Thank you very much for the quick reply. God I love this place!

I think the Helix and Herpestat thermostats are the way I'll go. I don’t mind that they are a little more expensive, if it means my snake will enjoy a regular temperature suited to his comfort and needs.

Now a follow-up question regarding these models: how do their fair in a black-out? When the power comes back on do you have to reset them right away? Do they have a ‘default’ temperature they automatically switch to, or do they remain off?

I usually experience 1-10min ‘brown-outs’ in my area of the city a couple times a month, always in the early am.