Indus-Tool FWXXX Cozy Electric Foot Warming Pad
by Indus-Tool
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Indus-Tool FWXXX Cozy Electric Foot Warming Pad
Customer Review: Not too stinky and very effective
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll start by saying that I am somewhat on the sensitive side when it comes to toxic smells. There is some rubber smell with our new Indus-Tool Cozy Electric Foot Warming Pad, but it is not very strong. I did not notice any smell upon removing the mat from its packaging. Upon heating up, I could smell the rubber (as could my husband and kids), but it wasn't obnoxious enough that anyone commented upon it before I asked if they thought the smell was too strong. (I have a cold and worried I was just too stuffed up to notice the stench others mentioned.)
Now, as far as the functionality of the mat, I am already in love! I bought this Warming Pad for my husband to use under his desk in the office, but I figured I would try it out myself first in case anything was wrong with it, like the super stink or not working out of the box.
Our family room is an addition built over a section of the basement that doesn't get warmed by the furnace. There is insufficient insulation, too. So I'm spending all my time sitting at a desk in a room that stays about 10 degrees (F) cooler than the thermostat, and the floor is particularly cold. It is really hard to feel comfortable without cranking up the heat to a ridiculous level that leaves other areas of the house much too warm. With the mat under my feet yesterday, I never got to that restless, must-go-raise-the-thermostat stage of the afternoon. Warm feet really do make a huge difference. In terms of energy savings, this is especially important in an old, under-insulated, single-zone heated house like mine.
Another reviewer for either this size or the larger warming mat suggested using Carex Bed Buddy Warming Footies in conjunction with the heated pad. GENIUS! With Birkenstocks on, I couldn't feel the heat radiating from the mat to my feet, and I really wanted to feel the heat as the day wore on. (I wasn't cold, mind you, so it was already an improvement, but I wanted really cozy feet.) Wearing just socks, the Foot Warming Pad is actually too hot for me to rest my feet on for hours while I work. With the Bed Buddy Footies, I pre-warm the "bean bags" in the microwave, put them in the booties, and wear the booties on top of the Electric Foot Warming Pad. The booties stay comfortably warm ALL AFTERNOON (several hours+), much like a coffee cup warmer can keep a hot cup of coffee at ideal temperature though it wouldn't be enough to heat that coffee up in the first place.
I hope my husband tries the Indus-Tool Cozy Electric Foot Warming Pad and doesn't care for it, because after two days with it, I'm loathe to give it up. If he wants to keep, I'll definitely be back to order another one for myself.
Customer Review: My toes are toasty!!
Summary: 4 Stars
02-06-2010 Before I bought this electric floor heating mat, I did my normal research. The biggest complaint that I found, albeit a somewhat dated one, was that when this floor mat got hot, it smelled, terribly. I even called the manufacturer and what they said, was that the problem was remedied by a change in the rubber compound. And that it would, even with the new compound still smell for a few days. At least they were being honest about it. They also suggested that if the smell was going to be a problem, just plug it in outdoors, in a protected area from the weather, etc., for a few days and that would work. I decided to take a chance, and bought it. When it arrived I just set it up on the floor, under my computer desk, which is in an unheated room of the house. It did smell for a few days, and to my thinking not to terrible. This is 'subjective' on my part, those of you who buy it, may find that the odor is objectionable. If so just plug it in outdoors for a few days, as suggested earlier. After about five days of continuous use the smell just faded away. The smell is now COMPLETELY gone, not a trace. My feet are warm, toasty, and I'm a happy camper. Three more comments/complaints. First)This mat does get quite warm, 90 watts of heat, 'great' if you're standing on it with shoes on, not so great, if you're seated, as I am at a desk, and kick your shoes off, and have either sock feet, or bare feet on it. It gets too warm for that. If I'm not mistaken there is an additional item that you can buy that will cut the heat down some, although I forget what it's called. It amounts to some sort of a temperature control. Second)This item comes with NO on/off switch. Somewhat inconvenient to always have to plug and unplug it, in order to turn it on and off. (I never go away from the house and leave this item plugged in, and suggest that no one go away and leave this item or any other item like it plugged in, for safety reasons.) The least they could have done was to install an inline power switch. Minor complaint, I guess. The item mentioned above that can be purchased separately to control the temperature, may, or may not, have a power switch with it, I just don't recall. Third)And this is just a comment, not a complaint. This mat does take a few minutes (5-10 min) to warm up. It also will take a few minutes to warm your feet as well, if you are wearing shoes or boots. All in all, I'm pleased with it, and my tootsies are toasty. I'm just sorry that I didn't buy it sooner. I hope this review is helpful to those of you who may be contemplating buying this item. Signed, Warm Feet, Frazier Park, Ca.Customer Review: Will our office ever stop stinking?!