thoughts and oppionions on the Ranco thermostat???

[snakeluvr#3]

just wondering if any of you have ever used this brand and what do you all think of it ?> getting ready to make a purchase of a few more animals and looking to get one of these first...any input is greatly appreciated thanks

[Dave Green]

I've heard some good things but I've had horrible luck with them. In my experience they last a couple years at most and then you start getting error messages. I've thrown away approx. five in the last few years. As they die I replace them with Herpstats.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I don't think that they are worth their price. They are no more accurate than a $30 hydrofarm thermostat and usually cost twice as much. An entry level Herpstat that costs slightly more But is far more accurate and have way more capability.

[el8ch]

I know many people have had success with them and will recommend them. I have had 2 and replaced them both with the Spyder Robotics Herpstats. One stopped working after only a few weeks and I found that the second one did not keep an accurate temperature, might have just been my luck though.

[satomi325]

I inherited a Ranco with a rescue and it seems to be working great on my quarantine rack.
I haven't had any errors or failures with it yet.
It replaced my budget Hydrofarm and it is much more accurate. It sustains a 1 degree shift in temp before turning on and off versus the Hydrofarm's 3 degree difference.
For an On/Off, I would say its much better than a Hydrofarm.

While my Ranco works great, I personally wouldn't have bought one for myself. The only thing that I like about it is that a power strip can be directly wired into the unit.

Overall, I recommend just starting off with a Herpstat. It will save you money in the long run.

[snakeluvr#3]

thanks so much for the help.. my other question is where can you get the hydrofarm one other than amazon ? or is that the only way to get it?

[The Serpent Merchant]

That is the only place I have seen it, some people say that you can find them at some gardening centers.

[satomi325]

I've seen them at Hydroponic stores since they are made for indoor plant growing. But they're more expensive than Amazon. I saw them going for $40 compared to the $30 on Amazon (was $25 when I got mine).