Zippo Hand Warmer Review - Anyone Use These?

[halliedog]

Wasn't sure where to post this, but figured this was as good as any since they are now as important equipment to me as showing up at the course with my clubs.

 

We here in NE Ohio got our first cold wave the last few weeks. I have poor circulation in my hands/feet and can't stand to play with cold/numb hands, but am not ready to give up the season just yet. In fact, my group usually plays until the ground is snow covered as long as the temperature is above 35*-38*. I have several base layer outfits, flannel lined pants, wind-proof shirts, wool socks, etc, but have been struggling the last few years to keep my hands/fingers warm enough to play.

 

I've been using the disposable charcoal/chemical hand warmer packs for the last 7-10 years or so with varying results, mostly sub-par. Sometimes they suffice, but take a long time to heat up to maximum temp (which isn't all that warm to begin with), sometimes don't last an entire round, and sometimes just don't do much at all (they degrade with age, even if "sealed" in their airtight packaging). Every now and then I get lucky and stumble on some that are fresh, heat up on my car defroster from the ride from my driveway to the course, and last the entire round, but usually not. I'm getting older and decided if I was going to keep playing into the late Fall this year I needed something better, and stumbled on these Zippos through a Google search.

 

I read some reviews, and found I could pick some up locally a WallyWord for instant trial, rather than ordering online and waiting a week or so for delivery. They can also be bought at Target, Dicks, and outdoor/hunting stores in the hunting or camping departments (although my Dicks didn't have any in and the guy told me he didn't remember ever stocking them). They run about $13 each, and you will also need to buy some lighter fluid, about $2 for a 4oz can.

 

What it is is a metal case that holds batting to store the lighter fluid, a "heating element", a cap, and a pouch to put the unit in once lit. The key seems to be the "heating element", which is a screen impregnated with chemicals that once ignited, produce a flameless chemical reaction that puts off a great amount of heat.

 

You remove the cap, fill the batting with lighter fluid (sold separately). The package I got came with a filling cup, basically a plastic cup with a spout on one end and measuring lines for "1/2" and "Full". The "1/2" is supposed to give you 6 hours, the "Full" 12. After filling the batting you put the "heating element" on and hold an open flame to it for 5-10 seconds to ignite it. It then uses the wicking action of the batting to use the lighter fluid as fuel for the chemical reaction. You put the cap on (to cover the heating element), slip in the protective pouch and are good to go.

 

I have been using these for 2 weeks now, and am quite happy. Yesterday I took my 12 year old son for his first visit to the Horseshoe @ OSU for the Maryland game, and coming from Akron, wasn't sure what to expect for weather. I loaded them with fluid and lit them at 6AM. They were at maximum heat within 10 minutes and stayed lit and hot all day long. We got home around 10PM and they were both still going strong! Got similar results golfing last weekend golfing - both lasted around 14 hours. Today I had an issue with one where the "heating element" came off from being dropped on cart path and I couldn't get it re-lit, although I didn't want to exhaust my Bic and it could have been low on fluid.

 

Pros:

- Re-usable

- Heats up pretty fast

- Gets hotter than the disposables

- Can be made hotter or cooler by using the supplied pouch for ventilation control

- Can last up to 14 hours

- Doesn't have the "Zippo" smell of lighter fluid

 

Cons:

- Have to fill for each use with lighter fluid

- "Heating Elements" have a limited life as the chemicals burn up (replacements are about $7, and are rated for about 70 uses)

- Require an open flame to ignite

- If the "heating element" becomes dislodged from the unit it stops working and can be difficult to re-ignite

- Fit/Finish seems a bit lacking as "heating element" and cap don't seem to fit on the main body snugly (I fixed this for the most part by simply pinching everything together with my fingers)

 

Tips:

 

1. Zippo's website says once lit you can't extinguish the chemical reaction. This is technically true, but you can simply remove the unit from the pouch, pop off the cap, then use the pouch like an oven mitt to pop off the "heating element". The unit will cool down within a few minutes. Since this is a chemical reaction that requires oxygen, the less airflow the slower the reaction.

