VIVOSUNDigital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller, 40–108 ºF 1000W for Reptiles, Seedlings, Germination, Incubation and Fermentation

Used to regulated the temp of a heat mat in our chick brooder. I tuck the mat into a box on its side to make a little cave and place into a plastic brooder bin. Being able to control the temp in the brooder is important and this does the job very well!

We own two temperature-controlled VIVOSUN heating mats that work flawlessly. We also own two large seedling heating mats (that don't have a adjustable thermostats) that we stopped using last year because they got too hot and overheated the plant roots in several seedling flats. While this thermostat only has one outlet, I can regulate the temperature of both mats with a connected plug strip. So far, so good. Seedlings are thriving in our outdoor greenhouse.

This was the first thermostat I purchased for regulate the warming mats in my greenhouse. It is a great product and will do exactly what you need it to do. Don't use the warming mats without using a thermostat as you will have to constantly check on them to maintain the proper temperature for your plants. I recommend this thermostat as it is priced right and works well.

I bought this temperature to keep batches of Kombucha at optimum temperature through the fermentation. Even though some reviews and in the description, brewing Kombucha is mentioned, as being helped by using this control. Unfortunately, it does not suit that purpose.The unit has as external thermometer attached to the end of one of the cables coming out of the unit. This thermometer must be submerged in whatever substrate your measuring temperature in. When the target temperature is reached, the unit turns off temporarily. To have that on/off feature work with Kombucha, you’d have to submerge it in the liquid. The instructions tell you to absolutely NOT submerge the thermometer in liquid. This makes this unit unsuitable for brewing or any use involving temperature control of a liquid.I plan to try putting the thermometer between the outside of the jar and underneath the heating pad to see if this gives me reasonable results. Summarizing, if you need to control of a ferment, Kombucha or otherwise, you should explore another option.If you’re going to use this for seed germination, I think you’ll be fine. It’s well-built, doesn’t feel or look cheap. And Vivosun products have been my top purchase for hydroponics.

Easy to setup for our reptile to maintain a warm location without being too hot

Have had quite a few of these for snakes, lizards and fish tanks. They are great quality. Keeps the temperature exactly where I need it, when I need it. They can be a little confusing to set up though, but nothing a good YouTube video can’t help with.

I'm using this device for my worms, only word of advice I have is to make sure your probe is in the right position, at one instance I installed the probe in the worm bedding, the probe slide up and of course, the mat under the bin kept hot, good thing I noticed and corrected the probe position to right under the bin where the mat is, not perfect but does the job to keep worms around 70f.

I used this temperature controller to try and keep a small enclosure I use to germinate tomato seeds from getting too cold overnight . Temps were expected to drop close to freezing overnight. I do not use heating mats as I prefer open air heat control. I use old incandescent light bulbs that do generate enough heat for a small enclosure....just my preference. So, I hooked up this controller in order to power up two 200 watt incandescent bulbs. I previously had an old mechanical timer to turn the lights on and off but the temp control varied lot so I thought I would get better results with a temp controller rather than a timer. I ordered this controller as it looked like an ideal solution. Well, I should have read the reviews closer because it appears that this controller will not handle the loads it is supposed to! I guess the two 200 watt bulbs were too much load although it is supposed to be able to handle 8 amps....two bulbs cannot draw more than 4 to 5 amp I would think! It seemed to work okay for 12 hours or so, but not sure as it was dead the next morning following initial setup. It will do nothing now, no lights, no power to load and something sounds loose in the body of the controller when I shake it. My son who is an engineer thinks that the load rating on the label of this controller is probably overstated at 8.3 amps and in actuality is probably like 3 amps. So, he says I put too much load on it, I don't know.....but it is dead and headed for the bin with other items that looked good but did not work as advertised!!! Another 20 bucks down the drain...I will go back to the old $3 mechanical timer made here in the good old USA!