New THG Heat Tape Test Results are in

***Trackstrong83*** · 02-28-2013, 04:42 PM

Does anyone know why RBI switched from flexwatt to this new THG tape? I'm using 11" flexwatt hooked to a herpstat and was just curious if they found any faults or anything wrong with flexwatt..? Just curious

**Robyn@SYR** · 03-01-2013, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by Frankie M

I cant seem to find anything on THG and the product looks like a Korean product called Rexva. Is this a German company or is it actually Rexva?

THG Heat Tape is not made by Rexva.

**Reptilebasics** · 03-01-2013, 10:56 PM

Why did I switch? That has been dragged out in another thread but the brief recap is that I did not have issue with the product as much as the company. I did not have to make a switch and would have been just fine if I had not and only a handful of people would ever know I looked. When there is room for an improvement in both the product and the company I am dealing with then it is time for a switch. I do not like being taken completely for granted because I deal primarily in the reptile hobby but it is not an uncommon thing when sourcing components and products. We now produce quite a few products both here, abroad, and a combination of the two. It has been a very educational experience. All is not so cut and dried as some would like to think. So far this switch is very well received by those who have used it and it has proven to be every bit as stable over the short and long term by all who have used it. It also opens the door for us to evolve this product for reptile use in a way we could not before, the new 6" element being an example.

This element is not being made by Rexva. They did not make the cut along with a few others from South Korea, China and Europe. I currently have a very good relationship with Flexel in Europe and like some of their products quite a bit. After a lengthy discussion with them about testing and bringing their element to the states it became clear that it was an up hill battle not worth fighting. Oddly, I felt very much like I was dealing with the same problems I was having with Calorique so I moved on. These decisions were not driven by price nor a dart board as some would try to have you believe.

IR video colors can be a bit deceiving. The camera scales the colors based on the hottest temp in the field and the coolest in the field even if those temps are only a few degrees apart. The difference in the temps between the two elements are not really all that great, a few degrees in this case. You also need to look at the head on shots of each for the best indication of their temp and when you do they are really very close. When one is center of the field and the other (either way) is on the edge of the field it will cause the edge of field to look cooler. The laminate seems to have a bit of a weird reflectivity to it. These emissivity properties can also play havoc with IR tempguns as well when you point them at some types of surfaces as some of you may have experienced. Also, I still have the elements in these videos plugged in here at the shop and we will be revisiting this in a few months time. Bet the results are the same- neither has shown any significant change at all even after extended full power use and some stress testing with an insulator over them.

We went to great pains to get both elements to lie completely flat with no air between it and the table as that created artificial hot spots. I will point out again- these videos do not necessarily point out a clear winner or loser. In fact, I think they ultimately show both elements are up to the task we are using them for. There are a few knee jerk types out there who simply can not seem to understand or admit that it is in fact possible another product made over seas could be up to par with what they are used to and these IR videos are to objectively refute their claims. Many other users are supporting this with their own field tests as well. Would I prefer it was made here? If it is good stuff then yes. Is it automatically good because it is made here, of course not. I have found junk made everywhere in the world, including here. Unfortunately there are no other US options at this time so we sought out and selected the best we could find. I personally like it better for some of the properties of the laminate used, the better service from the manufacturer, equal or better product for our application and our ability to move forward with new products that the reptile community could definitely benefit from. The complete lack of competition in this field in the USA is really the source of most of the problems and stagnation of products in my opinion.

**Ed gilmartin** · 03-02-2013, 12:49 PM

Rich

i have been paying a lot more attention to these forums due to the fact that we at Flexwatt did not understand your hobby. We have now addressed that and there will be a lot of new reptile products being manufactured by us. We would have continued to manufacture the same products but it was this competition that made us pay attention. The reason I got a little upset at your other posts is because you lied and said we manufacture and utilize an Asian supply chain. You know this is not true but said it anyway. We are 100% USA and very proud of that. This is a heat product and uses electricity to heat up. Why are you and Robyn hiding the manufacturer of the product if it is up to par? Don't you think it is fair to let your customers know what they are buying? Especially if it can be very dangerous in its application if it is not made/used correctly. If there is nothing to hide then this should not be a problem. I am also curious as to what you mean by long term? Who makes it and how long have they been making it? I can't figure out why the manufacturer is being kept hidden.

Looking at the infrared camera it is clearly two different watt densities and not the same product being compared. The glowing product is a higher watt density.

I work for Flexwatt so I am obviously going to recommend our product but here are some facts:

We used copper bus bars in the 80s and switched to a more expensive tin plated copper with a printed silver. The reason for this was safety and to produce a longer lasting product. Copper oxidizes. we also had to step up our product in order to get a UL listing. THis is different than UR. All our UR products are produced to our UL listing standard.

We use the 7 tooth amp connectors because it makes a safe connection. These can be insulated with 3m 2228 tape for a lower profile than the plastic insulators if needed. We do NOT pre punch a hole and try to fit a rivet in that hole. If the rivet moves it can cause arching and sparking between the buss and the rivet that is no longer in direct contact. The gap is what can cause the spark. we will not take that risk.

We are an ISO company that manufactures to these standards. Nobody knows where the THG is manufactured. Hopefully that will be addressed. If not you can probably find out from UL if you can see the number below the UR symbol on the tape.

We have millions of feet installed in the field for reptile purposes, interior heat, deicing, thermal imaging US military targets etc. our ink mix has been proven stable for thirty years. Maybe the manufactur of the tHG product can provide some info on their product in the field. With all the equipment and software needed to produce a reputable heat tape there is no way you can only produce it for reptile heat so they are obviously making product for other applications.

Flexwatt is the ONLY UL listed radiant heat film in the world. We have UL listing for our FLR/RCH product and a componant listing for other applications. this means that UL audit our manufacturing facility along with NEMKO, ETL etc.

Flexwatt can manufacture a 16 mil laminate as opposed to our 9 mil tape you have now. THG is 10.5 mil. The reason we have kept it 9 mil is because we were told it is easier to weave it between racks. If a thicker product is what is needed that is no problem just let us know.

We have proprietary software that monitors the ink stability at 10,000 impressions per second. This makes sure that only top quality product leaves our facilities.

To back this up the Flexwatt heat tape now has a 5 year warranty. That is a manufacturer warranty so we back it and will not leave that to a distributor.

Everyone is free to buy what they prefer. I would just ask questions about who manufactures the product. This is electric heat. It is important to know who makes it. I also wish there were more US companies that made this product. It would mean a lot more awareness of the product. In the next few months we will have a lot more products for the reptile community including finished heaters with a built in safety feature. We will also soon start to manufacture the product with reptile pictures on the tape so you know you are getting a Flexwatt product. This was also decided becuase for years we only sold what was asked for and did not focus on the reptile industry. That has now changed with a dedicated rep that is a breeder. I apologize that it took so long. I will admit i did not understand anything about your hobby. If there are any other products that will help you just let us know. We will look into making it. I got some good feedback from emails sent to me from the last thread and as you can see above we are taking your suggestions and turning them into products. If there are any preferred heat pads you like but are made with a wire with hot spots we will even reach out to that manufacturer and offer them the film to put inside their mats. Just let us know. My email is e.gilmartin@calorique.com. If you don't hear back from me in 24 hours call the office at 508-291-4224. Some of the emails I received went into my junk box so I don't want you to think you are being ignored. our new rep can be reached at flexwattsales@gmail.com. He has just been hired and will have a Calorique email in a week but you can reach him at the above email for now.

**mattb** · 03-02-2013, 01:49 PM