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Cigar Oasis Caliber IV Digital Hygromter by Western Humidor?
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This product was mentioned in 57 comments, with an average of 2.86 upvotes
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Any concerns about humidity in your area? Over time a lack of humidty or too much humidity can take its toll on the wood of your guitars. Wood moves with age and humidity is a big factor. Even the solidbodies you have. Usually a range of 45-55% humidity is recommended and a temp of 70 degrees +or- a couple.
Just make sure it doesn't get too dry in winter or too humid in summer as hanging them makes them more prone to change. A hygrometer will help you out to see where you are at in that room of yours.
Cheers man and that's a helluva collection.
Ive gone through a half dozen hygrometer gor puer and cigars and ive found the cigar oasis caliber iv to be the best, most reliable hygrometer.
You definitely want a digital one, and even most of the digital ones have pretty large accuracy ranges and have to be recalibrated pretty frequently. Not only does that come factory calibrated, i havent had to recalibrate either of the ones i purchased, and they are always within 1% of the test atmosphere. I cant recommend them enough.
The containers are from Hobby Lobby and the meter is the:
Cigar Oasis Caliber IV Digital... [link]
I read a lot of reviews about the smaller ones not even syncing up when together so instead of having a meter in each jar I chose to just have 1 that I know is reliable and move it between the jars to check. It works really well and quickly!
these are +/- 5% accuracy for RH, which isn't very good. try to get one that is 1% instead. the caliber ones are popular.
i use cheap ones like the one in your link with boveda packs. after 3 days or so i can get an idea of the accuracy of the hygrometer and i put a piece of tape on it with a +3 or -2 etc. i do this every time they're going to be used again. i only use them for the later part of curing though. when the buds first go into jars i use mondi digital hygrometers which are +/- 1%.
edit here is a caliber on amazon.
So I'm getting ready for my harvest and thought I would compare my hygrometers to see if any needed calibration. Three have been in jars for a year and two are new. Temp +/- 1 degree, humidity +/- 1%. Can't beat that with a stick! I got them at Amazon.
I like this one. I tested it and it's accurate. I bought a bunch of those little round ones and their readings were all over the place, so it seems like you get what you pay for to some extent. I haven't tried any Mars brand ones, so I can't say.
I believe this is the most accurate [link]
I have two of these. One in each of my large tupperdors. They can be calibrated. I usually put them in a sealed container with a Boveda pack to ensure calibration. Battery lasts for 6mo or so.
Cigar Oasis Caliber IV Digital Hygrometer by Western Humidor ($23) [link]
Probably not the end all be all to hygrometers, but they work well for my current set up. I'm interested in seeing what others use too; or if anyone has had a good experience with the Cigar Oasis Excel / Plus 3.0.
Oh and you didn’t mention if you have a digital hygrometer or if it’s an analog dial? Either way, it needs to be calibrated to ensure it’s reading properly. If you just have an analog, I’d recommend getting a digital one. This is what I have and it’s great. Accurate to +/- 1% temp and rh
I bought one of these to measure temp and humidity in my garage. This isn’t an affiliate link btw.
I believe you need under 20% humidity for it to work. And if you put wood in there throw it in a toaster oven on low for 5-10 mins. It’ll take some experimenting to get it perfect.
i'd keep an eye on the humi, but as long as you pop an accurate digital hygrometer in there you should be ok!
that CAO brazilia is my go-to cigar at the moment, it's fantastic. The RyJ, red dot, and macanudo are currently in my humidor as well. Enjoy!
Ive gone through 3 of this model. Given the other 2 away. I mainly use tupperdores but i like to keep one of these for things i plan on smoking. They average about 4rh off. The first one i had was great at only 2rh off. I would suggest as the others have switching to bovedas. Get a 4 pack of 69 and i would bet you will stabilize at 65. Dont mess with cheap hygrometers. Get this one below. Usually accurate +/-1
Sure they work but the Accuracy says +- 5%... Ymmv with these, make sure to calibrate with a bavedo pack or some other way so you at least know how far off it is.
