I installed Thermosoft in the kitchen a year ago. No regrets. I have a mat sitting in a box waiting to go in the master bath. Get the programmable thermostat, it functions very nicely.

Also, they have nearly continuously rotating 2-4 day sales of varying percent-off discounts. If you have a week or so, wait for the 30% off sale cycle and save a couple extra bucks!

Joe

good to hear about this alternative to suntouch. we have suntouch and we like it, but it would have been nice to have cheaper alternatives available. here in PA, most people claim they have never heard of electric radiant mats-- and many don't want to hear about them! kren

Anybody know if there is a diffrence in watts etc? Just curious about the price difference myself.

you can read here abut the sun touch, and i donÂt think the are expensive, i never really bought it, but i did look around few months ago, when i was remodeling my bathroom
most of my project was from this web site , and i remember the also carry the sun touch and it wasn't expensive compare to the other i checked

koby

Here is a link that might be useful: suntouch

The guy at the tile store told me about a different product called "oullet" or "oullette". It is a radiant heating system for under tiles but you don't have to use thinset under the mesh. It has some type of sticky backing and you can cut the mesh (careful of the wires) and move it any way needed to fit your room. He love the stuff but seems to be the only guy selling it right now in my area, so pretty pricey and no one to get feed back from YET!
Not sure if you can get it in your area but it's a suggestion to look at, and one less step to do while tiling : )
Just another idea to consider.

You don't have to use a layer of thinset to affix Thermosoft to the subfloor either. You can use staples or tape to hold the mesh in place and thinset over the mesh and wires when you lay your tile. I did my kitchen this way. That said, it's will be easier to trowel out notches for tile laying if you already have the RFH set in a thin layer of thin set. There will be less risk of damaging the wires.

Thermosoft is 25% off through Wednesday. Hold out for the 30% sale if you have the time to wait a week or two, it'll come around.

The Premier Underfloor heating system at Costco.com is the same as the Suntouch unit offered by WATTS Radiant. Watts Radiant is a subsidiary of a Watts Water which is on the NYSE.
(Symbol WTS) They offer a 25 year guarantee on their products and I am sure they will be around to back it up.As Watts Water was founded in 1874. Compare the Patents on the Costco.com products & the ones at www.suntouch.com. I am glad I did.

I used Elektra at about 1/3 the cost of the big name brands. Been working perfectly for 3 years now.

Woodinvirginia,

I'm not sure I quite understand. Are you saying that the Suntouch (Watts Radiant) makes the Costco product (like Whirlpool makes Kenmore)? Or are you saying that the specifications, warranty, quality, etc. of the Suntouch and Costco products are the same?

When you compared the Patents on the two products, what did you learn? How does one compare Patents?

There are several systems that look exactly alike. In addition to these two, there's also Warmly Yours and Laticrete's Farenheat. If you were to look at the mats from each system, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. That doesn't mean they ARE the same-- only that they LOOK the same.

Actually the product I mentioned is also supported by Watts Radiant as the numbers on the package when you call them go to Watts Radiant.

Woodinvirginia,

The expression "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing", is where I find myself this week. There have been so many useful comments about so many products and techniques that I am considering for my remodel, that I have not been able to research them all. And my workmen come this week, so I am really feeling the pressure. I must decide on my floors soon.

When I catch my breath, I intend to go to both Costco.com and SunTouch.com and compare. But until then, did your research indicate that the two products were the same, but that Costco was less expensive? If so, by approximately how much? Did you happen to compare SunTouch to Thermasoft? Thanks for any insight you might offer.

Bill V., chime in here at any time.

Thanks,
Mommielady

I wish I could. I've never used the Thermosoft product, and don't know much about it, other than the fact that it's very similar to the Suntouch product. IOW, I know about as much as you do!!

I know-- big help I am!!

I'm wondering if both products might have amperage draw and wattage output, etc. listed on their websites. You might be able to determine if both are the same product, or atleast interchangeable from their spec sheets.

We have the same question about Suntouch and Premier (from Costco) so I can't answer this question. But I can tell you that if you check Lowes.com for Suntouch, check the pricing for several stores close to your zip code. We found one where "local pricing applied" and the 10 x 30 mats were $50 less each. We will also use their 10% off moving coupon and probably go this route.
Good luck!

Lucycakes,

I knew Home Depot was supposed to carry Suntouch, but I didn't know that Lowe's did. Thanks for the tip, especially about the 'local pricing' and the 'moving coupon'. I hadn't heard about any of that 'down here in Texas!'

Bill,

Even though my eyes, (...and my mind) are blurred from reading websites, I have a vague recollection of Suntouch touting its exceptional amperage and wattage outputs on its website, along with stuff on electromagnetic fields. So perhaps a comparison can be made. But are you saying that you HAVE used Suntouch, but not Thermasoft? Any comments on the Suntouch product? I haven't kept up with Flyleft's post lately, I think she used Thermasoft.

