Whilst people working outside or using the great outdoors for recreational uses have for many years been forced to suffer through wearing either thick gloves or mittens in order to fight the cold away from their hands, it may be that a new answer is now staring them in the face, with an innovative product from Zippo.
The Zippo hand warmer has been specially developed and produced to work on the same principle as Zippo’s famed lighters to provide an effective and long lasting method of keeping hands warm in even the coldest or harshest of weather conditions.
The Zippo hand warmer is a small (10cm x 7cm) metal hand held device which is powered and in turn refilled using standard Zippo lighter fluid. The warmer comes in a variety of styles such as chrome or black metal which not only give it an aesthetically pleasing and sleek design but also mean that it can be engraved as a special gift.
For the ease of the user the Zippo hand warmer comes complete with its’ own filling can for safe, quick and non-messy refill and a cloth pouch. The cloth pouch is extremely important as it not only protects the device from any scratching or blemishing which would tarnish or damage it but also regulates the amount of oxygen which reaches the burner ensuring that the temperature is controlled as well as providing a layer which helps to protect more delicate skin against too much heat escaping, although it should be added that these devices regulate their own heat and actual burning is near-on impossible.
How does it work?
The Zippo hand warmer works in a very similar way to a Zippo Lighter would; through a catalytic burning process, only where a lighter would usually produce a flame with which to traditionally light a smoking product the Zippo hand warmer simply produces the heat which is required to warm cold hands. The device is lit by lighting (with another heat source) a flint which, instead of being set alight as a traditional lighter would, only glows and produces heat for up to 12 hours by way of a chamber of Zippo lighter fluid. The Zippo hand warmer can be used between 70 and 80 times with the same catalytic burner, although these can be replaced and are sold separately by Zippo as an extendable attachment, giving one burner a working life of up to 960 hours.
Health and Safety
Although the Zippo hand warmer has been tested and guaranteed safe for human use in a variety of weather conditions there are a number of health and safety instructions which relate mainly to the filling and lighting of the device rather than its’ general use. The manufacturers recommend that users refilling the Zippo hand Warmer should only use the provided filling can, away from naked flames and users should always wash their hands between filling the device and lighting it. There are also warnings over the use of the device for children and those with delicate skin conditions.
