Frankie,

I've carried both brands (and imports, IIRC) but can't say I have any experience with actually using them. My wife uses them occasionally. I probably don't view them correctly: to me, they are a comfort item only. But I try harder to ignore cold hands and feet than my wife does - and prefer to rely on passive measures like good mittens and boots.

The one "experience" that I have with these - any brand - is that they have a short shelf life in the humid MidWest. If they even work after a year, it's not very well. Fresh ones heat up great. I don't even bother anymore - I buy some fresh ones each year and toss the old ones. I speculate, but don't know, that they have a better shelf life in more arid climates.

Back when I did carry handwarmers, I hugely prefered the liquid fuel catalytic ones. I used those to keep my boots from freezing solid - dropped one in each boot at night. It usually worked (sometimes they smothered themselves), but in retrospect I'm not convinced it was worth the trouble. They were too hot to wear over the kidneys and too bulky to stuff into a mitten without burning me, even the small ones. Maybe these chemical ones are better for that???

Regards,

Tom