I've had mine for quite a few years and it has worked great. My son bought it for me one Christmas at Lee Valley and it has no brand name on it, so I don't know where it was made.

I have heard others say theirs cut out after a year or 2. I think how you store it makes a difference. Mine lays flat on top of a bin in my closet. Other than that I think it's a crap shoot. Either you get a good one where the heating coils are good or you don't.

I just got one this year. It is called Hydrofarm Seedling Heat Mat 20x20 Hydroponic. I can't give you much feedback as I just got this a couple of weeks ago but so far it works great. I also bought the grow lights as well and everything was shipped directly from the manufacturer.
When I got the heat mat it was rolled up and I thought this thing is really stiff and wouldn't lie flat, but it did.
I did buy this from a seller on Ebay (if you go there, read the feedback on sellers) and I did check many sites as well to read reviews but nothing really stood out as exceptional on the market. Took a chance and I gather from other folks they did as well.

Julia

I've been useing hydrofarm brand for several years. They are good quality products. They are the ones that are usually supplied in the heated germination kits you see.

I will say , stay away from the harbor freight ones.They are more of a water resistant fabric instead of rubber.

I have always made my own, not because those available were faulty, but they were not the right size. Of all my gardening friends, I have yet to hear a complaint about their heat mat. Al

I use a Sun-Beam electric blanket and it works GREAT. It is large enough to cover 3 shelves (15 flats) and I can move it around to heat certain flats and keep it off others. I believe it was $30 from Wal-Mart.

Keriann~

ok calistoga--

If you are going to toss out a comment like you make your own then I have one thing to say------Details please!!
Tell us how, don't leave us hanging

I used a foot warmer mat that I had bought many years ago to keep my feet warm when I had to work in an unheated building, it was made by Tripp Lite. My tomato seeds sprouted in four days using it. It is rated 75 watts so gets quite warm, but if you have a thick layer of dirt and don't have a dome over your seeds it didn't overheat the top of the soil where the seeds were.