First: Chessking, impressive setup!
However I did opt to go with the Control Products model as it has a 30 amp rating, vs the STC-1000 which appears to only have a 10 amp rating. It has also been my experience that electronics made in china (at least those not made for large corporations), can be had for dirt cheap, but the quality control is severely lacking. I would not have peace of mind with the STC-1000 that it would not fail at much lower amps than it is rated for.
Yes a small freeze normally pulls less than 2 amps, however let’s say the stars align, the compressor fails to start (made be cycled to quickly), then the overload protection fails to break the circuit, and suddenly the amps are rising as the compressor continues to try and start, and the thermostat is left there to handle load.
Could it happen? Yes. Will it happen? Most likely not. I am sure that 99% of the STC-1000s will perform to standard, but it’s that 1% that I worry about.
Also most homes have 15 amp breakers, which means the thermostat is the weak link and could fail before a breaker trips.
Longer story short, the STC-1000 is a great find, but for peace of mind I opted for the Control Products model.