Ranco/Johnson vs. Zoo Med vs. Herpstat? Need your imput!

Basically, I want the least expensive therm that is reliable, THAT SAID, the Herpstat at spyder robotics is only about $20 more than the Ranco or Johnson prewired at reptilebasics. Do you feel I should spend on the proportional Herp now, because I'd want to upgrade later? My thoughts are, if it's worth it, if I'm already spending 80 I might as well spend 20 more and get a better unit...

Or, should I save my money and get a zoo med, alife, ect. because they work just as well for about 50-100 bucks cheaper?

I live in DC/VA, and the ambient temps of my apartment do vary quite a bit- it's an older place.

I am a full-time worker and student, and while I have money saved up, I don't like to blow it on things that are above the necessary, but I do obviously value the health of my snake and know first hand how much vet bills are!

Looking to purchase as SOON as possible, any input greatly appreciated! Sorry if long winded!

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Originally Posted by sheena

Basically, I want the least expensive therm that is reliable, THAT SAID, the Herpstat at spyder robotics is only about $20 more than the Ranco or Johnson prewired at reptilebasics. Do you feel I should spend on the proportional Herp now, because I'd want to upgrade later? My thoughts are, if it's worth it, if I'm already spending 80 I might as well spend 20 more and get a better unit...

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Bingo! Do it right once and spend the money once. If you live in an area with ambient temps that fluctuate a lot you're going to want a proportional thermostat; it will help you a great deal in maintaining the proper steady temperature range you're after.

Edit: I speak from experience, if you don't believe me ask all the spare equipment in my attic!

Heh, yep same here. I have a Johnson, a Ranco, and 5 ReptiTemps! I don't regret those purchases, because I barely had the $80 for each of those stats when I got them. However I do wish I had enough money now for a Herpstat II so I could have one good stat for warm and cool side of all my BPs.

If you have the money to spend, get the Herpstat now. The cheaper stats are mostly for those of us who don't have enough at the time we need it and still need a t-stat. :)

Do the cheaper ones not work at all? I've read past posts and they got mixed reviews... I'm wary but some people seems to do fine with them. I know on the glass tank setup sticky, alife is recommended as an affordable alternative.

I have money saved back, but it is just that- it's saved up for next semester to help pay bills while I go to school. It's not something I go dipping into lightly.

Spainard and Argentra, thanks for your responses, I'm definately keeping them in mind.

On that list the only two I've used is the Ranco and Herpstat.

Did the Ranco work? Yes

Was I happy with how it worked?

Not when it came to heating a rack. It does seem to work well in my incubator, but since it was designed for wafer heating elements the Ranco is a big step up for it.

Granted for me it was not just a $20 price difference when I was choosing as I got a Raw unit and wired it myself.

On to the Herpstat I have to add when I got my first I did the Herpstat Pro. For my racks and other enclosures I will only buy Herpstat now!

I use the herpstat and johnson controls thermostats and love them. I like the proportional herpstat a lot better, but the non-proportional johnson controls is cheaper. If you have the extra cash, then the herpstat is the way to go. I would not use a zoo med. I have heard horror stories about cooked snakes. Hope this helps.

We have ranco and helix and love them! I pulled my hair out over those stupid repti-temps. If you know your room is going to stay a VERY constant temp, then the repti-temps work better. If it flucuates just a few degrees, that darn thing goes wild. I can't stand them.

The repti-temp are not bad for the price, they work, but can be a pain to set up. You have to set it up awhile before you put the snake in, i mean a week, and keep testing the temps to see if it stays in range. Tape the probe down, and once you find that spot, put the cover on and dont adjust it. I have not had a problem with my repti-temp, it is pretty steady, but the dial is a pain.

Ill switch over in a few months when i change cages for my snake, but in the meantime i do have the cheaper thermostat running fine.

If you can afford a little bit more expensive version, go with it, because it will be worth it with the ease and safety. The digital readout is really the thing that i think is key.

Just find which has the best options, for the best price, and the best reputation. Remember ALL thermostats fail equally, (except it seems herpstats are pretty safe) all have horror stories, the worst i ever heard was with a high end thermostat, so it does show that they are all suceptable to it. All electronic devices break, so just be safe and find what fits your situation.

I'd spend the money! Quality, not quantity.

Buy 1 now, spend the money, or buy a cheaper one that you will keep needing to replace, and ending up paying more money than buying the GOOD one!

I say fork it out.:)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

If it flucuates just a few degrees, that darn thing goes wild. I can't stand them.

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That's a problem with my home, as I stated- and I'm also considering moving to Cleveland, which if you know the area, isn't the home of the greatest weather on earth. For my snake OR me :(

I wanted to toss another one into the mix, that on the RC Reptiles forum I've been hearing about (http://www.rcreptiles.com/forum/about3235-0-asc-0.html) It's the BAH 1000SC http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000...2&category=15#

I've never heard it mentioned on this forum, and a search turned up nothing. Does anyone know anything about this unit? The write up to me is a bit of overkill, which makes me wonder...

Again thanks lots for all the responses, I'll be making my purchase (whatever I choose) later today, so I'll take all the opinions and info I can get!