Although I love the versatility and affordability of coolidors for storing cigars, it was time to upgrade to a legitimate cigar cabinet. Therefore, I headed to Your Elegant Bar to find the most suitable option according to my personal needs.
In this article, you will discover the Prestige Imports Redford Lite cigar cabinet as I review it according to the following considerations:
- Why Buy A Redford Cigar Cabinet?
- Redford Cigar Cabinet Benefits
- Redford Cigar Cabinet Drawbacks
- Final Thoughts
You can use the links above to jump ahead or scroll down to learn more.
Overview
- Brand: Prestige Imports
- Model: Redford
- Storage Capacity: Up To 1,250 Cigars
- Dimensions: 26″ (66 cm) W x 26″ (66 cm) D x 52¾” (134 cm) H
- Temperature Range: 41 – 71°F (5 – 22°C)
- Built-In Humidity Control: Optional
- Humidity Range: 56% – 78%
- Body Material: Black Oak & Cedar Lining
- Front Material: Tempered Tinted Glass
- Additional Features: De-Mist & Condensation Control, Auxillary Fan
- Pricing: From $2,395 [Buy Now]
A beautiful cabinet designed for large collections, the Redford can carry as much as 1,250 cigars. It is available with ornate cherry or espresso trimmings. However, the Lite version offers the same features with a more contemporary and functional appearance.
Why Buy A Redford Cigar Cabinet?
Cigar Coolidors
Although I have used several small cigar coolers and desktop humidors such as the NewAir CC-300H and my trusty Quality Importers Old Glory, most of my collection has been stored in a basement with a variety of homemade coolidors.
Coolidors are an affordable storage solution for large quantities of cigars. Indeed, as long as you have somewhere with a stable environment to keep them, they’re quite convenient.
However, after moving from Philadelphia to Florida, my coolidors were no longer a suitable option. My new place doesn’t have a cool basement and temperatures can get quite high.
Furthermore, I planned to return to London for some months, and I felt uncomfortable with leaving my cigars unsecured and unmonitored. Therefore, after we reviewed Your Elegant Bar, I approached Ben Singh, who advised me on appropriate cigar storage.
We decided on a Redford cigar humidor, which would be large enough for the majority of my collection.
Although available with a stylish wooden finish with opulent trimmings, I instead chose the Lite version, which is $100 cheaper and has a sleeker contemporary appearance. Otherwise, it offers the same design and additional features.
Delivery & Installation
Firstly, I was very impressed by the care taken in packing the Redford humidor for shipping. When it arrived, it was securely packed and well-protected from any knocks and scratches.
As you can see in the photos. You’ll need a screwdriver to unpack the cabinet. Although it takes a little time, it’s certainly worth it as the packaging is exceedingly thorough!
I also have to emphasise just how heavy it was! At 4 feet and 4¾ inches, the Redford is effectively a domestic fridge in size, which is easily reflected in the weight. Even with a heavy-duty appliance trolly, it was quite challenging to move through the house and set down in the right spot.
If you do order a Reford, I would suggest that you ask friends or hire someone to help you. Even someone in good shape would struggle but doing it alone could risk injury or damaging something.
Once I had unpacked the Redford and plugged it in to test it, I immediately started the seasoning process. At Bespoke Unit, we prefer to use Boveda’s seasoning kits rather than simply wipe down the interior with damp cloths.
While you do have to wait a little longer for the seasoning to complete, the wooden shelves can better absorb the moisture. However, a damp cloth only saturates the surface while the rest of the wood is still dry. You can learn more about this process with our wooden humidor seasoning guide.
Redford Cigar Cabinet Benefits
Although the Redford is equipped with power supplies and auxiliary fans for in-built humidity control, I still have a strong preference for Boveda. I find that the two-way humidification system is much more reliable than most electronic humidifiers.
Not only does it ensure stability but using reverse osmosis to diffuse moisture but it absorbs excess humidity, too. Therefore, I added five 320 g Boveda packs to the humidor, which provided ample humification for my cigars.
If you do opt for the integrated electronic humidifier, the Redford offers many features to ensure that it functions well. For instance, there’s a de-mist feature that prevents condensation on the glass. Similarly, an auxiliary fan will distribute the humidity to avoid dry pockets or build-up of moisture.
