the Zoo Med 500R thermostat

[BOWSER11788]

also 2kdime, seeing your number of post, i know YOU know what your talking about as well, so really thank you, not knocking others who say the 500 is good, cause aunt dont ordered that as well, so i'll have one if i ever need one

[Kaorte]

2kdime, I hate to disagree but I have only rarely heard of the reptitemp 500r failing. It fails just as often as a ranco or johnson controls. The first link isn't even refering to the reptitemp 500r thermostat.

I wouldn't just write off the reptitemp just because a few of them have failed in the past. I have also used one without any problems for about a year. They are good beginner thermostats, especially for ONE enclosure. If you are controlling anything more than one, get a better thermostat.

[2kdime]

Oh hey no problem, thats what were here to do! Discuss!

Besides what I've heard of them failing in the past, and the fact that I'll NEVER use one, you really get what you pay for in this world.

For example, yeah Rancos and Johnson Controls CAN fail, but the rate they do is much lower than the subpar cheaper stats out there. For added peace of mind, all my Rancos are Double Rancos.

Herpstat Pro for example, a 4 way Proportional thermostat, CANT be backed up practically with the Rancos, but the quality that goes into them is superb. If they fail, they fail in the OFF position.

Your going to hear good and bad things about any product to be honest, but if my animals life depends on me spending a little extra to get a trusted piece of equipment then by all means I'm going to do it.

Whether that be for a 10 dollar normal Ball or a 10,000 dollar plus collection.

2kdime, I hate to disagree but I have only rarely heard of the reptitemp 500r failing. It fails just as often as a ranco or johnson controls. The first link isn't even refering to the reptitemp 500r thermostat.

I wouldn't just write off the reptitemp just because a few of them have failed in the past. I have also used one without any problems for about a year. They are good beginner thermostats, especially for ONE enclosure. If you are controlling anything more than one, get a better thermostat.

[Kaorte]

I agree, but telling people that reptitemps fail all the time and that ranco and johnsons never do is innaccurate. I hear about each of them failing equally. Usually most problems stem from user errors.

If you have a normal ball python and need to regulate a UTH, a reptitemp is better than a dimmer which is better than nothing.

[2kdime]

I never said they fail all the time.

I never said that Rancos or JC never fail.

I just said you get what you pay for and it's better to go with something with a better track record.

The man asked for opinions on the thermostat in question, I gave mine

[diggityDawg]

I'm pretty new to all this and find this discussion fascinating, but it brings up a question I've wondered about: I've heard of people using something like a Herpstat Pro to control the heat on 10 or more cages. How exactly would that work, since there's 4 probes on the box? I guess the broader question is, if I invest in something like a Herpstat Pro or other higher priced thermostat (Helix, Johnson, etc), would I be able to use it on more than one cage per output? That would definitely make the expense more palatable... Thx!!

[Vypyrz]

I'm pretty new to all this and find this discussion fascinating, but it brings up a question I've wondered about: I've heard of people using something like a Herpstat Pro to control the heat on 10 or more cages. How exactly would that work, since there's 4 probes on the box? I guess the broader question is, if I invest in something like a Herpstat Pro or other higher priced thermostat (Helix, Johnson, etc), would I be able to use it on more than one cage per output? That would definitely make the expense more palatable... Thx!!

I can only speak for the Ranco. It comes with a 6 or 7 outlet power strip attached. Basically, you hook it up to one UTH and plug them all in, and it runs them all, based on the temp it gets from the one. The main thing would be to make sure that the combined wattage of your UTH's doesn't exceed the handling capability of your Thermostat. I believe the Ranco's are rated at 1200-1500 Watts and the average UTH, depending on size, runs between 8-25 watts. Hope this helps...


Rob