Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer Review
“The Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer is an excellent option for keeping your hands toasty outside. A pair could make all the difference in a survival scenario and it even charges your phone twice!”
Rating: 5 / 5
Pros
Lasts just the right amount of time
Comfortable ergonomic hand feel
Heats up and cools down fast
Backup phone charging
USB-C charging
Cons
Hard to get the wrist strap back on once removed
Slightly fiddly to operate
Not waterproof
What Is The Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer?
It’s a rather neat USB-C rechargeable hand warmer with 21 different temperature settings.
You can set your ideal temperature level, check the battery level and it will even charge most phones twice.
Heat up time is fast and the display shows you how hot it is getting while heating up. It only takes 1 minute and 6 seconds to reach 40 °C (104 °F).
The central battery is encased in an Aerospace grade Aluminium shell which has embedded heating element both sides. The elements are then covered with a nice smooth ABS plastic, which is pleasing to hold.
This review focuses on the smaller 5,200 mAh version but there is a larger version as well with a 10,000 mAh battery.
It arrives with a soft Velvet bag for storage and a removable wrist strap.
Specs
Width: 5.3 cm (2.1”)
Height: 10.3 cm (4.1”)
Depth: 3 cm (1.2”)
Weight: 187 g (6.6 oz)
Battery Capacity: 5,200 mAh
Battery Technology: Lithium (500 cycles)
Charge Time: 2 - 3 hours
Use Time: 4 - 8 hours
How Much Does The Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer Cost?
The RRP of the Unigear 5,200 mAh Hand Warmer is £22 ($28). Check the current price on Amazon.
The RRP of the Unigear 10,000 mAh Hand Warmer is £26 ($33). Check the current price on Amazon.
How Do You Use The Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer?
You long press the right button to turn it on. Once powered up the left button reduces the temperature and the right increases the temperature in one degree increments.
When the device is off (or on and up to temperature) a click on the left button shows the percentage of battery remaining.
A long press on the right button turns it off again.
To use it as a USB battery bank simply connect a USB-C cable to the hand warmer and the other end to your phone.
Check out this YouTube video.
Banana For Scale
How Long Does The Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer Last?
Unigear claim the 5,200 mAh battery lasts 4 - 8 hours, but that’s at the lowest 35 °C (95 °F) setting with an air temperature of 20 °C (68 °F).
Realistically, if it’s only 20 °C (68 °F) outside, you won’t be thinking about hand warmers.
At the highest 55 °C (131 °F) setting the run time will be roughly halved.
Run time also depends on where the warmer is placed and how cold your environment is. The colder the air temperature, the harder it has to work and the less run time you will see.
If it’s in your hand and exposed to the air it will lose heat faster and have to work harder, reducing the run time.
If it’s nestled in a heavily insulated coat pocket, close to your skin, it has to work less hard to reach temperature and will last longer.
We tested run time by setting it to 40 °C (104 °F), the perfect level of warmth for us and positioned it in a trouser pocket.
To our surprise it lasted the full 8 hours, almost down to the minute.
Is The Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer Any Good?
Yes. It heats up really fast, fits in the hand perfectly when it’s in your pocket and it’s light enough to not really notice the weight.
We found that the wrist strap isn’t really needed and took it off. Think twice before taking the strap off though, because it’s super fiddly to reattach.
The larger 10,000 mAh version is a touch more expensive and lasts almost twice as long, but it’s also much larger and a little heavier.
For us the 5,200 mAh version is the sweet spot in terms of size, weight and run time.
Verdict
The Unigear USB-C Hand Warmer is an excellent option for keeping your hands toasty warm outside.
A pair could make all the difference in a survival scenario and it even charges your phone twice!