Humistat or Arion case humidifiers…...

M

M3Ukulele

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2013
Messages
1,586
Reaction score
122
….has anyone tried or have comments on either of these case humidifiers? I have Oasis for Ukulele in the sound hole of both my tenors but its pretty dry here in interior of BC and found these. They look very interesting. If you use one….. comments please.


….sorry don't know how to do a link yet but if you google either name you will get their sites.
 
If this is the Arion you're thinking of http://www.amazon.ca/Protec-H1-Arion-In-Case-Humidifier/dp/B001BAMOE8,
it it very similar to the Oasis except the container doesn't "shrink" as the moisture is used up. Many on this forum have made these using flower drying crystals. Should work just fine, but at $22 more costly than the Oasis.

P.S. here's a review http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147573

It looks like the Humistat http://www.humistat.com/Ukulele-humidifier.html
uses water not captured in crystals (or a sponge like some others). If it leaked, this could cause damage.
 
Last edited:
Yes, those are the ones. I've read the acoustic guitar review which seems to be favourable on the Arion. These seems same idea as Oasis at close to same dollars but case humidifier. Doesn't look like UU members have used or tried it.

The Humistat also looks like its sold by MFC and they are about half the price. Just curious…… both seem like viable option. I'm happy with Oasis but thinking I need to add a case humidifier to each of my tenors as its really dry and just want to be careful. I may just add a gauge to measure.

The Humistat with gauge is about price of Oasis. The Arion by itself it a bit more than Oasis.

Any body have first hand experience with either?
 
I'm in Arizona, where the humidity is below 10% a lot of the time and have had no problem with Oasis, just keep it filled. Many of my friends also use oasis around here with no problems that I've heard of and some of them have K's and customs.
 
I live in Maryland and went with a Humistat, for my case. I didn't want to fiddle with a sound hole humidifier for a uke I play daily. Besides, Maryland humidity is usually fairly high. I mostly bought the Humistat for winter.

It's compact and comes with velcro to attach it to the case. I've got mine attached to the accessories compartment, just behind the neck of my uke. I have had no problems with water leakage. You have to be quick when filling it, as water will come out the other end until the cap is put back on. Once the cap's back, the seal is perfect. I probably fill it once or twice a month.

I can't say if it'll do the job you need in such a dry climate, but I've found it suitable for my situation.
 
http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=60%+Rh+Humidity+Beads

If you wanted an alternate option that works very well for me. I use large 60%, it fits the headstock area of my case perfectly, nestled right underneath the headstock of my uke which prevents it from rolling around. RH has been a consistent 55%. I figured it wouldn't ever get to 60 because of how a case Is constructed vs the air tightness of a humidor, which makes it perfect for our use.

There is a cheaper DIY version using kitty litter pearls which is quite interesting,just google it. I tried using the water storing crystals but can't get it to produce enough humidity in a plastic container, probably need to make more holes in the top. I do use water storing crystals in an open plastic case that feeds my uke condos that have 8 ukes each.
 
Here in Reno, Nv.
I am using the Oasis humidifier. I have tried the others and they did not work very well. All my ukes have the Oasis and I fill them with distilled water as suggested. In addition, I have an inexpensive humidity gage in each case. These gages I use were purchased from "Pets Mart" in the reptile/snake section. They run about 8 bucks and have a sticky back so you can attach them to the inside of your case.
I hope this response was helpful to you.
Reno Dave
 
Honestly, I question if any of them actually work.
I put one in a case (no uke) and measured the humidity over 2 days.
...It never went 5% more than the room's humidity. Not nearly good enough for me in Chicago where humidity can drop to single digits over the winter.
The case was your typical fabric-over-foam case.
 
I know this has been discussed a lot over the years.

I use an old aspirin or pill bottle, drill 4-5 small holes in the lid, and fill it with foam, preferably memory or high dense foam. You can make it whatever size you want.

Distilled water seems to work well.

I also use a separate humidity gauge in the case.

John
 
If you live in an area that is routinely quite dry or you run your heat a lot, I would get a whole room humidifier. Your ukes will feel better and you will feel better (less dry, cracking skin, better breathing, etc.). While I got one for my ukes, if I ever stopped uke'ing, I would still use one when RH is below 40%.
 
Paul December said:
Honestly, I question if any of them actually work.
I put one in a case (no uke) and measured the humidity over 2 days.
...It never went 5% more than the room's humidity. Not nearly good enough for me in Chicago where humidity can drop to single digits over the winter.
The case was your typical fabric-over-foam case.
Click to expand...

The best in our neck of the woods appear to be either the DIY variety, using either humidity beads or water crystals, or a commercial version. The best of the beads in a commercial package I have found is the heartfelt one I linked to above. House is 20-30% humidity! but my case is a solid 50-55%, your normal felt lined case. I had two hercos and they were completely ineffective, like you said maybe a few points above room. The DIY versions can be hard to dial in, mine have a tendency to over do it closer to 70%. The humidity beads seem to be very stable and consistent.
 
