I wouldn't get anything under Ranco or Johnson, you can find both on reptilebasics.com. I buy everything through him and really like his quality/selection. He's also a great guy to talk to if you have any issues! Anyhow, I use Helix because it's well worth the money. I understand many people don't want to spend that kind of money, nor do they need to. But if you are going to run flexwatt you need something that's reliable. Don't use cheap no name brands, that includes T-rex, Rzilla, and Zoomed. Zoomed are great people but most of their stuff is junk. If you get a Rheostat (Ranco or Johnson-on off systems) rather than a thermostat (Helix-proportional system) it's a good idea to have a dimmer on back up just in case the rheostat goes hay wire your dimmer will keep it from running wide open. When an on off system fails it runs on wide open, when dimmers fail they cut the power. I've had experience!