hhmoore
tired & cranky shadow
Well, I've had one of these set up & in use for a few months now...and, frankly, I don't like it very much. Where to start...
I purchased 2 of the 1756 racks - these are the ones that use the 32 qt sterilites (it is the same rack as the one for the 15qt). No problem putting it together, but there was a bit of sway to it - even after everything was tightened down and the wheels locked. The boxes sit on the shelves, making them more similar in concept/function to an AP Economy Rack than ARS or FB.
They came with 1 package of heat rope per rack. My first shot at running the stuff left me at about halfway through the rack, and out of rope. Luckily, my intent for this trial was to utilize the rack in my main snake room. The room itself is about 84 degrees, so all I needed was enough to provide a hot spot for the BPs that would be housed in the boxes. As such, I ran a minimal amount on each shelf...and still didn't have enough for the whole thing. (No problem, I just put other things that didn't need supplemental heat on those shelves). For whatever reason, most of the balls housed in that rack became sporadic feeders (yeah, I understand that they are BPs, and the time of year...but these were my BEST feeders). OK, I can live with that, too. So far, the problems have been minimal, and nothing worthy of condemning the rack over...BUT:
I have now had 3 escapes from the rack (all found without difficulty) within 3 months. In each case, the BP managed to push the tub out - presumably using the shelf above for leverage - enough to make a getaway. There were escapes from both the 32qt and 15qt boxes.
My plan is to take my saw to the other rack, and cut a shallow channel in each shelf for heat tape. If I like that better, I will do it on the one currently in use. If I don't like it, I will pull the heat off entirely and use it for brumating my bullsnakes.
Overall, I am fairly disappointed with the new Vision racks. They certainly aren't horrible, and they are inexpensive; but if I had it to do again...I probably wouldn't - mainly because of the escapes.
I purchased 2 of the 1756 racks - these are the ones that use the 32 qt sterilites (it is the same rack as the one for the 15qt). No problem putting it together, but there was a bit of sway to it - even after everything was tightened down and the wheels locked. The boxes sit on the shelves, making them more similar in concept/function to an AP Economy Rack than ARS or FB.
They came with 1 package of heat rope per rack. My first shot at running the stuff left me at about halfway through the rack, and out of rope. Luckily, my intent for this trial was to utilize the rack in my main snake room. The room itself is about 84 degrees, so all I needed was enough to provide a hot spot for the BPs that would be housed in the boxes. As such, I ran a minimal amount on each shelf...and still didn't have enough for the whole thing. (No problem, I just put other things that didn't need supplemental heat on those shelves). For whatever reason, most of the balls housed in that rack became sporadic feeders (yeah, I understand that they are BPs, and the time of year...but these were my BEST feeders). OK, I can live with that, too. So far, the problems have been minimal, and nothing worthy of condemning the rack over...BUT:
I have now had 3 escapes from the rack (all found without difficulty) within 3 months. In each case, the BP managed to push the tub out - presumably using the shelf above for leverage - enough to make a getaway. There were escapes from both the 32qt and 15qt boxes.
My plan is to take my saw to the other rack, and cut a shallow channel in each shelf for heat tape. If I like that better, I will do it on the one currently in use. If I don't like it, I will pull the heat off entirely and use it for brumating my bullsnakes.
Overall, I am fairly disappointed with the new Vision racks. They certainly aren't horrible, and they are inexpensive; but if I had it to do again...I probably wouldn't - mainly because of the escapes.
. 
I'll check temps tomorrow to see if I am satisfied. I think I may end up cutting in some new channels for the cable, so I can put it where I want it (and I suspect that I will be able to decrease the risk of escapes by then adjusting the placement of the tubs).
it wasn't good for my blood pressure. 