I've been selling Suntouch for 7 years.
There are MAJOR differences in wire construction between products.
Also, as someone previously noted, Watts Radiant manufactures Suntouch in the USA in a 142,000 SF plant dedicated to radiant heating and they have been in business for 134 years. Their 25 year warranty is transferrable too.
Thermosoft makes electric blankets and seat heaters mostly - only been making flooring heat for 3 years. They also use a crimp connection at the start of their mat - not a solder joint like suntouch. And, they uses carbon fiber as one wire, not copper like suntouch which lasts much longer.

Here is a link that might be useful: SunTouch Mat Introduction

mommielady-- Yes, I've used Suntouch when I did johnmari's bathroom, and I was very satisfied with the ease of installation, and Mari, although she sold the house last year (about 2 years later), she never had any problems with it up to the point she sold it.

Good to hear from someone that know the Suntouch product. Ok now for those details, maybe one of the guys can answer my question.

"They also use a crimp connection at the start of their mat - not a solder joint like suntouch. And, they uses carbon fiber as one wire, not copper like suntouch which lasts much longer."

If this product is set with the tile I am correct to think that if it has a good connection when set it should last since there will be no movement?

Please explain the difference between carbon fiber wire and copper, and how long do you think these will last?

Unfortunately, heating mats haven't been around long enough to really say one way or the other what the longevity is. As for carbon fiber vs. copper wire, the only thing I can do is go back to my gearhead days. Most sparkplug wires are made from carbon fiber (or atleast USED to be not sure if they still are-- it's been a long time!). Back when I was into it, they made copper core wires for racing, because they had longer life, and would supply a much stronger spark. The only problem with them was forget about any kind of sound system in the car, because they'd cause interference with anything you installed. But performance wise, you couldn't beat em. I would guess that whoever is making the claim concerning the heating mats is going by the same line of reasoning.

Thanks for that input, Bill.

warmyourfloor,

It seems like you might be the guy, since you sell the product and know the technical stuff. What is the value of the "crimp" vs. "solder" and "carbon wire" vs. "copper" that you noted between SunTouch and Thermasoft?

Are there any other advantages, in your opinion?

Do most tile people know how to deal with the heating systems? Is one easier to install than another?

Most tile guys know what to do with them. AS for ease of installation, the ones that come meshed in panels are a WHOLE lot easier than the ones that come as a spool of wire and get looped back and forth on the floor. Those systems are a royal PITA!!

It looks like that warmyourfloor guy does not have enough information about the suntouch product he sells and other products on the market. i installed suntouch, warmly yours, nuheat and thermosoft in the past and learned a lot about each of them. suntouch was bought by WATTS not very long ago, when suntouch was dying. It is a pretty young company. WATTS is the old company, making different things and has a big plant, not the suntouch division! They have good product, but it is way overpriced. In regards to Thermosoft: they make very good product and at very good price. I am buying floor heating from only them now. Their "carbon" fibers are not carbon at all. they are special synthetic fibers, which act as continues fuse, to prevent overheating ( it is far better than copper wires). That is why they use special crimp instead of soldering. It did not affect quality at all as I could see during multiple installations. Personally, I think it is much better. They also have Lifetime warranty, which can be transferred too. They are almost twice cheaper than suntouch and also have no EMF. Customer service is good and they always give me extra discount for my repeated orders. They are pretty long on the market, make different heaters (like WATTS as well) and their floor heaters are also made in States. BTW, i also liked working with their strong fiberglass mesh during installation, compared to weak plastic mesh of suntouch. Again, it is just my personal feeling and opinion.

Hey I too have been looking to see which company to go with when it comes to heated floor mats. I am stuck between the two,the thermasoft and suntouch. I noticed the price difference is partly because the thermasoft only come in 1.5ft wide and suntouch comes in 2, 2.5, and even 3ft wide mats. Also you buy thermasoft directly from the company so you save some money there too. I just wish I knew performance-wise...which one is better. or if there really isnt any difference. If you know more I would love to hear from you. Thanks.

I have installed both suntouch and thermosoft for my customers in the past and I prefer to work with the thermosoft mats because they're much easier to work with. The mesh doesn't overlap like the suntouch mats do so they lay flatter, which makes tiling way easier. Besides, the prices are nicer. I always have my customers order by phone with them because they usually get a little better deal by phone.

I found a product called warmfloor, its a carbon mat that uses about half the electric as the wire products. I bought it for my bathroom, Its very expensive but it works great. Now i see there's a new product called Chill Out, it's cheaper than the wire probucts. I think I'll try on my next bath floor.

Check out WarmWaves.com and its BJ the Man who gets the job done. This product is superior to everything mentioned here and comes with a 10 year warranty.