Heat Tape

[Reptilebasics]

Recently a youtube video has surfaced questioning the quality and safety of the new heat tape element that myself and Pro Exotics has brought to the US market. Not sure who this guy is or what his expertise/background in these matters is but here is the response I emailed him:

David-
I just heard about your youtube video. A few inaccuracies in your video that you may want to amend:
1- The Calorique heat tape uses nickel plated copper, not silver for its buss bars. They also use copper without the plating from time to time as well. It is equally easy to solder to each using any rosin core solder.
2- The Calorique heat tape, in my experience, is not all that consistent whether they have a patented computer set up or not. It generally runs about +/- 5% and always has. The new material we are having manufactured does as well.
3-Also, we have had the UL listing done on our element, same as Calorique. The manufacturer being used has an extremely modern facility with extremely modern machinery and standards. A long way from sweatshops. In fact, a very large percentage of homes in S. Korea are heated with this type of element and because of this they have a very well developed element manufacturing industry.
4-The new element has a sturdier, thicker, stiffer laminate material. It is consistent through the entire roll, unlike Calorique who rolls the finished product still hot which leaves it wrinkled and unusable for the last several feet of the roll.
5- I believe you will find the components used in the Calorique element are coming from China.
6- Calorique treats the reptile hobby as an afterthought. I have gone for weeks unable to get element in 2012 because they were too busy to print it. I have been dealing with Calorique for several years and as they have changed ownership the past couple of years all of the problems with them have become steadily worse.
IF there was a manufacturer of this type of element here in the USA OTHER than Calorique I would be happy to consider them, but there is not. The monopoly that they have held has led to an over priced, difficult to get element that is really not all that superior. Have you looked at or tried the new element?

If you would like to discuss this I will be happy to.

Regards-
Rich Goldzung
Reptile Basics Inc


Again, not sure how he comes up with his claims but I will be happy to answer any questions anyone has any time!