HotMat Electric Food Warming Tray - Compact & Portable - Dual Warming Temperatures - Perfect for Shabbos, Home & Travel - TÜV SÜD Safety Certified UPDATED VERSION

This arrived today. We have plugged it into 4 different outlets. There is no heat at all. There was no phone number anywhere on its paper wo.rk I was excited to have this work. However, since I have no other place to complain and ask for a replacement and why it is no working.. I am writing this. I paid for the 4 year warranty. There3 is no confirmation for the warranty either.

UPDATED 9/4/17: I live in a house with a too small kitchen with very little storage so when my current hot plate from the local Judaica store failed again (wires exposed, the bottom actually melting off), I looked into three different brands made specifically for Shabbat figuring that there had to be an energy efficient safe hot plate made for Jews by Jews out there. The HotMat is the more compact than other traditional warming trays and hot plates. It's the only one that I could easily put it in a drawer after Shabbos and hide away. As it is, my kitchen is so small that after Shabbat I was standing my old hot plate on its side next to or under the kitchen table where I used it. I have to say that I was warned, thankfully, that the HotMat might have an odor during the first use and it did smell a bit like burning rubber but as a friend promised, it did go away after the first use. Aside from the HotMat, I discovered these two other different brands. I first looked at and returned Chefman RJ22 Glass Top Large 21" x 16" Electric Warming Tray - Blech Hot Plate for Shabbat which proved too big and heavy for the table where I currently keep my hotplate on Shabbos. As I said, I already don't have a lot of storage space. While several friends recommended, a few complained that it had stopped working altogether unexpectedly. I also looked into the much talked about: TechYid Co Shabbos Safe Hotplate but it was out of stock on Amazon, Kosher Image and all the local stores in Los Angeles. I was told by Kosher Image that it will be back in stock on December 2016. The other non-Jewish brands, most of them used on timers on Shabbat, that came highly recommended are as follows: CORDLESS WARMING TRAY Waring Pro WT90B 400-Watt Stainless-Steel Warming Tray, Black Broil King NWT-1S Professional 300-Watt Warming Tray, Stainless I myself used a Broil King when I lived in NYC with a much larger kitchen but they're just too large for my current kitchen in Los Angeles. I do not recommend Shabbat Hot Plate- Large, 16 1/2" x 22" which runs so hot that it generally burns (and boils) the food, though several of my friends say that they use a barrier of aluminum or tins to prevent this a bit. It doesn't seem to be UL listed either. As my friend pointed out, you want it to be "UL tested, which is a must if you don't want your kitchen to go up in flames." I bought my original HotMat in November 2016 and while putting it away this Shabbos, I noticed scorch marks on the bottom of the hob that connects to the wall plug and that part of the silicone in one place had burned off. Forget that it looks horrible after using it every Shabbos despite many attempts to clean it properly. This just doesn't look safe. See photos. This model had a Hot/Warm/Hot/Warm diagonal configuration. I originally contacted HotMat in Israel but did not receive a reply. I was dismayed but I decided to get another one because I loved the original so much. I was told that "[its] from an earlier production batch which we did experience a small percentage of defects, investigated and solved" by Rafi Gabby, Hotmat's Chairmain in Israel. I bought another HotMat in May 2017 and by August, it stopped working altogether leaving me with cold food on Shabbat. This was the newer model with Hot/Hot next to each other and Warm/Warm next to each other. This time, I found that there was a HotMat USA website and contacted them. I received a reply asking me for my address and asking me if I had covered the mats with anything (I assume they meant aluminum foil as I've seen people do on some hot plates) and I told them I did not. They have promised me a replacement and delivered quickly but I am still out the original money I paid for the first Hotmat. I have just contacted them again and confirmed that the product has a one year warranty and have notified them I would like to receive a replacement for my first HotMat purchased given the scorch marksl. Mr. Gabbay wrote, "As to warranty- since this is a relatively new and innovative product, and in each production we add some improvements, we do our best to support our customers and if they experience a problem like you did we study the problem and replace the units even if the official one year warranty has passed." When it works, the HotMat is great. I'm certainly grateful that the second time around I bought an extra warranty but when I contacted Square Trade, they said it should still be covered under the manufacturer's warranty. I was very impressed with the lengthy email I received from chairman Rafi Gabby after very shorter, more terse emails from Shmuel Cohen and Hope Kashanian. In light of this, I have returned to my original 5-star rating.

UPDATE May 2017 After we had it for a little over a year, it just stopped working. It's a bit pricey, but if it worked it would be worth it. I just went back to the old fashioned rectangular style. Anyway, as other reviewers said, it's a bit small and awkward for larger or many pans, This is an amazing product. Two of the hot plates are warmer than two others, which allows for different foods needing a different temperature. It provides plenty of space for containers, etc. but folds up into a small dish-sized unit. Ingenious!

Edit: I have changed my one star to four because the company did see this review and contacted me. The seller said they will replace the units once they are in stock again, I purchased three at one time within the past year, one for me and two for gifts. Mine has stopped working, as has the one I gave to my daughter. I do not know about the third, and am afraid to ask. It must be a flaw in the design. But that is at least tow out of three dead within a year of purchase. Cute design, but I think the folding ruins the wires.

I waited 2 weeks to have it shipped to France. I so excited. And it NEVER worked. Most useless purchase ever.

The short version: My wife and I love this warming tray and use it every week. When our original unit stopped working, we contacted the manufacturer and they were wonderful and quickly sent us a replacement. The long version: We initially purchased this warming tray in June. We used it happily for many months, and then in September IT STOPPED WORKING. I looked on Amazon and saw a few other reviews that reported the same problem. The other reviews also spoke of issues with trying to get replacements, and disappointment with the manufacturer. I went onto the manufacturer's website ([...]) and sent them a message through their contact page. I very politely told them what had happened and requested either a refund or a replacement. They answered me within 24 hours. They were extremely apologetic and offered to replace the unit for free. They explained that there had been a problem with a small percentage of the units (they were the first version of a new technology, and I guess didn't have all of the bugs worked out) and there has since been a newer version released where the problem has been addressed. I provided them with the date of my purchase and the name of the Amazon vendor who fulfilled the order. In less than 10 days there was a brand new hot plate delivered to my house! We're very happy with the product and their customer service.

Love this but after one year it stopped working out of the blue. For that price I’m very disappointed!

Excellent product. Safe and Shabbat friendly. Great for all our needs on Shabbat, Yom Tov and even weekday use!