Nevertheless, this more analogue approach doesn’t mean that I lose out on all the features! I particularly enjoyed the internal LED lighting, which was bright and extremely convenient to see my collection given the depth of the cabinet. Moreover, your cigars can be securely locked away with a key.
Additionally, the cabinet is very spacious and offers extensive capacity, which is a refreshing change compared to my experiences with smaller humidors. I was able to add a large number of boxes without my cigars feeling cramped.
The dividers are useful for organising your cigars. However, they’re optional and can be removed altogether. Given that most of my cigars are in boxes, I didn’t use them much.
Despite its voluminous storage capacity, the cabinet is still a relatively modest size. While it takes some real estate to install, it doesn’t dominate the room either.
Finally, you may also notice in the pictures that I put my Boveda acrylic humidor inside the cabinet, too. Indeed, I am storing cigars inside it at 62% RH for long-term ageing. As the cabinet is large enough, the acrylic humidor can benefit from the temperature control while also creating an entirely separate environment.
Redford Cigar Cabinet Drawbacks
Admittedly, like many humidors, the Redford isn’t perfect. First of all, bear in mind that the sensor can be found at the back in the corner. You need to make sure that you don’t cover this or the cabinet will struggle to take accurate readings.
Secondly, the weight, as mentioned earlier, can be considered an issue for some. Although the Redford isn’t remotely designed to be portable, some people may struggle to move it for installation or even changing your room’s configuration.
I also noticed that when I first started using the cabinet, the door would pop open by itself. In fact, I had to lock it to stop the cabinet from doing this.
Fortunately, it seems that the cabinet stopped opening on its own after a while. Therefore, this could have been just caused by an initial pressure difference that eventually stabilised. Nevertheless, it was somewhat disconcerting and quite frustrating when trying to set up a stable environment for storing cigars.
Strangely, I did notice a couple of minor irregularities like this during its early use and when setting up. However, as time progressed, these seemed to subside, or I became used of its quirks.
Yet, there was one odd observation, which I admit feels a little disheartening. The model I ended up receiving had been earmarked for Premium Cigar Association 2020 as they had otherwise sold out. Since the event was cancelled, Your Elegant Bar was able to send it to me.
As it was a display model, you’d expect it to be perfect. Nevertheless, the button panel at the top didn’t seem to fit into the frame properly. As a result, the tactile buttons don’t always work correctly when you press them.
Fortunately, Ben from Your Elegant Bar has been very responsive about the issue. He’s put us directly in touch with the manufacturer and is currently helping me resolve it by sending a replacement part. Therefore, it was actually a great opportunity to test the quality of Your Elegant Bar’s customer service!
Final Thoughts
Despite some minor quirks, the Redford Lite is a serious piece of kit that offers excellent large-capacity storage for your cigars. Generally, it’s reliable and sturdy while providing stable performance.
Managing an extensive collection of cigars may be a privilege, but it does come with many inconveniences. Therefore, if there is a moral to this story, it is that you should never own more cigars than you can handle!
That being said, I am fortunate to have met Ben Singh from Your Elegant Bar, who has been an invaluable help in assisting me. Not only does his company offer excellent customer service, but its prices are excellent.
"An excellent cigar cabinet that provides large and reliable storage without taking too much space despite a few minor quirks that you'll get used to."
Further Reading
If you enjoyed reading this cigar review, feel fry to check out more related content:
Cigars Contents
Paul,
Your review of the Redford Cabinet Cigar was absolutely fantastic. Every aspect for me was new, informative, and engaging. I’ve often wondered about the operation and humidification of these large refrigerator size humidors. I’ve recently “needed” to store entire boxes (A+ Boveda bags) but have been limited to the size of my Diamond Crown Humidor, the Biltmore model which can only hold about 120 cigars, its always bursting at the seams. In the 15 years I’ve owned it I’ve been excited to see the evolution of the Boveda humidification line. I know totally over kill but I use two Boveda 320 gram packs with the metal mounting plates. The humidor wasn’t cheep back then but the packs must be amazing too. These same two 69 RH packs have lasted for 11 months, I just replaced them (Amazon reminded me). They probably had 25% left but were getting thin yet still pliable. Ok, off topic but this article was both entertaining and helpful in my quest for the perfect 8 box humidor. Do you have non-plastic tub recommendations for storing smaller quantities of complete boxes?
