Premium humidors built with MDF only these days?

belicosito

Greetings fellow smokers,

I have been seriously upset after discovering that several major "premium" humidor builders have been building humidors with lining that has only a thin layer of cedar veneer on top of medium density fiberboard. This means there's less than one millimeter between the cigars and the MDF which can release toxic glue fumes, especially when summer temperatures are combined with the high humidity inside the humidor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard#Safety_concerns

I don't believe it's to avoid sapping from the cedar, since humidors have been built for ages with solid spanish cedar lining with minimal sapping issues and this veneering method can be seen also on humidors with lining made of okoume or mahogany(ST dupont humidor below as example).

I believe this is to make production cheaper, since building hundreds of humidors with solid wood is much more expensive than using MDF with cedar veneer. Now I just wonder that if lining is built like this, how could the rest of the humidor feature solid wood instead of MDF, I guess the visible part of the walls is also veneered.

I am telling you guys this so you would be more knowledgeable than me when I bought an expensive french humidor some time ago. I suggest looking for real luthiers to build humidors if you're looking to buy a proper humidor, these famous brands are obviously charging for the name only and not for the quality.

I stumbled upon this on another forum first, before seeing that thread I had been wondering what is the glue line on the cedar lining just below the top of the lining, found on many humidors, and this explains a whole lot.

So first of all this is the issue we're dealing with:

 

Just take a look at these humidors

elie bleu (the glue lines on the lining can be found even on bleu humidors from the 80's)

ST dupont maharadjah model (probably made by elie bleu)

Another ST dupont, this definately isn't spanish cedar so the veneering of the lining further proves it's not done to eliminate possibility of sapping but to save on production costs

 

 

Dunhill

 

Daniel marshall (at least these are the cheapest)

 

Also I used to be a fan of Davidoff brand but got disappointed by their use of okoume wood for the building, but at least the lining is solid, not sure about the rest of the humidor. although I understand they might be just avoiding the sapping issue of spanish cedar

How difficult can it be to buy a properly built humidor that also doesn't present a potential health risk?

What are your thoughts on this?

0patience

So you are saying that Daniel Marshal, Davidoff and Dunhill are veneered MDF? 
What proof do you have? 
I had a Davidoff that I know wasn't MDF, cause the veneer got chipped off in the corner. Not sure where it went, I may have sent it to someone here.

And I'm fairly certain the top 3 MDF suppliers are now using non-formaldehyde formulas, because of the go green movement.

belicosito

No, davidoff doesn't use it, these other brands use it. Take a look at the lines just below the top of the lining(seals), this means they have lower part made of MDF with cedar veneer on top, and the upper part is dovetailed solid cedar piece like seen in the first two pictures.
one can also determine the use of MDF in the walls by removing the lock and looking in there with a flashlight. If the lining on these is MDF I'm 100% sure the walls also have it.

peter4jc

First thing that came to mind - how much formaldehyde is there going to be coming out of the MDF?  Secondly, we live in a toxic world; sure, we want to minimize risk, but don't fool yourself into thinking you can eliminate it.   The Wiki article even states, "Whether these constant emissions of formaldehyde reach harmful levels in real-world environments is not yet fully determined."  So, why the panic?

Third thing that came to mind; next thing you know the OP is going to post he knows where we can buy, or that his is making, some MDF-free all-wood humidors.

:-)

belicosito

I sure am not going to advertise anyone, but would have liked to have this info available when I was investing lots of money into a humidor. Call me sceptical but I want more than a veneer between my cigars and MDF.
Another problem is that MDF doesn't absorb humidity like solid wood, requiring more frequent humidification unit refills.

Yakster

belicosito said:

Greetings fellow smokers... (tl/dr)

What are your thoughts on this?

Buy a cooler, or better yet a Winedor.

peter4jc

belicosito said:

Another problem is that MDF doesn't absorb humidity like solid wood, requiring more frequent humidification unit refills.

Wouldn't that require less frequent refills; if the MDF is absorbing less humidity, doesn't that mean it's staying inside with the cigars.


Apart from all that, welcome to the forum and enjoy your time here.

belicosito

Thanks for the welcome.
If there's no humidity in the walls, the dried air after opening needs to be re-humidified with the moisture from the humidifiers or cigars(instead of the humidity absorbed in the solid wood), but the difference isn't dramatic most likely.

peter4jc

I see what you're saying.  But because the moisture in the wood, solid or MDF, is also migrating into the room it's in (assuming the room is less % of humidity than inside the humidor) MDF may work better in a humidor.

All in all, apart from aesthetics, coolers and storage bins are where it's at.

0patience

So I'm a bit confused by some statements.
MDF doesn't absorb moisture like wood.
Well, since the wood that the veneer os applied to is sealed, with glue or sealer, that's kind of a moot point, isn't it?
The Spanish cedar is actually the only thing in the humidor, besides the humidifier, that is designed to absorb and release moisture. 
If the casing absorbed moisture, then problems with warping and closing would happen all the time.

90+_Irishman

For aesthetics alone I like nice desktop humidors, but for capacity and price and functionality I will take a cooler or wine fridge any day. Besides some of the wineadors and coolidors are just plain cool. 

jd50ae

0patience said:

So I'm a bit confused by some statements.
MDF doesn't absorb moisture like wood.
Well, since the wood that the veneer os applied to is sealed, with glue or sealer, that's kind of a moot point, isn't it?
The Spanish cedar is actually the only thing in the humidor, besides the humidifier, that is designed to absorb and release moisture. 
If the casing absorbed moisture, then problems with warping and closing would happen all the time.

I was always told cedar was used to keep beetles away.

0patience

jd50ae said:

0patience said:

So I'm a bit confused by some statements.
MDF doesn't absorb moisture like wood.
Well, since the wood that the veneer os applied to is sealed, with glue or sealer, that's kind of a moot point, isn't it?
The Spanish cedar is actually the only thing in the humidor, besides the humidifier, that is designed to absorb and release moisture. 
If the casing absorbed moisture, then problems with warping and closing would happen all the time.

I was always told cedar was used to keep beetles away.

From my understanding of it and from humidor builders, Spanish Cedar is used to help keep beetles at bay, help regulate humidity and help preserve the flavor of cigars. 

pigs1040

It seems most builders are going to mdf core humidors to save money as well. Some of them actually list it on their site. When I was looking for a solid wood humidor I came across a place called Lance Allen Humidors. He is a small builder but guarantees a solid wood humidor. I ended up going with a solid cherry humidor because some of the more exotics were very expensive, but I did get a solid wood humidor. Its been great so far.