Best CHE

[aroeder1]

I am trying to switch over to a che lamp for night time instead of a heat mat because I will be moving my dragon to a wooden enclosure soon. What brands of che are the best and about how long do they last? Also does a regular light dimmer work to control them or do I need something different?

[kingofnobbys]

I don't need to use any CHEs in my tanks , tropical coastal location , never gets colder than 20 degC in my house (even on the coldest winter night).

Stick to Exo Terra and Zoo Med brands for the CHE. Some people buy elcheapo "no brand" ones from Ebay and from pet chains, and they typically don't last long , some even fail with dangerous consequences ( Snake Ranch in Gosford had their entire facility destroyed by a fire , a dodgey CHE was eventually blamed ).

Control of CHE

You need a regular dimming thermostat to properly control a CHE.

If you wish to stick with heatpads, , they can be safely used in plastic and timber tanks if you sandwich the pad between two layers of ceramic wall or floor tiles , a simple switching thermostat will control a heatpad / heatslab very effectively and safely. I've been using 5W and 7W "heatslab" with not problems and no failures and no overheating issues for over 10 years for my skinks' and dragons' rearing tubs and timber tanks.
This is how I set these up : viewtopic.php?f=75&t=224976&p=1746469&hilit=safe+way+to+use+heatpads#p1746469
the missing image :

[KarrieRee]

I use a mini dome Zoo Med 100 watt capacity and a Zoo Med bulb 100 watt -- I have had the one for years - I just purchased another one this week for my other tank coming today-- it is only used during the winter months -- and its on 24/7 at that time -- I got the bulb from Petco and bought the dome from pangeareptiles --
Karrie

[CooperDragon]

I use a Megaray Heat Projector. I like it because it doesn't get as hot to the touch as a CHE but produces plenty of heat. They handle dimming well (mine is on a pulse dimmer) and have lasted for years in my setup. I have one set up over my roach bin too. http://www.reptileuv.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=196