Cheaper Thermostat Options

[Snakeydoodles]

Hey guys! So I know that Herpstats/Vivarium Electronics thermostats are top of the line and highly recommended, but aren’t exactly in my price range at the moment (Especially since I would need one for 2 sources; heat mat and RHP). I’ve heard mixed things about Jumpstart, and I’ve read reviews about Century Digital thermostats. Both of these are on amazon. Keep in mind that I do not yet have a BP, nor will I for at least a month or so . Any experience or advice you have on the above two? Or tell me what your favorite cheap thermostat is! Any answers are welcome! Thanks in advance

[Craiga 01453]

I have a few Jumpstarts, no complaints really. They do their job.

[EL-Ziggy]

I've been running Jumpstarts for years without any issues.

[55fingers]

I use a Century thermostat. I would definetly love to get a herpstat some day, though.

The Centry one, you set the temp like other thermostats, but I find that this one (at least mine) tends to wait around 2 or 3 degrees above or below what you set before correcting it. This means that when set at 90f it can get between around 88-93f depending on the day, so it requires a lot more monitoring and adjusting to get it right sometimes (I want to clarify that the temp inside my tank doesn't usually fluctuate that much within a single day, rather the reading of the thermostat probe against the UTH fluctuates).

Anyway it works and it's cheap, but personally I don't find it extremely reliable. If I go away for a day or two I tend to be worrying about his temps all the while, and I imagine that herpstats give you more peace of mind.

I've never had a jumpstart, but between Centry and Jumpstart.. if you're willing to spend a little extra, I'd go with Jumpstart. Still not as good as herpstat but judging by what others have said it seems a bit more reliable than Centry. However, Centry DOES work if that's all you can afford at the moment, like me.

[Snakeydoodles]

Thank you for the responses! I’m probably going to go with two Jumpstarts. Just to clarify, I definitely plan on getting a Herpstat in the near future (probably sometime this winter) but as I’m already spending so much on the enclosure and everything right now, I’d rather start off with a cheaper alternative.

[Jakethesnake69]

I have three century thermostats and they are ok. My first one actually was a bad unit. It worked as expected for several days and then it went haywire. Temps were thru the roof according to probe readings but actual temps never exceeded room temp and mostly just too cold. It would also go the other way and temps would drop according to probe but it was way to hot. Century replaced it after much confusion and new one works perfect. Because they did stand behind the product I bought two more for my second BP.
I am using a Vivarium VE100 on my females enclosure for the UTH and the Century for the secondary heat source a CHE. Very soon my Second enclosure will be set up the same way. The Vivarium has less temp drop and and I can set the Hysterisis ( how low it goes before turning on) I believe it’s like two or three degrees on the Century and I have it set for 1 degree on VE100 and it’s much more consistent. I have gotten great performance from my Century thermostats other than the initial experience however I will always have a little distrust from the initial failure. It did fail really quickly but not before getting all set up and stable. Jumpstart looks pretty much identical but maybe it’s different. Not bad for the money but trustworthy?

[PiperPython]

I use Jumpstarts and Herpstats - The jumpstarts are satisfactory. The herpstats are amazing.

[redshepherd]

I had jumpstarts which work great when working, but all 3 of mine became too inaccurate/broke within a year of use. I don't know if it's just a fluke, since other people seem to have used them well!

The herpstats have been completely reliable, and the only thermostat I'm willing to use with RHP's.

[dboeren]

Never used the Jumpstarts, but I'm reluctant to trust them with my snakes. I use a Vivarium Electronics and an old Big Apple Herp thermostat I've had forever which was high-end in its day and has always been reliable for me.

[alittleFREE]

I have been using Jumpstarts for my Reptile Basics UTHs for years and never had an issue. However, those UTHs don’t get very hot to begin with - if you have a heat source that has the potential to reach extreme temps I would go for something more high end, like a VE or Herpstat.




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