 

2. This gets very warm, but not anywhere "burning hot". I find using the unit in the pouch to not be warm enough for my tastes, so I put them in my pockets without the pouch. I keep a fresh ball in with it to keep the ball warm and rotate every few holes, and can stick my hands in to play a little "pocket pool" whenever my fingers get cold.

 

3. You can use less fluid for shorter burn times - extends the life of your "heating element".

 

Sorry for the long writeup, but just discovered these, and they are the greatest thing since sliced bread for me so far. Now that I have the units, and lighter fluid is so cheap, I can't see myself going back to the disposables. Just need to find a place to source the replacement "heating elements" cheaply.

[dunn]

Handwarmer?......still hundred friggen degrees here.....is it that cold already back east?@

[halliedog]

Got off this morning without frost delay in Akron OH, but just barely! Low 40s, and you know it always frosts on a golf course than on you yard/car.

[flintof1]

Not worth your time or frustration. Good idea, horrible product. Bought it to try out off the clearance rack and it is a huge waste of money. The problem is, there is no way you can not turn it off. It constantly burns for 12 hours. It's super dangerous taking it from the course back home because of the exposed flame and you have to leave it outside to let it burn out. You're much better off getting the cheap hand warmers from the pro shop which put out twice as much heat as the zippo.

[halliedog]

[quote name='flintof1' timestamp='1444624972' post='12444270']
Not worth your time or frustration. Good idea, horrible product. Bought it to try out off the clearance rack and it is a huge waste of money. The problem is, there is no way you can not turn it off. It constantly burns for 12 hours. It's super dangerous taking it from the course back home because of the exposed flame and you have to leave it outside to let it burn out. You're much better off getting the cheap hand warmers from the pro shop which put out twice as much heat as the zippo.
[/quote]

Sorry, I totally disagree with all of what you said. First off, the only time there should be an "exposed flame" is when you ignite the heating element. After that, the chemicals in the heating element along with the lighter fluid fuel produce a flameless exothermic reaction that gives off heat. Also, in my experience they get much warmer than the cheapo disposable warmers. And to "turn it off" you simply use a cloth to remove the heating element from the fuel for about a minute.

[flintof1]

[quote name='halliedog' timestamp='1444648149' post='12444574'][quote name='flintof1' timestamp='1444624972' post='12444270']
Not worth your time or frustration. Good idea, horrible product. Bought it to try out off the clearance rack and it is a huge waste of money. The problem is, there is no way you can not turn it off. It constantly burns for 12 hours. It's super dangerous taking it from the course back home because of the exposed flame and you have to leave it outside to let it burn out. You're much better off getting the cheap hand warmers from the pro shop which put out twice as much heat as the zippo.
[/quote]

Sorry, I totally disagree with all of what you said. First off, the only time there should be an "exposed flame" is when you ignite the heating element. After that, the chemicals in the heating element along with the lighter fluid fuel produce a flameless exothermic reaction that gives off heat. Also, in my experience they get much warmer than the cheapo disposable warmers. And to "turn it off" you simply use a cloth to remove the heating element from the fuel for about a minute.[/quote]

They must have improved the design of the version I had tried of this. Could explain why it was on the clearance rack...albeit it has been 2 years since I purchased it.

[halliedog]

I won't say they aren't without flaws, like "iffy" fit and finish (have to be careful not to drop them or the heating element will pop off, killing the reaction) and it takes a few minutes to refill the lighter fluid each time you want to use it. I do find them superior to the disposables in almost every other way though. I've only had mine a few weeks, but so far so good.

I had never seen them before, so just wanted to make a post for others like me who use hand warmers and didn't know these existed. The "review" was primarily to give my opinion and a few tips I picked up about using them effectively via Google. They now also make battery powered hand warmers that get just as hot, but only last about 6 hours (plenty for a round of golf) and they also can recharge you cell phone. They are rechargeable through a USB port. A bit more pricey, but kind of wishing I might have went with 2 of these, as I don't need 12-16 hours of warming.

