I appreciate the info. Mine are only about 2 years old, so I don't have any valuable data for how long lasting they are. If they are anything like human heat pads, they won't last long if on all the time. 2 yrs so far all good.



I agree with you that heat mats like Ultratherm, Cobra, etc will last a very long time if not damaged. I have some that are likely 10 yrs old too and are still perfect.



Back to the Intellitemp - flexing them does not stress the heating element, as long as the bend radius is reasonable - in other words not a sharp bend. Mine are bent from vertical to horizontal, but a gentle bend, I like that property.



ZooMed pads use nichrome wire. Nichrome elements can break down over time, I believe moreso than carbon element like Flexwatt, Ultratherm, etc. Well, everything breaks down in time, but I believe nichrome usually goes sooner than carbon if constantly exposed to air. But "in time" may be a long time, like over a decade or more of constant use. I can't remember if Intellitemp is nichrome or carbon.

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