So, the time has come to say goodbye to melamine racks. My collection has gotten to the point where I need more rack space and I hate the weight and difficulty to move melamine. I'm lookin in to either Freedom Breeder or ARS rack systems. Some of my big females are 3KG+ with most being 2500+. that being said, my males obviously aren't quite that size. I have solid hatchling and grow out racks. I really just need something solid, sturdy and mobile for my breeders. I could fill a 10 stack of 3x CB 70 levels. This would include several females that were going to be grown out for next year. Any ideas or criticisms are welcome. I don't plan on making a decision before Daytona. Oh, please only first hand experiences, no "my friend said soandso's rack systems are horrible!" Thank you all in advance for your time and help in this matter.

I own both and highly recommend the ARS racks. If it wasn't such a hastle, and expensive, I would replace all my freedom breeder racks with ARS.

I use Animal Plastics CB70 and 330 models. I love them. I believe they are cheaper than ARS too. I believe the ARS are really good though. They are just out of my league for the price. I also built my own from melamine and I love them. They are just as good as my AP racks, but I know they are not going to stand the test of time.

Good Luck,
Bill

Just set up my first ARS rack last week -- the 1075 hatchling. They are not inexpensive, but are AWESOME!!!! :yes: Love the deli cup holders. :cheers:

I am ordering a second this week. :cool:

I have FB and they are good but not perfect. I have had some issues with heat panels, fitting the levels together, sharp edges, tubs not fitting perfectly, etc. Now I don't own ARS but I looked at them at the NARBC and I was very impressed. They seem like they are much better made and look extremely nice. I am definitely buying my next rack from ARS.

I switched over to ARS over a year ago and they are top notch! I currently use the 1075s, 7030s, and 8514s.

ARS all the way, but I start my babies in Sentecs baby rack they do well in them it's a smaller tub and the humidity is great.

ARS all the way. I have seen both in person and know people with both. All the FB guys are planning on switching to ARS in the future. The tubs are better, the heat panels are better, and the shipping costs less.

I have both ARS and Freedom Breeder. They're great racks but I'm going back to PVC. My house is just too dry for either ARS or FB. Even with a humidifier and spraying the animals down I get bad sheds and RI. I've actually had more breeding success in the PVC.

I have used ARS for the past 5 years and love them. I have 3 7030 and a hatchling rack. I love the cup holders. I am a cypress user (Kamlar) and never have a dry shed if I pay attention to when they go into a shed. When they do so, I add about 20 ounces of water to the back of the cage and have great sheds! I let the cypress dry out in between sheds. The girls love to make a nest out of it too. They are 'pricey' but when one snake is worth more than the rack, it makes sense for me to use ARS. Hope this helps. tom harbin

ARS all the way. I have had the 1075, 3033 and 7030 models and they have all worked great for us. The built in cup holders are a great feature for larger snakes.

I have switched over all my racks to ARS and they rock. I wouldn't have anything else!

Brock

I have switched over all my racks to ARS and they rock. I wouldn't have anything else!

Brock

That had to be quite expensive knowing the giant you are:cheers:!!

I really appreciate all of the info and opinions. I was leaning more toward ARS to begin with due to things I've heard in the past about Freedom Breeder racks. And Tom, I'm right with you, my collection is getting to the point where single animals I have are worth more than an entire 7030 setup so, I feel it's a worthwhile investment. Having said this, I've also had a few issues with stuck sheds in the lower levels of my existing racks. Any ideas on how to correct this with the introduction of a ARS 7030?

ARS all the way!

both my ARS racks have rusted....still love them.....

I just got a couple of freedom breeder racks after seeing the new design over at NERD, so far I love them, Kevin uses all freedom breeder also and this year has been switching everything to the new version. I can see how the old ones could cause problems especially by having that metal mesh top that rusts after a while. The new ones have a plastic top and you can order them with whatever ventilation you want so for example you could have them give you 25% ventilation on your bottom 2 or 3 levels to help with your dry shed issue and then 50 or even 100% (mine are both 100) on the rest. You can even do that by tub, so if the issue is more on the bottom right or bottom left tubs you could just have those end units have less ventilation.

I can only speak to what I have - ARS models 1075, 7010, 7030...all of which I love. Can't wait to add more this year - running out of room.
Good luck!
John

ARS 1075 x2, 7030 x2. I'm also ordering another 7030 and two 7010's. The optional work table looks fantastic, I'll be ordering an extra two levels for the 7030's.

The tubs hold heat great, they eat like savages, and don't need hides, the tubs only lets a small amount of light in.

I've also noticed the snakes make regular runs in the aspen shreds I use. The bedding is compacted so they must be cruising their tubs all night. This would mean more exercise, more lean mass instead of fat yearlings.

'Nuff said!"

ARS are worth it, even with having to get customs and brokerage done.

Adey

www.5foot16exotics.com

I think the whole rack preference is what people like also what works good for you in your environment. Here in the north in wisconsin our basements are nice and dry in the winter where i keep the snakes so i prefer to use closed air racks, thats what works here anyways. Now garrick demeyer uses freedom breeders and has tons of humidifiers in his building to help out wiht the humidity as its dry at his place to i dont have to worry about that with closed air racks. Now people in the south from what i gather love the open air concept rack it is plenty humid downt here for snakes to do just fine in open air racks. Getting back to preference i think it is what you like and what works for you and the only way to find that out is to get one or the other and jsut try for yourself.