I have been using the Zippo Hand Warmer about a dozen times and have found that it provides ~20 hours of warmth with one filling -- significantly longer than the advertised 12 hours! Trust me, I have no complaints there! I would have been quite happy with 12 hours, but the longer-than-expected operating times are a very, very pleasant surprise.
- Function
I use the Ronsonol brand of lighter fluid and it works just fine. I have not encountered any problems with lighting the catalytic burner. Important note: the catalytic burner doesn't actually burn; it merely smolders with BARELY a glow. So you can't really tell when it's lit. The only way you can tell it's lit is by the warmth it radiates. I always place it in the flame for 5-6 seconds while I moving it around to avoid hot spots -- and it's never failed to light.
I can't help but wonder if the complaints about the hand warmer "not lighting" are due to users expecting to actually *see* it burning. Like I said earler, you won't see it burning, but all the same it IS lit. The way you tell is by the warmth it emits. It starts off emitting a very faint amount of heat and gradually heats up.
The catalytic burner will last about 70 uses, after which it has to be replaced with a New Catalytic Burner Replacement.
After the hand warmer is lit and capped, it goes into an included pouch. The pouch is quite essential as helps avoid bare skin coming into direct contact with the metal exterior of the hand warmer (and the hand warmer does get quite hot!).
I have used the warmer in my sleeping bag and it made my sleeping bag nice and toasty all through the night. This is definitely one item that I'll be packing along on my hiking and backpacking trips. Here's a tip: to bring along extra fuel, I use an empty nasal spray bottle (the squeeze type, not the metered pump type). The top pops off, so you can refill it with your favorite lighter fluid (don't forget to thoroughly wash the nasal spray bottle first!). If you look closely on most of these squeeze-type nasal spray bottles, you can see a seam where the tip is joined to the rest of the bottle. To remove the tip, pry open the seam slightly with your fingernail and pull the top completely off (you can try using a pair of pliers too). Remove the inner tubing attached to the tip. The tapered tip helps to dispense lighter fluid in a very narrow and precise stream, so there won't be any spillage.
- Measuring Out Lighter Fluid
The lighter fluid is measured out using an included small plastic measure/dispenser. The measure has two marks on it. The top mark on the measure is "one filling" (~ 3/4 oz) and the bottom mark is half that amount (~3/8 oz). The hand warmer consistently gives me ~20 hours of warmth when I fill it with lighter fluid measured to the top mark and ~10 hours of warmth when I fill it with lighter fluid measured to the bottom mark. As you can see, a little goes a long way. DO NOT overfill the hand warmer; use only the recommended amount of lighter fluid or you'll have a fire hazard on your hands! If there is an apt use of the "more doesn't mean better" cliche, this is it.
- Construction
The construction of the hand warmer is quite solid. It is constructed of brass and chrome plated. The cover yields a little when pressure is applied on its broad sides, but it's nothing to be concerned about. When the cover is capped over the body, the whole unit is quite sturdy. One very minor complaint is the cover is a little loose and pops off easily. My solution was to very gently squeeze the cover to close up the opening ever so slightly. Now I have cover that fits snugly.
- Aesthetics
The curvaceous design of the hand warmer and its all-chrome exterior make it very striking. It's a beautiful piece that I enjoy looking at as much as I enjoy using.
- Putting Out The "Flame"
Zippo tells you once the burning has started, it has to burn itself out (when the fuel is exhausted). Not so. A simple way to stop the catalytic burning is to simply place the hand warmer in an airtight ziplock bag. The burner will be snuffed out in a matter of minutes and the hand warmer becomes stone cold again.
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The reports on the substandard construction and performance of this hand warmer really have me scratching my head. The only complaint that I'm inclined to agree with is the loose cover (which I found a simple solution to). Maybe I got a good working unit. It burns hot and it has never prematurely gone out.
There are a couple of hand warmers I suggest you look into too (they have very good ratings). These are the Japanese Peacock Giant Size Platinum Catalyst Metal Hand Warmer and the Deluxe Electric Ignite Metal Pocket Hand Warmer. The Peacock comes in two other sizes besides "giant" -- mini and standard. But these are not available on Amazon (AOTW) but they are available on that big auction site. The other hand warmer uses lighter fluid too, but it is electric and requires no naked flame for ignition.
Good luck finding the hand warmer that suits your needs.
There is a newer model of this item:
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Works great -- how come I'm just finding out about these now?
I received this warmer along with a Zippo lighter as a birthday gift. And what a gift they are! I've never heard of/seen these before and wish I'd come across them years ago. I live in Florida, so that might explain it.My body struggles to stay warm often, so this warmer is quite a blessing. It just so happened that I was out of town this weekend, first real cold front of the year, my friends decided to take me to a restaurant with outdoor seating, and I hadn't quite packed warm enough clothing. Zippo hand warmer to the rescue! I only put 6 hrs' worth of Zippo fluid into it and it ended up going for 12 hours. Even though I only had one, it kept me comfortably warm.A few observations:1) Take your time in filling it up, as it's easy to fill it too fast and have it spill. Wipe off the extra and wait a minute for the excess to evaporate.2) The instructions say you're supposed to use 2x the fuel the first time you use the unit. See #1 -- I tried putting fuel in too fast and ended up spilling a bit, which ignited on me when I went to warm the burner. Not a big deal -- just blow it out. Still, it was a bit exciting for a few seconds.3) The warmer put off a noticeable burning charcoal lighter-fluid smell on the first burn. Subsequent burns haven't produced this.4) It's best to let the unit get up to temperature by leaving it UPRIGHT outside of the pouch for a good 5-10 minutes until it gets almost too hot to touch, then put it in the pouch. It'll stay nice & warm from that point forward. I've occasionally had it lit, then set it down flat only to find that it had extinguished itself. I finally figured out that laying it sideways was sending liquid into the catalyst, quenching it. The catalyst works on vapor, not liquid.5) After refueling, wait at least a minute after attaching the burner before trying to light it. The catalyst works by oxidizing the vapors from the fuel. Giving the vapors time to permeate the burner will make lighting much easier and faster.6) In the initial stages (after filling, after lighting), I find it helps to prop the burner upright to help get the fuel vapors rising into the catalyst.7) If the burner and/or cover aren't fitting tightly, you can squeeze the edges closer together with your hands/fingers. I've not had a problem with the burner popping off like other reviewers had, but I did tighten mine up to be on the safe side.I'm planning on buying a second unit, so I can have one in each pocket.*** Update 11/19/2013 ***Okay, so I've since bought a second one and have had the chance to use these about 10 times now. They definitely get easier to light after the first 1-2 times. I'm still getting ~12 hrs out of "6 hours" worth of fuel according to the little Zippo fuel filler cup. I've also tossed these in the bed a few times as well on the cooler nights when I didn't feel like turning the central heat on. I also notice that there's virtually no smell from them when they're going unless you have them right up near your face.I'm really surprised at just how well these work at keeping me warm, and I do get chilled very easily. In times when I'd normally need a jacket, these keep me plenty comfortable without. I also have to say that they get plenty warm. I'm not sure how/why people aren't getting plenty of heat out of them -- I get plenty, enough that the warmer can't be held comfortably in my hand without being inside the felt pouch.
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xavier
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