Ranco v. Johnson

It sounds like a court case. Unfortuantely, it's not, and it's going to cost me 75 bucks. One of these is in the near future for me. After a cheap-o thermostat b_tch_d out on me, I decided to upgrade. I can't afford anything spectacular at the moment, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the Ranco and Johnson specifically. Of course, all other advice and opinions are welcome :)

I voted for proportional, but I use Ranco as well for my individually set up tubs.

I use Ranco, because when I purchased my first, that's what was on sale. Since I was familiar with it, when I needed another on/off thermostat, that's what I purchased again. Eventually, I'll be moving to all proportional though.

In regards to Ranco vs. Johnson's, from what I've heard, they are both good units, you'd be fine using either one.

x2

I hear ranco and johnson are almost identical, just the JC is a little smaller. I voted JC because I have one and because you said you had $75 to spend and most proportional are $100+(from what I have seen).

I say Ranco becuase I have one on the way but haven't used one yet. Whats the difference betwen preportional and a ranco or J.c. ?

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Originally Posted by Pork Chops N' Corn Bread

I say Ranco becuase I have one on the way but haven't used one yet. Whats the difference betwen preportional and a ranco or J.c. ?

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ranco and JC are on/off and turn on when they get below a set temp and off when they get to the set temp. this is usually a degree or 2 of difference but with a proportional they are made to pick up the temp at the probe often and it automatically adjusts the power being sent. From what I hear, they are accurate and keep temps within like .5*

rancos are good, a little more simple than the j/c's. both are fine, same quality. my personal preference is rancos, the johnsons seem to have a 2 deg swing, the rancos one degree.


for ball pythons, a rack, flexwatt, and a helix is GOLD!!

vaughn

I have a ranco and a JC....definitely like the ranco better for the same reason Vaughn mentioned.

I also use proportional stats for my racks (herpstat). Proportional technology is a world away from the simple on/off thermostats.

I have two Ranco's.

Another question: Where did you folks buy your Rancos/Johnsons?

I have a Helix proportional, but I got it from reptilebasics.com.

No hassles. :)

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Originally Posted by Rapture

Helix proportional

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Like V says...GOLD

Save your pennies and go with Helix :D

Thank you guys! I am running my "old" vivarium with two 500Rs -- one on the uth and one on a che. I am getting a new Tub setup from Natures Spirit Reptiles (Snake Shack) with flexwatt already installed. I am definitely going to get a Helix dsr-1000 for the flexwatt!


I would have never made a change except for this thread. It is great that we can present opinions and facts in a manner that will educate and inform those of us noobs. I especially found the links very helpfull. I now understand how proprotional units work and their benefits.

Thanks!!!

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Originally Posted by Rapture

I have a Helix proportional, but I got it from reptilebasics.com.

No hassles. :)

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I'm in the 'zact same boat and have been quite happy with it.

I have a Alife, a Ranco, and a Herpstat Pro.


They all work, but depending on what you are looking for, I would go for Herpstat Pro if you have the money. It controls 4 racks at a time at different temps!!!

The Alife works in a pinch, and the Ranco for me has been a solid machine.
It clicks though, so you have to get used to the noise....

I love my Herpstat. :)

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

The Alife works in a pinch, and the Ranco for me has been a solid machine. It clicks though, so you have to get used to the noise....

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Wait!! The Ranco clicks? What about the Johnson? Those are the only two that fit my budget. And, I only have one snake, so there's no need for something great right now. It's going to be in my bedroom, feet from my bed. What kind of click are we talking about?

It's not like a kick to the wall type click :) It's a very low, barely audible click that sounds when the unit turns on or off. I have a fish tank in my room and I don't even notice the click(but I do have 25 rats that are all eating their danged dry pasta at once... at 3am... crunch crunch).

No worries. I have two of the JC tstats and they work great for what they do. I also have a Herpstat 2 and it's just wonderful. I need some Helixes to test too! Anyone want to donate? ;)

I don't even notice when my Ranco's click on and off anymore. At first I did because I didn't know they did that but it isn't loud or anything.

