What Is A Cigar Locker? Best Cigar Lockers To Buy

Best Cigar Lockers To Buy Online

Before learning more about the benefits and reasons why you might want a cigar locker, you can peruse our selection of the best cigar lockers to buy online:

1. Panel Door Cigar Locker Cabinet
2. US-Made 30-Unit Cigar Locker
3. Slab Door Cigar Locker
4. Frosted Glass Door Cigar Locker
5. Flat Door Cigar Locker
6. Single-Column Cigar Locker
7. Wire Mesh Door Cigar Locker

Scroll down to see them all or jump ahead using the links above. Our recommendations below will give you an idea of the diverse options that are available to you.

What Is A Cigar Locker?

In short, a cigar locker is a large humidor with individual compartments. Typically, each compartment is secured with a lock and key. Occasionally, they may use combination codes and even fingerprints.

Cigar lockers are a common fixture in most cigar lounges. They can also be found in some clubs and bars, too. Cigar lockers provide patrons with the opportunity to store a selection of cigars on-site by hiring a unit.

If they’re regulars, it means that they don’t have to bring their own cigars and it often comes with a membership. A membership often has other benefits such as no cutting fees.

Furthermore, some people prefer not having to live with the hassle of owning their own humidor. Instead, their collections are managed by the establishment’s proprietor.

Although most cigar lockers use a centralised humidification system, it doesn’t always have to be the case. In fact, they can be managed centrally according to the owner’s preferences.

Why Buy A Cigar Locker?

If you own or manage a cigar lounge, cigar lockers are pretty much compulsory. Meanwhile, the advantages of having one on-site might not be quite as obvious if you own a different establishment.

Of course, there may be some legality issues. However, if you’re not selling the cigars and they can still be smoked in an outdoor area, it shouldn’t cause any concern. Nevertheless, it will certainly attract a crowd of loyal customers who will come together over their shared passion for cigars.

Many business owners who have taken the time to install and maintain a cigar locker have seen an increase in activity. You may find that you’ll develop a crowd of regulars who will then use your establishment as a place to meet.

Meanwhile, sports clubs can greatly benefit from having lockers at their members’ disposal. In fact, they’re a common component in most golf clubs!

Locker hire prices tend to vary according to the prestige and convenience that they offer. For instance, a private lounge in central London may require thousands of dollars in annual membership fees. Meanwhile, a small bar in the suburbs will typically be quite affordable.

Using A Personal Cigar Locker

Buying a cigar locker for personal use may seem like a bizarre choice. However, there are many reasons why you may want to own a cigar locker for your own home.

Firstly, a cigar locker will allow you to separate your collection into different compartments. You can divide it between cigar that at various stages of ageing or individual terroirs.

Otherwise, you may share a space with other people who are also cigar smokers. Whether it’s a boathouse, holiday home or even a house, a cigar locker will allow you to share a storage solution without mixing up your collections.

In all cases, it’s unlikely that you’ll need a large locker. Indeed, single-column sizes should be more than enough.

Additionally, you may want to consider each unit’s humidification to be managed separately. After all, cigars that are ageing or from different regions will have different requirements. Similarly, you and those you share the space with may not have the same storage preferences.

Cigar Locker Benefits

Cigar lockers offer an organised way of dividing a large assortment of cigars into different compartments if for personal use. Otherwise, it allows several people to store their cigars together in a secure way.

Meanwhile, cigar lockers can be a great way to generate revenue for businesses. However, some establishments may perceive them as a way to reward loyal customers. Therefore, they may run them at cost or even at a loss rather than turn a direct profit from it.

In either case, the cigars will usually benefit from a single humidification source, which means that each unit won’t need to be individually managed. That being said, cigar lockers are highly customisable.

Therefore, they can be built so that each unit is entirely self-contained. An advantage of this approach is if the cigars have different needs and to also prevent cross-contamination of any pathogens or mould.

Indeed, reputable distributors of quality cigar storage solutions like Elegant Bar will provide a rich selection of customisation options. Consequently, it can be designed according to your personal or professional needs.

For instance, you can choose from a variety of humidification systems, add internal lighting, and even change the types of locks on the units. Typically, you can choose between keys and combination codes, but fingerprint scanners aren’t unheard of either.

Additionally, there are also many aesthetic choices that you can make. From crown molding to the metal hardware and even the wood finish, a cigar locker can be transformed to blend in with its environment.

Cigar Locker Drawbacks

While reliable when properly managed, cigar lockers can have their quirks. Firstly, the quality of the biosphere is often entirely dependent on a centralised humidification system.

Therefore, it’s important to make sure that it’s working properly, especially if caring for other people’s cigars. Below, we offer a brief breakdown of the steps that you need to take when setting it up.

In all cases, you’ll have to season it, which will be quite a task with what is effectively an extremely large wooden humidor. However, the principal is largely the same and just requires a little more work.

Nevertheless, even if you’ve opted for autofill humidifiers, you need to check in on it regularly once it’s operational.

After all, clients are depending on your vigilance and if the relative humidity goes above and below the correct threshold, it could damage their cigars. Some people may not enjoy this responsibility but it’s easy to master once you’ve understood the basic requirements.

