Both power banks are small, candy bar-sized units with a very minimalist user interface — both have a button for switching the unit off and on, a microUSB port for charging, a USB-A port for power output, and a basic interface for showing if it’s on, the battery level, and the heat level (the Heatbank 9s Plus has a tiny LCD, while the Heatbank 6 uses a series of small LED lights). The Heatbank 9s Plus also has an LED flashlight feature.
Warm, but never too hot! Thermal camera view of the Zippo Heatbank 9s Plus on the highest setting.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
And if you want to warm your core, add the neck lanyard and wear it beneath your coat. It’s a good way to really warm up on a cold day.
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As a power bank, both Heatbanks are a little underwhelming. I consider USB-A output more for legacy devices, even though you can charge the latest and best devices with the right cable. Recharging the power bank using the microUSB port means it takes well over an hour to charge the smaller of the Heatbanks.
But remember, this is a hand warmer first and a power bank second. There are far better power banks on the market, but I’ve yet to come across a better hand warmer.
The Zippo Heatbank 6 looks like a regular power bank… the sort that shouldn’t get hot!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
But after extensive testing — and the fact that the product has been independently tested by UL Solutions — I’m confident in the safety of these hand warmers.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Both the Zippo Heatbank 6 are reasonably priced, with the Heatbank 6 at around the $35 mark and the larger Heatbank 9s Plus about $60. Given a choice, I’d go for the bigger, more versatile Heatbank 9s, primarily because I like the fact you can choose to warm one side, and on low, that gives a good day’s runtime. That said, both are great and come in a variety of colors to suit.