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Herpstat vs Helix DBS-1000

Herpstat vs Helix DBS-1000

  • Herpstat

    Votes: 68 63.6%

  • Helix DBS-1000

    Votes: 39 36.4%
  • Total voters
    107
you guys keep recommending AP cages and I respect that, but just am looking for some specific reasons why the AP cages in your opinion are better than Vision cages?

Thanks
 
1) Customer service, you will not find customer service like thay have.
2) They hold heat and humidity like a microwave (vision does not)
3) They will not sag or warp at any time
4) You will be able to break it down if your not using it
5) Shipping is not going to cost as much as the cage does
6) Did I mention they have awsome Customer service..lol
 
As far as Helix vs Herpstat go...Im not quite sure yet. I have had a helix dbs1000 in the past and I sold it (STUPID ME) thinking I was gonna be done with reptiles for a while...boy was that dumb. I have absolutly no complaints about Helix DBS1000, it kicks ass and I recommend it to anyone who wants a great thermostat. Recently I picked up a Herpstat from Matt (great customer service btw). Honestly I wasnt as impressed when I first opened the box. Helix quality to me seem much better IMHO. But, the Herpstat has all kinds of cool functions...some of which I may never use but it has them none the less. I also bought the Night Drop as well. It looked kinda low quality. The functionality of the Herpstat however is great, it's working perfect. I like the option of a easily replaceable temp probe. I'm up in the air as of now, but I still think that I'll have to vote Helix. That could change in the future though because I haven;t had the Herpstat that long yet.
 
Hello all!
I happen to find this thread through a web search.

Mike22ca:
I was curious as to your comments on quality when you opened it up. What were you dissapointed in? The Herpstat does come in a standard "white box" with labeling and includes a operation manual. The packaging is functional and not flashy to cut costs. The nightdrop cable itself is a little cumbersome due to its plastic case. I have been looking at ways to slim it down and alternatives which may happen in a few months. I do appreciate you purchasing a Herpstat and am glad that you enjoy the features. I am open to comments and suggestions. Its rare that I get a chance to search the forums, ect for feedback so anyone with comments can e-mail them to:

[email protected]

I read them all, try to reply to as many as I have time for, and certainly many of the suggestions have made directly into the Herpstat product.

Thanks,
Dion Brewington
Owner, Spyder Robotics
 
Straight from the horses mouth so to speak..lol Now you will never see anyone from Helix talking to a customer unless you have a 100 dollar bill waving it in front of them...
 
Well I do of course..lol.. Find me an advertised price and Ill beat it...
 
gregh said:
I still choose Ranco.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I got my last one from Matt a LOT faster than I could get them before. I'm still waiting for one that I ordered elsewhere almost 4 weeks ago. I got impatient and ordered one from Matt and got it in about a week. (price was better too :raspberry )
 
Rancos are a good unit too, if they woudl make a quad probe ranco then that would be awsome
 
We have Helix units that are at least 7 years old and they are still working exactly as they did when they were brand new units. I have never used the Herpstat and it is probably a great product but we will continue to use Helix thermostats.
 
Here is an email I received form a customer the other day.. I have had 3 of these phone calls and emails the past week alone! BE CAREFUL!!

To: [email protected]
Subject: Thermostat disaster
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:38:57 -0600

Hi Matt,

"I have a thermostat emergency!! I spent all day Sunday setting up the new flexwatt I got from you, only to find out that the Helix I got is worthless...it's basically a $130.00 thermometer! It won't adjust the temps. I'm trying to get it replaced, but I'm now in a SERIOUS bind. I need a thermostat yesterday (has anyone invented a time machine yet?).

I would like to get a Herpstat next day air (so I get it sometime on Tuesday) to my work. "
 
I've got three Helixes. One for my incubator and two for my AP racks. I double check the temp readings with thermometers and my temp gun and they've always agreed with the Helix readout. And, even though the rooms my racks and incubators are in experience significant temperature fluctuations, my rack and incubator temps never even seem to fluctuate a degree. I bought my units direct from Helix and they were very responsive and took a lot of time to answer all my questions, help me select the features I needed, and made sure I knew how to properly position the probe etc.

When I went to make my original thermostat purchase, I did seriously consider the Herpstat, but went with the Helix since it had more of a track record. I'm glad to here that the Herpstat seems to be an equivalent. It's always good to have options.

-Alice
 
Although no one has posted in the thread in a while, I thought I would add something to it anyways. I own two Herpstats that I bought over a year ago. They are the original Herpstats with the optional night drop, not the newer ones with it already built in. I don't remember where I bought them from, it was a reseller that was listed on the Spyder Robotics website. But since I've had them, I have not had any problems with them. They are easy to use, and although the instructions aren't fancy or anything, they are very easy to understand. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a proportional thermostat.
 
Nothing against Helix,but i really like my Herpstats better.
1 I like that i get temps in increments of 10Th's,which i find handy with my Chondros.
2.They are a little cheaper and i don't believe you lose any value, They are just as well built as the Helix.
 
I had one problem with the original herpstat - I sent it in to Dion, he found the cord on the probe to be the problem, replaced it, and shipped it back the same day - no problems since.

In the interim, I used a cheap on/off thermostat and ordered a Helix - The Helix started constantly cycling and would not function properly - I sent it in to Jeff to take a look at, and about 3 1/2 - 4 weeks later finally got it back - They could find nothing wrong with it - Possibly power surges were causing the problem.

It's still under warranty and still does not function properly - If power surges are the problem, than the helix is too sensitive - they have not affected my original herpstat from functioning properly.

I've now ordered a herpstat II to replace the helix - I'm not satisfied with the helix at all, and the time it took to get it back to act up the same as it did when I sent it in.

I'll stick to Spyder Robotics products :thumbsup:
 
I know this is an old topic but it still is helpful.

I was looking at getting Helix for my 15 AP T-12 cages that will be coming with belly heat. I picked Helix for the name, reputation and it was on AP website but really didn't know much about them. I started searching the web and quickly saw many complaints about Helix. I guess at one time they were good but it seems now Helix made some changes and the product is having some problems. (Of course this is just what I have read and no facts were provided to back up this claim) Reading on many people were promoting Herpstat so that is when I started googling Herpstat and came across this thread.

It has convinced me to buy a Herpstat. Next I will be looking at mgreptiles.com (Time to find a low price)
 
You should check the Board of Inquiry (BOI) on this site before ordering from mgreptiles. There are a lot of threads that complain about his service, here are a few...

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97437&highlight=mgreptiles

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65133&highlight=mgreptiles

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90850&highlight=mgreptiles

These aren't the only ones, but they do give you an idea. I buy my herpstats from beanfarm.com myself, but there are a few other good dealers as well.
 
I order my Herp stats straight from SyderRobotics,your going to pay the same price(unless someone is running a sale)as you would from a retail source,mabye a tad less.Also and this to me is more impportant then price...i recieve it in three days.When i order..it ships that day express mail...and i recive it within 3 days !On all 7 ive bought direct ive only had one not be there in 3 days,it came in the next day. :)

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index.html

Chris
 
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