Quote Originally Posted by Crawdad View Post
It's a $20 lamp dimmer with worse quality than the $8 ones you find at Walmart. In my opinion (as owner of a ReptiTemp Rheostat, a ReptiTemp 500R Thermostat, and a Ranco Thermostat) your heat control is something that you need to "go big" or go home on. If you can't afford a $70 thermostat to ensure the well being of your snake, you can't afford to own a snake. I wouldn't even bother with the 500R though some people have had good luck with it (I'm not one of them).

If you add up what I have spent on heating expenses so far trying to "cheap it out": $20 for the rheostat, $30 for the 500R, and then $70 for the Ranco, I could have bought a Herpstat proportional thermostat from the get-go. With $10 left over!

That said, the Rheostat is better than nothing, but make sure you monitor it, because if the room temp changes, your in-cage temps are going to change because the rheostat doesn't adjust itself obviously.


Thanx for the info...yeah I'm most likely going to get a Johnson or Ranco...and use a "dimmer" until i receive the Thermostat...going to have to order it online,cause I dont think(asked around) any local stores around here carry them(Johnso,or Ranco)...yeah sometimes trying to be a lil cheap will end up costing more....