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Old 05-13-2006, 10:06 AM   #1
xrundog
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xrundog's Exquisicat kitty litter test thread

I bought some Exqusicat Pearl Fresh kitty litter today. 7.2 lbs. for just under $14. Container says it's made from - Silica sand, oxygen and water. I'm curious about how this stuff performs in certain situations. So I'll be trying various techniques with it.

The appearance is very different from Heartfelt beads. Just the opposite in fact. Heartfelt beads are white. They become clear when water is added. Exqusicat is clear (well almost) and turns whitish when water is added. The beads are quite a bit larger than Heartfelt's. Exquisicat is closer in appearance to Climaxx beads.

Test #1 As the first test, I thought I would treat the Exquisicat just as I would Heartfelt beads. I put about 1/4 lb. (my scale is busted) in a small container. I added 10ml of distilled water. This turned about 2/3 of the beads white. I put the container in a small cooler that already has a couple pieces of cedar and 3 boxes of cigars. The hygrometer read 68% when I opened it. I'll be watching it closely to see what happens.
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Old 05-13-2006, 02:04 PM   #2
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Sounds good, let us know how it does.
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Old 05-13-2006, 04:42 PM   #3
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definitely keep us posted with how this turns out.
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Old 05-13-2006, 08:31 PM   #4
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Ditto.
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Old 05-14-2006, 03:50 AM   #5
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I did the same - put the beads with about half of them wet left in a tupperware drawer. A humidity peaked up at 85% right off the bat. A week later it's still at 85%. It's been nearly a month since then. I put it away and forgot about it. I'll check mine later today.
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Old 05-14-2006, 07:29 AM   #6
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I used kitty litter for a long time with great results. I never added water directly to the kitty litter, I filled a tupperware dish with water and one with kitty litter and put them both in a small cooler and let the KL absorb the water just like beads. Than placd in my coolerdors and humidors. Worked great and cost less

Now I use active systems, Cigar Oasis and my Set n Forget both filled with polymers.

Since the humidity stays above 80% during the summer I still use kitty litter but just to bring the humdity down, the kitty litter is 150% more effective than beads at reducing humidity. Both do about the same at keeping it steady.

This is just my your mileage my vary
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Old 05-14-2006, 08:44 AM   #7
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ditto on the above. I use the litter to bring humidity down and the regular sponge method/distilled. using the beads it seems to stay humidified longer and I don't have to add water as much. I just fill an empty cigar box full of the stuff.
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Old 05-14-2006, 10:08 AM   #8
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After 24 hrs. the RH reads 66%. Interesting! The ambient RH in the basement is about 60%. Temp is about 65 deg. I almost don't need humidifiers at all. I imagine under these conditions, changes will be reeeeeeeal sloooooowwww.

I may not be able to conduct these tests during the summer. I'll just have to see.

I might also try the litter in a humidor that has not been used. It might show more accurate results.
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Old 05-14-2006, 01:03 PM   #9
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Thanks for doing this xrundog. This is very interesting.
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Old 05-14-2006, 05:45 PM   #10
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I already ran this exact test several months back using exact amounts of each in two side by side identical 250 ct. desktop humidors. Both performed EXACTLY the same for over a 3 month period when I ended the experiment. I felt 3 months was a long enough trial test to get reasonably accurate results and comparisons.

I concluded the Exquisi-Cat Unscented Crystals did the exact same thing as the 'cigar' beads at about 1/30th the price. I know a few other experienced guys also use them exclusively and swear by them.
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