Review on 🌡️ Inkbird ITC-1000F All-Purpose Digital Temperature Controller With 2 Relays - Fahrenheit/Centigrade Thermostat for Refrigerator and Fermenter by Ronny Goodman

I've been using an older version (Celsius only) for winter barn heating for 6 years and it does its job reliably. It's compact, durable, and easy to read despite the simple red LED display that dates back to the early 1970s. Since I set the temperature once and left it and can easily convert C to F, only Celsius is not a problem. I like that this version can display F for use in an incubator where we need to change the starting temperature more frequently. I tested the meter in ice water and it read 32.1F. Great! Strangely, the calibration adjustment is only done in whole degrees, but I don't need more accuracy. I haven't tested boiling water, but the unit seems to only do a one-point calibration anyway, and my desired temperatures are closer to freezing than boiling. The controls are very simple, only 4 buttons, but not intuitive. Easy to set up once you see how. Here are some features that could be improved: 1) The heating and cooling connections are switched and not powered, so they require external jumpers for mains power. I bet at least 95% (99.9%?) of consumers use a device to switch the same current (in this case 110 AC) as the line voltage that supplies the device. So why not embed the jumpers in the box in copper or aluminum for about $0.05 per unit? Whatever the case, we have the flexibility to switch voltages other than 110VAC, but Inkbird makes a 12V DC unit. For the very few users who need dual voltage, why not add a jumper or set the "ITC1000NJ" version without jumpers? The added complexity and clutter reduces the effectiveness of the compact unit. Once you figure out that jumpers are needed they should be easy enough to install, but it's needlessly messy and many frustrated users don't understand how to do it and return their devices as faulty. Simple solution! 2) Contact openings are quite small. Not a big deal, but too tight when sweaters are needed (which is always the case now). 3) The guide is better than it used to be, but still pretty terrible. The English translation is more complete, but it is still clear that they were written by a product engineer. Engineers are generally bad writers, but worse, they are too close to the product and too far from the user experience. Case in point: It's great to have a C/F gauge, but it's very difficult to know how to change that gauge. Instead of talking vaguely (small print) about parameter values, why not give an example? That said, here's how to set up the controls for the Start Temp ___, Range Interval ___, and C vs F display.