I was reading a lot about them before I made the purchase, I've had it for a year now. The reviews seemed to say that the zoomed ones get hot spots whereas the exo terra ones tend to just lose their heat overtime and can be paired with a thermostat. I decided to go with the exo terra one, and I haven't had any issues with it. His tiles get to a nice cozy temperature (temp gun shows 77.3F for the tile where it is) and it helps his digestion. Especially when I first got him, he had a lot of tummy aches and having the heat pad on seemed to help. Additionally, when he eats his supper (5PM), my beardie will not go to the bathroom until the following morning, even though he eats it right away and his lights go off at 9PM and he basks. When he doesnt sleep on the undertank heater or if I forget to plug it in, he's really groggy in the morning and gets backed up more often. (Edit: I'd like to clarify that the heating pad is on the underside of his terrarium, with glass and then the ceramic tile on top. It only heats up two tiles in his tank, so by "not sleeping on it" I mean he isnt laying on one of those two tiles)
There was something else on this forum that said having an under tank heater or heat source at night can help their immune system. But if you guys think the undertank heater could be a danger in the future im not opposed to putting it on a thermostat or timer so it shuts off part way through the night. Unless, as I mentioned before, there's some way that I'm unaware of that makes the heat from a CHE actually raise the temperatures.
I assumed since he's alright with the heating pad that the fleece wouldnt be an issue, but I figured its better to ask a stupid question than to regret not asking
Ah! So the heating pad is essentially just a "supplemental" heat source as opposed to being a primary one? Bit of a miscommunication there, I though it was the main heat source you were using. In that case I don't really see much harm to it provided you're certain it's staying in the mid-to-high 70s as you say it is.
I mean, I
personally wouldn't do it, but I've had really good luck with my CHEs and also made a custom wood enclosure (the inside is lined with textured linoleum so there's no issue with either bacteria or him sliding around) for my boy, so there's not really anywhere I could put a heat mat even if I wanted to. Instead I have his primary basking heat source on a 12-12 cycle with a small CHE on the same end on 24/7 during the winter, and generally off during the summer (fall and spring are a day-by-day basis of how cold it's going to be).
From my understanding, the only *problem* with using a heat mat is that it's difficult for them to regulate with since they are adapted to regulate their internal temperatures using radiant heat from above. With this in mind, Beardies are adapted to sense and regulate their temperature in manners conducive to this - changing color (darker to get hotter, lighter to cool), using their "third eye" as a thermometer (some debate over this), and of course moving to cooler/shadier areas. When used as a primary heat source, then, a UTH is an issue because it provides the BD with heat through conduction and, to a lesser extant, convection instead of radiation, with which they are less able to monitor and change their own internal temperature. If the UTH gets too hot (which many of them do without a thermostat) or the BD cannot get away from it, you run the risk of burning or overheating your dragon. But, if it's only a small section of the tank and only reaching the mid-to-upper 70s which is an acceptable night time ambient temperature for BDs, I think you're perfectly fine using it as a "I'm worried about my scale-baby getting to cold" measure. Just make sure that it really is maintaining an appropriate temperature regardless of the season in your house and doesn't have any shorts.
I would definitely put it on a thermostat, if I were in your situation. JumpStart is the cheapest brand that most people "trust", though note that it is not /meant/ for reptiles but rather for starting seeds. Literally hundreds of people use them for reptiles, though, including myself without issue. I even use some Century brand ones and have never noticed any difference between them and JumpStart besides being half the price, but do keep in mind that there may be a reason not as many people use them. A proper reptile thermostat is pretty pricey IMO, but may very well be worth the cost (I wouldn't know, sadly, haha. I will as soon as I move, though, and get to set up a proper reptile room instead of the "reptiles everywhere" situation my apartment is right now).
Note that in an enclosure like mine, convection is also being used to warm the cool end of the tank since the hot air can't escape through the screen except for at the ventilation areas, so it's really the difference between radiation and conduction that's the issue here.
Sorry for the long ramble there, just trying to be complete in explaining my stance here, since it's a bit different and I might refer back to it if someone else posts about UTHs. It sounds like you have a great setup, other then you should get a thermostat. I'm sure Pancake is very happy and I hope you an your BD both enjoy the fleece!
Best,
-Ellentomologist