Quote Originally Posted by Coluber42 View Post
No, it certainly should not be used without a thermostat. But thermostats are a must regardless (and you can combine a cheap one with a lamp dimmer for better safety), and you have to have some method of heating regardless, and you pay by the watt for anything you plug in; and all of that is true regardless of how much you spend on a cheap tub or an expensive vivarium. When you add up the power bill and the fixtures and the replacement bulbs and so forth, the RHP really isn't so bad.

A heating system that requires twice the wattage to heat the same enclosure still costs more to run, whether it's a cheap enclosure or an expensive one. If anything, I would think that someone who doesn't want to spend the money on a more expensive cage should be more concerned about the efficiency, not less. Not to mention that if they do spring for a different cage down the line, they can keep using the same panel very easily.

Basically, I know a RHP is an expensive single item, but it's one and done instead of buying this bulb and then that bulb and then changing the lamp fixture, let alone maybe raising the heat in the house or running a space heater. And it really does pay for itself pretty quickly if it means a significant reduction in the total wattage required to maintain correct temperatures. You just don't notice the savings because electric bills are not itemized with things like "$10 - cost to heat snake cage this month".
We are on the same page here. I agree completely. But not all people think the way you do. Then even some that might think that way are not able to just drop the money for whatever they want.

Plenty if not most people get into this hobby without doing all their homework so they are behind the curve from the start. It takes them some time to correct the issues and get the right stuff as not everyone can but the best option. I sure wish they could as I hate seeing anybody use a cheap tstat. I bought one early on as a temporary setup as recommended by so many here and it quickly failed before it hit two months of use. It failed on and was running up the juice when I found it. From that day on I stopped suggesting and el cheapo tstats. I can still agree they are better than nothing but I would rather a person use a lamp with a dimmer while the save up for better equipment.