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Posted by jfmoore on December 24, 2002 at 21:45:35:
In Reply to: Big Apple Thermostat vs. Helix Digital Basic posted by KenW on December 24, 2002 at 17:55:32:
Hi Kendrick - My answers follow below in italics
:Yesterday I had a phone conversation with an employee from Big Apple Herpetological. I was inquiring about Vision cages and how to use a Helix thermostat with it (drill a hole in plastic cage) and our conversation turned towards thermostats. He explained some differences to me about his company's thermostat and Helix's thermostat. Here were some of his points:
:1. Big Apple's thermostat is about $100 and includes the night drop feature. Helix's thermostat is over $100 and you need to spend a little more to add the night drop feature.
>>True enough, but you also need to factor in a few bucks for a household timer that the Big Apple unit will require.
:2. Big Apple's thermostat isn't digital and this means if the electricity goes off, the device does not need to be reset when the power comes back on. Helix's digital thermostat will need to be reset when the power comes back on.
>>I can’t speak about Helix’s digital unit (DBS-1000), but I’m using one of Helix’s proportional controllers (their Basic System). I overloaded one of my circuits today. When the circuit breaker tripped, it knocked off the heat in a bunch of cages. Both the Helix and the Big Apple controllers maintained their set temperatures when power was restored. If you look at Helix’s website, it claims that the DBS-1000 DOES maintain the set values in the event of a power outage.
:3. Big Apple's analog dial is supposed to be more accurate than a digital which he claimed is inherently off +/- 2 degrees.
>>Certainly digital in general is NOT inherently less accurate. If you look at Helix’s website, it claims high accuracy for this unit, but, again, I have no first-hand knowledge of that.
:4. Big Apple's fuse is outside and can be easily replaced if needed. With Helix, you need to send the whole unit in to replace it.
>>This sounds like a good selling point to me. However, if you add up the rated wattage of the heating devices you’re hooking up to the thermostat, and add in a cushion of 10% or 15%, you won’t likely be blowing any fuses on either of these units. Hence this issue shouldn’t arise. The Helix basic system can handle 500 watts; the Big Apple 300 watts. Both are expandable.
:5. Big Apple has superior customer service. He said that after the original owner of Helix died, customer service for Helix has gone downhill dramatically.
>>I’ve heard much praise of Big Apple’s customer service and prompt shipping. The main rap on Helix regards its (recently?) lengthy lead times. Ask your proposed supplier if the product is in stock!
I rapped Big Apple in an earlier post for its cheesy mounting system – double stick tape. I had to laugh when my Helix unit arrived and it was the same story! And the length of the probe seems especially stingy on the Helix (3-1/2 feet). The Big Apple probe cable length is a little better at 4-1/2 feet. I’m very pleased with the operation of both of these products. I’m less pleased with another make multi-cage controller I’m currently trying out. I’ll post a report on that experience sometime in the future when I get everything sorted out. I still have high hopes for it, though.
I hope this information has been of some use. Any questions? Feel free to ask.
-Joan