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this last winter (2004), despite the many reviews warning about the odor emitted, and boy, do I regret it! I thought I could tough it out; most people said the horrible skunk smell would GO AWAY after some time, and, to me, warm feet would be worth a temporary annoyance. As some have suggested, I plugged this in the garage first, to try to burn off much of the odor before bringing it inside. I left it plugged in a large part of the day for about two weeks. The smell was definitely horrible, but I guess because our garage is very large, and far from airtight, the full extent of the noxious odor was not obvious, until I moved it into the office. In just a few minutes, the entire HOUSE smelled like a charred skunk. But it was more than a smell, it was a TASTE as well, and we coughed quite a bit if we tried to stay in the office with it, and I got a horrible headace. I turned it off and decided to give it another week in the garage, this time I left it plugged in all the time. The second try in the office was JUST as bad as the first, and at this point the mat had been "burning off" its smell for over 3 weeks! I stubbornly left the mat in the office for a week, forcing myself to use it, trying to adjust to or ignore the skunk that was attacking my nose with every breath. After all, it REALLY DID keep my feet nice and toasty warm. Finally I'd had it, I couldn't take it anymore. The headaches and permeating odor were simply not worth it. I took the thing and threw it in the garage, unplugged, where it remains to this day. I only wish I had been realistic and sent the thing back when I had the chance. It is an absolute nightmare. By the way, the reason I thought to write this review today is because when I sat down at my desk I was reminded of this mat , as I am every day, because I smelled the lingering, embedded stink of burning SKUNK that it left behind. And this is October 2005, nearly a year later and several carpet cleanings and after it briefly occupied this space. Does it warm your feet? Definitely. But you've been warned, it isn't worth it!Customer Review: Adequate for me - as expected
Summary: 3 Stars
I read most of the reviews before buying this mat from Amazon, so I had knowledge aforehand. The mat does smell when new - just like auto tires and other genuine rubber items I've used, naturally when heated it may smell stronger; I might add it is surprisingly heavy for the size. It's an industrial product, so I expect a certain degree of coarseness that I wouldn't accept with a consumer item. To the buyers who wrote scathing reviews about how offensive it was, I suggest spending more time out of their refined "hothouse" lives. Yes, the suggestions for a thermostat control, and on/off switch are good ideas - and will likely result in a newer, improved version with such enhancements and higher price; - and more $ ending up in PRC China. The mat is perfect for warming footwear before venturing outside on a cold day! - it is great to use for drying wet shoes, thawing chilled feet and driving sensitive noses wild - hence, ideal when you have congestion. After six weeks of use, I find the aroma virtually gone, but I seldom keep the mat plugged in for more than twenty minutes at a time; one benefit of its dense mass is the retention and radiation of heat for some minutes after unplugging - and yes, it is barely tolerable if you are wearing just one pair of socks; so if you are considering buying this for a senior with poor circulation or low sensitivity, I might add a potential over-heating hazard - I'm sure that it is not an approved medical product and do believe there is golden potential for Homedic or another company to take note of this... and capitalize on it - hint, I'd be happy to be a guinea pig to test any new variations that come to market...Customer Review: Performs as promised
Summary: 4 Stars
Almost didn't buy this based on some of the strongly worded reviews regarding the smell, but I'm glad that I did. The smell is definitely an issue, but I suspect if not inflated in some of the reviews, then some folks have more sensitive noses than others. When first turned on, it definitely had a powerful smell, and I'll admit it made me a bit queasy for a while. However, the sensation on my feet in my 60 degree basement had me determined to stick it out. Either I became desensitized after a few hours, or the smell did indeed fade as promised in the documentation. A day later and I still catch a whiff now and then, but for the most part I don't notice it already.
As far as the function of the product, I couldn't be happier. Note that the pad by itself does not have any controls, you plug it in to turn it on and unplug it to turn it off. The same manufacturer sells the switch that allows you to set hi/low/off. The "hi" setting (plugged in, if you don't have the switch) is very toasty but has never become uncomfortably warm. The "low" setting is probably insufficient in my basement in the dead of winter, but might be more useful in the autumn or spring.
In my mind, this is a great product that performs exactly as promised. I can definitely understand that some people may be more sensitive to the odor than others. My advice would be, give it a shot, if it's too much for you, Amazon has an excellent return policy.