Non-Proportional thermostats turn on and run the heater up to a selected temperature, then it shuts off until the heater cools down to another set temperature.
A Proportional thermostat continually runs, and is constantly making small adjustments to the electrical current so that the temperature stays constant.
I use a Herpstat Pro for my PVC enclosures, and my tubs are being ran with VE-100's.