Wow, very VERY scary !!

Thank god it went well !!

To me the Jumpstarts are a great thing...as a temporary fix for someone that cannot afford to get the expensive thermostats just yet. They are certainly better then nothing.

For the longterm on a beloved collection though, you want something that has more fail safe then a Jumpstart.

I too have a ultratherm heating pad under my display cage and they aren't supposed to get very hot. But having substrate can already change the maximum temp by trapping heat. So while it is safer, I still prefer a better thermostat.

Heat tape (usually used in racks) should absolutely be controlled by a GOOD thermostat, same for the UTH that can run in the 150's if wide open.