Making A Cigar Humidor

Making a humidor is not as simple as most people think. Building a box (and more specifically a humidor) is a very complex task. To begin with, a humidor is built by making two boxes--one inside another. That sounds easy enough to do . . . . but it isn't.

First: The 'outside' box must be perfectly square in every dimension, i.e., the length, width, and depth. It's not so hard to do in one direction. How about making it square in two dimensions? That's more difficult. Making it square in three dimensions is by far the most difficult.

So why does this humidor have to be so square in three dimensions in the first place? Because if it isn't perfectly 3D square, not only will it look weird, but more importantly the top will not close correctly over the inner box. That is, it will be skewed to one side or the other. The hinges will bind as well. Finally, (and most importantly) closing the lid will be impossible because it will not shut over the 'inner' box, which is made of Spanish cedar. Therefore, it won't create a snug seal, which is required so that those precious expensive cigars stay perfectly humidified and age well.

So much for construction of the 'outer' box.

Now for the 'inner' box. Each piece of Spanish cedar must pressure-fit against each other. If there are gaps, air will leak in and out too rapidly, thereby losing precious moisture in those wonderful stogies you paid so dearly for. They would begin to dry out and become brittle, and finally end up cracking that great cigar wrapper leaf. Don't want that!

OK so far?

So what's so special about these humidors we make? Well, if all we did was make nice, square boxes (inside and out) they would be relatively cheap to produce. But we want our cigar humidors to be even better than just the typical humidor out there in the market place. We go to extraordinary lengths to design and create a humidor that will be considered the finest desktop humidor out there. Plus, it must have real style.

Ours is the only humidor of this caliber made of genuine, solid tropical and exotic hard woods. Very few humidor makers attempt to do this. There is a good reason why: It is very costly to do. By far, the majority of cigar humidor manufacturers make them using wood veneers, which is less difficult, and far less expensive to produce. You generally do get what you pay for.

Next, most humidor makers do not incorporate solid ebony edge-banding on all twelve edges of their boxes. This is also a very costly operation. But because it is a beautiful enhancement, we do it to add that extra bit of quality.

Next, consider the use of inlays. Why use them? They add to the individual character and design of each box. Inlays, especially high quality inlays, are costly. We assemble up to 20 separate inlay pieces on some boxes. Also, it takes alot of time, skill, and talent to create a pleasing pattern and match.

What about the mating of the lid and body?

All of our humidors go through a lapping process performed by hand, to create a flawless mating of both top and bottom. This step is absolutely necessary to achieve a snug fitting seam to help inhibit the free flow of air in and out of the box. This will help to insure a limited air exchange, which is desirable for proper cigar humidification and discourage the formation of tobacco mold over time.

There's more. . . .

How many parts in a humidor?

Usually, not very many. But we do it differently. To achieve the style, quality, precision and beauty of our humidors, we incorporate an incredible number of separate parts to complete our design. Quite literally, it takes no less than 58 separate parts for the make-up of just one of our humidors. That doesn't include the parts necessary to make the cigar tray,dividers, or the hardware! One model of our humidors takes a grand total of 73 separate parts. That's alot by anyone's count. By the time it is ready for the finish, each humidor is proudly signed and dated by it's creator.

How about the exterior finish?

This is another area where we part company with other humidor makers. Applying our finishing system may be the most difficult process to perform, depending to whom you talk to in the industry. It takes more than a week to apply the many finish coats, sandings, rubbings and polishing. The exterior finish has to be absolutely perfect and lasting. We use a combination of wood, marine, and automotive finishing products to produce a deep, mirror-like, piano finish. That may be the most difficult thing to do.

Conclusion:

It is tough enough to make a 'regular' cigar humidor. We do it to the EXTREME, and we are very proud of what we make: A superior cigar humidor by anyone's standards. With all this in mind, the price is well worth it. In this case, you do get what you pay for.

Thank You for considering a Visions In Wood Humidor for your next purchase.

You won't be disappointed.
We Guarantee It.