Another money saving tip, use white gas (used in lanterns & camping stoves) vs the zippo fuel, its much cheaper and works perfectly fine. I picked up a gallon of it for under $8 at my local Wally world.
I don't think that's a good idea.. that stuff is waaay flammable... as in burn off your eyebrows unintentionally flammable... don't ask me how I know...
Thanks! the bicycle tube mod and the string are a great tip! also the amazon bag of platinum fibers...works great. I use handwarmers A LOT. One of my tips is to take a clean cotton sock, cut it off at the heel, and double bag the warmer right over the top of the zippo felt bag. It makes it feel softer, and it hold the heat better, causing to to stay warm longer. You might also try a Peacock handwarmer, more expensive but better heat and catalyst Peacocks also come in Giant Size version which burns more fuel but gets a lot hotter, its body and burner both are larger than zippo.
Brilliant idea with the “necklaces.” I had a jacket that had two inner pockets that were located on both sides of my heart, where I would put hand warmers in each while working in -40C degree weather. I always wondered what I would do if I did not have that particular jacket. The “necklace” is the answer. 😊
Thank you for this great video! I purchased one of these Zippo hand warmers this week. I am still trying to run it long enough to “burn” it in so that I can get the maximum heat out of it. Thank you too for the source for the platinum catalyst material on Amazon. I will buy that too so that I can refresh my hand warmer in the future.
I burned through 4 full tanks of fuel on my new 12 hour version and now it runs over 12 hours and seems to put out more heat than the first time I tried it. Maybe these things need to be “broken in” a while to reach their full potential. Maybe that is the source of bad reviews about them that you see that they are hard to light or that they do not put out enough heat.
These Zippo lighter fluid hand warmers and the charcoal burning hand warmers get much hotter than the electronic hand warmers from my experience. I have used all varieties of hand warmers for my job and recreation and the Zippo and Charcoal burning ones have provided me with the best warmth. The advantage of the electronic warmer is the convenience of turning it on and off quickly and some versions are long lasting up to 12 hours on the low setting.
Some really great tips especially the tire tube, I agree with you mine doesn’t get that hot either. I notice it gets hotter sometimes, then just warm it’s not consistent. I think it’s the burner not aligned correctly
ONLY use a Jon E brand!!! :) Well, that's what I heard. I sure LOVE mine. I bought it at Goodwill years ago, not knowing what it was...a couple bucks. And I just could not survive our snowbound winters here in Washington State, up by the pass. I cannot recommend these enough!! My baby will last 8-12 hours and Ive never really filled it UP up.
i just got one and it works fine for what its intended for you put it in your pocket and when you put your hand in its nice and warm, its not meant as a body warmer
I just cut the carbon felt strip large enough to fill the entire top layer inside the chamber and used a pick to poke it in. Anything strong, thin, and pointy should allow you to poke it in and position it right.
By adding more of the fireplace platinum stuffing to your warmer did you notice if the unit ran hotter? Seems that it should if you have an increased catalytic surface and also it seems it would burn more fuel. I don't care about fuel consumption, but I would like a warmer unit. Let me know if you have the time please.
More catalyst equals more heat, use more in the head. Char prevents proper evaporation thus less heat, you may not notice the benefit of Carbon felt but it is there. Leave half or more Rayon and use a little Carbon felt each warmer.
I hate zippo for not making an upgraded version like S Boston fixing all the issues. It's a pattern with Zippo that they want fuel to evaporate so you buy another bottle of juice sooner. If a company like Zorro can design a lighter that is sealed and therfore fuel efficient then zippo can do it too! Zippo got a name therfore it's still nice as a gift but I would love knowing I'm gifting the best of the best! That said I love zippo.
Have you tried using lamp oil (paraffin) in those? Mine seem to work OK but Mountain Parameters advise against (still don't know why). It's just higher order hydrocarbons in paraffin oil - definitely not more dangerous, rather the opposite as far as my organic chemistry knowledge goes.
It would be a lot to fill, but have you thought about maybe replacing the rayon with Cotton Bacon? Could potentially get more life out of it as an additional upgrade. Sandwich bags to the rescue again! lol. Some great tips here.
