Anybody ever use ceramic heat bulbs?

I have been getting fed up with these heat bulbs I am buying, the slightest touch and the base seperates from the bulb and a brand new bulb is ruined.
So was looking online at the ceramic heat bulbs for reptiles. I think it was mentioned on another post about black heat lights? These might be the same thing? Anyways wondering how well they work and if anyone has used them?

HEY! Me too! I thought it was something I was doing wrong. The dang light is sepperating from the part you twist into the socket. It doesnt come totally apart, but you can hear it like a grinding sound and it is loose.
I ahve no idea about the ceramic bulbs. They sound fragile

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Well I have been looking online and they sell them for reptiles. So next time I am in the city I am going to PetSmart and looking there first. I want to try one out before I order a bunch up from the US. I found a supply place down there but they are $20+ per bulb, they say they can last for 5 years but I would like to see that...

Artic not sure how fragile they are, they seem pretty solid to me. The ones I looked at were much smaller than a heat lamp bulb, although they do attach the same way, so a person would have to see how well they work without seperating.

We switch over to the ceramic heat bulbs 3 yrs ago as we too where sick of the issues and expenses of the heat bulbs. Ours last about 2-3 years and are pretty sturdy - they have been dropped and rolled around on occasion! The only thing is they got HOT so we built little wire cages around them to keep the chicks back as it will burn the feathers and skin right off the birds and you. We also use the lower wattage ones - I am thinking 50 w and it does well in the brooding trailer with keeping the brooder temp correct in the area of the bulb.

Good to know Marsha, where do you pick yours up from?

Do they cast light or just heat?

They do just heat, no light.
I was thinking I would do a small red bulb for the first week of life to entice them to where they need to go.
This is what they look like

We get ours from Petsmart or one of the bigger pet supply places when we go to the city. We have never used a light with ours and the chicks are placed under it when they come out of the hatcher and we haven't had issues with chicks not finding it.

I have one and like it very much. They do get extremely hot and I was nervous using it in the house. They also don't 'light up' and you can't see if they are on, but you sure can feel it!

Sue