Zoomed Repti-Temp Rheostat

what do you guys/girls think about them???worth bying??

You are better off getting a thermostat.

Just get the Repti Temp 500R Thermostat.

Only if you have to. I'd use it only as a stop gap untill you can find an appropriate thermostat.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

voted no.

i only want to use reliable equipment for my snakes. I personally don't consider the zoomed thermostats or analog gauges reliable.

Yeah its a POS, but in my situation, it was the only temperature control i could buy locally. It will work, just play with it for a while to make sure its the correct temperature. Honestly though, just buy a ranco and return the rheostat when you can.

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Originally Posted by steveboos

Yeah its a POS, but in my situation, it was the only temperature control i could buy locally. It will work, just play with it for a while to make sure its the correct temperature. Honestly though, just buy a ranco and return the rheostat when you can.

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Thanks to everyone's feed back...Im going to buy a under tank heat pad, and only found (locally) the Zoomed Rpti-Temp Rheostat or Zilla Temperature Controller 1000....To control the heat source from the pad...Im thinking of buying the Zilla Temp Control?????heard it was better than the Zoomed???...
or should i just spend a lil more and buy a Ranco,Johnson???

keep it as a back-up

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Originally Posted by Flawless

Thanks to everyone's feed back...Im going to buy a under tank heat pad, and only found (locally) the Zoomed Rpti-Temp Rheostat or Zilla Temperature Controller 1000....To control the heat source from the pad...Im thinking of buying the Zilla Temp Control?????heard it was better than the Zoomed???...
or should i just spend a lil more and buy a Ranco,Johnson???

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In all honesty, I don't think a Ranco or Johnson controls thermostat is necessary for a single setup. If you plan on just having one snake, get a reptitemp 500r. If you plan on getting a lot more snakes soon, get a ranco or Johnson.

Get the Repti-Temp 500R by ZooMed not the rhenostat, it sucks I know. Had that and a dimmer and I was constantly changing the setting now I haven't touched the thermostat in days cuz it's all set and ready to go.

No no no no no no no

I used it before, and I had a temp spike over 100F. You're better off purchasing the ReptiTemp 500R thermostat that you can purchase at http://www.reptilesupply.com/

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

I used it before, and I had a temp spike over 100F. You're better off purchasing the ReptiTemp 500R thermostat that you can purchase at http://www.reptilesupply.com/

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Thanx everyone for the feedback/help.........;)

If you need some sort of temperature control in the meantime while you're waiting on a thermostat (which I'd highly recommend over a rheostat), you could at least save some money just by getting a regular rheostat (lamp dimmer) at Home Depot instead of spending extra for a "reptile rheostat". Lutron brand makes one for about $10 which is about half the price as the reptile ones I've seen.

It's a $20 lamp dimmer with worse quality than the $8 ones you find at Walmart. In my opinion (as owner of a ReptiTemp Rheostat, a ReptiTemp 500R Thermostat, and a Ranco Thermostat) your heat control is something that you need to "go big" or go home on. If you can't afford a $70 thermostat to ensure the well being of your snake, you can't afford to own a snake. I wouldn't even bother with the 500R though some people have had good luck with it (I'm not one of them).

If you add up what I have spent on heating expenses so far trying to "cheap it out": $20 for the rheostat, $30 for the 500R, and then $70 for the Ranco, I could have bought a Herpstat proportional thermostat from the get-go. With $10 left over!

That said, the Rheostat is better than nothing, but make sure you monitor it, because if the room temp changes, your in-cage temps are going to change because the rheostat doesn't adjust itself obviously.

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Originally Posted by Crawdad

It's a $20 lamp dimmer with worse quality than the $8 ones you find at Walmart. In my opinion (as owner of a ReptiTemp Rheostat, a ReptiTemp 500R Thermostat, and a Ranco Thermostat) your heat control is something that you need to "go big" or go home on. If you can't afford a $70 thermostat to ensure the well being of your snake, you can't afford to own a snake. I wouldn't even bother with the 500R though some people have had good luck with it (I'm not one of them).

If you add up what I have spent on heating expenses so far trying to "cheap it out": $20 for the rheostat, $30 for the 500R, and then $70 for the Ranco, I could have bought a Herpstat proportional thermostat from the get-go. With $10 left over!

