Recommended thermostats?

Trying to get temps acurate in a glass terrarium. looking for ideas on good reptile thermostats. Any help would be great.

thanks

Depending on your budget either a Johnson Controls or Ranco $75 prewired plus shipping (those are on/off style) or if you can splurge Helix DBS1000 $140.00 or Herpstat (don't know too much about these their are a few different models ranging from $109.00 - $319.00) which are proportional.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/Thermostats-p-1-c-250.html
http://www.spyderrobotics.com/store/

if you have only like a couple snakes then a 29 dollar Alife is good, many people use them

www.beanfarm.com

i wouldent spend any more the 80$ on a thermostat so i would go wit the Ranco $75 prewired

Thanks for the help.

I can get a hold of a zoomed reptitherm 500R. Any word on these? Otherwise I'll look into one of the other suggestions

thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tjteach14

Thanks for the help.

I can get a hold of a zoomed reptitherm 500R. Any word on these? Otherwise I'll look into one of the other suggestions

thanks

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i just replaced my 500r because it was doing bad bad things. it would spike to 104, then drop to 78.

i now have a johnson and i love it. it dosent do any of that crazy stuff. i'd spend more money and get a better thermostat. they're important.

I have been running two zoomed 500r's for about ten months. About a four degree fluctuation as it turns off and on. This has caused no problems for my snakes. That being said, I have a johnson controls and a herpstat on my christmas list. I plan on using the zoomeds as backups.

There are alot of cheap(petstore) themostats that are made in China and are crap. Like someone just said they flucuate horribly. I now use herpstats and rancos and have never had a problem since. if it's $30-$40 from a petstore it is probably crap.

I have 2 500R's and I dont have one problem with them. I tape the thermostats temp probe directly to the heat pad and I get 2 degree fluctuations.... good enough for me!

Got them online for around 30 bucks a piece.

I've heard WAY too many horror stories about the zoomed thermostats. I had one when I first got my BP and after seeing some posts and talking to people at the herp show I got rid of it.

I only use the zoomed 500R for my corn snakes and so far so good. I also use them as temporary stats while waiting for the real deal. It's just safer to use at least a Johnson or Ranco.

Thanks for the help. The zoomed is working fine for now, but I have upgrades on the Christmas list for this year.

Appreciate the help

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tjteach14

Thanks for the help.
I can get a hold of a zoomed reptitherm 500R. Any word on these? Otherwise I'll look into one of the other suggestions
thanks

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I bought a 500R as a temporary unit until I was able to get my hands on a HerpStat. It is fine as a backup, but I'd never want to use it as a full-time thermostat.

I had all the necessary gear for my snake before I bought him at a local herp show, except the thermostat. I figured that somebody at the show would have them for sale, so I confidently marked it on my 'shopping list' and didn't sweat it. Only at the show, after I got my snake (which was on the top of the list, of course!) I discovered that nobody had thermostats! I met a few other people who were looking for them and were none too happy.

Long story short; I contacted Spyder Robotics (fantastic customer support!!!) and was informed that there is only one 'official' dealer in Canada - but he was on vacation until the end of the month. I emailed him anyway and he promised to mail the unit I wanted as soon as he got back. (Greg West cornelsworld.com - more great customer support!)

In the mean time I bought a ZooMed 500R. I really didn't like it. You control the heat output via a little plastic knob without any digital readout, so you have to play with it and use a secondary temp-reader until you find the right surface temp. That in itself is a pain. Then the devise is little more than a glorified rheostat, constantly turning on and off to maintain (roughly) the heat level you wanted in the first place. Sigh.

I was SO glad when my proportional HerpStat unit arrived. *hugs his HerpStat* With the digital output, temp-gauge, and built-in memory in case of power loss, I'm happy as can be.

So, I'd vote for the HerpStat. Gooo HerpStat!

I got a Helix DBS1000, because I've learned from my other hobbies (expensive rifles) that you never regret buying the best the first time.

I have Two Zoomed Repti temps 500r and they work fine with my ceramic heaters .About few degrees differential but that is normal . Got them for $9 each at Petco. A lot of people say they are crap but they seem to work good . Hope that helps ;)