These are a much better option and allow you to adjust +- 6 to calibrate once they arrive.
Caliber IV Digital Hygromter by Western Humidor [link]
Edit: I started with cheap ones at first and then noticed one was 10% off from one of the linked above. I then calibrated all my devices using a 62% bavedo pack and got them all set to the same range and tossed the ones that were off by more than 5% and not aadjustable. Rest I either adjusted or wrote the offset.
To calibrate put them jnto a sealed container with the bavedo pack and wait a day for it to normalize.
Leave those at default...I'm no expert but I've never heard that and I've read enough HVAC forums I dream about ducts. What you DONT want is short cycling, but it's not gonna short cycle. Also your units gonna operate better and more efficiently the longer it runs..quick hits or short cycling don't reach peak efficiency.
Do you have a heat pump or actual AC and furnace? For instance I have 2 heat pumps. How old are your units? How old is the home? Filters changed recently? When was the last time they were checked out by a tech? How many units? Are you using the Ecobee remote sensors? Are you using follow me? What about comfort schedules?
Before I replaced our 24 year old units I'd have them checked and topped off with refrigerant every year.
One huge thing..order a very accurate temp/humidity gauge from Amazon and check how accurate your ecobee is. I ordered this one:Caliber IV Digital Hygromter by Western Humidor [link]
One of my ecobees was 4 degrees off and the other 2.5 degrees off, and humidity was off for both of them. So when we had it set to 75 it's really cooling to 71 (or trying to).
I'm still chasing issues but I'm down to ductwork and just a leaky house. I'll say though, when it's 95 or so and 110 heat index like it was yesterday..if the units are properly sized and such they're pretty much gonna run all day. I bet mine didn't really start shutting down and cycling until 10pm last night.
I prefer the digital Caliber IV hygrometer. You can just pop it in the jar and as long as it's facing out, you can see the RH level so you know when you need to burp the jar and when it's time to close it back up.
I've personally never had that experience. What I like to use and what I recommend is the Caliber IV very accurate, inexpensive, and is able to be calibrated to adjust for RH percentage
The small ones for reptiles aren't very reliable so now I use these . One is fine and to make sure it's acurate I put it in a jar with the bovida 62 pack overnight. They come calibrated and are very acurate.
If you've checked the trich's etc and she's ready, then cut her up and shake off each branch individually before hanging them on a clothes rack. Have a fan blowing in the room but not on them directly, one that oscillates is ideal. Leave for a couple weeks or so (depends hugely on room humidity), you're wanting them to sorta dry feeling on the outsides but not at the stage where the stems snap yet (any more than 70% RH is too wet). At this point you want to transfer them to glass jars and 'burp' them once a day (open the top so that the moisture can escape). You can buy some perfect humidity meters that you can put in the jar with them and know exactly when they're ready (you won't really need the meters after a few goes - you'll just recognise when it's ready). 55-60% RH is perfection, any wetter and it's unsafe to store (it'll mould), any drier and you've gone past ideal (it'll be harsh to smoke, and will stop curing so the acids in the plant matter won't be broken down into cannabinoids :( ).
The slower you cure it/the longer you have it between 60-65% RH, the better it'll be
NO, you never want to add during the drying curing phase, you want the plants own humidity to be adjusted, so just dry them for a couple days, then jar them up. If after an hour there is condensation on the jars, open them up and allow them to breathe. Also, store them in quart sized containers, the half gallon size ones are too big, and can develop mold deep inside the center buds. I also use several hydrometers the can be found here i place them in each jar and I open the lids on days it needs it for a few minutes at a time, toss the buds around, get air movement inside, then cap them back up. I like my cure between 60%-65% and try to keep it there as long as possible, at least 2-3 weeks before ANYONE gets a taste... in a dark cool closet. Good luck!
I second everything that /u/mugenh22a said. If you want to skip the whole calibration bit just go straight to the boveda packs. The foam or gel sticks/pucks are not very accurate and have been know to lead to mold issues.
