Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

I recently bought (and returned) an expensive handmade humidor. I saw pictures of it online, and thought it looked nice.

It was advertised as a handmade hardwood humidor. When I got it the first thing I noticed was the box it came in was used three previous times. If he's saving trees, OK. If he's not, it's shoddy.

Next was the packing material used. It looked like it was a bunch of crap he had laying around the shop. Foam peanuts, cardboard, and a broken up Styrofoam cooler. Again, if he's saving trees, OK. If he's not, it's shoddy.

When I opened it up the first thing I saw was how the lid fit. Actually it didn't. But here's the crazy part, it's made that way due to the hinges not being countersunk. Next up was the writing on the magnetic strips that hold the humidifier. Again, shoddy.

And last but not least, it's a hardwood outside around a pine box, not a hardwood box.

When I called the maker he said I was the only person that complained, and he's sold many like this. He told me it wouldn't leak. I told him it looks like **** and I'm sending it back.

Am I being too picky?

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Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

nope. i think i would have done the same thing. my :2

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Get rid of that thing!

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

I would have returned it. its built like crap

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Ouch. Yeah, that does not look quality. But, two real questions... Where did this come from? And what was the price?
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Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

is that a sponge incased in wood?

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

About $500

Quote:

is that a sponge incased in wood?

Yes, yes it is.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Whoa...yeah, return that sucker!



Yep, floral foam = mold magnet

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

There's your answer!

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

yeh. i'd go waxing moon next time...

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

The fitment looks horrible. A humming bird could make thru that gap. Hope you have better luck on the next one.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

as long as it doesnt smoke cigars, then he should be ok.

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I would just hope you can get your money back from that thing :td

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Smart move returning that Brad...looks like she'd leak for sure. That "gap" just screams NO SEAL.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

I'd have done the same thing Brad, seems pretty shoddy all the way around with that guy

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Smart move on the return :tu If you really want a custom one send me a PM, I bet my buddy has time, he has done mine and is just about done with Frank's and Andrew's and they are bad@ss.

My coffin Humi :tu

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Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Weak! An amateur could do better than that. Geez, you can get any regular humidor of that size with much better quality for $50.

About the packing material, as long as it gets to you undamaged from shipping, I don't think it matters what cushioned the product.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

wow, thanks for the pics, amazing that he actually sold this thing...sorry bro, return it for a full refund.

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Agreed, it just shows the level of attention to detail.

I've already returned it. If I don't get a refund, I'll contact my credit card company.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Sorry to hear about the humidor. It looked really nice in the pics you had up a couple weeks ago. For $500 there should be NO sacrifices needed and you should have exactly what you want. Smart move on returning it. I'm sure you will find something better. Best of luck.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Guys

This is my first post on this forum and sorry it might be a bit long. I'm the builder of Mike's, Andrew's and Frank's humidors. I’ve also built two other humidors for friends and countless keepsake boxes, just never turned them into humidors.

I think I have only smoked......3 cigars in my life and I know what you guys are saying right about now!!!! I have this little deterrent called Asthma that does not mix well with cigars, but when I have smoked them I just tell my wife I'm conducting "research." Of course she laughs when I take a puff from a cigar and then a puff from an inhaler. So point being, I'm not all that familiar with cigars.

I am familiar with woodworking though, so here is my opinion coming from a builder. I don't know this guy who built this humidor nor would I ever criticize someone else’s work. But I’m just guessing that this is an example of when a hobby becomes a business. You start cutting corners to get the work out and done quicker. I have a disclaimer that I give to anyone who wants a humidor and that is that I cannot be held to a time line. I have career and family that has to come first. Woodworking comes second.

So again my opinion coming from a builder. You are absolutely right that the hinges should be recessed into the base of the humidor. By doing just that, the lid would fit flat and flush to the base and you probably may not have sent the humidor back as fast. The problem with recessing the hinges is that it takes time and set-up and again you cut corners because this is a hobby that is mutating into a business.

Second, from the pictures it looks like he has veneered the hard wood to the soft wood. If in fact the soft wood used as a substrate is pine (although it looks a little like Poplar) it's a very poor choice unless it's very straight grained. I prefer to use MDF or plywood as a substrate. It's not as affected by moisture, stays flatter and usually will not warp. Just curious what species of hardwood he used on the outside? All the humidors I have built are solid wood. I have veneered some pieces, but the bulk of the humidor is solid wood with the Spanish cedar lining.

If you are interested in another humidor, let me know. I can also send pictures

Hope you do get the money back. Good luck

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Aaron, you should post an intro. I've seen a lot of pics of the work you have done with Mike and Andrew and those are some of the best custom work I've seen.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Stupid question, when you say intro? how do I go about doing that? Also Andrew (DPD6030) just posted pictures of his

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Go to the new inmate processing area bro :tu Click onthe CA banner at top of page.

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I don't know anything about wood working, but I did take wood-shop in Jr. High school back in the early 70's (Old Orchard Jr. High, Skokie IL) and that wouldn't have passed even back then.

As I said, I've already returned it and am awaiting my refund.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

The writing on the magnets hahahaha That looks so tacky.

Looks like a nice design, but needs some work.

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Thats sick bro how much did that run you.....

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Ive never seen a little cedar inside of pine inside of hardwood ----- really bad and he has the balls to charge $500 wow

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Mine was cheaper as Aaron is my friend and co-worker, and no shipping involved, not sure what Andrew's "Thin blue line" was or Frank's massive "Pirate Chest" you'd need to contact Aaron.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

I would send it back to

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Wow, I'm shocked anyone would actually try to sell that with a straight face. Whatever happened to having some pride in ones work?

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

that thing still looks awesome everytime i see it...

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Thanks Dan, I enjoy it!

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500 you say? I wonder how he came up with that figure.

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That's absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't be satisfied with a gap like that on a chinese mass-produced humidor for $50, let alone on a supposedly handmade custom for $500. Waxing Moon will run you less for something the same size (probably a little larger too) and the quality and attention to detail is amazing.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

Very True! I Still Love Mine That Ed Built!:tu

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Holy crap, just saw you spent $500 on that. I'd have that thing in the mail before I even blinked again.

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I hope everything works out.

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I have to agree with what I have read here. If it were a x-mas gift from your brother in law the hobby woodworker it's beautiful. For $500 from a "professional" it's not even close. Send that sucker back.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

I would have sent it back myself. Quality these days is so down hill :( I bought a Lucky 7 humidor and for "Made in China" product it's not bad. The first traditional stlyle humidor I purchased sent back to do the veneer peeling off.

Mac

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

DV, I think you hit the nail on the head. I could do half-baked job myself (for a lot less).

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

You are not being too picky. You are investing a lot of money into this and you want what you paid for. Not to mention that this will house your investment in cigars and if it does not function properly and is not what you expected by all means I agree with you.

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love the coffin humidor:tu

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Maybe I'm just an a-hole but even if it was from my brother-in-law I'd send it back! That thing couldn't be used as a humidor and would be useless to me as anything else cause that gap would annoy the hell out of me.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

If you've got anything else to add, do it now. I'm going to email him a link to this thread, tomorrow.

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You get a refund yet?

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I would see if you can get your refund before doing that. Has he flat out refused to refund you? I'm not sure a link to a thread where everyone is blasting his work would be beneficial.

If you start on the offensive too strong out the gate, he may tell you to shove it. If this guy is not an actual business, I don't really know how much leverage you actually have.

Just something to think about.

Re: Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)
 

This. That's why I asked if you had gotten a refund yet. Thanks for clearing that up Peter.