Now winter is well and truly here the one thing I found is how cold I feel especially my hands. In this review, the good people from Zippo have sent me one of their portable hand warmers. These warmers come in two options 12-hour heaters or 6-hour heaters. In this review, we got sent the 12-hour option costing £41.95.
History of Hand Warmers
The Handwarmer was originally created by Jonathan T. Ellis in New Jersey in 1891 but you have to travel across the world to Japan and fast forward to 1921 when Japanese inventor Niichi Matoba manufactured a device called the Hakkin Warmer which is still available today.
Fast forward to the 1950s and the US started to produce the hand warmer that is where Zippo comes in and the rest is history.
First Impressions
The Zippo refillable hand warmer will come in handy when the weather gets cold and you can keep your hands toasty regardless of your location. The Hand warmers come in 4 colour options:
- ElectroGold
- Blaze Orange
- Black
- Chrome Finish
The hand warmer measures 2.9 x 2.0 x 0.6 inches (H x W x D) and is fairly lightweight at 1.8 oz.
The hand warmer also comes with a protective fabric bag that is vital when using the hand warmer and you also get a small plastic filling cup also very useful in the set-up more on that shortly. Zippo also provide you with a useful user guide.
How does it work?
The Zippo hand warmer is that via the ignition of the Zippo fluid it becomes a catalytic heater relying on a chemical reaction to create heat. As it burns fuel it consumes oxygen and as a result, creates carbon monoxide hence the Zippo hand warmer has plenty of ventilation holes on the top of the case.
Set-Up
The Zippo hand warmer is a fairly simple set up now consider how long you want to have this device in operation as once set up there is no safe way to turn it off so you just need to wait until its runs out of fuel.
Step 1: The small plastic filling cup that is provided has two markings on it one for the full 12 hours and the other for 6 hours. Measure out your desired account of fuel.
Step 2: Ensure the catalytic burner unit cover has been removed from the hand warmer and then pour in the fuel using the small filler nozzle on the side of the filling cup. Pour the fuel into the cotton-like material at the top of the unit keeping it upright.
Step 3: Make sure you do not mash down the material at the top when filling with fuel. If you mesh it down a toothpick will help you to bring the material back into its natural position.
Step 4: Once you have filled the hand warmer with fuel keep it upright for 2 minutes I allowed 3 minutes to make sure. This allows the fuel to be fully distributed.
Step 5: Put the catalytic burner unit back in place then apply a flame for 10 to 15 seconds, while holding the hand warmer upright. Once lit if you wave your hand over it your feel a little heat. Then place the hand warmer lid back on the device and allow it to warm up this can take about 10 minutes to reach max heat.
Step 6: Once at max heat place the heater into the protective fabric bag just be careful as it will be hot. Then once in the bag, you can now use it to stay warm if at the football or you have gone for a walk in the countryside and want to warm up your hands.
Verdict
The Zippo hand warmer has become very useful since we have been hit with snow and icy conditions. Having this hand warmer in my pocket did keep me warm but when you need to be active with your hands this device is just keeping your pocket warm so it feels a little pointless. However, like I said if you took this to football where you have a lot of standing around this is when they come into their own.
I was impressed with the overall build of this device and the setup is very easy. The inclusion of the fabric bag prevents any burns to the hands meaning it’s very useful to have to keep you safe and warm.
Considering the cost I think it’s excellent value for money, especially on Amazon. You just need to consider you need to purchase the lighter fluid separately which is not very expensive. You will also have to consider the catalytic burners if used regularly you will get around 20 times you can use then you need to purchase a replacement burner which is only £12 via the Zippo website but is also available on Amazon.
Overall, if you’re looking for a way to keep warm in this very cold weather we are having this hand warmer as an excellent option just consider how long you want to use it as there is no off switch.
Product Rating:
Overall ranking: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
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