of adjustibel set point. Bought two addtional small dc fans for maximum airflow. Unfortunately, lightning wiped out the microprocesser after 3 weeks. Now using replacement with surge protector.

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I wanted something that would preserve my higher end smokes without a lot of maintenance. This works beyond my expectations.

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Its ok not great. Would like the hygrometer to be adjustable its over 10% off. Thats ok as long as you have a good accurate hygrometer.

Review of Shop-vac 903-40-00 HEPA Cleanstream® Filter

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List Price: $49.99
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I normally get the blue filters, completely clog and wash them out once a week. Comparatively, this one is much easier to wash out as it has some sort of teflon-like coating. It doesn't look as terrible afterwards either. Been through three washes and still looks new, I usually get 6-8 out of the blue ones. Will update in a few months with my findings.

7/1 it's still looking pretty good, if a bit yellowish. Still works like new, has been washed weekly since arrival. The teflon coating is starting to peel and flake as of last week. Might be because I leave it in the sun to dry, I'm not sure. Will continue to use it until it can't perform, definitely got my money's worth out of it. Normally by week 6 on the blue ones I would notice a noise difference in the motor of my shop vac due to it having to work harder to pull air through the filter. I have not yet noticed it on this one.

9/30/10 Still using it, still washing it weekly, it'll probably need replaced in another month or so. The white coating is really taking a beating but has far outlasted the blue or white regular filters.

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I'd suggest the cheaper, standard dry-only HEPA filter in place of this one, unless you occasionally suck up damp stuff or small amounts of liquid. This filter is not a good choice for wet applications. I also find that this filter is no easier to clean than any other reuseable cartridge filter. It's rinseable but that sounds better than it works in practice.

If you are faced with sucking up gallons of liquid, this filter doesn't work well. Unless the liquid is very clean, the filter clogs every few minutes. If I'm picking up a lot of liquid, I swap the good ol' foam sleeve back on.

This filter does work well for dry pickup. No more dusty exhaust, a huge improvement over the standard disc filters. However, it's no better than the standard HEPA filter in this regard.

Someone once suggested using an old-fashioned disc filter over the HEPA filter if you use it as a dust collector in a wood shop. I find this to be a very good combination. The disc filter takes out the bigger particles of sawdust, leaving the HEPA to do what it does best -filter the very fine stuff. Otherwise, you will find yourself cleaning the HEPA a lot. Maybe you lose some suction with the two filters in place, but I really haven't noticed. The disc / HEPA combo would probably be nice for drywall debris and other stuff that has both big chuncks and fine dust.

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I purchased this item to be used in a Shop-Vac that removes chips and wood dust from woodworking machines.The claim was that, vacuumed particles would simply fall off the filter

after the power was shut off. I hoped that I could eliminate the expense of filter bags. NOT SO. The filter quickly became clogged and I had to clean it frequently in order to maintain the full flow of air through the vacuum. I have since added the filter bags and have eliminated the filter maintenance problem until the bag is full.

I'm sure that the CleanStream is more efficient than the original filter as far as removing the finer particles from the exhaust air. I would have given the item a 5 if it had met my expectations.

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It's a great filter if used with an inside bag. It will catch the fine dust. If you use it alone or with a garbage bag and a bag keeper, it will quickly fill up with stuff and have to be cleaned out. To clean it, you need to blow it with compressed air, making a huge cloud of dust. If you tap it as suggested you still get a huge mess of dust and it doesn't come clean. I tried it all three ways and decided to pay the price for the inside bag which catches most of the stuff being vacuumed.

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This filter would be a good deal at a higher price! If you have any questions just get it. It does a great job. especially with super fine dust like from drywall.

Of course I would not feel that way if I had not already purchased it.

I am in the middle of remodeling and sorely wish I had bought it before. I could have greatly minimized the dust in the house. The cost would have been small compared to the frustration and discomfort from dust in the house and garage.

Buy Rectorseal 68114 Refresh Evaporative Cooler, A/C Humidifier

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Directions say to put whole tablet in reservoir. DON'T! Completely dissolves quickly and gums up whole system. Called manufacturer and they said don't follow label directions for swamp cooler. WTF? Stuff is OK if you break up tablets and dilute it.

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Reviews of QualityRH Beads Cigar Humidifier Tube for 250 Cigars

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I used this for a tupperware humidor for some boxes i recently purchased. The size was just right and it holds my container at about 67% RH which is great since the rooms RH is normally around 30%

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If you've used humidity beads before, then you are aware that they are the easiest, cheapest (in the long run), and best solution for cigar humidity. And if you haven't used them but are looking for a new method because you're sick of buying glycol/Boveda packs, etc., then just order this. I won't bother discussing the merits of humidity beads; they are already the standard method used by knowledgeable cigar aficionados worldwide.

This is a very large tube and will easily regulate the humidity in your standard large desktop humidor. It's pretty much a facsimile of the Heartfelt Industries tubes (or it could be the same seller. *shrug*) but seems to be even bigger than their biggest size. And, as is the case with humidity beads, the more the better and means longer, continuous stable humidity, regardless of the size of your humidor or amount of cigars.

Lastly, mine arrived in a single day. Amazon Prime made this transaction so easy, and the price is right. I have no reservations and would (and will!) buy it again.

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And no I did not over saturate the beads . After very carefully wetting the beads by opening the ends and dripping distilled water or spraying the sides , Was not getting much humidity from the beads and getting gritty particles all over my humidor . I have to place it on plastic wrap to contain the mess. I dumped out the beads into a bowl and found about 25% saturated and about 2 teaspoons of gritty destroyed beads . I sprayed the beads with 5 good sprays and put them back into the tube .I am hoping for better results .Dumped out beads the next day more crumbles very few saturated beads.And humidity did not rise . I will do what another poster did and order loose beads from another company and use this tube .Again I Did Not Over Saturate the beads .

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The beads arrived with a generous quantity of flaky, crumbly dust. Most of the beads were already shattered. Upon being lightly sprayed with distilled water, they began making "crackling" sounds and broke apart even more. I'm already down to about half the volume of beads as there was originally little over a month ago.

Functionality-wise, they were a joke. They couldn't handle the volume of my 100 count humidor with only 50'ish cigars for anything longer than 1 week before needing to be sprayed down again. And every time I took them out to spray them, they sprinkled impressive amounts of gritty silica dust everywhere.

The container tube is pretty decent, though. I bought a different brand of beads to replace these (and am very happy with them), and I am still using this tube in the humidor.

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I wrote earlier about the beads coming apart and white sand like stuff all over my humidor well it may have been my fault, i contacted Quality Beads and they asked if i had over saturated the beads and if so i guess they could expand too much and brake apart. It's possible i may have. The instructions should warn you about that anyway the service is great their sending me beads to try again. Thanks Quality Beads...

Prestige Import Group Montgomery Metal Studded Dome Top Humidor Review

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Purchased this as a gift for someone with very expensive taste. He was impressed with the craftmanship and quality of this humidor. This could easily go for $350+. Great price, excellent product.

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