I took it all out and did intermingle some Cotton Bacon with some of the stock rayon balls. I didn't go full Bacon because it would have used an entire bag, and the ability to hold more fuel isn't really what I need because it already runs longer then I would ever need. But then learning more about Bacon Prime and how it wicks 33% faster, maybe the hand warmer would be able to evaporate the fuel faster thus producing more heat... Maybe an experiment for another day.
@@kismitscorner What I'd like to see is ZF77 outdoors customizing a hand warmer! Such a large surface to etch on. You could do a really detailed picture
@@kshgarg147 i doubt it would even hold it stable. Cotton and rayon are very absorbant , they can hold liquid captive. What u want in a liq fuel lighter
Give it a try :) As long as it holds the lighter fluid and doesn't disintegrate from it, you can give it a try. Hold onto your stock rayon just in case it doesn't work out and you need to go back to the old stuff.
I first tried a very very thin piece of copper wire, like the width of a hair and that actually melted through when I applied the lighter to it. So do a test before you actually wrap it and hold it over a lighter for like 15 seconds to make sure it can handle the direct flame.
at least this guy names the source of the catalyst - so my gratitude goes to him. mparam capitalises on withholding this information; that's why I have up on them.
@@joinantonius2 They shared so many details about the rest of the materials, sizes, etc. so I can't blame them for this. They deserve a lot of credit, not to mention this catalyst is cheaper on their website. I'd personally purchase a lot of things from them if they weren't shipping out of Canada.
@@frankcastle5294 I'm sorry you didn't like my video Frank Castle. The Zippo hand warmer does work straight out of the box like you said, but there are some things that make life a little easier that worked for me that I wanted to share and hopefully help someone else out. It took me a lot of courage to take the time to make this video, so saying this is ridiculous, meaningless, and nonsensical isn't very nice. I do hope you have a great day and if you do have a Zippo hand warmer it works well for you :)
@@flintspring4470 My apologies for upsetting you and I'll delete my absrasive comment. To be more courteous and subtle...what I should have said is that I've seen countless hunters here in PA screw with these identical Zippo hand warmers trying to improve the heat output and efficiency and they end up destroying what was a very decent hand warmer. Again, my apologies. Happy Thanksgiving.
FYI- I hav slept inside a car with the windows closed, two zippos mounted in each chest-shirt pockets and inside a mummy bag and I lived to talk about it and I also have never been so warm camping in those temps. Obviously I won't recommend doing this as I do not know what the CARBON MONOXIDE levels were.
Another money saving tip, use white gas (used in lanterns & camping stoves) vs the zippo fuel, its much cheaper and works perfectly fine. I picked up a gallon of it for under $8 at my local Wally world.
I don't think that's a good idea.. that stuff is waaay flammable... as in burn off your eyebrows unintentionally flammable... don't ask me how I know...
@@henmich i have been using white gas for 2 years in my hand warmers never an issue
@@shaggycar1 well, don't use it to start a campfire... trust me... lol
You can use naptha too, or HEET dry gas (in the yellow bottle), not the red bottle. Or SLX denatured alcohol for Stoves.
@@henmichit's the same stuff
Thanks! the bicycle tube mod and the string are a great tip! also the amazon bag of platinum fibers...works great. I use handwarmers A LOT. One of my tips is to take a clean cotton sock, cut it off at the heel, and double bag the warmer right over the top of the zippo felt bag. It makes it feel softer, and it hold the heat better, causing to to stay warm longer. You might also try a Peacock handwarmer, more expensive but better heat and catalyst Peacocks also come in Giant Size version which burns more fuel but gets a lot hotter, its body and burner both are larger than zippo.
Thanks for mentioning the peacock, I had no idea they existed
Thank you so much for the great tips. You have done all the research for us. A good, concise video. Keep warm!
Appreciate the feedback! Have a great day as well!
Brilliant idea with the “necklaces.” I had a jacket that had two inner pockets that were located on both sides of my heart, where I would put hand warmers in each while working in -40C degree weather. I always wondered what I would do if I did not have that particular jacket. The “necklace” is the answer. 😊
Thank you for this great video! I purchased one of these Zippo hand warmers this week.
I am still trying to run it long enough to “burn” it in so that I can get the maximum heat out of it.
