Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
 Definitely needs calibration July 27, 2010
Edward Holub
I am giving 4 stars for both the product and the seller (Cheap Humidors).
I originally purchased the hygrometer, the seasoning kit, and the calibration kit (I am somewhat of a scientist and wanted to remove as much human error as possible). Much to my surprise, the hygrometer read 68% 24-36 hours later in the calibration kit. I tried adjusting it (and yes, I did hit the reset button) but I gave up after a solid week of adjusting it, waiting a good amount of time, and adjusting it again.
I called the makers of the calibration kit and they indicated that it was probably the hygrometer but still offered a replacement free of charge. I decided to call Cheap Humidors as I could not locate the manufacturer of the hygrometer.
The call to customer service did not go very well. I discussed my issue with a young female who never even bothered to take my order information. Much to my surprise, she also called called the validity of the calibration kit into question and instead recommended performing a salt test. I tried to explain to her that common sense dictates that I would believe CALIBRATION kit over adding water to salt and throwing it into a ziploc bag. Regardless, she refused to take my call any further and instructed me to e-mail (not call) customer service once that was done.
Unfortunately afterwards I had to tend to a bit of a crisis, so this all fell by the wayside for a few weeks. Still, the 'superior' salt test called the hygrometer into question. Frustrated, I decided to e-mail customer service, which went much more smoothly than the phone call.
I am not sure if the owner of the website fields customer service e-mails or if mine was forwarded to him. He pretty much verified everything and offered me a replacement hygrometer and even threw in another calibration kit. I received both in a timely manner and was able to calibrate the new hygrometer in a matter of days.
So I'm docking both the seller and the product because of the difficulty calibrating and the initial problems with customer service. Besides that, though, everything was great. Bottom line: buy this product, but if you have a problem with the product, send an e-mail.
 Cheap junk July 19, 2010
A. York (ATL, GA)
Bought this for my cigar box humidor along w/ the test kit after reading the reviews. Opened it up and tried to calibrate it--but the 3-step instruction ignores some pretty crucial components--like what each button is supposed to do. I put it in the test kit for 48 hrs as instructed, and it came out at 61%--but since you're only able to adjust the humidity percentage a very small percentage either way, I was SOL. The instructions also say each click adjusts the reading by 0.2%, but mine appeared to go by a full percentage point.
I tried to use it anyway since there were so many glowing reviews. Two days later it shut off. I tried to turn it back on and the LCD was completely screwy, just showing partial digits.
This thing was a horrible waste of money. If you need it for a humidor, I'd advise going analog!
 Good Hygrometer. Review + Calibration Tips. July 9, 2010
P. Tran
This is a very sensitive and accurate Hygrometer and seems to be accurate within the range specified (+/- 2% humidity, +/- 1 degree C). It seems to be well constructed and does not look as cheap as it does in the pictures shown on Amazon. It uses button cell batteries which are easy enough to find--I bought a huge variety pack from my local 99 cent store just to have on hand. I dont know what the battery life is yet. Hopefully someone who has owned this hygrometer long enough to know the battery life can chime in. The display is easy to read and calibration is easy.
Here are a few tips for calibration:
1. Dont waste your money on a calibration kit. You can make a BETTER one out of a few household items. Just Google "How to calibrate a Hygrometer."
2. When mixing your salt + water, dont worry about getting the exact amount. Its really the consistency we are after. You want to add just enough water to wet the salt but not enough to dissolve it. You want the consistency of wet sand with no excess water (if you were to tip your container over slowly, no water would drip out). Stir your mixture with a spoon to make sure the salt is fully penetrated.
3. Since the Hygrometer is so sensitive, small fluctuations in the temperature will cause the humidity to fluctuate on the hygrometer (Warm air holds more humidity and cold air holds less). These fluctuations in temperature--and consequently the humidity--can be caused by your home air conditioning cycling on and off or by the body heat from your hand when you pick up the hygrometer. To solve this problem, I placed my calibration kit (sealed ziplock bag) into a thick-walled, closeable cigar box. This helped buffer the temperature and gave me a steady humidity reading as a basis for my adjustments.
4. Most people remove their hygrometer from the sealed, 75% humidity container in order to make adjustments to it. This would allow some of the humidity to escape, meaning to check your work, you would have to wait another day or two for the humidity in the container to stabilize again. If you use a ziplock bag to calibrate your hygrometer, you dont need to remove the hygrometer from the bag to adjust it. Just grip the adjustment knob THROUGH the bag and turn it. Then you only have to wait a couple hours before you can check your work. It takes some coaxing so be careful not to damage your hygrometer or spill the salt + water mixture.
Xikar Hygrometer vs HygroSet II Hygrometer
These Hygrometers are very similar but they are calibrated in different ways.
-The Xikar is easy to adjust. When you hit the center button, the humidity will read 75%. To adjust it, simply place it in a 75% humidity environment, hit the center button and it will read 75%. Done.
-The HygroSet II requires you to turn the dial in small increments and hit the set button until the desired humidity is reached. One notch on the dial is supposed to be equivalent to 1 degree in adjustment. This allows some fine tuning if necessary but is more time consuming and harder to do through a bag.
Whether you prefer ease of adjustment or the ability to fine tune your adjustment, you cant go wrong with either.
Does not adjust. June 21, 2010
Sidney Goldstein (Philadelphia PA)
Tried adjusting this using hygrometer using the specially purchased 75% humidity packet. After 24-36 hours the unit read 8% lower, 67% instead of 75%. I attempted to turn the adjust knob with my fingers without success, so I used a pair of pliers. Since you don't know exactly what's going after the adjustment, I placed the unit in the humidity packet again. You need to wait another 24-36 hours before checking the humidity.
This time the humidity read 85%, 10% higher. I attempted to adjust the humidity down without success over a period of a week, alternately adjusting the unit then placing it in the humidity packet. Sent the humidity pack and hygrometer back. What a waste of time and money!
How to adjust your Hygrometer June 10, 2010
G. D. Mathews (Phoenix)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this for my humidor, and it's a good compromise between cost, accuracy and size. I have no complaints about any of the three.
Here's how to adjust a hygrometer:
Fill a small container with salt. Add a small amount of water until the salt is wet, but not soaked (if you poured out the container you wouldn't have any water run out). Put the container in a ziplock baggie with the meter and let it sit overnight. In the morning, the meter should read 75%. (Cool, huh?) If it doesn't read 75%, adjust the meter: For example, if it reads 80% adjust the reading down by 5% and repeat if necessary. Instructions on how to adjust come with the meter.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
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