Aristocrat questions
 

Hey Fella's I'm pondering the purchase of an Aristocrat.
I did a search and found a lot of useful info, but I still have some specific questions that need answering.
I was hoping some of the guy's here could help me out.

1) How accurate do you find Bob's capacity ratings to be?

2) I have seen some threads stating the Set & Forget system is a must and I plan on getting it.
Those of you with this system, are you using beads as well or is this system enough?

3) I also read a few threads about noisy circulation fans.
Did you replace your fans or did it simply take time to get accustomed to the sound they made?

4) If where you were placing the cabinet didn't put any constraints on you,
would you opt for a taller, shallower model or shorter, deeper one?
My budget has eliminated the taller, deeper option :td

Thanks in advance!
If you have no answers for me and just want to post how much you love your Aristocrat, so I can show my wife ;) that would be great too :D

Thanks again!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I can only help on question 1 from my Mini Tall and find his estimates to be on the conservative side. I've got as many boxes as he said could fit currently in there and have room to grow. Obviously it depends on the size of the cigars you smoke and the packaging.

I'd rather have wider than deeper as I find it easier to access the cigars that are up front. If you go deep (or even not very deep) go with the rollout shelves.

Bob does great work!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Jonumberone,

1. I find his rating capacity to be fairly accurate. That being said you will be stacking singles 5 or 6 deep to reach his rating on the singles shelves. Boxes look to be fairly accurate as well with a little box tetris. That being said thats just a guestimate on my part.

2. So far I have just been using his set and forget system. I think in areas where high humidity is an issue you might want to consider beads. The set and forget system can only add humidity to the equation not take it away.

3. You can definitely hear the fans although they don't bother me. Thats going to boil down to a personal opinion.

4. I have the Aristocrat end table option. Right now (and hopefully in the future) this is plenty big enough for me. I could have gone larger but I was upgrading from a 100ct humidor (ok... well there was a tupperdor in the equation for awhile).

I absolutely love my Aristocrat (you can see pictures on the "let's see your humidor" thread). I have never heard anyone say otherwise. Bob is great to work with. Every time I've called him he's answered the phone personally. His workmanship and quality are fantastic as well. One of the most important things to me in any purchase I make is quality. Thats why I chose Bob and Aristocrat Humidors. You'll be surprised how heavy the thing is. If I can be of any help don't hesitate to ask and good luck with your purchase. You'll love it, Dan

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I initially bought the end table, but when it arrived, it had obviously been dropped by the delivery company, so I sent it back. Spoke to Bob and I went for the Aristocrat Plus, with absolutely no regrets! I've had mine for 7-8 years now and still love it!

That being said, I thinks Bob's est are fairly accurate, not to mention he does fantastic work! My wife even talks about getting another one since she's seen Bob's options in woods and doors. The fan noise isn't a big deal to me, prolly because I'm use to them.

I can have my wife email your wife and do the "girl talk" thngy if that will help with the swinging vote!! :rolleyes:

Good luck on your venture!!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Bugets suck!!

I started with a Plus 48, ran out of room & bought a Mini, ran out of room & bought a 3rd....a Plus Model. Wish I had just bought the biggest sucker he had but that's another story.

My Mini is ok but I find the space limited for boxes. For my purposes the slide out drawer is to deep & cigars end up piled 4 deep. When I ordered my last Humi I went with a fairly shallow single drawer to get the max box storage area.

I like the RH contoller on the set & forget with the new red readout, for the most part it seems fairly on target when it comes to RH. The fans do make a bit of noise but I have become use to it.

Bob does great work. 4 or 5 coolers would have done the trick but their is something about sitting in my small cigar room watching my HD TV or listening to my CD player with my humi's staring back at me (glass doors). Hell I'm old so I figure I deserve it. :D

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Set and forget works like a champ. This humidor is so well sealed, I do not even use it in the summer. The air conditioned units are quite noisy. I would go rifle cabinet size and without AC if I were doing it over. The shorter one fits my current settings. I would also have lock put on. It is as nice as people make it out to be.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Dom, I too found Bob's capacity estimates to be pretty accurate.

I have had mine for about 4 years and have never used (nor needed) beads in it.

I like the deeper option better than the wide, but that's personal preference.

