This little grey cat [1] is the best thing I've bought all year. (Yes, I know those are bold words when it's only March.) In fact, this rechargeable-heater-slash-portable-battery is one of those products where, the moment I opened the box and tested it out, I was mad at myself for not finding it sooner [2].
I'd just spent the previous five months with freezing hands if I ever dared dine outside, and technically even longer than that since I've been a year-round iced-coffee drinker my entire caffeinated life. That's not even getting into the number of phone chargers I have in my apartment . . . and the number of times I sit right nearby with my phone unplugged [3] until I'm ready to leave and see it's on 20 percent.
If either of those scenarios sound all too familiar to you, you need to meet my new kitty pal ahead, and learn more about how "Felix" gets the job done.
A Close-Up View of This USB Hand Warmer/Power Bank
By some luck, a friend sent me a link to this product [5] in February — TBH, probably because she was sick of always hearing me complain about how cold I was — and I bought it on the first click. Of course, that same friend also witnessed me sheepishly asking a bartender or waiter if they had a charger (pre-Covid), so its second purpose made it twice as nice.
Felix, as I've named my hand warmer/power bank, can be recharged with any USB-C cord, and any cord with a USB connection can be attached to then charge your device. Then, for toasty paws hands, just hold the power button down on the front until the blue light on the right side turns red, and things start heating up. (If you look closely, you can see this red light reflected on my ring finger.)
While I've only used this to charge my phone in a pinch, I've used the heating feature nearly every time I'm outside for more than 10 minutes. With daily use, it will pay for itself in less than a month and it's eco-friendly, too (both compared to those one-time hand warmer packets [6]). Adding in the power bank feature, the value goes up — and price-per-use plummets even more.
I'm not leaving home without this at least until summer hits, but I'll probably still bring Felix along to charge my phone then (and to save me from aggressive air conditioning). In the meantime, I'm filing this under things I never knew I always needed, and putting it atop my list of the best purchases I've made in 2021 so far.
Wego Rechargeable Silicone USB Hand Warmer, Power Bank and Heater 2-in-1 in Pink
Wego Rechargeable Silicone USB Hand Warmer and Power Bank 2-in-1 in Pink [7] ($20)
Wego Rechargeable Silicone USB Hand Warmer and Power Bank 2-in-1 in Green
Wego Rechargeable Silicone USB Hand Warmer and Power Bank 2-in-1 in Green [8] ($20)
Wego Rechargeable Silicone USB Hand Warmer and Power Bank 2-in-1 in Gray
Wego Rechargeable Silicone USB Hand Warmer and Power Bank 2-in-1 in Gray [9] ($21)