Heat Tape

[kitedemon]

Mr. Gilmartin,

Hello and welcome, I believe very firmly that competition improves products for any field. I would be very pleased to see a reptile specific product from Calorique.

Personally and many would agree, that a lower wattage product would be high on the list. very rarely is there any need for a heating product to run at temps beyond 100ºF perhaps as high as 110º. Flexwatt will in many cases run beyond this safe limited temp. Thermostats can and do fail a product that has a lower likely hood of causing damage to the animals it provides heat to the better for everyone. The second issue that has been outstanding with the flexwatt product is the connection. The clips are large and bulky a low profile clip would be very valuable. The electrical ability of the end user is variable and a simple system is clearly needed. The other oddity of the reptile industry is the fact that a plastic object is frequently slide repeatedly over the face of the product. The reptile industry is not typical and often has been forced to adapt equipment to our needs and for my part I am very tired of this.

[PitOnTheProwl]

@pitontheprowl. You are misreading what I am saying. Reptile basics were more like $70k - $90k per year. It is a small portion of our business and the industry is much larger than we had realized. I am just trying to get the facts straight.

Actually I did get your point but you missed mine
So Reptile Basics was only a couple pennies to you and now there is a new competitor in the market.
Many reptile enthusiasts use belly heat or heat pads for one or more animals in their collections and have used or adapted your product for many years.
This insignificant loss to you now has you opening your eyes to all the monies going into keeping our animals warm and due to this loss you are now going to try and make your product at a cheaper cost to us.

[Robyn@SYR]

Reptile basics were more like $70k - $90k per year.

Ed from Calorique- Do you have a regular policy of posting your customers' private account figures for public consumption? I have no idea if that number is accurate, but I would never think of posting such a customer account figure online for all to see. That is odd.

[Robin@Exclusive]

Ed from Calorique- Do you have a regular policy of posting your customers' private account figures for public consumption? I have no idea if that number is accurate, but I would never think of posting such a customer account figure online for all to see. That is odd.

I agree Robyn... Extremely unprofessional.

In fact, once I called Calorique several years ago about buying wholesale direct from them and they quoted me 3x the cost that Rich and Beanfarm charge. I said this is ridiculous, you are the manufacurer and I can buy it cheaper at retail from the bean farm? They said "well, you're not the bean farm" and they divulged to me over the phone how much they spend yearly with them. At that time I thought it was extremely unprofessional... just as Ed did in his post with regards to Rich.

[Robin@Exclusive]

---

Not to mention... they didn't even ask what I was looking to purchase LOL

It was as if when you called them they were like "Ughh it's one of those reptile people again" - like we were an annoyance and our money wasn't good enough.

Well, Good for THG for actually appreciating and catering to our community and making a superior product that is FOR our animals in mind.


Calorique is only paying attention now and "caring" because they felt they were untouchable and had a monopoly... and now us annoying little reptile people will be putting a dent in their pocket... but according to Ed... it's not THAT much anyways

[Slitherous]

I applaud a manufacturer willing to exchange ideas with end-users on a public forum, it makes good economic sense for user and manufacturer both. However, I too find it odd and slightly disturbing that a manufacturer would reveal their customer's purchasing levels without the acquiescence of the retailer being mentioned.........no wonder Reptile Basics went elsewhere for their heat tape. I must commend them for experimenting and reporting back to the community on a better, more reptile-specific product soon to be offered for sale. Seems like a class act to me, while it's pretty obvious Calorique isn't a reptile-oriented business with little if any experience in the discipline. They just happened to get lucky enough to have a product made for a completely different purpose which enterprising reptile keepers discovered and adapted for their specific needs. Now all of a sudden Calorique seems to realize that the competition just caught up, and now that "piddling" 90 grand sales figure is quickly evaporating before their eyes. If all of this gives us a better, more useful product at a better price more the better for everyone....let the competition begin!

[Ed gilmartin]

Robyn

I do apologize for postng the amount of business from reptile basics. I was replying to a post and had not realized it was something I should not be doing. I am not argueing with anyone on here. That is not my place. I just wantewd to correct Richs inncorrect comments about our product. I have agreed that we were not paying attention to this industry. There is no radiant heat film company in the world who could power up the proper equipment just for the reptile industry. That is why I would like to challange you to post who THG actually are. If they are the company yourself and Jeff are raving about you will have no problem posting their real website with phone, address, certifications, inspections etc. You cannot do that because they are a company that willdamage a few reptiles then disappear. I have seen it over and over. That is the great thing about being regulated in the US. There are laws against that. Can you post the approval for the new connectors from UL? Id like to see if UL actually apporved the connectors you are raving about. The opportunity for arching with that connector type is much too high with a cheap copper only bus bar. I have apologized for posting a ball park number for reptile basics now it is time for you to come clean about the THG Heat company that in my eyes does not even exist. I readily admitted that we dropped the ball due to not understanding your industry and that the heat tape was an afterthought and not our primary business. We will fix this in 2013 with better pricing and more finished products. I do want to apologize for our not fully understanding what you guys needs are but I think it is something that commonly happens to your industry by the sounds of things. All the remarks made by you and Rich are bocus. We never had one complaint from Reptile Basics in all the years they bought from us. We never were asked once to change anything whether it be watt density or connector type. If we had been asked one simple question about the connectors it could easily have been addressed. All our other products except the reptile heat and ceiling heat use 3M 2228 tape to seal the connection. So the low profile issue with the plastic connectors could have been put to rest in 2 seconds.

