Habistat Heat Mat, 60 Watt, 47 x 11-inch

47x11 inch.Good quality habistat heat mat, have no concerns about this, have some old habistat ones that are now ten years old and perfectly fine. Just time for a bigger viv. Works as it should, very little to go wrong. Used lots of makes and these seem to be the most reliable long term (though honestly they're all usually pretty good!) Saw a review that says they don't heat up much or don't heat up a material much... while this I'm sure was true it is an ill informed comment so I will explain to avoid others encountering this problem.If you attach it to glass with air on the other side that is going to dissipate a lot of heat. These are made to reach a max of 35 degrees providing they aren't covered, if they are poorly (or not) insulated this will affect their performance. They are designed for ambient radiant heat to go on walls or to be used as basking spots on the floor, with a thermostat set to a specific temperature. When used as designed I've never had a problem. Workings where I do I have used dozens of different ones in a wide variety of situations and this is just how they function. Consider the wattage being spread over the surface area.. this 4 foot one for example is only 60 watts, being that it's huge its not going to be able to get very hot with no insulation or placed against a cold conductive surface. It would have to heat that material too.To improve their efficiency I always put a thin layer of insulation with the reflective side against the heat mat in between the heat mat and the wall. I cover the insulation with heat and flame resistant metal tape for good measure before placing the heat mat. You could do this on the floor too but once again always with a thermostat. It would make cleaning tricky. If they're not insulated the wall or floor they are attached to will heat up, dissipate the heat away from the mat, into the material and then into the room. Depending on the conditions ( i. e. cold room, poor insulation, low down with a draught) this could mean they never heat up fully or to the desired temperature as too much energy is going into the external environment.So unless you have a very warm room, or insulate the heat mat or at the very least the externally exposed area of glass the mat is attached to... these will never heat up as to their full capacity. Not such a problem with wooden/mdf vivariums as they insulate quite well but to provide more consistency and use less energy its always still best to insulate behind them. Makes the biggest difference when it gets cold. If you trace the shape onto the insulation foam side of the insulation and cut it carefully this doesn't even really have to be a noticeable adaptation.On a side note, if you have a powercut, because these are such low power you can run them off a leisure battery for days keeping your reptiles alive. Just food for thought for when things invariably go wrong.

Having looked everywhere to find a heated desk mat without success, I eventually decided to give this heat mat a try. Does the job perfectly! Heats up quickly, flat so fits under the keyboard and mouse without any problems and not exactly a fortune to run. I've used it daily for a couple of months now and all still working well. Not too hot to leave on most of the day, but do occasionally switch it off if feeling warm enough. I can't believe no one sells heated desk mats in the UK, as searches show it's something many people want. A change of size and a leather cover to make it a bit more attractive and this could be sold for a different purpose, but even as it is I wouldn't be without it.

Used with a controller to heat seedling trays in the greenhouse, much cheaper than buying ones from a garden centre.

exactly what it says on the tin!