Is the inkbird really worth it? Mixed reviews?

[KStatefan]

I would not use anything but a Ranco

 

[GCL]

I went with the Ranco after reading lots of reviews for the inkbird. Reducing the chance of an issue and peace of mind was worth the extra bucks for me

 

[Pistondog]

It just depends how anal you are with temp swings. Some guys really want the .1° accuracy. Inkbird won't do that.

This one will, pid controller for brewing vats. Rtd (pt100) temp sensor, more linear than varistors commonly used.
So far, so good.

 

[DWill]

I’m the world of reasonably priced temp controller IMO the 15A Bayite outperforms the InkBird. Mine has been flawless. I set it and just runs. It has .1° resolution and it holds calibration extremely well.

 

[bluerider098]

I am using mine as a backup. I bought a Neotherm heater and let it do the temperature controlling as I feel it's more accurate. Also the Neotherm menial states that it's bad to continually turn the power on an off, so it recommends having temperature controllers act as backups rather than the primary means for control.

I set the Inkbird 2 degrees higher than the neotherm so that is always on, but will alert me and turn off the heater if the Neotherm fails. I bought the wifi version so it's nice to be able to track the temperature and quickly look at it even if I am not home.

I am using the 306A. You can calibrate the temperature, and it uses 2 temperature probes for redundancy. For the price it's probably hard to beat.

We will see how the long term durability is, but for now I am happy.

 

[jabx1]

I only use inkbird so that my APEX doesn't have to constantly turn on and off 100x/ day.

I know it protects against heaters getting stuck on or off but I honestly don't know how it would let you know if the heater was permanently on.
Wouldn't it just cut power to it like it does anyway?

 

[david613]

I use the wifi dual probe with coupon its about $42 on inkbird .com . Saved me twice once i unplugged my heater for maintaince and forgotto plug back in second time when my return pump wasnt on and heat was just in sump. there realy can be many reasons the water in the display is at the wrong temperature and it usauly is a good symptom of a problom somwhere along the line .I dont have an apex if i did this might not be necassary but i find it as a great failsafe especially with the app alerts.

Inkbird Wi-Fi Aquarium Temperature Controller ITC-306A with Dual Probe​

 

[jabx1]

I use the wifi dual probe with coupon its about $42 on inkbird .com . Saved me twice once i unplugged my heater for maintaince and forgotto plug back in second time when my return pump wasnt on and heat was just in sump. there realy can be many reasons the water in the display is at the wrong temperature and it usauly is a good symptom of a problom somwhere along the line .I dont have an apex if i did this might not be necassary but i find it as a great failsafe especially with the app alerts.

Inkbird Wi-Fi Aquarium Temperature Controller ITC-306A with Dual Probe​

If the return pump wasn't on and the sump just continued to heat, wouldn't the controller just turn the heater off?
I am confused to how this helped alert you of an issue. Sure it didn't boil the water in your sump but how did you know?
I use a temperature control but again its just to save the life of my APEX.
I don't see how it could inform you of anything other than the heater is broken, not the things people are saying it can do.

 

[lpsouth1978]

If the return pump wasn't on and the sump just continued to heat, wouldn't the controller just turn the heater off?
I am confused to how this helped alert you of an issue. Sure it didn't boil the water in your sump but how did you know?
I use a temperature control but again its just to save the life of my APEX.
I don't see how it could inform you of anything other than the heater is broken, not the things people are saying it can do.

I would assume he has at least one of the probes in the display and not the sump. The temp dropped in the display and alerted him to the problem.

 

[david613]

If the return pump wasn't on and the sump just continued to heat, wouldn't the controller just turn the heater off?
I am confused to how this helped alert you of an issue. Sure it didn't boil the water in your sump but how did you know?
I use a temperature control but again its just to save the life of my APEX.
I don't see how it could inform you of anything other than the heater is broken, not the things people are saying it can do.

i keep the probes in the display there is an auto alert and auto shut off when the heat has been on for an extended period and the probe isnt registering a change. It didnt tell me the exact problem but i was informed something was wrong and needed my attention.

I would assume he has at least one of the probes in the display and not the sump. The temp dropped in the display and alerted him to the problem.

Exactly. For me its just another set of eye's looking out for me on the tank

 

[Yevoc]

My BRS branded Inkbird was a marked downgrade in accuracy to a cheap Hygger heater off of Amazon.