[iamhuey]

i purchased 2 recently... they definitely run hotter than the one time use bags... i like it because they are resuable... i filled the supplied filler container at about half and got 5 hours of use out of it, died when i got home.
as to putting it out, i have read put it in a ziplock bag, seal it. as soon as it runs out of oxygen it will shut it self off... and as halliedog has stated, take off the heating element it will stop burning, i just the edge of the lid cover and just knock it off.

i like them

[xxjonesyxx]

I had one and the element bit kept coming off somehow (poor fit and finish i guess) halfway through my round and going out. It was too fiddly to relight whilst playing so I have given up on in, YMMV.

Neil

[Hateto3Putt]

I bought one from Amazon, it wouldn't stay lit.

I gave it a one star review. After reviewing, the seller said he would replace it with two of them if I took down my review.

I took the review down, he sent me two brand new ones.

Neither one would stay lit.

I really, really, [size=5]really[/size] wanted these things to work, I did all the lighting tricks, watched YouTube for cures, nothing helped.

Glad they worked for the OP, but my experience with them is that they suck.

[Bonhomme Richard]

To "shut it off" simply put it in a ziplock bag or a Tupperware for a minute or so. The heater extinguishes with no oxygen.

It's a nice little gadget, but I barely use mine.

[Chief Illiniwek]

I have one made by a different company that I use when goose hunting in single digit weather. Without it I probably wouldn't go in that kind of weather. Never used it for golf though.

[halliedog]

[quote name='xxjonesyxx' timestamp='1444755814' post='12450702']
I had one and the element bit kept coming off somehow (poor fit and finish i guess) halfway through my round and going out. It was too fiddly to relight whilst playing so I have given up on in, YMMV.

Neil
[/quote]

This is my major complaint, the "fit/finish" is poor. I have found through trial and error that you can "pinch" the edges of both the heating element piece and the cap itself to make them fit pretty snuggly, but not exactly tight. Since my ghetto style "pinching" they are much more reliable, but not able to withstand dropping or bouncing around in a cart cup holder. I don't seem to have problems since pinching them as long as they stay mostly in my pockets.

[halliedog]

[quote name='iamhuey' timestamp='1444700357' post='12448210']
i purchased 2 recently... they definitely run hotter than the one time use bags... i like it because they are resuable... i filled the supplied filler container at about half and got 5 hours of use out of it, died when i got home.
as to putting it out, i have read put it in a ziplock bag, seal it. as soon as it runs out of oxygen it will shut it self off... and as halliedog has stated, take off the heating element it will stop burning, i just the edge of the lid cover and just knock it off.

i like them
[/quote]
[quote name='Bonhomme Richard' timestamp='1444792235' post='12453568']
To "shut it off" simply put it in a ziplock bag or a Tupperware for a minute or so. The heater extinguishes with no oxygen.

It's a nice little gadget, but I barely use mine.
[/quote]

I have read about putting them in air-tight bags, but much simpler to me to take the cap partially off then use a tee/divot tool/car key to pop the heating element off into the cap. That way the reaction stops immediately and you don't have to worry about burning your finger by touching the element.

[LoPan12]

These actually aren't new...they've been around from about 90 years!
Remember when you pop that element off, to do it onto a suitable surface. IE, not the interior of the trunk of your car, or similar. I just pop them on to the asphalt where I'm parked while unloading other stuff.
The other con for me is the faint odor that it emits. Depending on the pocket it goes it, it has worked its way to the inside of my jacket, and can be unpleasant.
I suspect that some of the cheaper versions might not have as good a quality element as others. It uses a platinum catalyst (works like the catalytic converter in your car! The more you know!!), so if a factory is going to skimp to save money, thats where its gonna be. I've carried two (one on each side) before, and it's actually made my midsection too warm...and that's with snow on the ground.

