Cabinet humidor options

JLB · Nov 17, 2020

I was just going through the same dilemma as you. I almost ordered a cabinet from 1stclasshumidors. The Lemans to be exact. Seems to be rated fairly well, but has its hiccups. I said no because the shipping was almost $400 dollars. The unit itself was $700.

So I wound up ordering a cabinet (TD) from Matt at Avallo. Spoke with a couple of guys that had that one and all were extremely pleased. Great construction, and easy electronics. Plus I was able to customize it a bit from him. The downside however is time. He quoted me roughly around 7 months. Stung a little, but I am expecting a quality piece of furniture that is handmade and will be displayed in my living area. If time is what it takes for something like that, then I am cool with it.

As others have said as well, timely communication is not his strong point. Took him a few days to get back to me. But he is very friendly and was very clear on all of the details of his process. I am learning that patience is key when dealing with him. Which is fine, gives me something to try and be better at, haha.

Zmilin · Nov 17, 2020

As I have been obsessing over this the last few days I am getting both excited and anxious.
I've been reading a lot about both Vigilant and Avallo. With Aristocrat out of the pic its pretty much down to those two or find someone to build one. That's a risk through. Vigillant seems to be built with a better finish but holy shit they are expensive. For the one I would want its a few bucks short of $6k and thats a bit much.
Avallo will land at just under $4k which is easier to swallow.
All this sure is making those chinese made humidors look appealing.

ChuckMejia · Nov 17, 2020

Zmilin said:
As I have been obsessing over this the last few days I am getting both excited and anxious.
I've been reading a lot about both Vigilant and Avallo. With Aristocrat out of the pic its pretty much down to those two or find someone to build one. That's a risk through. Vigillant seems to be built with a better finish but holy shit they are expensive. For the one I would want its a few bucks short of $6k and thats a bit much.
Avallo will land at just under $4k which is easier to swallow.
All this sure is making those chinese made humidors look appealing.

Get plastic sterilite totes and put them out of sight. With the remaining thousands of dollars, get a trendy Peloton bike or a GXR

Zmilin · Nov 18, 2020

ChuckMejia said:
Get plastic sterilite totes and put them out of sight. With the remaining thousands of dollars, get a trendy Peloton bike or a GXR

Peleton arrives in a couple weeks. I don’t have room for a bunch of plastic totes.
This new cabinet will replace one of my existing winos.
First world problems.

Boudie · Nov 18, 2020

If your house is like my house the plastic totes will end up stacked on the Peleton

Zmilin · Nov 20, 2020

OK... Im in the queue for an Avallo Triple DDD cooled shorty. Now to be patient for 5-7 months.

moellert · Nov 20, 2020

For what it’s worth, one of my fans on the Avallo was making a little noise like it was running rough till the motor warmed up. I emailed Matt and he’s putting a few extra fans in the mail for me so I can swap one out if it fails. Pretty great customer service!

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Zmilin · Nov 20, 2020

moellert said:
For what it’s worth, one of my fans on the Avallo was making a little noise like it was running rough till the motor warmed up. I emailed Matt and he’s putting a few extra fans in the mail for me so I can swap one out if it fails. Pretty great customer service!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been emailing back and forth for a couple days now. He seems like a nice guy. Best part... the wife is paying for it

Tmac4919 · Nov 24, 2020

Here is a diy cabinet that I made last winter. I am using an Avallo Accumonitor system, which I am extremely pleased with.

Boudie · Nov 24, 2020

@Tmac4919

Dude if you built that cabinet from scratch I think you should look at building them for BOTLs. Please post more pics.

Zmilin · Oct 17, 2021

Zmilin said:
I've been emailing back and forth for a couple days now. He seems like a nice guy. Best part... the wife is paying for it

Damn, took nearly a year but my humi is ready and will ship in about a week or so. I'm working out timing with Matt since we will be out of town for a week. The delays on my cabinet have sucked but all were out of his control. Ill post pics when it arrives of course but for now... I'm excited to get my 50th B day gift finally.

Zmilin · Nov 13, 2021

Its here, Its here.
It was supposed to be delivered on the 8th and of course, shipper was delayed. It left Mat when he said it would but it was victim to the logistics issues we are having. It arrived when I was out of town on business (the 9th) and it came upstairs today. She's now resting in her temporary home until we move some things around but she's fired up and stabilizing/seasoning for now.
Some things to note... Im not complaining here, just putting it out there.
- Like many the underside of the top is not finished. I cant see it and its low enough so no big deal.
- The drawers could be better but they will only be seen if not full and they will be full just as soon as its stabilized/seasoned.
- There are two areas I can see unfinished wood. They are minimal and I can see why they are not finished. I can also see how some people could have an issue. My resonse to that is "sure, I could have paid $1.5 to $2k more for a Vigilant but I didnt. My choice and Im good with it. Nothing a furniture pen wont fix.

Some good things to note.
- Packing was exceptional. Its on a pallet, wrapped in brown paper with cardboard over that and foam edge protection. It also rests on cardboard on the pallet. The insides are solidly packed and nothing moved.
- The wiring is damn nice. Im an AV guy and I can pick it apart but I also cant say I could do better without a bunch of custom channels and such.
- The electronics are easy to use. Easy to figure out (he does provide some simple directions via email.
- The door magnets are strong as hell.
- The fans aren't the quietest but Im spoiled by the fans I chose to buy for my electronics. When they kick on there is a 6db increase in the ambient room noise. Since this sits in my living room I can hear it. If this isnt in a main room they are perfect. Once I get some boxes in there they will get quieter as the sounds wont bounce around inside a big open humidor.

Here are a couple pics after it got upstairs.