Zippo Hand Warmers

[Matreyu]

Does anybody else use Zippo Hand warmers? I have one Zippo brand, and 2 knock offs from China. I got them all set up for today and they were friggin hot! Then I went out in 9 degree temps and within 20 minutes they were ice cold. I only filled them up half way as we knew we weren't going to be out very long.

What happened? How come they wouldn't stay hot? Is there a temp where they become ineffective essentially, or should I have filled them up cuz they would use more fuel?

Thanks in advance

[burck17]

I have one maybe I'll try mine and let you know if it works maybe yours was defective

[Rags777]

i'm using the new smaller 6hr ones that they came out with this year. I have one that get's smoking hot, and one that really pisses me off. both are the exact same. got to screwing around with the one that wasn't working so well and poked a hole in the damn burner , so have to order a new one of those I guess. I really like the size of these ones as they are not huge and only last 6hrs, you can overfill a bit and get 10 out of them as well. I have noticed that mine do not get as hot if I leave them in the little bags they "suggest you leave them in. I put mine in the front pockets of my bibs that are fleece lined and I don't think that they were getting enough air, so I leave them out of the bags and everything seems to work fine then. hope that helps.

[Matreyu]

The manufacturers (Zippo & knock-offs) advise to keep the heaters in the small bags to avoid severe burns, because inside the house I can easily burn myself! So I pop them in the little pouch but don't cinch it closed entirely. I only cinch it just enough so the lid won't pop off while in my pocket.

Once out on the ice, I tend to take them out of the pouch and leave in my Carhart pockets or fleece lined hand muff to get full air flow to the burners. But that seems to put the burners out. I'm getting frustrated too!

By the way, I popped a tiny hole in my asbestos burner too, to allow some air flow. The other 2 I have I did not pop a hole in the burner, and I have the same results. Man oh man, if I can keep these things hot out on the ice like they are inside, I will be a very happy fisher!

[mtnhillbilly]

Being brand new I think they are tough to light! Once I got mine lit this elk season it stayed hot for 2 days! Sometimes it was just warm and sometimes really warm but never too hot to touch? I have another in a package that I think I will take back? I'm also not a fan of the smell while I'm hunting! Even though it was rifle season! I usually hunt archery

[Matreyu]

Being brand new I think they are tough to light! Once I got mine lit this elk season it stayed hot for 2 days! Sometimes it was just warm and sometimes really warm but never too hot to touch? I have another in a package that I think I will take back? I'm also not a fan of the smell while I'm hunting! Even though it was rifle season! I usually hunt archery

The best way to put them out entirely is deprive them of oxygen. I put mine in the pouch and then inside a ziplock bag. I'm not afraid of the plastic melting because, well, for reasons why I posted here!! 

[DR.SPECKLER]

to put them out you take the top off for a few seconds.when I light them let them run a few minutes  and let them breath in the bag to  keep them lit.i found the zippo brand to be hit or miss and not near as good as my old jon e handwarmers.the jon e handwarmers stay hot for 7 to 10 hours and much more reliable the the cheap Zippos.i also run coleman white gas in both and have for 15 years or more with no problems.

[Matreyu]

to put them out you take the top off for a few seconds.when I light them let them run a few minutes  and let them breath in the bag to  keep them lit.i found the zippo brand to be hit or miss and not near as good as my old jon e handwarmers.the jon e handwarmers stay hot for 7 to 10 hours and much more reliable the the cheap Zippos.i also run coleman white gas in both and have for 15 years or more with no problems.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I'll give the white gas a try. I was using standard zippo lighter fluid, as I'm sure many of us have been.
I too let them run for awhile in my kitchen for a good 15-20 minutes while I finish getting my gear on. They are fine all the way out onto the ice, and then nothing!! All 3 of them!!

I'll have to look for authentic jon e's! I need something that works!!

[Rags777]

I just do not get how one works great while the other not so much. I mean the one gets hot, like ouch hot when you are inside! the ones I got have no odor at all and were advertised as such, guess that's one part that they got right  . I usually light mine about 20-30min before I leave for the lake so that by the time I get there they are ready to go. im happy with the performance of the one that works well, and the other one if I can get it fixed. just don't understand how it would differ from one to the other. I mean it is a simple design and there is nothing I can see that would make one out perform the other. just don't get it I guess

[uncleshorty]

I have two old jon-es that work great.  I fill them with zippo lighter fuel and they heat forever  (days,not hours).  I keep them in the bags in which they came and put them in my coat pockets.  I light them with a butane lighter someplacewhere there is NO wind.  Let them get going and heat up before bagging and pocketing.  To shut them off I just flip the mesh screen off for a few minutes.

I have not heard many good things about the new zippos.  Are the screens extra fine wire mesh or something else?  That would seem to me to  the only variable to impact performance.

[Greg2ha]

Does anybody else use Zippo Hand warmers? I have one Zippo brand, and 2 knock offs from China. I got them all set up for today and they were friggin hot! Then I went out in 9 degree temps and within 20 minutes they were ice cold. I only filled them up half way as we knew we weren't going to be out very long.

What happened? How come they wouldn't stay hot? Is there a temp where they become ineffective essentially, or should I have filled them up cuz they would use more fuel?

Thanks in advance

I bought two last year for for ice fishing late in the year. This year I am working construction and broke them out to give a try. They worked really well. My problem was I would come home and they would still be heating. So this morning I back them off to about half of the full setting on the little tea pot deal. They were both done before lunch today. They must be very sensitive to the amount in them.

[ICEHOLE]

i think they work good, i have a zippo brand and i am sure not to let it get air and it stay warm for hours...i dont use it much for my hand, more for the cooler pocket i keep my ridgid batteries in. but i have found my self gripping one trying to get the sting out of the cold hands...

[Loso015]

Sounds like it's not  a hot item 

[idahohunter1]

I really like mine, they have gone out on my once in a while. I figured it was either not enough air or they didn't get hot enough to keep burning before I put them in the bag then pocket. Oh! And don't light them in a hotel room, I did once and the fumes from them burning set off the fire alarms! Lol. 😎