Product test

Zippo 6 and 9S: toasty hand warmers that are slow to get going

9.1.2024

Translation: Katherine Martin

When the temperature drops below freezing, even the warmest of hands get chilly. Can Zippo’s electronic, rechargeable hand warmers help with that? To find out, I gave them a whirl.

Zippo? As in the cigarette lighters? Yep, the very same. The iconic US brand sells not only lighters, but also hand warmers. I tried out two models with built-in battery packs. While they technically work in the same way, they differ in shape and colour. What’s more, the 9S model has slightly more capacity and twice as many heat settings.

Hand and foot warmers

Zippo HeatBank 6

Hand and foot warmers

Zippo HeatBank 9s Plus

For my review, I headed off on a ski weekend with the two hand warmers in my jacket pocket, then assessed how they fared in everyday use. I also tested how quickly the hand warmers heated up (both at room temperature and at around 0 degrees Celcius) as well as how long they stayed warm at different settings.

Day-to-day use

Both models fit comfortably in my hand, with the slightly roughened plastic providing good grip. At 4.8 centimetres, the 9S is almost half a centimetre wider, making it a slightly more comfortable fit for larger hands. Though the design might look more ergonomic, the advantage is minimal. I actually found the 6 model more pleasant to hold.

The shape of the 9S reminds me of a prehistoric hand axe.
Source: Martin Jungfer

Besides the design, there are two key differences between the 6 and 9S.

The Heatbank 6’s lithium battery is 4,400 mAh. According to the manufacturer, this is enough for up to 6 hours of warmth.
The 9S has a 5,200 mAh battery, said to last up to 9 hours.

If you’re a maths whizz, you’ll already have clocked that the Heatbank 6, at 730 mAh per hour of use, is less efficient than the 9S, at 580 mAh. Still, operating time isn’t everything – the main thing is how warm the devices are able to get.

The 9S hand warmer provides you with six heat settings. You can choose the one you want via the device’s single button. To turn on the heat, you hold the button down for about five seconds. This prevents you from accidentally switching on the hand warmer and running down the battery before you actually need it. Once you’ve turned it on, a blue LED light comes on, indicating the 9S is running at a low heat. Said heat is released from both sides of the device and can be cranked up to medium or high. If you press the power button again, the 9S switches to a mode where heat only comes out of one side of the device.

If the LED lights turn green, only one side of the 9S hand warmer is producing heat.
Source: Martin Jungfer

The 6 only has three settings, with only a blue LED. What’s more, the device always produces heat on both sides.

Both Zippo hand warmers can also be used as a power bank. Instead of warming your icy fingers, you could use the Zippo to charge your phone at up to five volts. If you’re clamouring for fast-charging, it won’t be for you – but it’s certainly useful in an emergency. Mind you, the heat turns off while your phone’s charging, so you’ll have to decide what’s more important to you. You can find out how much battery the hand warmer has left by pressing the power button. When it’s fully charged, three LEDs light up. Once the battery’s pretty much empty, only one light comes on.

Eventually, the heat cuts out (read on for more on this) and you have to plug the hand warmer into the mains. While the product doesn’t come with a charging plug, it does include a cable. You’d be advised to stash it in a box, as it’s one of those increasingly rare micro-USB-connector varieties. On the other side, there’s an equally antiquated USB-A port.

«Hey Zippo, 2015 called, it wants its connectors back.» USB-A and micro-USB are hardly cutting edge, are they?
Source: Martin Jungfer

How warm does it get? How long does the hand warmer hold out?

I make my first foray with the hand warmers out on the ski slopes. At temperatures just below zero degrees, I pop them in my jacket pocket for a few runs. Once I’m in the gondola, I’m in need of a little warmth, so I grab the Zippos from my jacket. However, after switching them on, I’m almost as far as the top station before I feel any warmth. The warmers aren’t faulty, they’re just really sluggish when forced to work in a cold environment. Hence this nugget of wisdom in the instructions:

Switching on the device outdoors in extremely cold or windy conditions can impair performance.

Following my test, I’d delete the word «can». It certainly takes too long to reach the level of warmth I’d like. Basically, I end up having to plan ahead, turning on the hand warmer halfway through my descent. This way, they’re warm by the time I get to the gondola or chairlift queue at the bottom.

Both devices perform significantly better when I switch them on at a room temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. I measure the maximum temperatures of each device’s three settings five minutes after I’ve switched them on. For the 9S measurements, I only looked at the two-sided heat mode.

I didn’t necessarily need to wait five minutes – they almost hit maximum temperature after just 2-3 minutes. Once the hand warmer reaches over 50 degrees, it’s so hot that it almost hurts to hold. The heating capacity is top-notch.

In cold conditions, the Zippos take longer to reach their maximum temperature. Before taking this set of measurements, I cooled the devices down to zero degrees and then switched them on.

Of course, at the highest setting, neither hand warmer lasts as long as Zippo claims in its product descriptions. To get six hours (the 6) or nine hours (the 9S) of heat, you’d have to keep the device at the lowest setting.

Mind you, two and a half hours for the 6 and three and a half hours for the 9S at full power was enough for me for a day’s skiing. If I put them on charge in the evening, they’re full and ready for use again just under three hours later.

Verdict

Electronic hand warmers are an alternative to the conventional kind, which you «recharge» by soaking in boiling water for several minutes (fairly questionable from an energy standpoint). The Zippo devices I tested reliably give off a pleasant warmth for several hours. But out in the cold where I need them most, their usefulness is limited. I have to switch on the hand warmers a few minutes before use, which noticeably reduces battery life. However, they do last significantly longer than the kind you need to boil.

I recommend you switch on the hand warmer in advance of your gondola ride.
Source: Martin Jungfer

The 9S model heats up to over 50 degrees, with the 6 coming in slightly cooler. Both devices quickly warm up cold hands without a hitch. Even after a descent in icy wind, you’ll still have enough feeling in your hands to twirl your spaghetti round your fork at lunchtime.

The fact the hand warmer could also charge my phone if necessary is a nice bonus. It’s just annoying that instead of using my USB-C cable to do so, I’d have to remember to bring a USB-A one.

Despite the disadvantages I’ve covered, I’ll probably take the Zippo hand warmer on my next wintery outing. At the same time, I’ll keep an eye out for models that are just as warm, but heat up more quickly.

If you can recommend a good electronic hand warmer, please let the Community and me know in the comments section.

Header image: Martin Jungfer

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Martin Jungfer

Head of Content

Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.

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