Best low maintenance humidifiers

Tigeralum2001

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Hi guys! I've been reading a lot about humidifiers and am more confused than ever. So here is my criteria for "best":
1. Low maintenance. I don't want to fool with water levels every few days. I want to be able to shut the case for months (not that I would, but you get the picture).
2. Reliable humidity control. I want it to stay in the 50-60% range without intervention.
3. Reasonable price. I don't want to make it myself, but I also don't want to drop $100 on this system.
3a. Scalable. As my uke collection grows I want to be able to add on to the system. Right now I have a case for each uke, and I imagine that will continue. However, I may be open for suggestions one I hit 5 or 6 ukes. It seems to me one only needs a case when transporting an instrument from one place to another. If one has a large collection, it would seem a safe place to store them would be more efficient than a case per uke.

I've been looking at the Oasis system, but mainly because they have a uke specific system.

Anyhow, I would love to know what you experts out there think.
Mahalo!
 
A lot of people here recommend this Planet Waves Himidifier. I'm currently looking at this Arion one. It's supposed to maintain a good level, you don't have to worry about water leaking, and you only need to refill it once a month or so. +I like how it looks.

For a Hygrometer I'm looking at several options.
Honeywell TM005X: I plan to go to Radioshack to check the size of everything. This comes with a handheld display and 1 wireless sensor, but you can buy two extra sensors and it will pick up all 3. This isn't made for guitar cases, but I'm going to see if it will work. This way I don't have to open the case to check the levels, and it will be handy if I end up buying two more Ukulele's.

Oasis OH-2: Looks nice, small, and has a clip so that you can attach it to the top of your accessories compartment in your case.

Caliber III: Nice and small like the Oasis, but less expensive. This comes with a magnet on the back and isn't made for guitar cases, but I think I can rig something up.

I haven't tried any of these, I'm just telling you what I've come down to after days of research on the computer.
 
There are some really good things at.

http://www.humistat.com/


I use their products and like them a lot. You will find them in many orchestral string cases.
 
I use a simple Herco Humidifer, but I have no idea if it's working well or not. I guess I should get a hygrometer?
 
I'm a fan of the Hercos too. Once a week they go for a dip...and then back in the case they go.

What I like about them is that they provide a slower rate of humidification than a sponge. I look at it this way: why try to get things "perfect" in the case if I'm not playing in perfect rooms? I would rather go slow than sudden, especially since in the end it's really temp in most instances that's the dealbreaker. And isn't the range of OK RH a little broader than sometimes stated?
 
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the best thing you can do IMO is be sure that the place you put your humidifier has a good air tight (or close to it) seal... whether that's a case or an entire room. No matter what humidifier you use, you cant fight physics. Theoretically, if your case is truly air tight and you place a properly humidified uke (one that was equalized to ~50%RH conditions) in it, then you wouldn't even need a humidifier... the uke itself would act as its own humidifier, slowly bringing the RH inside the air tight case, a little lower but close to the uke's original equalized RH (assuming proper sized case for uke... for example, a small uke would probably not be able adequately self-humidify a giant cello case). If you're constantly fighting a dry situation, which it sounds like you are, it will take the same amount of water to reach your desired humidity level irregardless of the type of humidifier used... so storage capacity of the humidifier is something to look at. the biggest variable would be time or rate that the humidifier can humidify the space... if you are using less-than-air-tight cases, and it is always dry in the area then how fast a humidifier can add moisture is important because it needs to be faster than is leaking out of the case.... which is why I advocate a good air tight seal. That being said, with too good a seal, you can run into over humidification problems... which is why I, personally, like to use cigar storage stuff because they have tons of products designed to maintain specific humidity levels.

Oh, and a hygrometer is invaluable! it's probably more important than the specific type/brand of humidifier you will use.
 
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