You never notice it after a night or two

I have eight Helix t-stats and 1 Ranco. I haven't had a problem with any of them, and highly recommend them both.

ranco all da way :carrot:

wanna battle? :sabduel::sabduel::sabduel:

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Originally Posted by rmune0750

ranco all da way :carrot:

wanna battle? :sabduel::sabduel::sabduel:

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the smilies are getting out of hand

I figured for an extra $30 I may as well just get a proportional rather than that Ranco. That way I won't have to drop $75 now and another $100+ later. So, I ended up with a Herpstat 1 from reptilesupply.com (I know MG was a bit cheaper, but I had to pick up some other things as well). Thanks all for your feedback.

Sounds like you did the right thing, the herpstat is awesome! I am thrilled with mine, so easy to operate! And for the well being of your snakes, the difference between the on/off, and proportional really isn't that much.

*Warning Thread Hijack :P *

i have a 30gallon glass tank for my BP. This is more of a what kind of UTH should i go with? everytime i hear people talk about flexwatt tape, it's in reference to racks...is it good enough for a glass though? and how much of my bottom should be covered in UTH.

I think i'm just going to splurge and buy a helix proportional...but i need to know what it's going to. Thank you

You might want to search around the caging forum...that topic has been covered many times over.

I will probably get a Helix when I can afford it, BUT...


Does a snake really notice the difference between an on/off and proprotional thermostat.

I have an on/off with the probe right on the glass. I have a digital thermometer probe right next to it. The temp swing is about 1.5 to 2 degrees F.

I realize that I, as a mammal, can't really tell the difference between 80 and 82 degrees, but does my snake.

I certainly can tell the difference between 80 and 90 degrees, but I have two different thermostats for each range.


But does it really improve the quality of life for my pet to have a proportional thermostat?

I have 3 rancos and 2 Herpstat pros and the Herpstat is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The most accurate I have seen. Each one controls my ambient and three racks(Different rooms). Will do my incubators too when needed. Herpstat rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a Ranco for my oil filled space heater....and have them on two of my racks...I also have 2 Helix for 2 racks and 2 that are going to be put in place of my Ranco'son the racks....


Overall I haven't had a problem with either.....

Something a lot of folks don't know is that the Johnson 419 can be set up to have a night drop. It requires an external control relay and timer, but is an alternative for those who don't want to pay for a proportional and require a night drop.

Craig

I don't mean to throw a monkey wrench into the gears, but there are "a lot of" differing oppinions on using night drop temperatures.

I am throwing this out for discussion. If this should be moved to a different thread, I leave this up to the moderators.

Why would you change the wonderfully set-up temps that you have in your environment by adding NIGHT DROP temps. I am sure that the snake would prefer to have his temps stay the same all the time. --- One of the major reasons to getting a proportional thermostat over an on/off thermostat.

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Originally Posted by AkivaSmith

I don't mean to throw a monkey wrench into the gears, but there are "a lot of" differing oppinions on using night drop temperatures.

I am throwing this out for discussion. If this should be moved to a different thread, I leave this up to the moderators.

Why would you change the wonderfully set-up temps that you have in your environment by adding NIGHT DROP temps. I am sure that the snake would prefer to have his temps stay the same all the time. --- One of the major reasons to getting a proportional thermostat over an on/off thermostat.

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I was making a general statement, not necessarily directed at bp folks. I keep emeralds and they require a night drop. I'm sure not all folks that keep bps keep just bps. I was not suggesting that anyone change their husbandry practices. Just an FYI, pointing out the additional capability of the Johnson 419.

Craig

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Originally Posted by CraigC

I was making a general statement, not necessarily directed at bp folks. I keep emeralds and they require a night drop. I'm sure not all folks that keep bps keep just bps. I was not suggesting that anyone change their husbandry practices. Just an FYI, pointing out the additional capability of the Johnson 419.

Craig

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I'm sorry that you felt that you had to defend your statement. It is a valid comment. I was hijacking the thread to talk about the need for night drop on BPs.

SORRY.

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Originally Posted by AkivaSmith

I'm sorry that you felt that you had to defend your statement. It is a valid comment. I was hijacking the thread to talk about the need for night drop on BPs.

SORRY.

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Lol, ok my mistake. I make no claim to know what might be best for bps, but let me ask this in reference to having a night drop for them: Is it not normal, or necessary to trigger activity by changing the environmental parameters after lights out. Don't bps normally seek out burrows/shade to get out of the daytime heat of their natural environment and become active at night when the temps drop and relative humidity increases?

