I built a rack back in March and bought a Hydrofarm thermostat for about $20. I am using 3" Flexwatt, and so far it seems to be working just fine. Since it is an "on/off" thermostat, the temp goes up and down about 2 degrees as it starts and stops heating. But it has a built in thermometer which is very accurate, and has a battery powered memory to save your settings in case of power outage. I has nice long cords, and the probe isn't ridiculously huge. I think for the price it is definitely a good value, but i really can't say how it will hold up long-term as i just started using it this year. I would suggest a backup heat control device in case of failure - such as a dimmer or rheostat.

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