I have this hygrometer and mine was accurate right out of the box. Others have different models but if you search for digital hygrometer on amazon you will find quite a few. I would still test them when you get them but the nice thing with boveda packs is that if you use them correctly (in a seasoned humidor, or tupperador) and you use enough of them compared to the number of cigars you have you really don't need to worry much since they are accurate to 1~2% RH.
If it were me, I would return it and buy one with a calibration option. I have three of these and all three were perfect right out of the box. I would still recommend you verify but i have had zero issue with any of them, and you can calibrate if needed.
I own a couple of these and they have all been perfectly calibrated from the factory. They do allow you to adjust if necessary
curious how accurate that meter is. I bought a few different cheap ones off ebay and they all suck.
gonna buy a few of these before my next harvest.
This is my biggest haul yet. I’ve spent the last few months working my way through lots of singles. I still have some more I want to try(hence more singles in the haul) but I did find some that I could be happy smoking every day until the end of time. Oh, and the Mayans MC show just started and I’m stoked to start watching.
In the bottom left of the picture are a few cigars I picked up from B&Ms. I get the urge to check out every B&M I see and have to buy something.
The two boxes in the top left are from ihavanas. Partagas Serie D No. 4 and Hoyo de Monterey Epicure No. 2. Never had either one but they’ve been suggested highly by many people.
Everything else is from Fox. If anyone needs more convincing to order from Fox, check this out. I purchased the box of Tatuaje Tattoos, two Boxes of Oliva Melanios, and the 13 singles directly below them. All the 40ish singles below that, to the right of that, all the swag and accessories, were free. A sick Jet Line tabletop lighter, a Lotus tabletop lighter, a 3 finger leather case, an Oliva ash tray, hats, cutters, golf towels, and of course the handwritten notes. u/lvsquared seriously hooked it up! I’m already a customer for life, but now I want to move to Arizona when I retire and work at Fox. Golf, cigars, and whiskey. Sounds like heaven to me.
Check out the album for pics of the tupperdor. I got this Iris Weathertight bin from the container store. This is the 36qt size which I had to upgrade from the 19qt size when I placed this order. This holds about 200 cigars how I have it set up, but could hold much more if you were to keep them in ziploc bags. It has a foam gasket on the lid to keep it sealed. I open it once a day to get some airflow in. I use a Caliber IV hygrometer which I glued some angled metal to and placed magnets on the outside of the box to keep it viewable from the outside. In the bottom of the tupperdor I placed some cedar wood planks to enhance the aroma and act as somewhat of a humidity sponge. For humidity I use 8x 60 gram 65% Boveda packs. To hold my singles I bought Feathergrain wooden drawer organizers. These are the 6”x9”x2” size. I put some hot glue on the bottom of them so they will nest in each other and not slide around. They hold my singles beautifully.
Thanks for reading. I’ve gotta let these babies rest now. I can’t wait to try each one in a month or so.
There are essentially two companies selling cedar trays on Amazon. After reading through reviews one company has a bunch of "mold" reviews, wherein the trays ARRIVED with mold already on them. Mold will obviously destroy your cigar habitat. The trays listed below are ones I purchased and came in great condition.
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i think you just answered your own problem there man, old and shitty hygrometer, it may just be the problem get a new one from amazon hygrometer and while you are at it get a tupperdor from amazon as well just throw in a boveda pack and you are gucci. Inexpensive and you don't have to worry about a leaky wooden humidor or if the seal is bad as the tupperdor have a pretty good seal.
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The Caliber IV is excellent for in jars, one of the most accurate you can get for under 40.
Welcome. Success on the humidor will depend on many more things than the cost, climate is a big one. Many of the members on here that live in the cold dry parts of the country have a hard time with humidors and have switched to tupperadors or cooleradors. Glass tops are notoriously leaky and the humidity changes across the seasons can make desktop humidors hard to manage.
Per the hygrometer issue, I own three of these and all have been perfectly calibrated right out of the box. The nice thing is that even if they are a tad off they have the ability to be adjusted to compensate.
