help choosing a rack?

So, I posted a little while back about looking for a rack, and using the info I received I have narrowed my decision down to two racks. (temporarily until I have a place of my own to attempt to build one.

If anyone has used either model I'd like every aspect you could give me, good and bad. Is there anything I need to request about it? I'd also like to know the best thermostat I can use for the price (around $100)

First, http://www.reptilebasics.com/iris-sw...y-or-back-heat

it has 4 regular boxes, and I can divide two of them in half to be able to house two more hatchlings and use the two lower ones for my two adults. (my adults are both small and if my female is to big my male will easily be a good size)

The other. (well can't decide between two)
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/rhin...sterilite.html
or http://www.boaphileplastics.com/rhin...sterilite.html

my opinion of this is the same as above, except for my adult female probably wouldn't fit! But i think she likes her 55 aquarium. ;)

I'd love to hear everyones opinions, if you want to feel free to throw in some more links to other racks!

thanks everyone in Advanced!

Well, I don't have any of these racks (yet) so I can't comment on the products themselves, but I will tell you one thing: customer service at Reptile Basics cannot be beat. Rich is great about helping with any questions or concerns and he is very prompt with replies via email or phone.

Ron the Boaphile, however, is a whole other story. It is extremely difficult to get ahold of him. He does not answer email. If you need to speak with him, you need to call. You'll get a paypal reciept for your order, but no reciept or contact from Ron until you get the tracking number for your package. This is, frankly, disconcerting for me. I have no idea where he's at with the rack I have on order with him since I don't have the tracking for it yet (its been 7 weeks now :O). But still, I don't think he's a bad guy in any way - I just think he's not the best communicator.

If you don't mind the lack of contact, then I'm sure you'll be happy with the Boaphile. I've heard good things about his racks and cages which is why I ordered one. But the lack of contact, I don't like at all. Personally, I wish I'd stuck with Reptile Basics.

This is just my opinion and my experience. If you decide on the Boaphile rack, I don't necessarily think that would be a bad choice. I just like to have more contact with the company I'm working with and that's just me. You may well feel differently about it. These are all nice racks! :gj:

I have 3 of the reptile basics rack with dividers and I'm pleased with them. As stated above, Rich has excellent customer service.
I also have a herpstat and vivarium electronics(reptile basics) thermostat and both are great.

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

Well, I don't have any of these racks (yet) so I can't comment on the products themselves, but I will tell you one thing: customer service at Reptile Basics cannot be beat. Rich is great about helping with any questions or concerns and he is very prompt with replies via email or phone.

Ron the Boaphile, however, is a whole other story. It is extremely difficult to get ahold of him. He does not answer email. If you need to speak with him, you need to call. You'll get a paypal reciept for your order, but no reciept or contact from Ron until you get the tracking number for your package. This is, frankly, disconcerting for me. I have no idea where he's at with the rack I have on order with him since I don't have the tracking for it yet (its been 7 weeks now :O). But still, I don't think he's a bad guy in any way - I just think he's not the best communicator.

If you don't mind the lack of contact, then I'm sure you'll be happy with the Boaphile. I've heard good things about his racks and cages which is why I ordered one. But the lack of contact, I don't like at all. Personally, I wish I'd stuck with Reptile Basics.

This is just my opinion and my experience. If you decide on the Boaphile rack, I don't necessarily think that would be a bad choice. I just like to have more contact with the company I'm working with and that's just me. You may well feel differently about it. These are all nice racks! :gj:

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Thanks! To be honest i am trying to stray away from the Boaphile for that reason... NO contact. I can not do that, this may be considered selfish but if I spend my money I expect a reply and contact, especially if it involves waiting. Thanks for the detailed reply though. :)

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Originally Posted by rexrem

I have 3 of the reptile basics rack with dividers and I'm pleased with them. As stated above, Rich has excellent customer service.
I also have a herpstat and vivarium electronics(reptile basics) thermostat and both are great.

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Awesome. Can I get a little more detail? Does it stay heated right? And how is the humidity? Thanks for the info!

[QUOTE=zeion97;1730946]Thanks! To be honest i am trying to stray away from the Boaphile for that reason... NO contact. I can not do that, this may be considered selfish but if I spend my money I expect a reply and contact, especially if it involves waiting. Thanks for the detailed reply though. :)


I dont think thats selfish at all, I feel the same way. If you're choosing to spend money on something and give him business then the least he could do is give you feedback on the progress. As long as you're not calling or emailing him every 5 minutes, he should be able to get back to his customers.