One of my four fans is a bit noisy, but my humi isn't in a room I spend much time in, so it doesn't bother me too much.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I have an Mxt, but in the semi-custom depth, half way between the two stated depths on the web site. It's semi-custom because it is a standard depth, but he doesn't list it on the web page. He already has the jigs and such.

The capacity is accurate. I have 100 boxes (counted them this weekend) which includes several 50 cabs.

I have put some under the bottom shelf because if the humidity spikes, it will spike highest at the bottom and having the buffer is a bit of peace of mind; plus, I already owned the beads.

The taller the cabinet, the greater the RH differential between top and bottom. Mine has been 4% higher at the bottom since I got the cabinet. I have a couple wireless oregon scientific RH gauges, one at the top and one at the bottom, which I swap about every two weeks. The one at the bottom always reads 4% higher than the one at the top.

Based on this, I am considering moving my singles tray lower in the cabinet, maybe just have one shelf below it.

here's my cabinet
http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/p...ales/Today.jpg

This is what it used to look like empty

http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/p...nPlaceOpen.jpg

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

1) He is very conservative on his estimates, at least the way I play tetris.

2) The set and forget is all you need.

3) My fans do not have any problems but I have had friends replace them when they start to make to much noise, ware out.

4) I like taller, but that is all personal .

There is nothing like having an Aristocrat, your cigars and your wife will thank you :D

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Like everyone else, I found Bob's storage capacity estimates to be pretty close. When you're mixing cabs and dress boxes of various sizes, it really comes down to your own ability to organize them in the most efficient way.

I live in the desert where humidity averages around 10% most of the year and the set and forget system works flawlessly, though in the summer I do have to add water weekly.

The only mod I made to mine was on the recirc system. I have double cooling units on mine due to the high temps we get, and the fact that when I'm not around the house can get up into the eighties and nineties. There's a collection tray under the cooling units that feeds condensate back into the reservoir via a tube. Bob positioned the reservoir at the back of the bottom shelf, so I had to remove boxes every time I needed to add water to it. I lengthened the tube so I could position the reservoir at the front of the cabinet. Makes adding water a whole lot easier. But if you don't get the cooling unit, it's a moot point. :D

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I have to echo what Mark said, was going to get the plus but opted for an Mxt...boy am I glad I did! If you can, go bigger than what you may already be planning if possible. RH is the same as what Mark said...mine is about 4 points higher on the bottom than top shelf....fans don't bother me. The estimates are conservative. I think you'll be very satisfied with whatever cabinet you choose :). If there's one thing I wish I did, it would probably be to get the deeper version over the standard version....then again, I ran out of money as I only planned on getting an M plus in the first place lol. Wife was surprised to see otherwise!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

1) - I had Bob build me a custom cabinet to fit a specific place I had for it, so I never got a capacity estimate. I'd heard his estimates run a little small (won't fit as many as he said it would) but the other guys that have posted in thread contradict that. I can't really offer any solid info there.

2) - Set and Forget rocks..but don't forget all it can do is RAISE the humidity..!!! My cabinet is a cooled cabinet, and our prevous house didn't have air conditioning. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's just not that big of a deal. However, when we'd get a heat spell (about a week typically) the pelt coolers would run pretty hard and the RH in the cabinet would creep up a bit over time.

Bottom line here is that if your ambient RH is always lower than you want to keep your cigars, you should be golden. If your ambient RH is often higher than you want to keep your cigars, you'll want some bags of beads.

3) - The fans are noticable but never bugged me. JMHO....

4) - My cabinet is "phone booth" shaped and it is a bit of a challenge to utilize all the space. If I did it over I'd get a wider cabinet. It's all about ratios.

My cabinet a couple of years ago in our old house:

http://www.cigarpass.com/forums/uplo...5_604_2926.jpg

I will tell you this - the picture does NOT do justice to the finish. Bob's cabinets are beautiful. Insides a couple of years ago:

http://www.cigarpass.com/forums/uplo..._604_61530.jpg

Bottom has two pull out singles drawers, and one more pull out shelf. Two humidifier cans, three pelt coolers round out the cabinet.

