If you’re an avid cigar enthusiast, you know very well how important it is to keep your humidor running smoothly. Maintaining the humidor’s proper temperature is crucial as too much humidity can create mold and leave your cigars soggy and unable to smoke. Meanwhile, too little humidity can crack your cigars and make them so dry that they’re nearly impossible to enjoy.
In order to properly maintain your humidor’s level of humidity, a hygrometer is an essential component of your setup. Without the right hygrometer, you’ll have no way of knowing if your humidor is doing its job.
When it comes to selecting the right hygrometer for your humidor, you have two choices: analog or digital. So, which one is most effective? As you’ll see, they each come with their own advantages and disadvantages.
In our modern age, it’s no surprise that digital hygrometers are becoming more and more popular. One of the main reasons why these seem to dominate is because of their accuracy. Digital hygrometers utilize analog components to measure the humidity, and this measurement is channeled through a digital gauge that doesn’t need to be calibrated or maintained in any way.
As an added bonus, digital hygrometers tend to come with a variety of features that can seriously come in handy. For instance, most digital models have temperature readers that allow you to monitor the overall climate of your humidor’s interior. Many allow you to track the humidity and temperature levels over a long period of time, giving you the ability to determine whether any external factors are influencing the state of your humidor’s interior.
Pros
Highly accurate
- Often equipped with additional features
- Don’t need to be calibrated
- Often affordable
Cons
Less attractive
- Not immune to technological malfunction
- Not available for antique setups
Analog hygrometers remain popular despite the fact that they’re a bit more finicky and not necessarily as accurate as their digital counterparts. The main appeal seems to be aesthetic as many cigar enthusiasts enjoy having old-looking setups. There are also many people who believe that analog hygrometers are more reliable as they don’t rely on more modern technology that may or may not be prone to the occasional glitch.
Pros:
More attractive to many
- Not prone to technological glitches
- Collectible
Cons:
Typically, more expensive
- Not as accurate
- Need to be recalibrated
- Need to be replaced every so often
- More expensive to maintain
- Lacking in additional features
So, which is Better?
Whether you should invest in a digital or analog hygrometer is really up to you. Ask yourself what your priorities are when it comes to your cigar hobby. After all, both types of hygrometers are good at doing their job, so the choice is really yours.
If you value the aesthetic appeal of an elegant, old-fashioned cigar setup, you probably want to stick with an analog hygrometer. These hygrometers are known for being luxurious in appearance. In fact, many cigar hobbyists collect antique analog hygrometers as they can be quite beautiful.
However, if you choose this type of hygrometer, you’ll need to accept that it will require a little more maintenance. Now, for many cigar hobbyists, that’s part of the fun.
If you crave accuracy and advanced technology above all things, go with a digital hygrometer. You’ll get the results that you want without having to worry about it losing its functionality.
Ultimately, you can choose either type of hygrometer. It all comes down to personal preference.