FDLA are great smokes. There are many great recommendations in the wiki that is also linked on the right side of the page if you are not on mobile.
I am sure others jump in as well but those are my $.02 and welcome to the sub.
Integra Boost 2-Way Humidity Control
Integra Boost is basically the same concept BUT it's declared Food Safe. Not to say Boveda isn't, but if you consider how most humidors have the packs in the lid, it could stand to reason the manufacturer didn't want the product to touch the contents of the enclosure. To each their own.
[Calibration]([link]
[link] That's what I use. They make a round one too now that's $10 more
I highly recommend purchasing this hygrometer . It's what I use in my humidor. It comes with instructions on how to calibrate it to ensure the humidity level you see is actually what it is in the humidor. You can also purchase this boveda calibration pack to make the whole calibration process as easy and accurate as possible.
more tech than you actually need, and less costly. these are more accurate...also don't have to look at your phone.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JXOKQVW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Currently using these: [link]
Like I said, yours might not be the same as the cheap ones i bought, but I think you get what you pay for to some extent.
I really like this one Caliber IV
Temp: temperature should be at least 5 deg higher than room temp (75 deg), or they can become lethargic and eventually die. 85 deg is too high, they can overheat -- signs are brown discoloration and "goop"/liquid build-up in between their limbs. Most recommend an ultra-therm heating mat off Amazon. Put it on the back not the bottom (you want to heat the air, not the substrate). Should be big enough to cover about 2/3 of the tank.
Substrate: should be 5:1 play sand to eco earth/coco-fiber. About 3x as deep as your biggest crab is recommended, or 6 inches (should be around 30 lbs for a 10 gal). As Spizam said, too much coco-fiber will cause ph levels to drop over time. Should be just wet enough to hold its shape (test by sticking your finger in it). Hermits like to build tunnels and if they collapse that can be a problem -- especially after a molt when they might not have the strength to dig themselves out. If you only have coco-fiber for now, that's fine but if it's not moldable, I'd take out most of it for now (leave ~2 inches) so they don't try to molt in it yet.
Humidity: Should be at least 80%. If your tank is sealed (like with saran wrap), and the substrate is moist enough, you shouldn't need to mist nearly so often. In fact, I'd avoid it as all that water eventually builds up at the bottom of the tank and this can cause a bacterial bloom, which is deadly. Also the higher the humidity, the greater chance of mold developing (which is very harmful and should be dealt with immediately; full tank clean). If you don't want to have to worry about mold you can put springtails or isopods ("rolly polly"/"potato bug") in there, I got my springtails from Amazon.
Water: having at least one pool big enough for them to soak in keeps them clean and free of mites. Having a saltwater pool is mostly about keeping them clean, not for nutrition (though it does help that as well ofc). You can use anything you have that's deep enough for them to fully submerge, ideally plastic though as I've heard a falling hermit can crack glass. Nothing metal -- it's toxic to them. If you only have one dish, make it freshwater. If you only have one pool and a dish, make the pool saltwater and the dish freshwater. Don't use table salt, many recommend Instant Ocean. The stuff you get at the pet store likely doesn't have enough salt for them.
Food: If you're going to feed them leftovers, try to feed them organics. Preservatives are harmful to them in the long run. Definitely avoid processed foods like french fries, pizza, etc. -- as close to bare ingredients as you can get. I would recommend saving up a bit and buying some organic prepared food off Etzy (I buy from Healthy Hermit, others recommend The Happy Hermit Supply, but they're currently closed). A varied diet keeps them healthy: mostly protein (insects or plants), some fruits & veggies, seeds/nuts/beans. Any of the mega mixes should have all of these. They need chitin to regrow their exoskeletons during molting, mealworms are one of the best sources of this. Honey is a good treat but don't feed it to them too often, it's essentially an energy-boost. They'll also likely munch on whatever wood you put in there. They're scavengers so they will eat just about anything but they do develop tastes (e.g. some might like watermelon more than others etc.). It's a survival mechanism in the wild to help distribute food supply. Keep feeding them every day even if they're not eating. You'll likely not even notice them eating if they do so while you sleep, they eat tiny amounts.