The Boaphile's name is Jeff. His last name is Ronne. Apparently, you must approach the Boaphile in the correct manner so that he may deign to return your parley. As his defenders claim, he is among the busiest of men, therefore it is apparently acceptable for him to not return e-mails, calls, semaphore, smoke signals, morse codes, etc. We are all peons and must accept this treatment if we are to be blessed with him deciding to sell us his products.

As for thermostats, I have a spare one of these (very lightly used):

http://spyderrobotics.com/products/herpstat.html

The Bean Farm sells them for $117 for a grounded one. I'll sell you mine for $90 plus shipping.

Animal Plastics also sell some nicely priced racks in their economy line. Some are even quick ship items (the 6/12 variant of the linked rack is one.).

http://www.animalplastics.com/Sterilite/1753EP.html

Unlike the Boaphile, Ali from AP will return calls and e-mails. Be forewarned, if it is not a quick ship item, they can take months to deliver.

[QUOTE=Mike41793;1730962]

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Originally Posted by zeion97

Thanks! To be honest i am trying to stray away from the Boaphile for that reason... NO contact. I can not do that, this may be considered selfish but if I spend my money I expect a reply and contact, especially if it involves waiting. Thanks for the detailed reply though. :)


I dont think thats selfish at all, I feel the same way. If you're choosing to spend money on something and give him business then the least he could do is give you feedback on the progress. As long as you're not calling or emailing him every 5 minutes, he should be able to get back to his customers.

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lol. True. But I've seen post from people saying they attempted contact every few days, then after a few weeks starting asking daily. I came across another post on my phone awhile back where someone said they waited two months and NEVER got a response BUT received the rack after 10 weeks? (not sure but it was at least 10)

could these incidents be the "rare" ones, yes, BUT after all I've read Id assume they're the basic.

IMO this is something that shouldn't happen. I know he has alot of racks to build but he could at least communicate better IMO. (i have had no experience with him as of yet)

Animal plastics racks and spyder robotics thermostats.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

The Boaphile's name is Jeff. His last name is Ronne. Apparently, you must approach the Boaphile in the correct manner so that he may deign to return your parley. As his defenders claim, he is among the busiest of men, therefore it is apparently acceptable for him to not return e-mails, calls, semaphore, smoke signals, morse codes, etc. We are all peons and must accept this treatment if we are to be blessed with him deciding to sell us his products.

Dare I say it, no matter how good his products are I couldn't accept that treatment. IMO we should get updates. I don't doubt his work, I know how recommended it is, it just seems like more of a hassle then anything.

As for thermostats, I have a spare one of these (very lightly used):

http://spyderrobotics.com/products/herpstat.html

The Bean Farm sells them for $117 for a grounded one. I'll sell you mine for $90 plus shipping.


I won't be purchasing any of this until February/march, if you still have it then that would be awesome, but..did I read right it uses a sensor? Isn't it supposed to use a probe... I'm SLOW when it comes to thermostats and I honestly believe I'd be wasting money if I just bought one that a site recommended, that's why I asked!

Animal Plastics also sell some nicely priced racks in their economy line. Some are even quick ship items (the 6/12 variant of the linked rack is one.).

http://www.animalplastics.com/Sterilite/1753EP.html

Unlike the Boaphile, Ali from AP will return calls and e-mails. Be forewarned, if it is not a quick ship item, they can take months to deliver.

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AP I completely forgot about... The only concern i have with there products is humidity and heat? if they hold well I would change my mind and go with them.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Animal plastics racks and spyder robotics thermostats.

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Can you explain the spyder thermostat? Is it like the one Skip posted? Like I said, I'm still learning the whole thermostat thing.

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Originally Posted by zeion97

AP I completely forgot about... The only concern i have with there products is humidity and heat? if they hold well I would change my mind and go with them.

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They have belly heat.

They do just as well as any other plastic rack.

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Originally Posted by zeion97

AP I completely forgot about... The only concern i have with there products is humidity and heat? if they hold well I would change my mind and go with them.

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The Herpstat uses a probe.

I'm not advertising it so the odds are it will probably still be around.

If I don't, I got spares of just about everything. If someone comes along and buys it, I'll probably have something else available.

A couple of weeks ago I had a spare Boaphile 6 drawer 32 qt rack (white) that I sold for about $150. I've sold a handful of Boaphiles to various people on this forum over the years. If you check back in a few months I may have another one ready to let go.

My sister lives in Six-Toe County Illinois and my parents maintain a house near her and visit about four times a year. So if a rack is available, you can probably buy my Dad a bottle of red wine and he'll drive it out to Illinois with the rest of all his crap.

