School Me on Heated Jackets

[Creekside]

Just as the title states, what do you guys like? I do industrial maintenance and most of the failures occur outside and on a roof. I also work on second shift so my winter work is primarily in the dark. I am a Dewalt guy but I am open to anything. My day job is farming and running an open ROPS track loader. These situations combined with being around 130lbs soaking wet make winter quite unpleasant. I am located in SW Missouri so it would likely see use starting around 40 degrees down to 0 or so.

 

[Trav]

I have a Makita and a Bosch. The makita heats well but the small 1.5A battery is huge but it last a long timem the Bosch is also good and a much smaller size battery making the whole thing more comfortable to wear but battery life is much shorter. Pick you poison.

 

[Creekside]

I have a Makita and a Bosch. The makita heats well but the small 1.5A battery is huge but it last a long timem the Bosch is also good and a much smaller size battery making the whole thing more comfortable to wear but battery life is much shorter. Pick you poison.

Thanks for the info, neither of those were really on my list but they are now. I’ll look into them

 

[Srt20]

I bought a Milwaukee a few years ago. It works, but there is a little to much insulation between the element and my body.
What the construction guys are doing apparently is buying the heated sweatshirts. So the heat is much closer to the body. The a coat over that. Just an idea for you.

 

[Bear]

Last year I purchased a 7.2 volt heated Arris vest ( jackets are available) for hunting. I also used it for ice fishing. Has 5 levels of heat and well positioned heat zones. Lasts me all day. Check on Amazon.

 

[ragtoplvr]

They bought us Milwaukee at work. Not very god, and the pocket for the battery tore out. Stitching not covered. Beware

 

[AutoMechanic]

I’ve never owned one lol my heated jacket is my work jacket which are really warm so warm we don’t need heated ones lol

 

[dlundblad]

I didn’t know this was a thing. Being warmer with less sounds nice. Much more maneuverable

So a cordless drill battery has to be plugged in in a pocket or something?

 

[Trav]

Yes that's it, the Makita uses an 18v battery from 1.5A-6A in a pocket, it has different power levels that can be changed by pressing the lighted button on the upper left of the coat. The larger battery works well for providing heat for a long time.
the Bosch is the same deal but uses the smaller 12V rounded battery, the heat is good but battery life is significantly less than the Makita one the other hand it is IMO more comfortable for this reason although both are not hard to wear and are comfortable enough.

Makita USA - Product Details -DCJ200ZL

18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Cordless Heated Jacket, Jacket Only (Black, Large)

www.makitatools.com

PSJ120XL-102 | 12V Max Heated Jacket - Size XLarge | Bosch Power Tools

PSJ120XL-102

www.boschtools.com

 

[Lapham3]

I've found just as Srt20 mentions.

 

[dubber09]

Bought Milwaukee heated hoodie, works quite well with another and waterproof shell/jacket over it. 2Ah battery lasts me 5 hrs on med heat.
I got it originally for late fall fishing trips.

 

[Creekside]

Wanted to post an update here in case anyone would read this later on. I ended up ordering one off amazon and would rate it 4/5. I absolutely loved it this winter. The power pack holds a charge forever it seems like when used on low. It is worn just below your left rib on me anyway and was hardly noticeable. I wore it over my work clothes and under my carhartt overalls. I wore either my heavy carhartt jacket or my regular red kap uniform jacket over that. I was comfortable down to single digits with just the thin uniform jacket with the vest on low. I did have to return the first one due to an erratic power button (you couldn‘t consistently control on or off or the heat modes) but the replacement has been flawless.

Amazon.com

 

[atikovi]

What about your fingers and toes? At single digits don't your extremities get cold before your core? Or do have heated socks and gloves too?

 

[Creekside]

What about your fingers and toes? At single digits don't your extremities get cold before your core? Or do have heated socks and gloves too?

I don't have much issues with my toes and I stop occasionally and put my hands in my pockets.

 

[UncleDave]

I really liked my Gerbing 7.2 and 12 volt jackets ore them for a good 5 years before the zipper gave out.

I also like my new ororo heated coat.

I travelled the world with the gerbing gear.

 

[bchannell]

I had two of the Milwaukee hoodies. Fantastic build quality, made like a tank. I had to go a size smaller so that the heat was closer to my body. It worked pretty well. The battery pocket is just off your left side far enough it's near impossible to change batteries with it on, but no bigie. I have pals that have other heated jackets that claim they're the best, but this is all I've used. I have to admit, I wear it much more without the battery in or heat on because I like it, and in really cold weather it's not enough heat to make a lot of difference. It seems to me that 40F and above is the sweet spot for it to keep you comfortable, below about 35, and it will let you get cold unless you're on a pretty good move.

 

[Creekside]

I had two of the Milwaukee hoodies. Fantastic build quality, made like a tank. I had to go a size smaller so that the heat was closer to my body. It worked pretty well. The battery pocket is just off your left side far enough it's near impossible to change batteries with it on, but no bigie. I have pals that have other heated jackets that claim they're the best, but this is all I've used. I have to admit, I wear it much more without the battery in or heat on because I like it, and in really cold weather it's not enough heat to make a lot of difference. It seems to me that 40F and above is the sweet spot for it to keep you comfortable, below about 35, and it will let you get cold unless you're on a pretty good move.

If mine is worn as an outer layer the heat gets pulled away too fast I've found. I wear the Carhartt bib overalls and wear the heated vest tucked inside of them. That extra layer makes all the difference. My battery pack is removeable and charges off a mini-usb. It also has a regular usb that I use to charge my phone. I bet there's other brands that are better but for what I paid for this I am more than happy with it. At 5'7" and 125lbs soaking wet I need all the extra heat I can get in the winter. I don't have enough insulation.......

 

[TX1256]

I use the Milwaukee zip up hoodie. I got a size smaller to keep the heat closer to my body. In the 40 to 50 degree weather it's pretty great on it's own. Back in February for the days long disaster down here in Texas, I wore a heavier coat over it and it was perfect - as I was stuck outside for 12 hour shifts during the debacle. Can't say if Milwaukee is better than others, but all my cordless tools are already red, so it was kind of a no brainer for me.