Thank you too for the source for the platinum catalyst material on Amazon. I will buy that too so that I can refresh my hand warmer in the future.
That's awesome! I hope you enjoy your handwarmer!
I burned through 4 full tanks of fuel on my new 12 hour version and now it runs over 12 hours and seems to put out more heat than the first time I tried it. Maybe these things need to be “broken in” a while to reach their full potential. Maybe that is the source of bad reviews about them that you see that they are hard to light or that they do not put out enough heat.
Very cool! I’m gonna hook mine up with some of your mods. Thanks
These Zippo lighter fluid hand warmers and the charcoal burning hand warmers get much hotter than the electronic hand warmers from my experience. I have used all varieties of hand warmers for my job and recreation and the Zippo and Charcoal burning ones have provided me with the best warmth. The advantage of the electronic warmer is the convenience of turning it on and off quickly and some versions are long lasting up to 12 hours on the low setting.
Some really great tips especially the tire tube, I agree with you mine doesn’t get that hot either. I notice it gets hotter sometimes, then just warm it’s not consistent. I think it’s the burner not aligned correctly
bike tube = just what I was looking for, thanks!
Thank you! Just what i was looking for.
Not going to lie, I thought this was going to be a stupid video, but it was very informative. I stand corrected.. well played... well played...
Thanks for the tips. Great ideas!
I love mine now that I have one finally too. Nice tips too flitspring thanks for the vid bud 🔥✌
Thanks for the nice words!
ONLY use a Jon E brand!!! :) Well, that's what I heard. I sure LOVE mine. I bought it at Goodwill years ago, not knowing what it was...a couple bucks. And I just could not survive our snowbound winters here in Washington State, up by the pass. I cannot recommend these enough!! My baby will last 8-12 hours and Ive never really filled it UP up.
i just got one and it works fine for what its intended for you put it in your pocket and when you put your hand in its nice and warm, its not meant as a body warmer
Awesome video. Thank you.
Great vid and subed. I am planning on buying one, and I would like to ask how you went about adding the carbon felt strip inside the rayon chamber.
I just cut the carbon felt strip large enough to fill the entire top layer inside the chamber and used a pick to poke it in. Anything strong, thin, and pointy should allow you to poke it in and position it right.
Cool channel and tips, thank you!
By adding more of the fireplace platinum stuffing to your warmer did you notice if the unit ran hotter? Seems that it should if you have an increased catalytic surface and also it seems it would burn more fuel. I don't care about fuel consumption, but I would like a warmer unit. Let me know if you have the time please.
More catalyst equals more heat, use more in the head. Char prevents proper evaporation thus less heat, you may not notice the benefit of Carbon felt but it is there. Leave half or more Rayon and use a little Carbon felt each warmer.
Just pull your catalyst cap off, put small/thin peice of plastic over heater opening. The push catalyst cap over plastic to store unit fueled.
Genius
I hate zippo for not making an upgraded version like S Boston fixing all the issues. It's a pattern with Zippo that they want fuel to evaporate so you buy another bottle of juice sooner. If a company like Zorro can design a lighter that is sealed and therfore fuel efficient then zippo can do it too!
Zippo got a name therfore it's still nice as a gift but I would love knowing I'm gifting the best of the best!
That said I love zippo.
Have you tried using lamp oil (paraffin) in those? Mine seem to work OK but Mountain Parameters advise against (still don't know why). It's just higher order hydrocarbons in paraffin oil - definitely not more dangerous, rather the opposite as far as my organic chemistry knowledge goes.
It would be a lot to fill, but have you thought about maybe replacing the rayon with Cotton Bacon? Could potentially get more life out of it as an additional upgrade. Sandwich bags to the rescue again! lol. Some great tips here.
I took it all out and did intermingle some Cotton Bacon with some of the stock rayon balls. I didn't go full Bacon because it would have used an entire bag, and the ability to hold more fuel isn't really what I need because it already runs longer then I would ever need. But then learning more about Bacon Prime and how it wicks 33% faster, maybe the hand warmer would be able to evaporate the fuel faster thus producing more heat... Maybe an experiment for another day.