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Originally Posted by zeion97

Thanks! To be honest i am trying to stray away from the Boaphile for that reason... NO contact. I can not do that, this may be considered selfish but if I spend my money I expect a reply and contact, especially if it involves waiting. Thanks for the detailed reply though. :)

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No its not selfish at all. I feel the same way and this is why I wish I'd stuck with Reptile Basics.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

I dont think thats selfish at all, I feel the same way. If you're choosing to spend money on something and give him business then the least he could do is give you feedback on the progress. As long as you're not calling or emailing him every 5 minutes, he should be able to get back to his customers.

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Yup - exactly. And to be clear, I haven't tried to contact him in almost 5 weeks - not since I did talk to him when I first sent my order. He said he'd send the tracking once it was on its way and the lead time would be about 5 weeks. I'm trying to be patient and give him that. So if I don't have the tracking by next week (which would be a 6 week lead), guess who's getting a phone call......

Hey Skip - if you have a rack available sometime in October, I'll get your dad 2 bottles of red wine and a case of beer of his choice if he'll bring it near Chicago, lol.... :P

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

No its not selfish at all. I feel the same way and this is why I wish I'd stuck with Reptile Basics.



Yup - exactly. And to be clear, I haven't tried to contact him in almost 5 weeks - not since I did talk to him when I first sent my order. He said he'd send the tracking once it was on its way and the lead time would be about 5 weeks. I'm trying to be patient and give him that. So if I don't have the tracking by next week (which would be a 6 week lead), guess who's getting a phone call......

Hey Skip - if you have a rack available sometime in October, I'll get your dad 2 bottles of red wine and a case of beer of his choice if he'll bring it near Chicago, lol.... :P

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I know for a fact that I will have two old school Sandemar racks available late this summer.

These are four drawer sealed melamine monsters that are bullet proof. They use a discontinued rubbermaid blanket box that is 19.5″ Wide x 9″ High x 30″ Deep.

They have served me well but the last of my teenage cribos will be ready for the big FB racks this fall.

While he probably won't drive up to Chicago, my sister lives across the river from Keokuk. If you have a strong back and a truck, I will let these go dirt cheap.

Does't he make the rack after you make the order?

If you are going to buy one, I suggest Reptile Basics's racks. I have six, and am very pleased with all of them. A Rancho or Johnson Controls thermostat would probably be your best bet unless you want to pay more for a proportional thermostat.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

I know for a fact that I will have two old school Sandemar racks available late this summer.

These are four drawer sealed melamine monsters that are bullet proof. They use a discontinued rubbermaid blanket box that is 19.5″ Wide x 9″ High x 30″ Deep.

They have served me well but the last of my teenage cribos will be ready for the big FB racks this fall.

While he probably won't drive up to Chicago, my sister lives across the river from Keokuk. If you have a strong back and a truck, I will let these go dirt cheap.

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Don't have a truck, but do have a van that we can put all the seats down. We're going to Tinley in October. I'll have to keep this in mind! I'll be in touch in the late spring or so and we'll go from there! Thanks mucho! :gj:

Might have to pick up one of those awesome cribos from you then too.... :D

zeion97 the T-stat is necessary part of the rack system it cannot be used with out one. Personally I'd also suggest a second failsafe one as there are far to many accounts of a probe wire pulling free and the rack over heating. A failsafe t stat will go a long way to prevent this. Also in regards to heat plan on an oil filled heater for the room to control the ambient temps of the rack. The hot spot is only 1/2 the equation you also need the cool end and ambient air temps managed and by FAR the simplest way is to heat the room.

One thing I would keep in mind when buying a rack is the availability of the tubs used. Some racks have tubs that you can only get online ect. I personally stick to racks that use sterilite tubs as I know I can get tubs almost anywhere.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

zeion97 the T-stat is necessary part of the rack system it cannot be used with out one. Personally I'd also suggest a second failsafe one as there are far to many accounts of a probe wire pulling free and the rack over heating. A failsafe t stat will go a long way to prevent this. Also in regards to heat plan on an oil filled heater for the room to control the ambient temps of the rack. The hot spot is only 1/2 the equation you also need the cool end and ambient air temps managed and by FAR the simplest way is to heat the room.

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How would I set up a fail-safe T-stat? It does seem like a good idea. And thanks for the advice on the room temp. TBH, since my burmese won't be going in the tank the air temp shoouldn't be a problem. :) I mean right now my room is 80..lol

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Originally Posted by Rat160

One thing I would keep in mind when buying a rack is the availability of the tubs used. Some racks have tubs that you can only get online ect. I personally stick to racks that use sterilite tubs as I know I can get tubs almost anywhere.

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That's why I was thinking more of the Boaphile since if I read it right you get the tubs with the rack right? Reptile Basics comes with the tubs as well correct?

