Hand warmers: disposable or with liquid fuel?

Does anyone that uses a Zippo warmer use naphtha in it?
I know it'll stink, but it's much cheaper than lighter fluid around here, and if it'll work as well as some people say, why not?
By the way, the temperature drops to the teens fairly regularly here in my part of Kentucky.

ok, so after reading this post pulled the plug on a 'matt black zippo handwarmer'!!! love it, works great only problem is its another £20 gone after visiting this forum!!!!

RS.

Whaaaaat? O_O I thought they were much cheaper than that. Amazon.co.uk has 'em for £14.03... with FSS.

Who buys one thing at Amazon?

The zippo hand warmers are great if you know how to use it correctly. I heat mine 10 mins before I go out, and it gets too warm for the bag it came with which is perfect for use with my gloves

So are you going to tell us your secret? I think mine gets sufficiently hot, by more hotter would be more better.

I have a zippo hand warmer and I think it is a great product. Just as I have found with my alcohol stoves, a 5 Hour Energy bottle carries just the right amount of fuel without any leaks.

Lighter fluid is basically just Naptha. If you're talking about VM&P Naptha from the hardware store I would do a little checking first but see no reason why it shouldn't work just fine.

I did pay about £14 for mine but added a couple cans of zippo lighter fluid as well!!!

RS.

Did not see this till now

Basicly, I refill mine just before I go bed, but only a small bit. In the morning this will be vapour, and have spread around inside. I then fill it to how long I want it to run, about 1/6 of the refiller tub normally. Last about 5-6 hours.

Before I leave for work, I hold a lighter to the burner part. It takes a while to find the right way to go it so the whole thing heats evenly. Within 10 mins it should be nice and toasty. Results do vary a lot, as I brought my friend one and filled it this way but it could never get to a good heat so I returned it for him. The next one he got was good.

Fabregas brings up an interesting point. The worst thing for me about the zippo type warmers is the lighting process. After filing, and lighting, you then have to let it sit somewhere for a little while while the catalyst gets going, then put the top on and you're ready to run.

I just want to light and go, even if the lighting step takes a bit longer. So I'm wondering if anyone out there has used something like a jet flame lighter to quickly heat up the catalyst or a few drops of fuel directly on the burner to get it going faster

^ I've seen people put fuel directly on the burner after filling it up. Then they wait for the flame to die down, pop the top back on, and then they're good to go.

That's what I had heard, but it would be all the better if I heard some experience before trying it.
Zippo fluid is too darn expensive for a handwarmer IMO, and Ronsonol isn't much better.

Since all of these consume oxygen, it is important not to use them in a large quantities in a confined space. Rumor is there has been at least one fatality when a scout zipped his head inside his sleeping bag with several of the solid fuel warmers. Stay safe!

This works like a champ! Tried this out today and my hand warmer, well, has never been so warm. I know the bag is an integral part of the warmer and the metal gets hot enough for me to understand why. When I held a lighter to the burner it was glowing much more red than it ever has in the past. Upon doing some browsing and found that it is also important to keep the warmer upright, burner on top, for best results. I think that would have something to do with the vapors rising? Anyhow I have a new found fondness for my hand warmer.

Glad to hear I was of help. I did not think about the vapours raising