Cheers - N.F.H.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Dom - I have an Aristocrat end table, and while I love it, I am thinking about consolidating it and my other two non-Aristocrat end tables to a single tall Aristocrat. At the end of the day, I am a lazy dude, and I hate all the constant deep knee bends I have to do with end tables. Having seen markem's set-up first hand, I was sold on the taller model. (You should see what that beauty does to a box of simple PLPCs -- you wouldn't believe how gracefully they have aged. :D)

No matter what though, strongly consider a cooled unit. I don't know what your storage environment is like, but the best area of my house is subject to wild temperature swings, and the heat scares the hell out of me. I don't have a cooling system in any of my end tables, but I do have a couple set & forget systems installed. Even with those, I still have a couple pounds of beads in the bottom of each humidor.

Good luck, brother. I love my Aristocrat, and I have salivated over several more. Well worth the price, IMHO.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I love my Aristocrat 48 plus. I find Bob's estimates to be accurate. I don't even really hear the fans run anymore. I guess I just tune them out.

Get one brother. You will enjoy it! :)

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Gentleman, thank you for the quick and concise responses! :tu
And thanks to the fella's who shared the pics!
They truly are works of art.

Vin, I for one hope you don't get a taller humi. ;)
There's something about you crawling on your hands and knees......:dr :D

I will be contacting Bob in the next few days.
I still have to decide between the M plus 25 or the MXT 19.

Thanks again boys and if you have anything else to add please do so.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Everyone pretty much nailed it, Dom.

When I ordered my end table, my wife was very involved in the choosing outside aesthetics - wood, trim, etc. The interior configuration was entirely up to me. She is quite pleased with the quality and beauty of the piece of furniture we now own.

I have beads in mine. Not necessarily because I need them but I had them and I figured it couldn't hurt.

The initial humi had a very loud circulating fan. I contacted Bob and he mentioned he had a number of reported noise issues with the latest batch. He said some newer, quieter ones were on order and he would send one to me as soon as he got them. The new fan is so quiet, I had to open the humidor to be sure it was running.

I can't say enough good things about Bob's humidor and his quality and integrity as a craftsman. He is a pleasure to work with.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Here is mine. I bought it off another brother. It holds rock solid humidity:

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...s/IMG_0501.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...s/IMG_0503.jpg

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

If you are not that picky, see if he has a floor model ready to ship. You'll save a nice chunk of change.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I will inquire with Bob, but I think Peter may be on to something!
Let the wife pick the wood and exterior options and I'll worry about the inside! :tu

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Even better if she likes the ready to ship unit and save $$$ for her spa treatment...

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Yes, you will. But only if the floor model is close in configuration to what you are looking for. You are planning to spend a chunk of money. You should get exactly what you want.
:2
Especially true if it going to be in an area of your home where everyone will see it. Mine is in the living room. So this was important.

Good point. But the spa treatment experience will last just a day or weekend. If she is involved in selecting the wood and exterior she wants, it is something she will be looking at for a long time.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Listen to Peter.
In my case, my wife wanted me to go much bigger.
She was very involved with me in the selection process.
Foolishly, I thought it was one of those "go ahead and do it and I will kill you" moments.
Turns out it wasn't. She meant it. I now regret not doing it.
BTW, love my set and forget.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

So I have the M plus 25, if you are considering this size, I would definitely grab some string and map out the dimensions on the floor where you think it is going to go. I didn't think 6 inches would make a huge difference but it does. My humidor is more square than I had thought it would be.

Personally, if I was to do it over again, I would probably get something that was a foot taller and not as deep. So something that is 5 ft tall instead of 4 ft tall.

I actually use beads in mine and not the water reservoirs. When I first got it in the summer, I could not get the RH down with water in the system, so I use about two pounds of beads and my humidor is usually 62-64%, but I do have the temp control.

This also adds another issue. There is a drain for the cooling fans that empties into one of the reservoirs. So it is hard to pull out the bottom shelf as I have to reach behind and pull out the tube before the shelf can be pulled out.

You get used to the fans after a couple of days. I think you end up tuning them out.

I haven't thought about capacity, I think mine holds at least 1600 to 1700 cigars.