[larrybud]

If the disposable warmers don't get hot enough for you, use two pair. When you have two in one pocket, the heat each one gives off kinds "feeds" the other one... Chemical reactions occur faster the warmer the temp.

[brew4eagle]

I just played a cold weather scramble and the wife gave me the Zippo as an early stocking stuffer.  It worked great, nice and toasty.

[Chilidog]

I didn’t use this particular one but used the rechargeable hand warmers for 2 years and then I discovered the GTech hand warmer pouch. That is all I use now and it is great as it keeps the whole hand warm and not just the palm. 

[nitram]

It's still hard to beat the Zippo style hand warmers but lighter fluid is getting harder to find.

[efduffer]

I just use Coleman white gas, same stuff. You can find it in almost any outdoor sporting goods store. I buy it by the gallon since I use it for lanterns, camping stoves, etc. I simply refill my Ronsonol bottle to keepit easy and handy.

[Chilidog]

Just curious for all the Zippo people here, why would you hassle with having to manage the Zippo and all of its headaches vs just plugging in one of these and not having any of the negatives of the Zippo?

 

OCOOPA Hand Warmers Rechargeable, 1 Pack 5200mAh Electric Portable Pocket Heater, Heat Therapy Great for Outdoors, Hunting, Golf, Camping, Warm Gifts https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07H3LZGSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W7H706XWVYPX5M40AD8H

[nitram]

48 minutes ago, Chilidog said:

Just curious for all the Zippo people here, why would you hassle with having to manage the Zippo and all of its headaches vs just plugging in one of these and not having any of the negatives of the Zippo?

 

OCOOPA Hand Warmers Rechargeable, 1 Pack 5200mAh Electric Portable Pocket Heater, Heat Therapy Great for Outdoors, Hunting, Golf, Camping, Warm Gifts https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07H3LZGSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W7H706XWVYPX5M40AD8H

Personally, I've had a set of Zippo's for the past 25 or so years. I just don't see the rechargeable ones being dependable for that long. Not that I could keep up with 'em or the charger for that long either LOL

[brew4eagle]

5 hours ago, Chilidog said:

Just curious for all the Zippo people here, why would you hassle with having to manage the Zippo and all of its headaches vs just plugging in one of these and not having any of the negatives of the Zippo?

 

OCOOPA Hand Warmers Rechargeable, 1 Pack 5200mAh Electric Portable Pocket Heater, Heat Therapy Great for Outdoors, Hunting, Golf, Camping, Warm Gifts https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07H3LZGSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W7H706XWVYPX5M40AD8H

I was given the Zippo as a gift so didn't research it.  If I was to go buy one myself I'd research how long each lasts and what temps they reach and then weigh that against the costs.  As far as the 'hassle' comment goes, there wasn't any hassle with the Zippo.  Just add some fluid and light it, then it stayed super warm.

Edited December 20, 2021 by brew4eagle

[efduffer]

On 12/20/2021 at 8:50 AM, Chilidog said:

Just curious for all the Zippo people here, why would you hassle with having to manage the Zippo and all of its headaches vs just plugging in one of these and not having any of the negatives of the Zippo?

 

OCOOPA Hand Warmers Rechargeable, 1 Pack 5200mAh Electric Portable Pocket Heater, Heat Therapy Great for Outdoors, Hunting, Golf, Camping, Warm Gifts https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07H3LZGSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W7H706XWVYPX5M40AD8H

I choose items like that carefully for many reasons.

'Recharging' a fueled unit takes <2 min, electrics take hours. I also use them for camping, so a rechargeable unit on a multi-day trip is useless after it runs out.

Then there's the limited lifetime of them. Electronics typically last far shorter than other devices, especially something that is essentially a controlled shorted circuit. I have an oil/charcoal stick handwarmer that's over 40 years old and still works perfectly. The Zippo units have been going strong for over 3 years, no issues.

Then the disposal/recycle issues that go along with electronics when they stop functioning is another item in my head. I'm not shy about electronic items, but they aren't always the solution to everything.

The value and benefit of a non-electric (for me) is far greater before factoring in the cost per use and still win after considering that.

