I use digital timers, that come with a backup battery supply, so that everything isn't reset during a power surge, power outage, whatever. I've never had an issue with my timers. Can't remember the brand name, but I found it at Lowe's, or a similar store.

Is your ballast causing the shorts in the timers? You should not be going through timers like that. If you're using a bunch of equipment, and are running everything through one timer, that might be your problem. Separate the equipment into more outlets, if you can. This should help to prevent huge power spikes from frying any one outlet.