I suggest you do an internet search on the brands that you have access to. Look up any recall information of fire hazards. There have been issues electrical issues with some brands, but not others.

I've seen one or two consumer warnings by government (Canadian and USA) about these mats (brand specific), so I suggest you go with the mats that have not been put on a recall list.

In our last house we used two different types of heating systems. The first bathroom remodel we used a mat and in the second we used a cable system. The cable system we used took far more time to put down as it had to be laid out and we couldn't just cut off any extra wire, then it had to be covered and leveled with concrete and left to dry at least overnight. Much easier in the first bath as the mat was custom made to fit the bathroom. When it arrived we did the required electrical tests(instructions included with mat on doing this) and then simply troweled (1/4 notch same as for floor tile) on the thinset laid the mat and used a grout float to press into the thinset then imbedded the sensor for the thermostat. The mat is very thin (not much thicker than heavy fabric interfacing)so it did not raise the tile up very much at all unlike the cable system. As soon as the mat is laid you can immediately trowel the thinset right over and begin laying your floor tile. We are currently in the midst of an entire house renovation and will absolutely be going with the mats!!! I'll be using them in all three bathrooms including in the showers, front and back entrances and basement tiled hall. We absolutely loved the mats. The first bath (with the mat) was done almost 15 years ago and never had a problem with the system. The pads are by Nuheat and can be laid under tile, hardwood and carpeting. They are a Canadian company but I have noticed them appearing on quite a few renovation shows made in the US so they probably have distributors there now. For this house all I have to do is use newspaper to lay out the pattern for the size and shape I want the mats to be mail them off and they will make them up for me. We'd had a quote done for a custom mat for the second bathroom and although the cables were cheaper to install (as it turned out only $150.00 when all was said and done) they were much more labor intensive. I only mention this because if you have to pay someone to do the work it will likely end up costing more in the end to do the cables. We are experienced do-it-yourselfers and on the first bath we had no issues with leveling the tiles over the mat but the second bath was a real pain as I had to constantly fuss with the tiles when laying them(done before self leveling concrete was available) so we are more than happy to pay the added cost for a product we know we are very satisfied with. Last piece of advice is if you plan on heating a bathroom floor with either product make sure you find out what distance they suggest to keep the heat away from the toilet base as I've heard that the warmth hitting the cold porcelain of the toilet can cause it to crack. We stayed about (if I remember correctly) about 5" to 6" away all around the toilet.

Apologies for the long response but I do hope it helps you decide what to do. Best of luck with your project!

We've installed Suntouch cable system on the last couple of jobs. Do keep it away from the toilet. It won't cause the toilet to crack, the heat up is gradual and the toilet can take it...it's the wax bowl ring. You don't want that to melt and leak. Ick. We've only done the cable systems as they are more versatile. Suntouch comes with a Howler. A battery operated alarm that will let you know immediately if a wire has been cut. Didn't used to and the only way to know was if the system didn't work...long after you've finished the floor.