It will serve it's purpose. The thing that I don't like about the 500r is that the adjustment dial doesn't have number increments on it, so it takes alot of tweaking to get it dialed in. Another comparably priced thermostat that you can compare the 500r to is the Hydrofarm digital thermostat...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...rm%2Caps%2C249