I have a 1000w JBJ TrueTemp since May of last year. I'm on my 3rd heating element. Each heating element only last a few months. This last one has been running for a couple of months now. Good thing is JBJ replaced them free of charge.
I have a few different brands including a finnex 800 in my 220. Most come with a controller. If you are running an apex then you dont need to pay extra for a controller, the apex will handle that. Most brands are pretty dependable.
CoralVue is coming out with heaters and temp controllers now. I'd be curious to try one myself. I personally have a 500w blueline titanium heater. I used to have 2 but the other one shorted out. A controller is like $80 right? And a Neptune Apex Jr. Lite base model is 150 and you can see charts of your temp on your computer or smart phone...