@Mom:
I got one of those small frying pan types at a thrift store (well, that's where the Red-E-Defrost came from too) for use in our small office fridge. What I didn't realize is that the evaporator in that fridge is U-shaped and the top liner of the cabinet is exposed above it. The frying pan unit started melting the liner so I had to abort the process.
I've never had any issue with grounding. The Red-E-Defrost isn't grounded but the plastic legs on each end tend to eliminate any grounding concerns. I don't hesitate to reposition the Red-E-Defrost while it's plugged in (touching only the plastic parts), but I also don't deal with the defrosting process in bare feet on my tile floor either.
These devices make defrosting a much quicker operation. They warm things up enough for the ice to be removed in large chunks fairly easily or with a bit of coaxing. From start (emptying freezer contents) to finish (freezer wiped out, restocked and fridge restarted) I'm usually done in about an hour, and the majority of that time is spent doing other things while the Red-E-Defrost takes care of business on its own. Hands-on activity is usually less than 15 minutes total. Place the device in the freezer, close the door, set a timer for about an hour -- depending on how bad the frost accumulation is -- then return to remove the chunks of ice in fairly short order.
Those figures apply to my '57 GE Combination. The full size 1960 Wards Tru-Cold freezer in the basement takes significantly longer because that one has to really get out of hand before I do anything about it (see picture).
As long as there's a non-conductive handle or grip on your frying pan type, you shouldn't have any problem. Just don't place it too near the drain hole in your Combination's freezer since the drain is made from non-metallic material.
