Cold? Wearing gloves to keep your hands warm is all well and
good, but often you might find yourself working outside and in a situation
where gloves are just not an option. But before you resign yourself to a day of
awkwardly pulling your coat sleeves down to cover your slowly numbing digits,
lay your hands (tee hee) on the Hot Rox Electronic Hand Warmer.
This time last year we reviewed a similar gadget from Zippo; their impressive (if a little disconcerting) Hand Warmer. Whereas the Zippo version involved a slowly burning flame held within a metal case filled with lighter fluid (see what we mean?) the Hot Rox is purely electronic, drawing warmth from an onboard USB-charged battery.
Smaller a computer mouse, the Hot Rox is a pleasingly smooth
plastic gadget that features nothing but a micro USB port and top-side switch.
You can either charge it via your computer's USB, or indeed by using the
included mains adaptor. Either way, expect to have a fully charge pocket hand
warmer is about two hours.
There are three settings to the switch; off, medium and
high. Flipping the charged Hot Rox to medium will provide you with a surface temperature
of 43 degrees Celsius for around six hours, whereas high mode produces 50
degrees for half that time. Just a difference of seven degrees in temperature
might not sound like much, but the high setting can at times feel a little too
hot to hold directly against your skin, while the medium setting is always a
tolerable warmth. Thankfully Hot Rox also comes with a little pouch which not
only makes the hand warmer easier to hold, but can also prolong the battery
life by keeping it warmer.
The heat isn't emitted from all around the Hot Rox, but
rather comes from the underside which, although also seems to be some kind of
plastic, feels more rubberised and conductive to heat. That does mean that when
held in both hands, the Hot Rox will need to be constantly turned over to get
the most amount of benefit from the heat - something you didn't have to worry about
with the Zippo Hand Warmer.
Still, being able to charge this thing from a USB socket is
far more peace of mind educing than having fire burning away in your pocket,
and we also love how the Hot Rox looks and feels. We found that the medium
setting was more than enough to take the edge off the coldest of days - and at
six hours of battery life you'll be cosy for the whole day.
Give them a hand. Sorry.
£20
Available from www.amazon.co.uk