Pocket Hand warmer "charcoal" including 13 rods

Now I'm one of those poor souls whose hands and feet remain freezing cold from October to late May every year, so I thought maybe one of these nifty little hand-warmers might be useful.After taking stock of the reviews currently on amazon, I took a punt and ordered one as it wasn't a huge amount of money.It arrived very quickly indeed, and I tried the warmer over the weekend.The charcoal lit very easily - you just need to make sure you hold the lighting flame on the end of the charcoal stick for long enough to see the red glow right through to the middle of the stick. Might take a couple of minutes of lighting and gentle blowing to be sure; just like trying to light a charcoal disc to put incense on, it isn't lit enough if just the very edge is only just alight. I gave it a couple of gentle blows just to be sure, and shut the lid.From a gentle warmth initially, it gradually built up over 2 to 3 hours, and provided a lovely relief from cold hands. After this time, it became proper hot and needed to be put into the secondary pouch. This real heat then lasted for a further 2 hours, making the heat from one charcoal stick last at least 5 hours. Super.When the instructions say to beware of real heat from this, they do mean it; it just takes time to build up.And the end result of the ash from the burnt charcoal was easily disposed of - just open the burner up and tip it out (when cold!) into a bin. Leaves a clean pad on which to place the next stick to be burned. Sorted.It does smell of burning charcoal, and if you sniff at your hands, there is that smell there for sure, but after all, that's what it's doing to provide you with the heat. But it's only a really strong smell if you sniff at the casing, and I find that a small price to pay for warm hands. I probably wouldn't notice it in the middle of a camping field where there are fires lit around about.I like this, it's a fab idea, and it works. And I'm very much looking forward to having warm hands on cold camping trips.

Hadn’t used one of these for years, they really stay warm for hours and perfect if you have poor circulation. There is a knack to getting the charcoal to light and to get going before you close the lid. I usually hold in a cooker gas flame otherwise Cooks matches long enough to ignite.

Bought this just before Christmas and have only opened the package this week. (I have owned similar handwarmers in the past)The charcoal sticks light and having ensured that they were definitely glowing before putting them in the handwarmer, they went out after a few minutes on both occasions.Although not expensive it is a very disappointing product and based on my experience is not fit for purpose.

A fabulous product which was priced at a very competitive priceWatms up well and keeps warm for hours.

GELERT POCKET HANDWARMER HAND WARMER AND 12 REFILS NEWThe fuel stick was sometimes difficult to light.Once it got going it takes about 1/2 hour to get warm.Unfortunately it only lasts 2 hours max. (I have read somewhere that they last up to 6 hours)I even tried having the lit end upwards when in my pocket but still only lasted 2 hrs.Having said all that I wouldn't be without them (I purchased 2).They really get very warm.Much better than the gel types which only get lukewarm and only last 1/2 hour if you're lucky.A great product, highly recommended.

I had one of these years ago and loved it but like most things the quality has declined. It's difficult to light, does not last as long as the old one and prone to going out and is no where near as warm as the old one was. I think these will be heading for the bin.

Not much you can really say about a metal box that has burning stuff inside it... You put some fire under the end of the charcoal stick, blow on it a bit to get it glowing nicely, shut it inside the case and giv it a few minutes. Stays very warm for several hours, keeps you toasty, smells of burning charcoal.Can't really go wrong with this. I use mine while out in the field, the most extreme occasion being in a foxhole during a very cold January weekend. With just normal clothing and a thin woolen blanket, having this warming away underneath kept me nice and happy. In fact, I feel warm and sleepy just remembering it!

Got 2 one for each pocket, great for hand warming on the allotment or winter fishing. Also when watching my grandson play rugby.