Craig

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Originally Posted by CraigC

Lol, ok my mistake. I make no claim to know what might be best for bps, but let me ask this in reference to having a night drop for them: Is it not normal, or necessary to trigger activity by changing the environmental parameters after lights out. Don't bps normally seek out burrows/shade to get out of the daytime heat of their natural environment and become active at night when the temps drop and relative humidity increases?

Craig

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That's exactly what I was wondering/talking about. Do we really need to simulate the habitat of North-Central Africa. I mean my snake came from New Jersey. Its egg was fertilized, laid, incubated, hatched in a controlled environment. I have had it in a totally controlled environment. I have fed it since it was 3 months old. I am not sure if it could even survive in North-Central Africa if it were released there. :confused:

i looked into the night drop feature on the 419 a while back. i can't remember the exact price, but after you buy the johnson,wire it up, get the night drop module and timer it will cost more than helix or herpstat with night drop. do you know the price of the night drop module for the johnson 419? i forgot.



vaughn

Rancos > ALL imo.

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Originally Posted by kavmon

i looked into the night drop feature on the 419 a while back. i can't remember the exact price, but after you buy the johnson,wire it up, get the night drop module and timer it will cost more than helix or herpstat with night drop. do you know the price of the night drop module for the johnson 419? i forgot.



vaughn

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I didn't know they offered a "night drop" accessory. I know that the units I've bought are in the mid $50 range, a control relay is around $15 and a timer can be bought for less than $10. The helix with night drop is around $125 and you have to provide a timer for the night drop cord.

Craig

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Originally Posted by rmune0750

Rancos > ALL imo.

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as far as on/off thermostats go, i feel the ranco is just as good as JC. I would still take a helix or herpstat over a ranco though

I've been using thermostats for over 10 years ... I've used every type of commercially available thermostat on the market at one point and even a couple that aren't manufactured anymore.

For whatever it's worth to anyone researching which thermostat to get, I keep several hundred thousand dollars (give or take) worth of animals in racks controlled by helix thermostats, in rooms regulated by helix thermostats, and many were hatched in incubators run with helix thermostats ... I wouldn't think about using anything else.

As for night time drops, unless you're breeding large numbers of ball pythons and you'd like to have a regulated breeding season, there is no need for them.

Hope this helps someone, somewhere. :D

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I've been using thermostats for over 10 years ... I've used every type of commercially available thermostat on the market at one point and even a couple that aren't manufactured anymore.

For whatever it's worth to anyone researching which thermostat to get, I keep several hundred thousand dollars (give or take) worth of animals in racks controlled by helix thermostats, in rooms regulated by helix thermostats, and many were hatched in incubators run with helix thermostats ... I wouldn't think about using anything else.

As for night time drops, unless you're breeding large numbers of ball pythons and you'd like to have a regulated breeding season, there is no need for them.

Hope this helps someone, somewhere. :D

-adam

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Weird..I didn't know you used Helix! :D

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Weird..I didn't know you used Helix! :D

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I do? :O

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I do? :O

-adam

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I thought you liked johnsons. Oh wait, that was something else. My mistake! (and yes I am a good cat daddy) :eek:

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Originally Posted by jglass38

I thought you liked johnsons.

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Same here :confused: That's all I ever see in the pics of his shop???

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Originally Posted by cueball

Same here :confused: That's all I ever see in the pics of his shop???

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I love showing pics of my johnsons.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I love showing pics of my johnsons.

-adam

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Ive seen the camera pics. Brutal...

I use Helix's for the racks and Johnson's controls for the room heater. No complaints here.

Plus Jeff from Helix is a stand up guy and I've had nothing but great service from him.

i use habistat proportionals on all my animal and there excellent for incubators :cool::rockon:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I love showing pics of my johnsons.

-adam

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I use a herpstat myself but I don't think that pic would be as interesting?

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Originally Posted by westcoastjungle

I use a herpstat myself but I don't think that pic would be as interesting?

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Are you saying that you'd be interested in seeing pics of my johnsons? I take paypal. ;) :D :sweeet:

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Are you saying that you'd be interested in seeing pics of my johnsons? I take paypal. ;) :D :sweeet:

-adam

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I haven't started drinking yet today. I'll have to get back to you on that. :(