I would just lay out the dimensions and get what you think works best for the room.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

The first of many emails has been sent to Bob! :banger
I was going to call him but I have the flu and sound like death, I figured this was the best way to get the ball rolling!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Congrats man! You will love it!:tu

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Good luck, he is more of a phone person from my experience.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Got to agree here. Get him on the phone; you won't find a nicer guy to deal with.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I have no voice :(

Perhaps on Monday!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

when I was making decisions, asking detail questions, getting various quotes, Bob was quite good at email for me. Sometimes took 2 days for a response, but it was always a detailed and on point response.

I think that a combination of phone and voice will work just fine.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Just place your order Bob makes a hell of a humidor. I have had mine for just over 15 years now and the darn thing works and looks just as good as the day I got it. Bob is a great guy and builds a real beauty

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

I had plenty of email/phone conversations with Bob. You cant go wrong either way! Just the wait until you receive the humidor feels like ages ;) Hope you feel better soon.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

curious, how long is the build process. I think I have finally decided to get one and am going to pull the trigger on a MxTHC-26.5 in Black Walnut tomorrow.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

For me, my end table took roughly 6-8 weeks. That includes my initial contact with Bob, discussing costs/options and him shipping me some wood samples for me to finally select my choice of wood.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

It is going to depend a lot on what wood is in stock, how many in line ahead of you, etc. However, Bob told me 10 weeks and it was done at right about 8 weeks. Mine has no applied finish, so that may have been the difference.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

It was about 10 weeks for mine, but I requested some minor changes during the process so that may have added time.

Bob is a pleasure to work with on the phone, I highly recommend doing at least some of the details that way.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

My Email was returned promptly before the end of the day.
Spent most of the weekend discussing options with my wife, and the plan is to give Bob a call in the AM! :tu

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

You won't be sorry, Dom.

If you are like me and having difficulty deciding on the choice of wood, Bob will be happy to send you samples of the wood/finishes you are considering. I had narrowed it down to 2 choices and was pretty sure the black walnut was what I wanted. It turned out the dark brown mahogany was the better choice.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Bob told me 6-8 weeks also and I had a birds eye maple inlay top added. Bob still remembered me from 6 years ago when I called him last week on a question I had :)

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Just got off the Phone with Bob.
What has been said here about him cannot be echoed enough.
He walked me through step by step, answering all questions, and covered all options without sounding like a salesman.
I have some wood samples heading my way and still have some decisions to make, but I'm already getting excited! :dance:

Thanks again to all the fella's who commented and offered up Ideas.
I would've never thought to ask for a wood sample, and the fact that they are coming has already calmed some nerves about buying such an expensive piece sight unseen.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Guess that ToP will be for sale soon, eh Dom?

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Just got off the phone with Bob myself, truly a pleasure to speak with and made my final decision to go ahead.

MXTPlus (74" x 40" x 26.5")
3 Peltier Cooling
Set & Forget Humi Control
Black Walnut
Raised Panel Doors
1 Drawer
5 Rollout Shelves
DX Bottom
6-7 Week wait

now just need to pay for it before wife finds out :noon

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Bob has got to be one of the nicest guys out there, a real pleasure to deal with when your about to fork over a boatload of $$$'s.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Very nice! Congrats to both of you.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Very nice!!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Just placed my Order!!! :wo

Thanks to Bob talking me out of the cooled unit and my wife being stuck on the one option I didn't want,
I was able to get a much larger cabinet then I originally planned to.

MXT Plus 3674
40 X 74 X 26.5
Extra Dark red mahogany
Crown molding
Bevel Glass uppers
Dark red Crotch Mahogany lowers
Extra Dark red mahogany shelf fronts
5 Full extension shelves
1 Drawer

Very similar to this

http://www.aristocrathumidors.com/Mx...00_324x467.jpg

Thanks again to all the fella's :tu
And since I was lucky enough to win Peter's Aristocrat delivery contest,
I cant think of a better way to PIF than to hold one myself :D

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Sweet enjoy it. I love mine and just wish I could afford another one!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Baller!.....sweet bro'!

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

Dom, what were the reasons you went with the non-cooled version? I am curious about what Bob said that convinced you to go the regular route.

Congrats on the order, now the waiting.

Re: Aristocrat questions
 

That thing is beautiful Dom. Make sure you post pics of it when you get it and even more when you load it up. Can't wait and congrats!