Why you should trust us
I’ve been reviewing and writing about consumer gadgets since 2007 and freelance for a number of tech publications. I previously worked as reviews editor at Mac|Life, where I’ve benchmarked and reviewed more gadgets and gizmos than I can possibly count. Over the last year, I’ve spent more than 65 hours researching and testing dozens of hand warmers over the course of two updates to this guide.
I also interviewed Dr. David Bozentka, chief of orthopaedic surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, to get his perspective on the causes of cold hands and some tips for using hand warmers safely.
Who this is for
Unless you’re an outdoorsy type or you live someplace where winter means snowstorms, you might not know hand warmers even exist. In relatively mild San Francisco, the people I encountered appreciated the value of a hand warmer—once I explained what one is.
Essentially, there are two kinds of potential users, and each has different needs. A rechargeable hand warmer makes the most sense for people running errands, going to work or school, or otherwise going about a normal urban or suburban day in colder weather. Such devices run on lithium-ion batteries, and you can turn them on and off as needed. To recharge HEATBANK – USB HAND WARMER + POWERBANK find the nearest wall outlet or USB port.
For more extreme conditions, a traditional catalytic hand warmer offers unbeatable run times. This kind could be more appealing if you work, camp, or play sports outdoors in cold weather, away from a power outlet for several hours at a time. Heavier users will appreciate that a catalytic hand warmer can last roughly three times longer than a rechargeable. But it’s slightly less convenient to operate—you can’t usually turn it off, and you have to fill it with lighter fluid before use. Our tests showed the heat output is roughly equivalent.
Our pick
Our pick: the best for most peopleHuman Creations EnergyFlux Ellipse 5200mAh
It’s affordable, easy to use, and lasts long enough for most day-to-day purposes.
$36* from Amazon
*At the time of publishing, the price was $31.
After reviewing all of the hand warmers currently available, we’ve decided that the EnergyFlux hand warmer from Human Creations should remain our top pick—it offers comfortably warm temperatures, the ease of a rechargeable battery, and the flexibility to also power a smartphone. We tested the now-discontinued 4,400 mAh model over the course of a few weeks, running about a dozen charge cycles, testing run times and temperatures, and gathering subjective impressions of how it functioned in normal, day-to-day use. The EnergyFlux offers ample run times (it regularly lasted more than six hours), a reasonable price, and the ability to reach temperatures on a par with those of catalytic hand warmers.
Excellent run times and simple operation make the EnergyFlux our top pick for the second year running.
It’s a great choice for anyone who regularly needs a hand warmer over shorter periods of time. For a city dweller commuting in cold weather, a homeowner briefly working outdoors in winter, or anyone walking a dog through the snow, this is perfect.
Charging the EnergyFlux is simple enough. With the included AC adapter and cable, the hand warmer can recharge from a powered USB port or a wall outlet. It takes about 4 hours, 30 minutes to charge from empty. There’s also an on/off switch, which makes it much more convenient for shorter usage times than traditional catalytic hand warmers (like our other pick), which run until the fuel is depleted.
A three-position switch controls the EnergyFlux. Sliding the switch to the “1” mark puts it into low heat mode, and an LED glows green. Moving the switch to the third position turns the heat up to high, and the LED correspondingly changes to red. It takes about seven minutes for the EnergyFlux to fully heat up, but you can feel the heat increasing in a minute or so.
The metal surface gets too hot to touch directly, reaching temps of up to 124 degrees Fahrenheit when running on the high setting. Placing the warmer inside the included sleeve brought that down to a toasty, comfortable 111 degrees—on a par with the top performers in our test. The EnergyFlux ran at full tilt for 6 hours, 20 minutes. The manufacturer suggests that it’s likely to run on the high setting for three and a half hours, but additional tests netted similar 6-hour-plus results.
Using the included USB adapter, you can charge your phone or other small device. During testing, it filled up my iPhone 6 battery—which had dipped into single digits of remaining battery life—in about 2 hours, 15 minutes. By comparison, a standard iPhone charger plugged into an AC outlet takes 1 hour, 40 minutes to recharge from the same state. To charge a USB device, simply plug in your phone and it starts drawing a charge from the battery, without heating things up.
Human Creations has since discontinued the model I tested and replaced it with the EnergyFlux Ellipse, a version with a larger, 5,200 mAh battery. This bigger battery should only increase its life, so we still feel confident recommending the newer hand warmer.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
All battery-powered warmers have drawbacks. Price is one. While the Zippo and other catalytic hand warmers are in the $14 to $18 range, you’ll probably pay around $30 for the EnergyFlux. Since it’s basically a large battery, the EnergyFlux (and others like it) will eventually lose ability to hold a useful charge, but the manufacturer rates the lithium-ion battery inside for up to 500 charges. The EnergyFlux lacks a battery gauge beyond a low-battery warning, so frequent users will have to keep track of the unit’s remaining charge on their own.
Since it does require electricity to charge, the EnergyFlux (and its brethren) would make a poor choice for anyone who is away from an outlet for more than a few hours at a time. It’s also heavier: The EnergyFlux weighs 4.8 ounces, while our favorite catalytic model weighs only 2.5 ounces. That weight difference might not matter to anyone but backpackers, who would probably rule out a rechargeable hand warmer anyway in favor of a catalytic model.
Runner-up
Also Great
$47* from Amazon
$70 from Sears
*At the time of publishing, the price was $46.
Runner-up: USB Convenience with longer run timesKomfort Solutions Kozy Xcel Hand Warmer
It will run for longer than eight hours and has a shape that might work better for people with smaller hands.
If you need the convenience of a rechargeable hand warmer and longer run times, the Kozy Xcel from Komfort Solutions is our runner-up pick. The 9-ounce, 8,800 mAh battery I tested lasts longer than our pick but costs around $40 at the time of writing. That extra money gets you an average of 8 hours, 17 minutes on the high setting. We also like the rounded square shape (which is easier to grip for people with smaller hands) and the array of four LEDs that act as a fuel gauge. The 8,800 mAh battery was the largest in our test group so far—useful for smartphones or other devices that can charge via USB. It recharges an iPhone at the same rate as the EnergyFlux. The eight-hour run time hits a sweet spot between our more affordable, shorter-running pick and a catalytic hand warmer. Kozy has since increased the capacity of the Xcel Hand Warmer’s battery to 10,400 mAh, but the device remains otherwise unchanged, so we feel confident recommending the new version, with what should be a longer life.
The Kozy Xcel lasts all day and doubles the battery capacity of our main pick.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The most obvious downside is the price, and during our time testing these products, the Xcel routinely cost more than our pick. It also gets pretty hot when used outside the pouch. It tops out at 121 degrees Fahrenheit—a few degrees cooler than the EnergyFlux but still plenty warm to keep your hands comfortable. Using it in the included pouch (which is recommended) brought the temperature down to a toasty-but-comfortable 112 degrees.
While run times were among the highest of rechargeable hand warmers we’ve tested so far, they were nowhere near the “10-12 hour” claim on the Xcel’s Amazon listing. Also, for whatever reason, blue LEDs seem to be many hand warmer manufacturers’ favorite color, and blue LEDs have a reputation for being painfully bright. The LEDs on the Xcel are no exception. It’s an admittedly small complaint, but you’ll find yourself staring at them often while checking to see how much charge is left, and the lights “fill” while the hand warmer is charging (which takes about 7½ hours).