Thanks, Brian
Hi Brian,
Delighted that you enjoyed the article and glad that you found it helpful.
Although it isn’t overly romantic, airtight storage containers retrofitted as coolidors are one of the most effective ways for storing complete boxes like this. In our guide, there are a number of BPA-free and FDA-approved plastic options. However, I do understand your reluctance.
There are two approaches, which can vary in budget but performance as well. The first would be a cigar cooling cabinet like the Redford Lite that Paul reviewed here. However, there are smaller models like the NewAir CC-300H, which you can pick up for $440 from NewAir with our discount code “20BESPOKE”.
Alternatively, Your Elegant Bar sells a range of different Whynter models for different capacities. As you may have noticed, you can get a 5% discount from them with the code “BESPOKEUNIT”.
Finally, another option is either large wooden humidors or small wooden cabinets. There are some wooden cabinets like the Montegue and the Mini Tower that Your Elegant Bar sells that can have electronic humidification installed or will run on plain ol’ Boveda packs.
They need a good bit of seasoning but when they’re going, they offer lots of space for boxes in a nicely-presented container. There are also some 500-count humidors available that aren’t bad but the chest-style models such as the Medici can get a little awkward when they start to fill up.
Hope this helps!
All the best,
CP
Thank you for such an in depth review of this humidor. I recently bought one and the humidity is through the roof. When you say you use the Boveda packs is that all that you use? Do you put anything into the water reservoir. If not what temp and humidity settings do you set the humidor at? Thanks again for the great review.
Hi Tom,
Paul only used Boveda packs. It’s important that none of the other in-built humidification functions are used aside ventilation for just redistributing the air inside the cabinet. If you use multiple devices, they will compete with one another and cause your RH to go a little wild. In short, nothing should be placed in the water reservoir. Otherwise, I believe Paul runs it at 65% / 65°F as he’s storing Cuban cigars.
Best,
CP
Hi –
If you are familiar with Raching would love to get your thoughts on their MON model vs. Redford. I like both models but am leaning a bit towards the Raching since it has cedar lining inside, wifi, and a controlled drawer for those getting ready to smoke…but its almost impossible to get one to the states without paying close to $1k in shipping….Thoughts on vs the other. TIA – Seth
Hi Seth,
I’m afraid that we’re not very familiar with that brand. As you said, Raching is hard to find in the USA at a reasonable price! Given that the Redford is much cheaper, you can just invest in Boveda Butlers or similar in order to have Wi-Fi monitoring. As for the cedar lining, the shelves are more than enough in the Redford!
All the best,
CP
Guys, I picked The Redford Lite. The temp and humidity is all over the place. It’s in my basement which is naturally 68°F to 66°F. I wiped down the shelves with distilled water and filled the tank. I have three over there but colors in it. Top, center, and bottom. On a daily basis it’s swinging from 60% to 80% humidity and the temperature range of 64 to 76. The sensors seem to be calibrated because when I put my Boveda Butler near it it’s almost dead on. Any thoughts on what could be going on? I thought it would just take a while to get better. It’s been about a week.
Hi Christian,
I got your other message where you said you entered your comment by voice to text (very convenient but the technology’s never perfect!) and that there were typos. I corrected some for other readers but I didn’t quite understand what you meant to put when it says “I have three over there but colors in it”.
I suspect that your temperature problems are linked to the humidity. It may also be that the basement does have a slight change between the day and the night. Have you tried tracking it throughout a 24-hour cycle with a Boveda Butler?
In any case, my recommendation would be to use Boveda’s seasoning kits as I believe Paul explained in the article. They’re basically 84% RH packs and you can get them in the larger 320g. One for each shelf should be enough. If you space them out equally and leave them for 2 weeks, it should correct your humidity issue. I suggest turning the Redford off until it’s finished otherwise it might try to fight the high RH level.
Wiping down the shelves and leaving it to run for a while can work, too. However, the wipe-down method only moistens the surface of the wood and you’ll then be waiting for quite a while until the in-built humidifier to do the rest. The 84% packs allow for deeper penetration, which results in a comprehensive seasoning process.
It takes a while but it’s worth it! Please let us know how you get on and feel free to ask us any further questions. We’re here to help!
All the best,
CP