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Herpstat Thermostat - Any Good?

SPJ

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I'm looking for a ne wpulse proportioanl thermostat to control the flex watt in a rack and was thinking of ordering one of these. Anyone use them? Are they reliable? Pros/Cons?
 
I just started using a Herpstat on my new incubator and have been nothing but happy with it at this point, Steve.

Matt has a good break down of the features on his site ( http://www.mgreptiles.com/HERPSTAT1.html ) and they all work as advertised.

If I needed another proportional thermostat I would be buying another Herpstat. I am that happy with it so far.
 
Here are some simple comparisons:

The cheaper $30-$40 thermostats have no display and use a dial to adjust temperature. Requires a additional thermometer to keep track of actual temperatures. No internal transformer so probe wires are not separated from the mains. Also they are non-proportional.

Helix DBS1000. Proportional. LED Display limited to whole degree adjustments. Night drop feature available with optional cable. Non Removable probe. No user settable features other than the temperature.

Herpstat. LED Display allows setting and display in tenths of a degree. Proportional with essential features for incubator, cage, rack use. No additional thermometer necessary since the Herpstat tracks and displays the High / Low temps. Also allows the consumer to calibrate the sensor digitally if necessary. Special power matching mode allows consumer to change out power output curve to match the enclosures efficiency. Can be
used for 120vac emergency cooling fans instead of heating. Upgradeable with optional night drop cable.

Hope this helps,
George Knaack
GLK HERP
 
Thanks everyone.

I just ordered one from Matt at MGReptiles.

Hopefully these are not a PITA to get setup like I have heard the Helix can sometimes be.
 
stat

who ever told you the helix(dbs-1000) is a pain to set up is full of it! if they were such a pain, the wouldn't be so popular with all the breeders???


vaughn
 
I should have written PITA to get to WORK once it's set up.

I have heard stories about quality issues with the lately.

Kelli from HISS got a bad one and Brian Foster got 2 bad ones in a row. Third one worked. I don't want to deal with getting it all set up and having to ship it back since it doesn't work.

Granted that may happen with the Herpstat but I haven't seen the negative posts on forums regarding the quality as I have seen with Helix lately.
 
Fully tested

Each of the Herpstats are individual tested before shipping. That includes running through the setup menus, running the full 500 watts through it and testing the night drop features. So unless you plug more than that rated 500 watts into it you shouldn't have any problems.

George
 
v2rherp said:
who ever told you the helix(dbs-1000) is a pain to set up is full of it! if they were such a pain, the wouldn't be so popular with all the breeders???

Vaughn

Your right! The Helix stats are not hard to setup.. Just hard to get one that actually works.. Helix may have been a great stat at one time but I am afraid that is just is not the case now.. Helix has a great markup as well so why not sell them like others do.. Well if you care about your customers and their animals then you sell(and use) herpstats not helix's!!!!
 
i have both helix and herpstats and rancos and johnson controls. i did have one failure with a herpstat! i have not had any failures with helix. i have talked to people that have used helix for many years and no problems. i don't sell thermostats either!


vaughn
 
If I remember correctly you had a blown fuse on the Herpstat, not a faulire..lol I sold both the helix and the herpstats and have since stopped carrying the helix because of customer complaints. I dont even sell the helix any more and still get all the garb on them as far as them failing and being dead stick right out of the box. It is really a shame to have an excellt product in your hands and then junk it to save 3 bucks a unit..
 
it was not a blown fuse, dion said that something was lose or came unsoldered. btw dion's service at www.spyderrobotics.com was good. he repaired the problem and sent it back out promptly. none the less it was a failure and it made me a little nervous. none of my helix's have had a problem. for me i'm going to let some more time go by for herpstat. i believe in the test of time for any product or person. for the record i haven't had any other problems with the other herpstats either.


vaughn
 
I have a Herpstat II that I have been using since November.

It was very easy to set-up and in proportional mode keeps the temps consistently within .3 - .5 degrees.

Based upon my experience thus far I would not hesitate to reccomend the Herpstat product.
 
WOW THAT WAS FAST!

I placed my order with Matt on 2/19 and the Herpstat arrived today.

Once I get it hooked up, I'll post again. I just need to drill a hole in the rack for the probe and get a bracket to hang the unit on the rack.

It should be up and running by this time tomorrow.
 
What a load of garbage!

I tried to give a positive trader rating to Matt for the excellent product and fast shipping and got this message.

SPJ, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

What is this? I need to pay here now to post a trader rating? That is garbage.
 
I wouldent think you would ahve to be a paying customer to say someone was good or bad???
 
I have 2 herpstats running 2 different racks, one with heat tape, another with heat cable, both have worked solidly since the day they were delivered from Matt G.
 
I have two of the Herpstats now. I will be slowly replacing all my stats with these. I truly love them. Thanks again Matt!!!
 
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