ZippoRe-Useable Hand Warmer

I kept this product in my wish list for quite some time and it stayed there for months due to my reluctance to purchase it.I read many reviews saying the fuel was expensive, the catalytic burner was loose fitting, and it was hard to light. For these reasons I began to look elsewhere but always kept coming back to this item.I decided to just go ahead and purchase one along with two replacement burners and a 12oz can of Zippo lighter fuel. The first thing I noticed was how large this thing is. The picture makes it look like the size of a Zippo lighter but it's probably 3 times the size.For my first use I used the included measuring cup and filled it up to the 12 hour mark. From my experience I would suggest just filling the Hand Warmer up straight from the lighter can. It's less messy that way.Lighting the hand warmer was also pretty easy. I held a flame to both sides of the burner for 10 seconds on each side. I turned off the lights just to make sure I could see the orange glow then put the top cover on and placed it in the felt pouch. You can put this in your pockets or under bed covers and this thing will still burn.I have always heard of people saying this is great for cold outdoor weather but it's also great if indoor temperatures are too cold for your comfort. I appreciate it's ability to give me some added warmth in some cold auditorium classrooms I have to sit in.Unless your face is practically touching the hand warmer you and others around you won't notice any odors from the fuel. That's an attribute of any naptha fuel. It's burns hot with low odor so don't worry about using this indoors around others.This hand warmer also burns for hours. I never went to great lengths to measure the burn time but it easily burns for 12 hours. I noticed that the less access the hand warmer had to oxygen the longer it burned.When using this product place it in a pocket. Don't take it out to warm your hands. Too much heat will be lost to the cold environment that you won't benefit as much. Place and keep the hand warmer in a pocket close to your body that is shielded from the wind to maximize your results. Don't worry about the hand warmer burning out, it won't and you'll be thankful for it.If I want to turn the hand warmer off I just pull the burner off real quick and let it cool on a stone surface. I recommend you suffocate the hand warmer in tupperware because you don't want to risk a burn.I've heard that you can buy Coleman lantern fuel very cheaply but Amazon doesn't seem to sell it for the price that others have mentioned. I'll check Walmart or Academy to see if I can find a cheaper source of fuel. Even when you take into account the fuel cost and the cost of the replacement burners this thing still cheaper than what you'll pay for disposable chemical hand warmers.I have already placed an order for another Zippo Hand Warmer. I think people have a point when they say it's best to have a separate hand warmer for each hand in the cold.Update 1: So I went to Academy and bought a 32oz bottle of Coleman naptha fuel for $6 which is great compared to the $8.50 I was paying for 12oz bottles of Zippo lighter fluid. This fuel seems to have less of an odor than Zippo lighter fluid. I've tried Coleman, Zippo, and Ronsonol.I think Ronsonol has the least amount of odor while Coleman is by far the cheapest. All fuels seem to burn the same. I filled the hand warmer to the top of the cotton wadding and I have been seeing burn times over 25 hours. I understand some people new to these types of hand warmers will see the fuel cost as a turnoff but when you experience the burn time as long as these you'll see that chemical hand warmers don't come close in terms of heat output or time.The only thing I don't like is that the felt pouch seems too thick so I find it insulates the hand warmer to much. I think I might make my own cotton pouch to reduce the insulation of the included pouch.Update 2.) Ok so I found that you SHOULDN'T light the burner with a match and I also wouldn't lighter the burner with a Zippo Lighter. I used both of these and thought nothing of it but it seems like you need a blue flame because it doesn't dump sut on the catalytic burner. If you use matches or a Zippo the flame will be orange and cause your burner to turn black with sut buildup. You don't want this. I learned the hard way and had to replace the burner early because I ruined it this way.I now use a cheap Bic lighter and only use the blue part of the flame to light the catalytic burner. It maintains the shiny chrome finish on the burner but more importantly keeps the catalytic mesh material clean. Please please please don't repeat my mistake. I wasted an $8.00 burner when I didn't have to. Bic lighters are cheap as hell and while a torch lighter might work as well because of the blue flame I don't own one so I can't be sure.I also know that regular Zippo lighters have a blue flame but the wind guard obstructs it so I went with a Bic because its blue flame is exposed. I spent $2.00 on a 2 pack of Bic lighters and I am happy with them. It would be great if Zippo lighters worked but I'm not that phased by it.When lighting the hand warmer with a blue flame you may not notice all 6 holes lighting up into an orange ember. That's fine, and normal.Put the lighter aside with the lower half of the hand warmer in the felt pouch and just leave the chrome top of the handwarmer off and leave the burner exposed to the air.After about 10 minutes of being exposed all 6 holes should be bright orange in the dark. At this point put the chrome top cover on and let it heat up for 5 minutes. At this point it will be very hot but it you should be able to pick it up by the bottom because the lower half is in the felt pouch. Zip up the drawstring and enjoy the warmth.I also recommend just buying Coleman camping fuel. It won't burn as hot as Zippo or Ronsonol lighter fluid but it's cheaper. You will feel the difference in how much hotter Zippo Lighter fluid burns but I save my Zippo fuel for those especially cold days. Coleman lighter fluid also leaches the red color from it's red container and will turn the wadding in the handwarmer red. If you want the best of both worlds use Ronsonol. It's cheaper than Zippo lighter fluid but more expensive than Coleman but Ronsonol burns just as hot as Zippo Lighter Fluid and is clear as well so it won't dye the wadding.I hope I helped anyone thinking about buying these. They're a great product but I think Zippo isn't clear about how to best use and maintain the product. Feel free to ask me any questions.

