Heating & Lighting Questions

[Malum Argenteum]

I mount my RHP probes about 3 inches under the RHP on a metal mount that I rig up (piece of aluminum stock, edges rounded, and probe zip tied to it, mount screwed to the wall of the enclosure). I prefer the cool side varies with room temp fluctuations, not the hot side, but this will differ with species and enclosure setup/size and so on.

"Also, do you believe that your experiences with VE thermostats is generally positive in comparison to your experiences with Herpstats?"

No.

I have owned four VEs (three 300x2 and one 200)-- I still own and use two, sold one, and tossed one out when the sockets in the back failed mechanically. The VE sockets for the probes are less secure than the Herpstats in general, but I had one where they actually broke. I had one troubleshooting issue that I contacted Reptile Basics for and got info that suggested they don't have a good handle on how the thermostats work and blame user error too easily (it turned out the temp alarm feature is a bit hobbled). They have fewer features, less support and are made overseas. I wouldn't buy another one.

I currently have five Herpstats -- four HS4s and one HS2. I've a had a couple old probes start to fail (they didn't quit, they just sent an error alert) and they were replaced (company will replace all old plastic probes with metal ones for free; the new style metal ones have been 100% reliable). I had one screen issue that Spyder corrected immediately (they had a bad batch of screens, and sent a replacement out when I declined their offer to send the unit in for them to install it). They're assembled in the US and so can be repaired both by the company or in certain cases by the user, and the folks on the phone/email know how they're built.