The way to set up a backup thermostat is to plug your heat tape into a proportional thermostat like the Herpstat from spyder robotics. The probe from that thermostat will sit directly on the heat tape. You will then plug the proportional thermostat into the output of a on/off style thermostat such as a Ranco. The probe from the on/off style thermostat will be placed on the heat tape as well.

Now you set the proportional thermostat to your desired temperature. The on/off style thermostat will be set at the maximum temperature you want your heat tape to get ever.

So this is how it all works. The proportional thermostat regulates the heat tape unless something goes wrong with the thermostat. If something does go wrong the on/off style thermostat will kill the power going to the proportional thermostat until the heat tape cools down to safe temperatures.

Also to comment on the AP racks: because they are made from 1/2 inch thick PVC they hold heat and humidity in very well. They are great, I defiantly would recomend them.

I'm talking about extra tubs. Always nice to have extra tubs. Say something goes wrong with a tub can you go to your local Walmart and get one or do you have to order it online. Just saying.

One of the nice things about AP is that they have racks designed for iris, sterilite, and rubbermaid tubs. So you can choose which fits your needs better and what tubs you can get ahold of.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

One of the nice things about AP is that they have racks designed for iris, sterilite, and rubbermaid tubs. So you can choose which fits your needs better and what tubs you can get ahold of.

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Personally, here in Canada, its hard to find the same sized tubs as you guys have in the states. So my preference is to buy from someone who includes the tubs, in case I need to replace them. I wish AP included tubs with their racks, Ive heard great things about them.

RBI and Boaphile are pretty much on par though, I will be getting another from one of them pretty soon.

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Originally Posted by mattchibi

Personally, here in Canada, its hard to find the same sized tubs as you guys have in the states. So my preference is to buy from someone who includes the tubs, in case I need to replace them. I wish AP included tubs with their racks, Ive heard great things about them.

RBI and Boaphile are pretty much on par though, I will be getting another from one of them pretty soon.

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I'm not Knowledgeable in what it takes to get a product from the US to Canada, but AP has a link to an online source for tubs for their racks. Maybe that won't work as I said I don't know much about the process.

Looks like I'm going to have to stick with AP now... Does anyone have the economy line? I've decided to go with there 6 container rack so I can get AT LEAST 1 more snake.

Anything good or bad about this one?

The only issue that the economy line of racks might have is that since they don't have solid 1/2" thick PVC walls they might not hold heat as well as a rack that is fully enclosed with 1/2" PVC. This shouldn't cause you any problems.

If you have any questions about the rack itself I would go ahead and email/call AP Ali is great and will answer any questions that you have.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

The only issue that the economy line of racks might have is that since they don't have solid 1/2" thick PVC walls they might not hold heat as well as a rack that is fully enclosed with 1/2" PVC. This shouldn't cause you any problems.

If you have any questions about the rack itself I would go ahead and email/call AP Ali is great and will answer any questions that you have.

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That's what I was worried about. Thanks again for another reply! And I planned on messaging them with a few questions tomorrow one of them was that. Again thank you! Hopefully AP doesn't decide to stop making racks as well...lol

If AP stops making racks that means that they are going out of business seeing that racks are 90% of their sales I bet. If they don't reply to your email within a day I would just go ahead and call them. I have had better luck with that. AP sells great products I trust that their economy line of racks is the same. I'm sure they work great.

http://images9.fotki.com/v114/photos...drawing-vi.jpgHosted on Fotki

Just for clarity. I place the probe of the fail safe on a different piece of heat tape. I usually place the primary in the middle and the fail safe in the top with is usually a little hotter than the others. Normally it will become the warmest fastest. The temps are likely going to be different you have to play with it to get everything right.

So many have bought racks but few understand that a rack really needs to be in a controlled ambient temp to work well. It can be used in a cool room but it is a huge pain. I just thought I be clear on that, just in case.

Tubs change size a few years back rubbermaid changed all the sizes my old ones are shorter than the new ones with the same code. I'd suggest buying extras no matter what.

I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but Reptile Basics says they are discontinuing their racks, and will stop taking orders on January 15th.

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Originally Posted by meowmeowkazoo

I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but Reptile Basics says they are discontinuing their racks, and will stop taking orders on January 15th.

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That's why I said I have to for with AP. :( I already talked to Reptile Basics... its sad. I really wanted a RB rack. Oh well, I'll see if in the future someone has one for sale.

Just to chime in on the whole RBI no longer selling racks thing; Even though RBI themselves will not be producing the racks, they are looking to sell that part of the company to someone else to carry on. So it may still be possible to get an RBI rack without the RBI label. This is explained in greater detail here: http://reptilebasics.com/blog/