I think you owe it to the people on this forum to disclose who THG are and let them make an educated decision. Afterall they do love their pets and will be very disappointed that one of their own put them in jeopardy trying to make a quick buck. I dont think you will do it! Most importantly how long have THG been doing this? Prove it!

- - - Updated - - -

Robyn

I do apologize for postng the amount of business from reptile basics. I was replying to a post and had not realized it was something I should not be doing. I am not argueing with anyone on here. That is not my place. I just wantewd to correct Richs inncorrect comments about our product. I have agreed that we were not paying attention to this industry. There is no radiant heat film company in the world who could power up the proper equipment just for the reptile industry. That is why I would like to challange you to post who THG actually are. If they are the company yourself and Jeff are raving about you will have no problem posting their real website with phone, address, certifications, inspections etc. You cannot do that because they are a company that willdamage a few reptiles then disappear. I have seen it over and over. That is the great thing about being regulated in the US. There are laws against that. Can you post the approval for the new connectors from UL? Id like to see if UL actually apporved the connectors you are raving about. The opportunity for arching with that connector type is much too high with a cheap copper only bus bar. I have apologized for posting a ball park number for reptile basics now it is time for you to come clean about the THG Heat company that in my eyes does not even exist. I readily admitted that we dropped the ball due to not understanding your industry and that the heat tape was an afterthought and not our primary business. We will fix this in 2013 with better pricing and more finished products. I do want to apologize for our not fully understanding what you guys needs are but I think it is something that commonly happens to your industry by the sounds of things. All the remarks made by you and Rich are bocus. We never had one complaint from Reptile Basics in all the years they bought from us. We never were asked once to change anything whether it be watt density or connector type. If we had been asked one simple question about the connectors it could easily have been addressed. All our other products except the reptile heat and ceiling heat use 3M 2228 tape to seal the connection. So the low profile issue with the plastic connectors could have been put to rest in 2 seconds.

I think you owe it to the people on this forum to disclose who THG are and let them make an educated decision. Afterall they do love their pets and will be very disappointed that one of their own put them in jeopardy trying to make a quick buck. I dont think you will do it! Most importantly how long have THG been doing this? Prove it!

- - - Updated - - -

Robyn

I do apologize for postng the amount of business from reptile basics. I was replying to a post and had not realized it was something I should not be doing. I am not argueing with anyone on here. That is not my place. I just wantewd to correct Richs inncorrect comments about our product. I have agreed that we were not paying attention to this industry. There is no radiant heat film company in the world who could power up the proper equipment just for the reptile industry. That is why I would like to challange you to post who THG actually are. If they are the company yourself and Jeff are raving about you will have no problem posting their real website with phone, address, certifications, inspections etc. You cannot do that because they are a company that willdamage a few reptiles then disappear. I have seen it over and over. That is the great thing about being regulated in the US. There are laws against that. Can you post the approval for the new connectors from UL? Id like to see if UL actually apporved the connectors you are raving about. The opportunity for arching with that connector type is much too high with a cheap copper only bus bar. I have apologized for posting a ball park number for reptile basics now it is time for you to come clean about the THG Heat company that in my eyes does not even exist. I readily admitted that we dropped the ball due to not understanding your industry and that the heat tape was an afterthought and not our primary business. We will fix this in 2013 with better pricing and more finished products. I do want to apologize for our not fully understanding what you guys needs are but I think it is something that commonly happens to your industry by the sounds of things. All the remarks made by you and Rich are bocus. We never had one complaint from Reptile Basics in all the years they bought from us. We never were asked once to change anything whether it be watt density or connector type. If we had been asked one simple question about the connectors it could easily have been addressed. All our other products except the reptile heat and ceiling heat use 3M 2228 tape to seal the connection. So the low profile issue with the plastic connectors could have been put to rest in 2 seconds.

I think you owe it to the people on this forum to disclose who THG are and let them make an educated decision. Afterall they do love their pets and will be very disappointed that one of their own put them in jeopardy trying to make a quick buck. I dont think you will do it! Most importantly how long have THG been doing this? Prove it!