That said, the Rheostat is better than nothing, but make sure you monitor it, because if the room temp changes, your in-cage temps are going to change because the rheostat doesn't adjust itself obviously.

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Thanx for the info...yeah I'm most likely going to get a Johnson or Ranco...and use a "dimmer" until i receive the Thermostat...going to have to order it online,cause I dont think(asked around) any local stores around here carry them(Johnso,or Ranco)...yeah sometimes trying to be a lil cheap will end up costing more....

I have herpstat made by spider robotics and helix. you get what you pay for. I started with a 500 r which broke over time. when your snake gets burned, its usually the thermostat that fails not the heat source. even with one snake buy good equipment, that snake should be around for years, buy something that will last.

My nob self bought one thinking it would control the heat on my UTH. It didn't, with the rheostats turned all the way down, it just took longer for the UTH to heat up to a 125 degrees! I returned it. Junk.

The above posters are right; thermostats are much more accurate than rheostats, but also much more expensive. I have been using rheostats for the past few years and have had no problems as long as I monitor the temps closely. (This is with the cages elevated a half inch above the UTH to allow oxygen flow.)

However, I would most certainly not trust the Zoomed rheostats. I use these:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g/Rheostat.jpg

$10 at Home Depot and more reliable than the more expensive Zoomed ones. ;)

A word of warning about cheap thermostats. I had two Repti-temp 500 thermostats fail within a month. I have also had two BAH-1000sc thermostats fail within a month. I used them to control flexwatt under 10 gallon aquariums for feeder insects for my lizards. I never put more than 100 watts through them. I don't know if it is just my bad luck, but I would never put my animals on a cheap thermostat. Spring for a Johnson Controls or a Ranco at least for your snake.

As far as rheostats go, they work in a pinch, but they are a pain in the butt. Make sure to check the temps a few times a day the entire time it is in use. Get one at a home improvement store instead of a pet store. You will spend less and get much better quality.

Hey guys, what specifically is the Helix you recommend? WHere can I find it? and what about this one: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product...oducts_id=1862 Is it any good?

I've got two BPs right now, with two UTHs on each enclosure (tubs). Since the ambient temps of the room is only about 72 I have one UTH at about 80 and one at about 94. I'm using the Zoomed Rheostat method and yes it's a pain in the neck.

THanks,
Payton

okay right now im using a Zilla Temperature Controller 1000 and i hate it (waiting for tax return to get a helix) but it works you just have to keep an eye on temps

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Originally Posted by don15681

I have herpstat made by spider robotics and helix. you get what you pay for. I started with a 500 r which broke over time. when your snake gets burned, its usually the thermostat that fails not the heat source. even with one snake buy good equipment, that snake should be around for years, buy something that will last.

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Me too save money and buy a good one from the start!! herpstat or helix I have no experience with others these 2 are great!

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Originally Posted by Payton MacDonald

Hey guys, what specifically is the Helix you recommend? WHere can I find it? and what about this one: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product...oducts_id=1862 Is it any good?

I've got two BPs right now, with two UTHs on each enclosure (tubs). Since the ambient temps of the room is only about 72 I have one UTH at about 80 and one at about 94. I'm using the Zoomed Rheostat method and yes it's a pain in the neck.

THanks,
Payton

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I've never used a Helix, but from what I hear they are pretty much the best on the market. It's highly accurate and can be set for nighttime drops.
http://helixcontrols.com/default.htm

Never heard of that one. Imho, never go with a thermostat you don't know about, there are so many crappy ones out there. You can get a pre-wired Ranco for the same price.

Here I am again a few weeks later and I will say that those rheostats are junk. I bought a few and spent so much time fussing with them trying to get the temps right it drove me crazy. I then got a Herpstat (Spyder Robotics) and in less than a minute the temps were exactly where I wanted them and haven't budged since.

The reason I got a herpstat is that I asked about 15 different breeders what they preferred (including some of the big boys like Brian at BHB) and they all said that Helix and Herpstat are the best, but many of them said Herpstat's customer service was much, much better. That sold me.

I LOVE that Herpstat. So much that I even emailed the gentleman who makes them and complimented him on how well they are engineered.