Cigar Oasis II impressions
While the beads did a great job for me, I found that they would dry out quick enough to constantly be surprising me. Perhaps Denver's low humidity had something to do with that.
When I got my large humidor (1200 capacity Connoisseur from cheaphumidors.com) I ordered a Cigar Oasis XL Plus with it. It worked well but would require recharging about once/week. So when the Oasis II came out and Atlantic cigar had them for $139, I decided to get one.
The thing takes up quite a bit of space in my humi. It is 6 1/2" wide x 5 1/4" high x 13" long. That's quite a bit of space, but considering that it replaced the Cigar Oasis XL Plus and 2 lbs of beads, it is pretty much a wash. It has a 50 oz water reservoir with a convenient filler plug (you don't have to soak the humidifier) so it's easy and quick to add water to. The unit has 2 fans. One runs constantly to keep the air circulating and the other only comes on when the humidity drops below the set point (60-80% in .1% increments.) It is a little noisy with the fan running all the time, but after a while it blends into the background and you have to listen for it, and it is actually a comforting sound. It has a remotely mounted digital readout so you could mount it outside of the cabinet if you feel so inclined. You would have to drill a hole large enough for the wire then seal it up, but it would be very easy to do.
How do I like it? I love it! I have taken the Oasis XL plus and put it in my 100 count desktop humi. With the two units I have precise control of humidity in both of my humidors and don't have to worry about constant recharging. Recovery time after opening the humidors is very quick (you can hear when they reach their set point) and the cigars seem to be enjoying them, too!
Overall, the XL plus might be a but expensive for some, but I think it is a good investment, especially when you think about what you spend for cigars. The Oasis XL II is well worth the money if you have a large humidor.