@@flintspring4470 Only problem is that is kind of an expensive experiment haha. If you try it, I would love to hear the results
@@kismitscorner What I'd like to see is ZF77 outdoors customizing a hand warmer! Such a large surface to etch on. You could do a really detailed picture
@@flintspring4470 Indeed, that would be sick
May I ask how long did the heat last per 1 lit? I want to take my mom to Japan and would love to gave her this in case her hand freeze
Are platinum catalysts required? Those are really expensive ($25+). Can I use rock wool instead?
Has anyone tried to use the carbon felt instead of cotton rayon in a zippo lighter? Does it work better there as well?
In a lighter, the rayon/cotton arent in contact of any high heat. They just hold fuel for capillary wick flow. No advantage to use carbon
@@crabtrap i thought the carbon felt might hold more fuel.
@@kshgarg147 i doubt it would even hold it stable. Cotton and rayon are very absorbant , they can hold liquid captive. What u want in a liq fuel lighter
Cool Video 👍
Ive had mine about a year, I've actually only ever managed to get it to light twice.
How long does it last till another replacement?
Is there any chance to use something else instead of PBE? I can't find it in my country.
I like zippo because their products seem to last forever, and they work pretty well at least ones I've bought. Zippo lighters are cool anyway lol
Is it possible to use labour grade cotton for the burner ? Its like cotton wool and not flamable
Give it a try :) As long as it holds the lighter fluid and doesn't disintegrate from it, you can give it a try. Hold onto your stock rayon just in case it doesn't work out and you need to go back to the old stuff.
Hello, what size of copper wire did you use for the head modification? Can I use any copper wire?
I first tried a very very thin piece of copper wire, like the width of a hair and that actually melted through when I applied the lighter to it. So do a test before you actually wrap it and hold it over a lighter for like 15 seconds to make sure it can handle the direct flame.
I have also found that it doesn’t get very hot. What electronic hard warmer do you recommend?
I've noticed that if you let the top part of the warmer pop out, it gives the warmer extra oxygen to heat up
thx
Wrapping tin foil over it
will shut it off quick.
clever
I vacuum seal mine lol
Jon-E
Huh? I've heard they get to hot. Maybe yours is defective.
Mountain parameters
at least this guy names the source of the catalyst - so my gratitude goes to him. mparam capitalises on withholding this information; that's why I have up on them.
@@joinantonius2 They shared so many details about the rest of the materials, sizes, etc. so I can't blame them for this. They deserve a lot of credit, not to mention this catalyst is cheaper on their website. I'd personally purchase a lot of things from them if they weren't shipping out of Canada.
All ridiculous mods for a $12 piece of crap. Get the chrome model...fill it full...light it....enjoy. All your mods are meaningless.
Says the guy who looked up and watched a video on Zippo hand warmer mods.
@@troyjones9876 Purely for nonsensical entertainment purposes. Get a life.
@@frankcastle5294 I'm sorry you didn't like my video Frank Castle. The Zippo hand warmer does work straight out of the box like you said, but there are some things that make life a little easier that worked for me that I wanted to share and hopefully help someone else out. It took me a lot of courage to take the time to make this video, so saying this is ridiculous, meaningless, and nonsensical isn't very nice. I do hope you have a great day and if you do have a Zippo hand warmer it works well for you :)
@@flintspring4470 My apologies for upsetting you and I'll delete my absrasive comment. To be more courteous and subtle...what I should have said is that I've seen countless hunters here in PA screw with these identical Zippo hand warmers trying to improve the heat output and efficiency and they end up destroying what was a very decent hand warmer. Again, my apologies. Happy Thanksgiving.
good comeback with your apology. That should be your video;tecah people the art of the apology. . good for you freak@@frankcastle5294
I sleep with one in my blanket
What I'm doing right now
Me too :) I thought I was the only one 😂
FYI- I hav slept inside a car with the windows closed, two zippos mounted in each chest-shirt pockets and inside a mummy bag and I lived to talk about it and I also have never been so warm camping in those temps. Obviously I won't recommend doing this as I do not know what the CARBON MONOXIDE levels were.
How long does it last the catalyst ? Compare to original one it last longer and more heat?
I don't think I noticed a difference in heat, but it should give off more heat because it is a much larger surface area than the stock catalyst.
why not just use an electric hand warmer??