Can someone recommend a thermostat?

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I use a Herpstat, a Johnsons, and just started using a Hydrofarm for my RTB. They are all okay, I am definitely more confident in the Herpstat, but the Johnsons and Hydrofarm do the job for now. Probably not the safest, but for the money they are okay. I've also heard Ranco is alright, comparable to Johnsons, and the new RBI VE-100 is getting rave reviews.

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There is NOTHING wrong with Johnson or Rancos. They do the job just as well as herpstat for fraction of the price.

hydrofarm will never be as good as johnson or ranco, so dont put them together in the same category.

I use a herpstat pro for controlling flexwatt on my rack systems. So im definetly spoiled to that standard. I use homemade rheostats on all my glass aquarium type cages and have had no problems. There's not a big variation in temps and I rarely have to adjust....works great. I make them out of a single pole dimmer and an extension cord....cost about six bucks to make....can't beat that.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

There is NOTHING wrong with Johnson or Rancos. They do the job just as well as herpstat for fraction of the price.

hydrofarm will never be as good as johnson or ranco, so dont put them together in the same category.

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I did mention I USE Johnsons right? They are definitely not the same as my Herpstat since they are not proportional. For the price you can't go wrong. Hydrofarm, clearly not as good as Johnsons/Ranco being $30-50 cheaper does the job too. I was just giving the most popular options for thermostats and prices as to help the OP, not offend.

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I use a Herpstat, a Johnsons, and just started using a Hydrofarm for my RTB. They are all okay, I am definitely more confident in the Herpstat, but the Johnsons and Hydrofarm do the job for now. Probably not the safest, but for the money they are okay. I've also heard Ranco is alright, comparable to Johnsons, and the new RBI VE-100 is getting rave reviews.

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Yes you did state you used Johnson, and also told your side as you basically dont trust them by saying they do the job for NOW but not the safest. No matter what thermsotat you buy they ALL have failed on someone somewhere. Considering the Hydrofarm is manufactured towards garden DIY's growing plants, i wouldnt trust that for anything.

Johnsons and Rancos do the job just as good as herpstat or helix. Only thing is one makes a on off sound other does not. Which does not make or break one better than the other.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Yes you did state you used Johnson, and also told your side as you basically dont trust them by saying they do the job for NOW but not the safest. No matter what thermsotat you buy they ALL have failed on someone somewhere. Considering the Hydrofarm is manufactured towards garden DIY's growing plants, i wouldnt trust that for anything.

Johnsons and Rancos do the job just as good as herpstat or helix. Only thing is one makes a on off sound other does not. Which does not make or break one better than the other.

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I do not trust them as much as I do the Herpstat. You get what you pay for, but I trust them enough to use them. And technically the darn Hydrofarm is only temporary until I get a Ranco, which I willingly wanted to try out.

I just bought the VE-300, has built in night drop, all digital menu, a few differnt alarms, etc. and can power about 50 ft of heat tape max.
It cost about $130 from Reptile Basics INC
Im very happy with it so far!

I think I'm going to setup a rheostat temporarily and replace it with a Johnson thermostat in the near future. I don't really see a need to go with any of the big thermostats, such as the Herpstat, because they designed more for racks I think. I just want something that will give me some piece of mind that my boa won't be baking. Thanks everyone for your input. :)

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

There is NOTHING wrong with Johnson or Rancos. They do the job just as well as herpstat for fraction of the price.

hydrofarm will never be as good as johnson or ranco, so dont put them together in the same category.

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Well, actually...

Proportional:
Herpstat
Helix
RBI

Non-proportional:
Hydrofarm
Ranco
Johnson

There, I fixed it.

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Originally Posted by LizardPants

Well, actually...

Proportional:
Herpstat
Helix
RBI

Non-proportional:
Hydrofarm
Ranco
Johnson

There, I fixed it.

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Your point, I know how they operate. But their operation dont make one better than the other. They all do the same thing one way or another And ive had them all and moved EVERYTHING to johnsons.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I did mention I USE Johnsons right? They are definitely not the same as my Herpstat since they are not proportional. For the price you can't go wrong. Hydrofarm, clearly not as good as Johnsons/Ranco being $30-50 cheaper does the job too. I was just giving the most popular options for thermostats and prices as to help the OP, not offend.

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Actually the hydrofarm is probably just as good as a Johnson or Ranco for this intended use. Those are all non-proportional, and there's nothing special about a Johnson or Ranco to warrant the price increase over the hydrofarm; except maybe wattage ratings which is irrelevant in most cases except for a large rack. Furthermore, at the price point of a Johnson/Ranco you're better off spending just $20-$40 more for a Herpstat or RBI (which are both clearly better).