INKBIRD ITC-1000F Heating/Cooling Thermostat Review:
When I needed to make an incubator for leopard gecko eggs, I needed a cheap thermostat to control temperature. I found this one, but I was almost put off by all the negative Amazon reviews this product had. I finally decided to get it, for no other reason than that it was cheap. I figured I could hook it up to a backup thermostat in case this one failed. I didn't need it. The thermostat has been in my incubator for over a month and a half now, with no issues. It requires a little more work up-front than many other options, but man, this thing works. Below I have a review video on the thermostat, and below that is my written review for this product.
When I needed to make an incubator for leopard gecko eggs, I needed a cheap thermostat to control temperature. I found this one, but I was almost put off by all the negative Amazon reviews this product had. I finally decided to get it, for no other reason than that it was cheap. I figured I could hook it up to a backup thermostat in case this one failed. I didn't need it. The thermostat has been in my incubator for over a month and a half now, with no issues. It requires a little more work up-front than many other options, but man, this thing works. Below I have a review video on the thermostat, and below that is my written review for this product.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was how small the thermostat is compared to other, similar options. Granted, others have a little more to them, built-in plugs, outlets, etc., but this is still a small thermostat even with the other things accounted for. It has a perfect size and shape to be easily built into many different projects. For my purposes, this was extremely useful, since I built it into the front of my incubator.
This thermostat does not come with a plug, outlet, etc., so you'll need to get them online or around the house.
After the thermostat is wired in, what settings are there? Let's see... temperature set value can be set between -50* and 210* Ft, difference set value (how far below the set temp the controller will read before turning heat back on, and how far above the set temp the controller will read before turning cooling back on) can be set between 1* and 30* F, compressor delay can be set for between 0 and 10 minutes, temp calibration value (you can change this to calibrate the thermostat so the reading is more accurate) can be set between -15* and 15* F, and you can switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius. So, of course, there are a lot of useful things you can change very easily with this thermostat.
All these settings are helpful, but let's see exactly how well this thermostat does it's job. I used this thermostat in an incubator to incubate leopard gecko eggs, and needed the temperature fluctuation to be as small as possible. This thermostat was able to keep the temps within .75* F of the set temp of 88* F. That is small enough for leopard gecko eggs, and this thermostat has proven successful in hatching leopard gecko eggs. I also tried this incubator on cricket eggs, with equally good results. Therefore, functionally, this thermostat works well.
Verdict:
This thermostat works very well, but it is a little difficult to wire in. Therefore, I will give this thermostat a 4/5 star rating. It could be better as far as wiring goes, but as far as functionality goes, there really aren't any better options for anywhere near this price. So, if you are handy with electronics and are looking for a good thermostat you can build into your project, this may be a great place to start. Otherwise, you may want to explore other options.
This thermostat does not come with a plug, outlet, etc., so you'll need to get them online or around the house.
After the thermostat is wired in, what settings are there? Let's see... temperature set value can be set between -50* and 210* Ft, difference set value (how far below the set temp the controller will read before turning heat back on, and how far above the set temp the controller will read before turning cooling back on) can be set between 1* and 30* F, compressor delay can be set for between 0 and 10 minutes, temp calibration value (you can change this to calibrate the thermostat so the reading is more accurate) can be set between -15* and 15* F, and you can switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius. So, of course, there are a lot of useful things you can change very easily with this thermostat.
All these settings are helpful, but let's see exactly how well this thermostat does it's job. I used this thermostat in an incubator to incubate leopard gecko eggs, and needed the temperature fluctuation to be as small as possible. This thermostat was able to keep the temps within .75* F of the set temp of 88* F. That is small enough for leopard gecko eggs, and this thermostat has proven successful in hatching leopard gecko eggs. I also tried this incubator on cricket eggs, with equally good results. Therefore, functionally, this thermostat works well.
Verdict:
This thermostat works very well, but it is a little difficult to wire in. Therefore, I will give this thermostat a 4/5 star rating. It could be better as far as wiring goes, but as far as functionality goes, there really aren't any better options for anywhere near this price. So, if you are handy with electronics and are looking for a good thermostat you can build into your project, this may be a great place to start. Otherwise, you may want to explore other options.
If you decide to buy this thermostat on Amazon, use promo code TUVYEELV to get 10% off. Valid through 12-31-22.
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