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Cabinet Questions

Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
My fiancee just surprised me with a cabinet humidor today as a wedding gift, which is awesome, and I'd post pics but my camra phone is terrible and I'm not sure if I could figure out how anyway. More importantly, though...

There is a 30-day warranty and I'm concerned about two things.

1)There are two compartments, a smaller glass top upper part and a larger, box-storage type cabinet on the bottom. One piece of cedar in the top part has what looks like a knot in it. Actually I thought it was a screw at first, but its not, and so I'm thinking its a knot in the wood. There is a crack in this knot, but it is fairly small (I thought it was a screw, after all). Can anyone tell me if this is a problem and I should return it?

2) In the main, box-storage compartment there is a lock. The lock replaces where weather stripping forms a seal for the door, but there are gaps where air can escape, and escape the entire cabinet. Will this make it really difficult to keep humidified? I feel like it might. Again, return it? Or is there a fix?

Any help would be hugely appreciated!
^Troll: DO NOT FEED.

Comments

  • beatnicbeatnic Posts: 4,133
    Ken. Let me put this to you clearly. Screw the 90 day warranty in favor of a life of peace. In no way do you even mention said defects in the humidor. The cabinet is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen and you will leave it for your grand children when you die. This cabinet has absolutely nothing to do with cigars. It is a gift from your future wife. It is perfect.
    If, after you have been married for some time ( say 9 verbal fights), and you still have the need, by al means, have it repaired. By then you will have moved to the garage and amassed enough tools to do it yourself. Good luke. .
  • skweekzskweekz Posts: 2,279 ✭✭✭
    beatnic:
    Ken. Let me put this to you clearly. Screw the 90 day warranty in favor of a life of peace. In no way do you even mention said defects in the humidor. The cabinet is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen and you will leave it for your grand children when you die. This cabinet has absolutely nothing to do with cigars. It is a gift from your future wife. It is perfect.
    If, after you have been married for some time ( say 9 verbal fights), and you still have the need, by al means, have it repaired. By then you will have moved to the garage and amassed enough tools to do it yourself. Good luke. .


    +1....couldn't agree more. Gotta keep the peace
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    beatnic:
    Ken. Let me put this to you clearly. Screw the 90 day warranty in favor of a life of peace. In no way do you even mention said defects in the humidor. The cabinet is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen and you will leave it for your grand children when you die. This cabinet has absolutely nothing to do with cigars. It is a gift from your future wife. It is perfect.
    If, after you have been married for some time ( say 9 verbal fights), and you still have the need, by al means, have it repaired. By then you will have moved to the garage and amassed enough tools to do it yourself. Good luke. .
    Hahahaha, where were you yesterday? Too late for that now!

    Seriously though, I fully appreciate what you're trying to say, and I agree completely, but trust me when I tell you she'd rather see me have it repaired/replaced with an identical one I'll be able to use. In fact, she wanted me to inspect it thoroughly and let her know if it needs to be replaced, especially since it was shipped. So I found these two small defects and I just want to know if they'll mess with my ability to use it. Aesthetically it looks amazing and if those two small issues won't prevent it from keeping humidity, I'm not going to mess with it at all.

    Oh, and I'm about as un-handy as a person can get. I'm a scientist, and I can actually perform basic brain surgery on mice and dissect small parts of a brain out with a microscope, but put a hammer or wrench in my hand an I instantly turn into a bumbling idiot with an epic temper. Its not pretty.
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • nikostewartnikostewart Posts: 451
    I think the knot would be more cosmetic in nature and the gaps around the lock just depend on how large they are, most likely they won't dramatically reduce your humidity within the box as I assume they are not large.

    Best bet is to season that baby and see how well it holds humidity. Maybe you can ask the Manufacturer if these "problems" are typical of the cabinet?
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    nikostewart:
    I think the knot would be more cosmetic in nature and the gaps around the lock just depend on how large they are, most likely they won't dramatically reduce your humidity within the box as I assume they are not large.

