I dunno about the VE line, but the herpstats (all but the intro I think) have the safety feature where if it malfuctions, it'll just shut off. Having experienced hsving a t-stat cook your snakes, something to think about.
The herpstat 1 basic and intro don't have safety relays. They make an intro+ that does.
The VE line is not a bad choice, they all have safety relays except for the hobbystat.