digital hygrometer....

[BigAsh]

I've had too many to count over the years...salt tested, etc. etc....but still don't "trust" results....the 4 in my current cabinet were all at 75 after test, now are ranging all over the place...brands/types y'all are using with success (not including the "mercedes" models like Stabells, et al.)??

[T.G]

I have 4 of the large rectangular HygroSetII's from Michael (CigarNut) @ HCMbeads.com so far they have been reliable.

I also have one of the old accurite 00613 min/max hygrometers/thermometers, which has been working fine for years, although I seem to recall that these units were hit and miss - sometimes you got a good one, sometimes not. They also aren't adjustable, so you have to write the error on a piece of tape and stick it to the unit.

[T.G]

Also, even though it might be stating the obvious, are the batteries new and are they the right type? I can't speak for other brands, but the Hygroset's are supposed to have silver oxide batteries (SR44/357) rather than the less expensive similarly sized alkaline (LR44/357a). When brand new, the batteries are about the same, but after a short period of use, they start performing differently. While silver cells will stay basically constant until right before they croak, alkaline cells start slowly dropping in voltage from the word go. This could be causing reading errors/fluctuation between the units.

[CigarNut]

Granted, that most of the mass-market hygrometers are made in China, I think some are better than others. I like the HygroSet hygrometers; I have customers that really like the Xikar hygrometers as well.

The original HygroSet and HygroSet II are +/- 2% accuracy for humidty, the HygroSet Slim is +/- 1% accuracy on Humidity.

One thing about all of these digital hygrometers is they lose accuracy as the battery ages, so I replace my batteries regularly.

[oooo35980]

You are unlikely to find a cheap hygrometer which is truly accurate, at best they give you a good indication of whether it's "Dry" "Humid" or "Really Humid". There is a good write up on RH by Dr. Stan Schultz, it's concerning the care and upkeep of tarantula enclosures, but the science is solid.

A good read for any cigar hobbyist http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/Humidity.html

[bobarian]

Oregon Scientific has a good reputation. But keep in mind that any hygrometer has a variance of +-2% even the very best. Even lab grade hygrometers need to be recalibrated occasionally. I have 5 or 6 digital hygrometers, all are in the drawer. I trust my beads and my ability to judge if my cigars are smoking well.