Which is the best thermostat?

i've never got the johnsons to go more accurate than 2 deg. they seem to have a 2 deg. diff no matter how you set them up. the rancos have a true one deg. differential setting. as for the absolute best i'd go with helix, it has been around alot longer and is very stable. i chose helix for my incubator.


vaughn

Johnsons, rancos, herpstats and helix are all going to give you what you need.. For a bator like Kav said then you best best is to go proportional(helix, herpstat, HCS or BAH).. For a normal cage setup then a johnson controls or ranco will be fine. As for the priceing, the profit on a ranco or a helix is exactly the same so I dont think FB is selling them because they make tons of money on them.. They sell them because they are a reliable thermostat and a decent price...

question for you...

http://www.mgreptiles.com/ZOOSTAT.html

i know you've put this as a "3 out of 5" - this is all i've been able to find in my area... will it work for one snake? because honestly if we get another snake, it'll probably be housed in my son's room downstairs... so something for multiple enclosures won't be needed. (she says with a whince as she knows she's probably fooling ONLY herself)

Well they are not the best of thermostats thats for sure.. I recommend them mainly for use on roach colonies or as a back up unit. Many many people use them with success but I have also head of failures!!!! I would go with a Johnson Controls or Rancos if at all possible..

(just subscribing to this thread)

....the lack of the digital temperature reading also makes those Zoostats a pain...IMO...it is simply worth the money for a johnson or ranco just for the digital temp readout......the extra reliability is a bonus ;)

so if you have one, you don't need a thermometer... right?

No you will still need some digital thermometers to monitor temps throughout the cage...

wow, so many posts, thanx everyone, well how Im thinking of using a rack system, and in the future an incubator, from what I have read I think Ill go with Helix.