    Best bet is to season that baby and see how well it holds humidity. Maybe you can ask the Manufacturer if these "problems" are typical of the cabinet?
    They gaps are not huge, but I'd say they're about 1/2" each side. You're right, though, I should contact the manufacturer. If need be I can probably manage to put in a little more weather stripping myself.
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • doromathdoromath Posts: 576
    nikostewart:
    I think the knot would be more cosmetic in nature and the gaps around the lock just depend on how large they are, most likely they won't dramatically reduce your humidity within the box as I assume they are not large.

    Best bet is to season that baby and see how well it holds humidity. Maybe you can ask the Manufacturer if these "problems" are typical of the cabinet?


    Correct. You have hypothesized that these anomolies may compromise the integrity of the unit's barrier against water vapor. Since you lack a database which would allow you to correlate these defects to their associated barrier degradation you must conduct your own experiment. It's likely that the defects are minor enough that the unit will be able to maintain humidity, but it may require more humidification than would a unit with a perfect seal.

    Call the manufacture to ask about it, say you're going to season it to give it a shot but if it doesn't hold you want a new one. They should support this approach fully.

    If that doesn't work just man up, take out the weather stripping or adhesive backed felt (what I used) and have at her. Don't get hung up on not being handy. As the gents here for tons of advice, formulate a strategy and follow-it. You're smart so you'll be fine. Also: You're not going to break the cabinet with weather stripping ;)

    BTW Grats on the unit and the future wife!
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    doromath:
    nikostewart:
    I think the knot would be more cosmetic in nature and the gaps around the lock just depend on how large they are, most likely they won't dramatically reduce your humidity within the box as I assume they are not large.

    Best bet is to season that baby and see how well it holds humidity. Maybe you can ask the Manufacturer if these "problems" are typical of the cabinet?


    Correct. You have hypothesized that these anomolies may compromise the integrity of the unit's barrier against water vapor. Since you lack a database which would allow you to correlate these defects to their associated barrier degradation you must conduct your own experiment. It's likely that the defects are minor enough that the unit will be able to maintain humidity, but it may require more humidification than would a unit with a perfect seal.

    Call the manufacture to ask about it, say you're going to season it to give it a shot but if it doesn't hold you want a new one. They should support this approach fully.

    If that doesn't work just man up, take out the weather stripping or adhesive backed felt (what I used) and have at her. Don't get hung up on not being handy. As the gents here for tons of advice, formulate a strategy and follow-it. You're smart so you'll be fine. Also: You're not going to break the cabinet with weather stripping ;)

    BTW Grats on the unit and the future wife!
    Thanks, brother! And I see what you did there, calling it an experiment and calling me smart. Managemenet material in you! Good advice though, all around, I'll update this when I've had a go at it, probably over the weekend.
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    Post some pics too ken!

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    Krieg:
    Post some pics too ken!
    Can you PM me a how-to? I can't remember from back in '97 when I last used HTML, lol
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • Rob1110Rob1110 Posts: 1,577 ✭✭✭
    I agree with most of what was said here, including the bit about your fiancee. If you bought her some....ummm.....I don't know, whatever it is that girls are into these days, you'd want it to be perfect, right? Chances are, she doesn't know much about cigars or humidors and just wanted to get the perfect gift to make you happy. It's not her fault in any way if there are minor manufacturing defects and nothing she could have prevented. If they bother you, you should have the unit serviced or replaced without question. This way, every time you look at that perfect cabinet humidor, you'll smile and know she loves you (even if you are banished to the garage at that point).

    That being said, if you do season it and it seems to hold humidity, the knot in the wood probably shouldn't be a huge issue and as for the seal, I have a feeling most cabinets are going to be a bit "leaky." That's why most of them use active, electronic humidification. You also never want an air-tight seal because just like wine, you want your cigars to "breathe" by getting fresh air every once in a while. So, if by any chance, you forget to open your cabinet for a few days to gaze upon your collection or just to take in that great aroma of fresh cigars, you can rest safe that they're still getting some fresh air and not choking in there.