I am very disappointed with these.First, there was some unexplained shipping delay with the first one I ordered. I finally tried to cancel, unsuccessfully. So I ordered another one. Of course, both showed up.But neither works. I follow the directions. I use the little pouring cup to fill them. I use Zippo fluid. I light them with a match, lighter, anything that makes a flame. Sometimes they produce heat for a while and then go out.. Sometimes, they never ignite.I've tried everything. I light them (try to) a half hour before leaving the house. I make sure they stand up straight so they don't flood. Nothing. I've tried putting in less fuel than it calls for, more fuel, no fuel. I'm out of options.I don't want to throw them away, but I don't know what else to do. I am going to try to contact Zippo and get replacement caps- the part you light- and see if that does anything.I've never written a bad review on anything, but this has been disappointing and frustrating. How can something with no moving parts not work?I sent an email to Zipppo a few weeks ago. No reply.I had one of these almost 60 years ago. It was great. Now, not so much.

I thought this was a perfect solution to keep my hands warm on long dog walks in the New England winter. They work, but I would call them an imperfect solution.First, I caution you to make sure that these will fit in your gloves or mittens. I have slightly larger than average womens hands and they fit in my mittens, just barely... I actually bought larger mittens so that the warm air could circulate comfortably around my hands. I recommend mittens, so that your fingers will contact the pouch to keep warm. I often pull in my thumb to keep it warm.As the prior reviews have noted, oxygen is the key to any fire, and these hand warmers work on the same principle. Fill them with lighter fluid and light them up. It's useful to do this with a lighter, since you need to hold the flame on the warmer for several seconds. If you use them immediately, they will be slightly warm in their pouch, but if you allow them to sit out in the air about 15 minutes before placing the cover and pouch over them, they'll be nice and hot. Oxygen is the key and the challenge of these handwarmers! When I start out on my walk, my fingers are really toasty! But being in the pouch, and then placed in mittens, the warmers don't have access to oxygen. By the time I get home after an hour, the warmers are slightly warm. After a longer walk, they are cool. When I pull them back out at home and let them sit out, they heat right back up. Maybe the heat would last longer in a pocket, which would have a better airflow. So, stock up on lighter fluid and enjoy these, just realize their limitations.