heat pannels are hot to the touch....just not as hot as flexwatt. they have a textured finish so that when you touch them, you won't burn. a thermostat measures air temps. it is designed to shut off the heat when a certian temp is reached. this will happen with any type of heating equipment used.
as for the RBI construction, they review didn't say what the heating element is. im not too sure how a fiberglass element will compare to the wire used by pro prodcuts. the construction is about the same. i will ask some more smart than me about the fiber glass element.