    Either way, good luck and congrats!
  • beatnicbeatnic Posts: 4,133
    Ken Light:
    Krieg:
    Post some pics too ken!
    Can you PM me a how-to? I can't remember from back in '97 when I last used HTML, lol
    http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/post/109902.aspx
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    Rob1110:
    I agree with most of what was said here, including the bit about your fiancee. If you bought her some....ummm.....I don't know, whatever it is that girls are into these days, you'd want it to be perfect, right? Chances are, she doesn't know much about cigars or humidors and just wanted to get the perfect gift to make you happy. It's not her fault in any way if there are minor manufacturing defects and nothing she could have prevented. If they bother you, you should have the unit serviced or replaced without question. This way, every time you look at that perfect cabinet humidor, you'll smile and know she loves you (even if you are banished to the garage at that point).

    That being said, if you do season it and it seems to hold humidity, the knot in the wood probably shouldn't be a huge issue and as for the seal, I have a feeling most cabinets are going to be a bit "leaky." That's why most of them use active, electronic humidification. You also never want an air-tight seal because just like wine, you want your cigars to "breathe" by getting fresh air every once in a while. So, if by any chance, you forget to open your cabinet for a few days to gaze upon your collection or just to take in that great aroma of fresh cigars, you can rest safe that they're still getting some fresh air and not choking in there.

    Either way, good luck and congrats!
    Thanks for the support and reply! I'm thinking about getting an active humidification system...any recommendations? The one on the site from Humi-care seems reasonable, and my cubic footage is well within its posted capabilities.
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • Rob1110Rob1110 Posts: 1,577 ✭✭✭
    I've always seen Cigar Oasis or Moist-N-Aire in most commercial humis in local shops but Humi-care puts out good products, so I'd trust them. Unfortunately, I don't have any direct experience with any of them. Please let us know how it works out, though. I'll hopefully be shopping for a cabinet and humidification system when my girlfriend and I finally find a house (she actually suggested it, not me).
  • Rob, you're a lucky man to have a woman suggest that. I decided to broach the subject of a cabinet humidor yesterday with the wife and realized this is going to take some wearing down over the next few months. I haven't even filled my 125 ct humidor yet and I'm already dreaming of a nice end table or coffee table humidor with a glass top.
  • beatnicbeatnic Posts: 4,133
    Rob and Ken are living in short-term fantasy land. They are talking about their girlfriends and fiances. These are women who want to please YOU!. They change. Hey ROb, Ken, please post the fisrt time she refers to it as that "damn" humidor. I'm just sayin>
  • Rob1110Rob1110 Posts: 1,577 ✭✭✭
    @ Stogies: I know how lucky I am, but she knows how expensive her hobby is too. She has a horse (down to 1 from 3 when we met). Now that's gonna vary state to state, but around here, a horse is a $500 a month MINIMUM expense. She never argues or gets mad with me spending too much on cigars or booze (especially with all I've spent on booze lately, mainly because she enjoys it too). Yes, I'm very lucky and I know it but I always show her how much she's appreciated.

    @ Beatnic: She's been married before. I actually have one of those girls that doesn't care for marriage again. She said she'd consider getting married if it meant that much to me. Otherwise, she's happy just the way things are.
  • beatnicbeatnic Posts: 4,133
    Rob1110:
    @ Beatnic: She's been married before. I actually have one of those girls that doesn't care for marriage again. She said she'd consider getting married if it meant that much to me. Otherwise, she's happy just the way things are.


    Wow.Stay thirsty, my friend!
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    beatnic:
    Rob and Ken are living in short-term fantasy land. They are talking about their girlfriends and fiances. These are women who want to please YOU!. They change. Hey ROb, Ken, please post the fisrt time she refers to it as that "damn" humidor. I'm just sayin>
    Hey now, don't wish your poor choices on us young hopefuls! :)
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
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