 

[Twohey]

I've used rechargeable, disposable and the zippo handwarmers over the years.  My preference are definitely the zippos (after modification).  After modificaton, they will run hotter than original. 

 

The disposables are warm enough but end up being costly in the long run and generate more waste.

 

The rechargesables are hit or miss and lose heat as you use them and takes a bit of time to warm back up.  The colder it is is, the faster they'll run out.

 

After trial and error and modifications, the zippos are my go to hand warmers.  Here are my mods/tips:

 

1)  THEY CAN BE EXTINGUISHED:

 - Either remove the heating element to stop the catalytic reatction that generates the heat.  But you need something to grab the catalytic element andrisk burning yourself.

-  I simply drop them in a old sock and then seal them on a zip lock bag.  Once you cut off the oxygen, they'll extinguish, and you save most of the remaining lighter fluid for next time.

 

2)  Zippo's cotton fill and catalyst material are junk and need to be replaced once they wear out.  The cotton material will eventually singe and form a crust that prevents the fuel vapors from consistently getting to the catalyst.

 -  Use a dremel to cut off the "gate" that holds the cotton fill and remove with tweezers

 -  Buy some felt welding cloth and cut into strips and stuff the zippo body.  These will withstand high temps beyond what the handwarmers generate.

 -  Buy a pack of platinum embers.  These are the same things used in gas fireplaces and pits for the glow.

 -  Buy a couple springs that will fit the top piece that holds the catalyst material.  You want them to fit towards the top so they don't contact the fill material.  Stuff the platinum embers into the spring.  (I use a respirator and gloves since the platinum embers are fine fiberglass material.)

 

I also use an arc lighter instead of a flame to get these going.  All they need a a little spark and they'll get going.  Best to do in a darkened room so you can see the embers start glowing.

[Hawkeye77]

Looks like a bigger, flatter version of the jon-e hand warmer I used at age 12 in the winter when delivering newspapers and especially the night I was out collecting $.40 from each of 86 customers door-to-door. I remember it fondly and it was a gamer. 

[Chilidog]

I appreciate all the comments to my question. And I can definitely see the side of the electronic hand warmers not lasting while a Zippo will. Thanks guys. 

[BIG STU]

23 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Looks like a bigger, flatter version of the jon-e hand warmer I used at age 12 in the winter when delivering newspapers and especially the night I was out collecting $.40 from each of 86 customers door-to-door. I remember it fondly and it was a gamer. 

Used both the jon-e and Zippo back in the day bird hunting with my old man in the winter. Those things lasted all day-- Did not know until just now they still made those- I carried one in each pocket of my hunting coat and yes they did keep me warm

[LeoLeo99]

I have tried all types of hand warmers.  They all left me disappointed.

 

Have two battery powered ones supposed to last 4 to 6 hours.  They barely make it through 9 holes.  

 

Have a 6 hour and 12 hour Zippo.  The 12 hour Zippo lasts a good 12 to 13 hours in my house but only about 4 to 5 hours on the course.  The 6 hour lasts 2 to 3 hours on the course.  And they are difficult to light.  

 

The 10 hour Hot Hands work well but only last about 3 hours on the course.  

[blink3665]

On 12/20/2021 at 6:50 AM, Chilidog said:

Just curious for all the Zippo people here, why would you hassle with having to manage the Zippo and all of its headaches vs just plugging in one of these and not having any of the negatives of the Zippo?

 

OCOOPA Hand Warmers Rechargeable, 1 Pack 5200mAh Electric Portable Pocket Heater, Heat Therapy Great for Outdoors, Hunting, Golf, Camping, Warm Gifts https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07H3LZGSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W7H706XWVYPX5M40AD8H

 

I have 2 OCOOPA hand warmers. I love them. I use it for golf, snowboarding, and sitting in the cold for football games. I also like that I can use it to power up my heated vest, or charge my phone. So far I havent had any issues with the heat being to low or the battery dying. I use the 9000 mAh version here