Toys: Anything you put in the tank from outside should be boiled with dechlorinated water in ceramic/glass & left out to dry/baked to kill any bacteria/life that could be living on it. Again, metals are toxic to them. Microwaving works too, 5-8 mins in there should be enough (DON'T microwave rocks). If you can't do this soap and water (dechlorinated) is better than nothing, but make sure you rinse it thoroughly and let it dry before it goes in the tank. If you get a branch from outside make sure it's completely dead -- sap is harmful. Here's a list of safe and unsafe types of wood. Not sure about pine, there doesn't seem to be much info on the safety of it but avoid it if you can. If you do use it, again make sure it's completely dead and dry. Get some driftwood at your nearest water source if you can. You can also get cholla wood off amazon, not too expensive and it's great for climbing/munching.
If you can, get a digital hygrometer/thermometer. The caliburn iv is the most popular. Kind of expensive but it's very accurate and gives you peace-of-mind. Mounting a hygrometer is tricky: you can't just stick it to the side of the tank as it will be thrown off by condensation. I mounted mine to the side with some magnets in between as a buffer. Some people mount them to a piece of wood away from the side stuck firmly in the substrate.
Do what you can. A lot of this isn't strictly necessary. Start with the basics that sonny outlined. If you can't feed them good food it's not going to kill them immediately, but it's bad for them in the long run. Same for pretty much everything else I've talked about. You don't have to do it all right away, but if you want healthy hermits work toward these things.
Edit: looks like Healthy Hermit is also closed. There's also Hermie's Kitchen.
You don't have any sort of thermometer that can read temperatures in that range? Old-fashioned mercury thermometer you could stick in the tank? Meat thermometer? Anything? What are you heating it with at night? You mentioned the heat lamp (which isn't appropriate for hermit crabs), but they do need to stay around 80 degrees all the time.
Saran wrap or *something* on top of the tank is a huge must. The tank is too small, which can lead to fighting, stress, and death, but low humidity is going to kill them faster than a too-small tank will.
Until you get a hygrometer and can actually measure the humidity, you're going to have to sort of guess at it. You can do that by looking for condensation. Unless your house is very warm, if the tank is uninsulated and at ~80 degrees, you should expect to see some condensation on the inside the tank. If you don't see some slight condensation, you should to increase the humidity. Caution: If your house is >72 degrees you may not see this condensation even with the tank at the right temperature and humidity. Also, if you let too much condensation form, you could flood the substrate, leading to bacterial bloom and crab death.
Really, it's much much easier to just buy a hygrometer. Stay away from cheap analog ones. Cheap thermometers -- fine! You probably want multiple thermometers anyway. But hygrometers are one of the most difficult pieces of equipment to deal with and cheap ones can be off by 20%, which... you know, kills the crabs.
I've heard good things about this one and it's worked well and reliably ever since I owned it after going through a string of bad hygrometers: https://www.amazon.com/Cigar-Oasis-Caliber-Digital-Hygromter/dp/B00JXOKQVW
I use these hygrometers. They're nice in that they can be recalibrated after testing with a calibration kit.
I use the big 320 gram pack, but it's probably overkill. Worst thing that happens is I have to replace it less frequently.
Most recommend AcuRite. Cheap and accurate, you can find them at walmart.
For a bit more money the most popular option on Amazon is the caliber IV, that's what I have and I love it. A lot more slim and less noticable as well.
Note that you should mount your hygrometer away from the tank wall, as condensation can throw it off. I just put a stack of neodymium magnets in between mine and the glass (also a stack on the outside so I can adjust the position without opening the lid). I think most people mount them on climbing pieces like wood etc.
Cigar Oasis Caliber IV Digital... [link]
I been using these for a couple years: https://www.amazon.com/Cigar-Oasis-Caliber-Digital-Hygromter/dp/B00JXOKQVW
I've only tried one other kind, they were much smaller round and only like $5 each but the accuracy was hit and miss. But then I went to these because they are popular with the cigar connoisseurs so I figured who would know better. I do have to clean them and blow out the little vents and cracks with compressed air after each cure bc they get pretty dank and covered with trichs which seems to affect the length of time it takes to show the true RH. They are pretty easy to recalibrate. A little more expensive but they seem to last.