Otherwise, each unit can be humidified independently on certain cigar lockers. The issue here is that it may require slightly more work if you’re managing them all as you’ll essentially have to treat each one as an individual wooden humidor.

Cigar Locker Buying Advice

As mentioned above, you can choose from a variety of custom options when ordering a cigar locker, which have both practical and aesthetic uses. Cigar lockers can be designed to be free-standing or even built into a wall.

Therefore, the first thing to consider is where you intend to place it and how you want it to suit the environment. Similarly, it’s essential to consider the humidification system according to your needs.

If you’re considering a cigar locker for your home or business, reach out to Your Elegant Bar who specialises in cigar storage. Its customer support will provide you with tailored advice depending on what you’re looking for.

Spanish Cedar

At such a budget, you should expect that the entire locker interior is properly lined with Spanish cedar. No other types of cedar are worthwhile substitutes as Spanish cedar offers unique properties for cigar storage.

That being said, okoumé is an African wood, which is growing in popularity thanks to its natural moisture retardant and scentless properties.

Invest In Quality

Cigar lockers are quite expensive and even the cheapest ones require a significant investment on your part. As a result, it’s important to make sure that your money is being well-spent rather than just opting for something that will save you a few hundred dollars.

Invest In The Correct Humidifiers

As mentioned above, a locker usually operates from a single, centralised humidification system. In most cases, the humidifier is an optional extra and rarely comes with it.

Therefore, make sure that you buy not only the right humidifier for the volume of the entire locker but also one that you will have the time to manage.

If you’re quite busy, autofill humidifiers can save a bit of time, but they don’t mean that you can neglect the locker.

Alternatively, each locker can be humidified independently. In this case, we suggest opting for Boveda as your humidifier.

A typical locker unit offers a cubic foot of storage. It just so happens that Boveda’s 320g humidity packs are designed to provide enough moisture for that precise volume!

Therefore, these are an ideal choice as they require little maintenance. Furthermore, thanks to its reverse-osmosis membrane, Boveda is one of the few humidifiers that offers two-way humidification.

As a result, it doesn’t just release moisture but also absorbs it when the humidity is too high. If you do opt for individual humidification in each locker, you need to make sure that each unit is properly sealed. Some lockers have holes whereas others are equipped with vents so you can close them off.

Buy A Reliable Hygrometer

You can equip a locker with a control panel that allows you to monitor and adjust the locker’s entire humidity. However, these tend to only analyse a single point, which may miss out on dry or overly-humid pockets.

Therefore, it’s recommended that you invest in independent hygrometers for each locker if it’s possible. If clients are renting lockers, they can always use their own. However, it’s a better gesture to supply one with each unit that can be monitored by both you and its tenants!

As opening each locker can be inconvenient, you can also consider smart sensors, which allow you to check humidity levels from your smartphone. These devices use Bluetooth or Wifi, which means that they can be used without having to open the locker at all!

Otherwise, take a look at our guide to the best hygrometers for storing cigars for some more suggestions.

An Appropriate Size

Finally, don’t just opt for a smaller cigar locker because the price is lower. Meanwhile, it’s best not to buy a cigar locker that’s far too big for your needs. Instead, invest in one that is going to be the best suited to your needs.

If it’s for your business, consider the number of clients that may want to use it and whether you’ll have room to get another if you need it. You want to avoid a locker that’s nearly empty.

Not only will its humidification be costly, but it will be more challenging as a small number of cigars is necessary to stabilise the biosphere. Conversely, you also want to be able to provide everyone with a locker who may want one.

Cigar Locker Preparation & Maintenance

As previously mentioned, lockers require a lot of preparation and supervision to ensure that they function properly.

Seasoning A Cigar Locker

Like wooden humidors, cigar lockers require seasoning. As we mentioned earlier, the principal is the same but it’s a more arduous task due to its size.

Seasoning is an essential step when setting up any humidor. As the new wood is dry, any humidification will be ineffective until the wood has been properly hydrated. In fact, it may even damage cigars as dry wood will absorb moisture from them as well.

Our seasoning guide teaches you how to do this for a wooden humidor but the logic also applies to a cigar locker.

Traditional methods involve wiping down all the lining with a wet sponge. However, you can imagine that this would be a nightmare with an entire locker!

Fortunately, Boveda has created large 320g Boveda seasoning packs, which will do the job for you. As mentioned above, the 320g packs offer enough humidity for a single locker unit. Therefore, simply place one in each unit for two weeks and the locker will be good to go!

Regular Supervision

As mentioned several times in this guide, it’s essential that you take care of your locker. Whether it contains your own collection or cigars that belong to other people, it’s ultimately your responsibility.

Most electronic humidifiers require recharging whereas some have autofill features. Nevertheless, it’s worth periodically checking the humidity’s consistency by monitoring the hygrometer(s) on at least a weekly basis.

If you noticed any sudden spikes or drops in relative humidity, you’ll need to intervene. If the humidity gets too low, it may require seasoning. Meanwhile, humidity that’s too high means that your humidification system needs to be adjusted before the cigars grow mould.

What Next?

Now that you know everything you need about cigar lockers, see our other cigar storage guides:

• BU Cigars – Home
• Humidors & Cigar Storage Home
• Best Cigar Cabinets
• Best Cigar Coolers
• Top Coolidors For DIY Storage