- - - Updated - - -

Robyn

I do apologize for postng the amount of business from reptile basics. I was replying to a post and had not realized it was something I should not be doing. I am not argueing with anyone on here. That is not my place. I just wantewd to correct Richs inncorrect comments about our product. I have agreed that we were not paying attention to this industry. There is no radiant heat film company in the world who could power up the proper equipment just for the reptile industry. That is why I would like to challange you to post who THG actually are. If they are the company yourself and Jeff are raving about you will have no problem posting their real website with phone, address, certifications, inspections etc. You cannot do that because they are a company that willdamage a few reptiles then disappear. I have seen it over and over. That is the great thing about being regulated in the US. There are laws against that. Can you post the approval for the new connectors from UL? Id like to see if UL actually apporved the connectors you are raving about. The opportunity for arching with that connector type is much too high with a cheap copper only bus bar. I have apologized for posting a ball park number for reptile basics now it is time for you to come clean about the THG Heat company that in my eyes does not even exist. I readily admitted that we dropped the ball due to not understanding your industry and that the heat tape was an afterthought and not our primary business. We will fix this in 2013 with better pricing and more finished products. I do want to apologize for our not fully understanding what you guys needs are but I think it is something that commonly happens to your industry by the sounds of things. All the remarks made by you and Rich are bocus. We never had one complaint from Reptile Basics in all the years they bought from us. We never were asked once to change anything whether it be watt density or connector type. If we had been asked one simple question about the connectors it could easily have been addressed. All our other products except the reptile heat and ceiling heat use 3M 2228 tape to seal the connection. So the low profile issue with the plastic connectors could have been put to rest in 2 seconds.

I think you owe it to the people on this forum to disclose who THG are and let them make an educated decision. Afterall they do love their pets and will be very disappointed that one of their own put them in jeopardy trying to make a quick buck. I dont think you will do it! Most importantly how long have THG been doing this? Prove it!

[Ed gilmartin]

Kitedeamon

I am going to bring this to one of my engineers. tomorrow we have a meeting in the afternoon to discuss how to better serve the reptile industry. You guys have been using our product for years and we have never stopped to understand your industry. Our attitude needs to change "if it is not broken dont fix it" wont cut it any more. We are willing to do that. If you have any other requests that you would love to see change email me and I will get them in front of our engineers. That also goes for anyone else readiing this. Feel free to send me an email with reqeuests and I will get it in front of the right people. I will then be open and honest as to why it can or cannot be done.

e.gilmartin@calorique.com

[Ed gilmartin]

This pricing has not changed. We do have larger 500' rolls that are lower in cost as well as a discount for 5+ rolls that you can mix and match products to reach. We understand that it needs to be lowered. Why on earth would we assume you were talking about reptile heat tape if that is less than 3% of our business. Come on man. Lets be honest if anything.

REPTILE HEATING ELEMENTS

Product #	Description	Packaging	Price
IND21P17W120V	21” wide element 17 W/Panel @ 120 Volt (panelized) (maximum length – 56 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$499.00/RL
IND17P10W120V	17” wide element 10 W/Pnl @ 120 Volt (panelized) (maximum length – 48 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$399.00/RL
IND17P16W120V	17” wide element 16 W/Pnl @ 120 Volt (panelized) (maximum length – 29 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$389.00/RL
IND11-20W120V	11” wide element, 20 W/Lin. Ft. @ 120 Volt (continuous) (maximum length – 24 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$320.00/Roll
IND11P20W120V	11” wide element, 20 W/Panel @ 120 Volt (panelized) (maximum length – 24 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$320.00/Roll
IND3-10W120V	3” wide element, 10 W/Lin.Ft. @ 120 Volt (continuous) (maximum length – 48 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$200.00/Roll
IND3-6W120V	3” wide element, 6 W/Lin. Ft. @ 120 Volt (continuous) (maximum length – 80 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$200.00/Roll
IND4-8W120V	4” wide element, 8 W/Lin. Ft. @ 120 Volt (continuous) (maximum length – 60 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$220.00/Roll
IND4-5W120V	4” wide element, 5 W/Lin. Ft. @ 120 Volt (continuous) (maximum length – 96 feet)	Rolls of 100 Feet	$220.00/Roll
FB-1001	Plastic Insulators	Bags to 250 Each	$.50/EACH
FC-1001	Crimp Connectors	Boxes of 500 Each	$.50/EACH
FCT-104	Crimp Tool	Individually Boxed	$50.00/EA

[Ed gilmartin]

@Pit.......You are correct. We had a by product that you guys could use. Now we realize there is potential to expand the market by producing product specifically for your industry. It is what it is. That is how any business works. I do apologize if you felt ignored but not once did we get any feedback that you could use some changes to the product. I apologize again. The competition will be gone in a couple of years just like the koreans have been exposed in the construction industry. But it is good that it got our attention and will help your industry. The reason this comes to our attention is from our legal team that guard our patents and other IP. agian this will be good for your industry.