can i get a decent timer from lowes or wal-mart?? are the ones with pins better than digital??

yes you can get them there. i find that the pin setting timers have less of a chance to be screwed up by amperage being pulled than a digital timer. to me less is better there unless you spend $40 @ a home improvement store and get one of those "little gray box" timers that ppl use on water heaters

Go get an aquarium light timmer at a pet store or wal-mart $10-$15

thanks guys for the advice. i went and got a decent timer last night. i did almost get the expensive little gray box timer for $40 . but why go overboard because i thought to myself a timer is just a timer.

The digital 15 amp timer they sell at Menards for $18.00 is the same one the hydro shop sells for $35.00. The advantages of the digital over the pin type are you can set it for less then 15 minutes on/off times and it has its own battery back up so it doesn't lose time or program in case of a power failure. VV

You can get the pin ones for $6 over here in the uk...

I've had no problems with mine so far...

yeah i got a alright one for like 10 bucks. it has no pins but a dial that you select for 1-13 hours. its decent also because it has multiple outlets. i have no hydro shops near. most of my shopping is done at home improvement stores and local hardware stores. still trying to decide how secure ordering on the internet is.