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The body is fantastically adept at keeping itself cool in hot weather and warm in cooler conditions. This type of warmer creates no actual warmth, though, merely relying on your own body heat for effect.) Ways To Help Keep Hands Warm These are commonly seen used by quarterbacks playing football on frosty days. (It should be noted that there is, arguably, a fourth category of hand warmers that is essentially nothing more than an insulated sleeve into which you can place your hands. Their use does require carrying a store of fuel and way to create a flame for ignition, however. These units burn without any open flame and are in fact even safe when tucked away into a pocket. Some units will burn for as long as 12 hours on a single fill.
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They can provide hours upon hours of heat, with their function limited only by the supply of fuel you have on hand. And of course in an area without access to a battery or power outlet (such as the middle of the forest), they quickly become paperweights.įuel-burning hand warmers have been a mainstay of outdoorsmen and hunters for generations. The most obvious limitation these devices suffer is the temporary warming they proffer, which comes followed by often protracted charging periods. Many such devices even offer several different heat settings, allowing you to customize your warming regimen, as it were. This alleviates any confusion that might be caused by activating chemically reactive warmers and removes the unease some people feel around fuel-burning units. Once charged, they produce heat literally at the flick of a switch or push of a button. (Some varieties are re-usable, with their heating ability restored by boiling the pouches in water - these types tend to produce lower amounts of heat, though.)Įlectric hand warmers offer the obvious benefit of ease-of-use. The drawback to these hand warmers is that most are single-use items that provide heat for several hours and then must be discarded. They work either by a reaction caused by exposure to air or by the mechanical mixing of ingredients within their pouch-style housing. Hand warmers fall into three main categories: those that use a chemical reaction to produce heat, those that use an electric battery for warmth, and those that use an actual self-contained fuel burner.Ĭhemical reaction hand warmers have one major benefit over their counterparts: they are always ready to snap into action, needing no charge from an electrical outlet or fuel-filled reservoir.
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Keep in mind, though, that it runs for about three hours, which isn't as long as many. It fits neatly in the hand as well as in a pocket of a messenger bag or travel purse. Finally, for those who have trouble with bigger models, we added the Zippo HeatBank 3. The styling is a little different, too, although whether one looks better than the other is largely a matter of personal opinion. It boasts an updated slide switch that is a bit easier to use, as well as stronger temperature control that creates a better warming experience overall. We've also opted for the newer EnergyFlux G3 from Human Creations over the EnergyFlux Ellipse. It should be noted that the Zippo option, like most of its kind, does not have an on/off switch if you want something you can turn on for a little while, then put away, it may not be your best bet. These still include The Outdoors Way Rechargeable and the Zippo Hand Warmer, battery-operated and fuel-burning models, respectively. If it ain't broke.Ĭold hands can be so much more than just a minor annoyance, so we have kept a selection of options that offer hours of operation for ongoing relief. Reliability was another deciding factor in our rankings, which is why the catalytic Zippo Refillable and the disposable HotHands Packets still earn top marks. Skiers, snowboarders, and those with Raynaud's Syndrome should also look into heated gloves, which distribute heat more evenly than a single warmer. That's why our favorite electric warmer is the Ocoopa Fast-Charging, which packs an extra-large battery and is one of the first models to support quick charging. Lithium-ion batteries have a habit of underperforming in the cold, which means that manufacturer-listed runtimes are seldom duplicated in the wild. Both brands make newer and more useful models (the Zippo HeatBank 9s and Celestron FireCel Plus) that join our list instead. We updated this list with an eye toward practicality, which meant scrapping models with small batteries like the Zippo HeatBank 3 and Celestron Elements ThermoCharge.
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