This is often a question many newcomers to the hobby ask, what's the best thermostat on the market (especially after being told the often much cheaper rheostats aren't worth it)? This is often accompanied by a request for a quality vs cost analysis, so I figured, why not start our own thread and discuss this here?
Here's my 2 cents:
The professional breeders and "professional hobbyists" seem to sing the praises of the herpstat line. The retic community especially seems to love them. The downfall is these get kind of expensive. For the basic grounded herpstat (I chose grounded over ungrounded simply for safety reasons, the extra 10 dollars seems worth it) is generally between 115 and 120. Its proportional, durable (longevity and extreme conditions) but doesn't seem to be directed towards the heat mat crowd (max temp is 110) or anybody keeping animals that need significantly higher temps. (looking at you Sav keepers). This minor drawback spans their entire rang as well. You can also order one with the nightdrop (ND) feature that allows you to drop temps at night for an extra 30ish dollars. Another drawback is the wattage output, the basic one only can handle 500 watts, and even the pro is limited to 400 watts per outlet (it has 4 outlets).
The vivarium electronics also seem to be a good alternative, but the basic model costs around $85. It looks good, is grounded, and is stackable for a nice display. It has a max temp of 140 but its an extra 25 dollars for the box that enables the night drop feature. The VE line ranges from a 700 watt max output for the lowest model to 900 for the top of the line one. Not bad, but not great.
Hydrofarm: I think I'm gonna order one of these and give it a try. For $26 dollars, why not right?
Hydrofarm Heat Mat Electronic Temperature Controller
max temp is a little low for my liking, but its higher than the thermostats I'm using now. (108deg) and are marketed specifically for heat mats. Max output is good at 1000 watts.
The Ranco units seems to be a decent option as well, and have been vouched for by several retic breeders. The basic unit ($50-60) seems like a reasonable starting point but it requires the purchaser to wire in a power strip on their own before its fully functional. For $80 you can get it pre-wired with a 6 outlet strip and you're ready to roll. Max temp is 220F (dunno what you would need that for) and max output is an astounding 1500 watts.
The Johnson A 419 is almost identical to the Ranco unit but requires more wiring than the Ranco. Its 100 dollars for the equivalent to the $80 Ranco (wired with a 6 plug power strip).
Lux WIN100 are the in home thermostats that I buy and extend the thermosensor cable on. They've been working well for me for the past few months (I've made 2 and sold a few others) but because of their limited max temp (90F) I have to have the thermosensor in the enclosure (not particularly worrying because I have a burrower and a hider) but to be completely safe I would like to have the sensor between the heat mat and the tub. Max output is the highest in the group however at a ridiculous 1800 watts To work it does require some work but its been reliable.
The Helix units are another unit that comes with a good reputation from the retic community as well. I can't seem to find the max temp on these units, but overall they're very similar to the herpstat units. Price for the basic unit is 130, grounded is 137 and you have to buy a night drop module for an extra 30 dollars to get that feature (similar to the VE series). Max output is 500 watts per unit. There are several other accessories available.
feel free to post up other thermostats out there that you've used along with what your experiences are and what you've read about.
hey Wayne, sticky?
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