Thank you all for the useful comments. I believe they work as I'm on my second gallon of water absorbed in my two tenor cases in a year. I will add an Oasis case humidifier to my custom tenor. I'm checking the cigar shops locally today to see what they offer. I found the Humistat I about 90 miles away so next time I'm in that area I will get one to try and report back. My next trip to Nashville in new year I will seek out the Arion and see if I can't do a good review on all types. My Herco has been the only disappointment so far,
Cheers
 
Like Eddie I live in LA, like Eddie i use a room humidifier. In fact I use two room humidifiers - one that I keep on all the time that only comes on when the ambient humidity goes below 35% and another that puts out a fine stream of vapor into the room that I use intermittently. Like Eddie I would continue to use one even if I did not have ukes. My hair and skin are better for the humidification.
 
For those of you living in the frozen north: Does the cold (or heat, I guess) have any affect on your Ukes?

Today, we used our heater for the first time this fall/winter (12/27/14). :eek:ld:
 
Yes, the cold and heat have a huge effect. I live in BC , Canada interior. We have milder winters than most pasts of Canada but central heating is always on and everything dries out. Since my first Pono AT on I have used a case humidified. When I started the threat I was noticing my Oasis "in hole" ukulele humidifier wasn't keeping up. So, I've added a Oasis guitar case humidified on my Moodyville Custom and a Planet Waves case humidifier to my Pono. Next will be a gauge for each case to measure the humidity in the case. I definitely notice when either Ukulele is getting dry. Having both a case humidifier and the Oasis Ukulele humidifier in the "hole" of the ukulele works well.

I will be picking up both the humistat and Arion case humidifiers when I can find one of each in my travels . I will do a review of humidifiers once I have them all.

I started with the Herco that came with my Pono and its just so so….. can't deep up to the dryness where I am. We live in semi desert region so its a constant challenge. I am also looking in the future to Ukulele cabinet where I can hang and humidify my ukuleles to keep all my ukuleles in good shape.

IMHO, a humidifier is a "required" accessory for a ukulele. As Katysax has stated a room humidifier also has good benefits for the Ukulele Player <g> cause we get dry too!
 
I was hanging the Humistats in my sound holes. I stopped that practice when I discovered one leaking. Fortunately, I saw it right away, and it didn't do any damage. Now, I just keep the Humistats in my cases, positioned so a little leaking won't turn into a tragedy. Now, after I fill my Humistats, I set them on a clean, dry paper towel for a half hour or so. If one leaks, I can see a wet spot on the paper towel under the suspect Humistat. So far, I've observed two out of ten leaking. I've thrown them away. Oh, that does't include the first one I discovered leaking. So the failure rate is three out of ten. Not too good.
 
Down Up Dick said:
For those of you living in the frozen north: Does the cold (or heat, I guess) have any affect on your Ukes?
Click to expand...

I keep mine away from the cold (like not in the car unless I'm taking it somewhere) and I keep them away from the heat (like not near the heat register). In their humidified cases and in a humidified cabinet except when being played. As we like to say, "it's not the heat it's the humidity".
 
Down Up Dick said:
For those of you living in the frozen north: Does the cold (or heat, I guess) have any affect on your Ukes?

Today, we used our heater for the first time this fall/winter (12/27/14). :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

I keep them inside, so the temp stays around the same year round.
 
Here's how I humidify mine.photo(12).jpg
RH in the room goes from <30% to >50% in about an hour.
 
Last edited:
On a trip through the Sierra Nevadas, we stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant which had misters. Now, I really hate misters; I'd rather be hot! But . . .

Why couldn't one put his/her Ukes in a little closed up room and spritz some water around (not on the Ukes)? I read somewhere that someone hangs his Ukes in the bathroom when the humidity is low. Anybody tried it? I know that, when we take a shower, the bathroom gets very steamy.

When I was young, we had a "coal-oil" (kerosene?) heater on which my Mom would put a coffee can full of water. It kept the humidity from being too low, I guess. That might work too.

These things sound a little far fetched, even to me, but whadaya think? :eek:ld:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Humistat humidifiers
Replies
2
Views
144
mikelz777
mikelz777
mikelz777
Is there a trick to filling Humistat humidifiers?
Replies
5
Views
391
EDW
EDW
callmemario
Humistat in case humidifiers!
Replies
11
Views
2K
callmemario
callmemario
Lalz
Uke case big enough for Arion humidifier?
Replies
0
Views
419
Lalz
Lalz
salsarev
For Sale KoAloha Opio KTO-10 acacia tenor plus soft case
Replies
0
Views
139
salsarev
salsarev
Top Bottom