UNIHAND hand warmer comparison

Four warmers, three ways of making heat

We set the UNIHAND pair against three warmers whose makers publish their figures. The HotHands pack heats by a chemical reaction once air reaches it. The Zippo 12-Hour Refillable burns lighter fuel on a catalytic burner. The Zippo HeatBank 9s, like ours, runs on a lithium-ion battery.

The numbers measure slightly different things. HotHands gives an average temperature, Zippo gives a top temperature for the HeatBank, and we give a range for each of our levels. Read each one as that maker's own figure for its own warmer.

Against an air-activated pack

HotHands rates its packs at up to 10 hours, averaging 135 °F. That average is above our top level of 130 °F, and a pack needs no outlet, no cable and no planning. HotHands also says its packs stay shelf-stable for several years, so a box can wait in the car for the next storm.

The pack has no setting and no off switch. The Weather Network explains that it runs until its ingredients are spent, and the HotHands instructions send a used one to the regular trash. A UNIHAND unit switches off when you go inside and runs again the next morning on the same charge.

Against the Zippo refillable

Zippo rates its 12-Hour Refillable at up to 12 hours from one fill. At 3.9 x 2.6 x 0.5 inches and 0.16 lb, it weighs about the same as one of our units. It needs no electricity, which counts for a lot on a trip far from an outlet.

The trade is the routine. You fill it with lighter fuel, light the burner and keep it in its fabric bag, as Zippo's help pages explain. TSA does not allow lighter fluid in carry-on or checked bags, so the fuel stays home when you fly. The FAA allows most battery-powered personal devices in carry-on bags, and that is where our pair travels.

Against the HeatBank and other rechargeables

The HeatBank 9s heats on both sides up to 120 °F, with six settings and up to 9 hours, according to Zippo. It can also charge USB devices, which ours does not claim to do. It is one unit, 4.88 x 2.38 x 0.95 inches and 0.35 lb.

Our box holds two units of 0.15 lb each, with three levels up to 130 °F and an up-to figure of 20 hours on Low. Other rechargeable warmers each publish their own levels and hours, so compare them on those published figures and on whether you want one unit or two.

Where the others come out ahead

A pack wins when there is no way to charge, on a one-off cold day, or when you want to hand heat to a stranger you will not see again. Its published average heat is also the highest of the four.

The Zippo refillable wins on a long trip without power, as long as you carry fuel and do not fly. The HeatBank wins if you want one device that warms your hands and tops up your phone, or if you like six steps of heat instead of three.

Where the UNIHAND pair fits

The pair suits a winter made of many cold stretches, each with a warm room at the end of it. You get two warmers you can split or join, heat you can switch off, and the longest published run of the four, on Low.

For the full argument, with a season of use counted out, read our article on rechargeable vs disposable hand warmers, or go straight to the UNIHAND pair.

The pairs on this page are part of the UNIHAND range, and the four colors above were picked for comparison. Compare them side by side.