Here is what you need.
- Hygrometer
- Boveda 65 (no higher)
- Cuban Crafters perfect cutter
- Colibri V cut (Nice to have)
I personally don't like punches as I find it concentrates the oils from the smoke around the punch hole and it tends to leave a bitterness on some cigars, but it's personal choice and you should try it. Some lighters come with a punch on the bottom which is always good for emergencies. There are plenty cheap torch lighters out there for around $15. Cigarbid.com and Cigrapage.com are good places to start. Let Google be your friend, there is info on pretty much everything that's out there!
I use this hygrometer: Caliber IV Digital Hygromter by Western Humidor [link]
These bovida packs: Boveda 65% RH 2-Way Humidity Control for Cubans, Oily Wrapper Cigars & Wooden Humidors, 4 Count 60-Gram Packets (Humidifier/Dehumidifier)-by Boveda In [link]
I used this little kit to calibrate my hygrometer: Boveda One-Step Hygrometer Calibration Kit - 75% RH - Standard Small [link]
This cedar tray: (2 will fit, but not required) F.e.s.s. Fess Storage versatility Cedar Tray with Adjustable Divider [link]
I wouldn't trust that hygrometer or the crystals.
As others said, ditch both and go with a Caliber IV hygrometer and Bovedas.
Makes sense. Just wondering then if I should toss another pack in or leave it?
That is the hygrometer I have.
is your arduino attached humidity sensor reading consistent humidity levels?
The glass top humidors are notoriously "leaky" and most on the sub will seal it with unscented silicon aquarium sealant or something similar.
The Caliber IV hygrometer is one of the better ones, but it's not round
As for a 43mm replacement, Google results really only show analog gold faced ones similar if not the same as the ones that come with those glass top humidors. If you really want something you could do the 68~mm Caliber 4R digital/ana hygrometer BUT it's larger than your hole and you'll have to do some woodwork to make it fit.
This in mason jars with your flower [link]
Thanks for the reply, he is about a foot at the moment. I'm buying all new for his new home and hoping not having to upgrade any of it for a few years. I wasn't planning on using a heatmap because I thought a 150w bulb would be enough. This is my first snake so any help would be great thanks for you time.
Stuff I was going to buy:
VE-100 or VE-200
For curing you have to watch it like a hawk. And even though they are about $20 a piece I cannot recommend enough, a hygrometer.
My husband does our cure but I've helped him do it so I'll tell you what he does. First we wet trim, removing the sun leaves and leaving the buds on the stems. Then we dry on a drying rack until they don't feel wet and flimsy anymore. They still feel moist but not all floppy. Then they go into jars. This is when we remove the buds from the stems. We don't leave giant buds in the jars. We cut the buds into manageable pieces. If you leave big buds you can get mold. We don't fill the jars any more full than 3/4. Then we close the jars, put a hygrometer in there and wait for the rH to come up.
This is where the opening and closing the jars part starts. Depending on what the rH comes up to we leave the jars open for a number of hours. If it comes up above 80 we remove the cannabis and let it sit out on a plate to dry some more. Leaving it out for about an hour or two then putting it back in the jar and getting it below 80 again. This can take a few tries. Eventually they get to stay in the jars and it's a game to open them and close them a million times until they sit at 62. To get there we'll check on them about 4 times throughout the day and then leave them closed overnights for about 8 hours. When they hit 62-65 we'll throw in boveda packs.
There's an excellent guide here: [link]
Here are the rH meters we use: [link]
and here are bovedas : [link]
Good hygrometer: [link]
Hygrometer | PerfecDraw | Colibri V cut | Cuban Crafters perfect cut | Prometheus Magma X ... perfect tool kit!
Mostly this one. I should probably recalibrate those too.
> Caliber IV thermometer / hygrometer