squawkbert said:
Get the Stealth. Your thermometer will let you know if it is not working. ...
That's true... but with a light, you can catch things before they get to a point where you're dealing with a major temperature swing.
I've got a couple VisiTherm's in my tank and am pretty used to when the heater lights should be on, and when they shouldn't. If I see something out of the ordinary, it cues me to check my temperature. If the temperature is OK, I'll keep an eye on the offending heater. Usually... it's OK. But once, I was able to catch a heater than absolutely refused to come on before my tank temp dropped too much. Without the lights, it probably wouldn't have piqued my curiousity until I dropped a degree or so below my normal temp.
Granted... I'd rather have a heater that's accurate and that I don't have to babysit - but it's nice to have that light as a sanity check.
By the way, the guy at one of my more trusted LFSs has said the guts of the Stealth and the VisiTherm Deluxes are identical - the only difference is the packaging of the heater itself. Sooooo - if that's true, whatever unreliability the VisiTherm Deluxe has, the Stealth would have the same.
I've got a Stealth in my saltwater mix tank, and love it. No problems, rock steady temperature. (I don't need a light in there!) I've got two VisiTherm Deluxes in my main tank, and in the 7 months I've had them one has failed on me. It failed in the "off" position. If I lose another VisiTherm, I'll probably switch brands as 7 months seems a little on the unreliable side. Or maybe I just got a bad one out of the batch. We'll see...
) and they will function without a hitch. Mine have stayed on target temps (plus or minus one degree) for three years now and have shown no signs of slowing down. I absolutely love them.
