Venustas Mens Fleece Heated Vest with Battery Lightweight Insulated Electric Vest

This is one of my favorite vests. It’s comfortable and warm even without turning on the warming function. The battery lasts as long as expected. It’s easy to go to different settings. This is good quality and easy to use. The zipper is very durable. It also looks great. The bottom is fitted so it doesn’t ride up. Read more

I bought to use for bike riding, haven't tried that yet, but I spent an evening outside at a X-mas mart in 25 degree weather. I wore what I would normally during a sub 45 degree ride minus the thin water wicking first layer. I wore a heavy brown thermal top under the vest(made for cops) and a heavy black cotton hoodie over it. I pre-heated it for 5-10 minutes in the house, but found that to be unnecessary later on. I waited outside for the family in the driveway to test and ended up switching it to medium(I'm more sensitive to heat than cold unless acclimated) . In the car I had to switch to low and then barely noticed it. Outside throughout the evening I constantly switched from high to medium depending on the activity that my body created the necessary heat for. I am holding off for the final verdict until I go on a sub 35 degree bike ride for which I bought the garment. The product itself. Of everything I found on the market, the heat zones were the most logical. Typically when riding in the cold initially, the cold wind on the upper chest is the most unbearable and the the heat zone placement and thickness is made perfectly for that. The front shoulders can be an issue and this is covered too. You don'tneed anything around your stomach unless your a glamour model so those other products are just stupid. This would make me nauseous probably. The top back is good too, I might make a thin zone down the spine, but let me try it on a ride. The back of the neck is a nice touch, I'll have to decide if that's a true selling point. Besides for the top front, I wish the garment was a bit thinner and more elastic. From a pure warming solution, the garment must be snug at all times like a wetsuit. I saw nothing out there that compares to this really, so I guess I won't complain too much. I'm 5'11" and 265lb. I'm big boned and fairly bulky still from surfing a number of years ago. I've got a big belly(inherited). I bought an XL and besides for my belly, it's nice and snug like a glove. My belly will stretch that puppy out eventually. I'm really glad this company is seriously addressing cold weather activity solutions with this new technology. They should really expand their line for other parts of the body. I'm not sure if my arms would need anything if my core is good. I doubt that would be addressed for the consumer market due to lower sales volumes, but a leg solution is something that would be a good seller. I would design a medium weight thermal long john solution with wide zones on the front and back of the thighs. I seriously don't remember thinking my calves were cold, so that would not be required. Also, the back thigh pad needs to be designed as not to obstruct any part of a sitting posture. That would both damage the product and entice unwanted wiggling around for comfort. Butts are made to handle all conditions. Then I would consider something for the top of the feet and intelligently designed gloves. I think for gloves, just the top side of the fingers might be good enough. I'll update once I really work this thing out with any hidden flaws revealed. BTW, does anybody know where I can get a helmet with a heated air ex-changer built in? NASA???? [Edit] Went for my first 33 degree bike ride today. It was mostly sunny. Wore a sleeveless T-Shirt, then a medium weight(very well designed textured fleece) by REI long sleeve top. I had an old cheap fleece sweat shirt and I cut the shirt off below the Pectorals because I needed another layer on my arms but didn't want body bulk and I wanted to wear the vest with just a wet layer and a single thermal layer. On top I wore my thick cotton hoodie for protection like I always do. I turned it on high right before I jumped on the bike and started riding. I was a bit de-conditioned so I didn't quite make my 23mph average speed. After the 15 - 20 minute warm up period( the worst part of a cold day ride) I was too warm. I was never was cold at all up to this point core body, but my arms started out a bit chilly at first, but went bearable cool. I turned it down to medium I thought but after the ride I saw that it was on blue. This was very comfortable and the added benefit was when I stopped for liquids my soaked tee shirt never felt cold, but rather a cool warm which was quite invigorating. My legs where pretty bulked do to all that layers, so I don't know how much that contributed to my core body heat regulation. This is where I saw that first problem. Once dressed and on the bike, there was no easy way to adjust that vest levels. I think that button should be moved to the bottom right hem of the vest so you can snag it with one hand to operate it and also pull away from you a little to observe the color. Also, this would solve that failure point other buyers mentioned about the thin wiring connections up at the button. With the button on the waist, you could mold a thicker RTV block into the fabric so the wiring would permanently secured and protected from mechanical stress. Even put a heavy duty 2 pin connector right into the mold so the switch assembly could be swapped out. You can use female connector pins soldered and heat shrunk right on to two loose wires on the vest side to save costs. I only charged the battery once since I had the vest and when I started today it showed 3/4 and after the 1:40 hr ride it showed 2/4. With my experience with Li-ON batteries, there's probably 20-30% of stated operational hours left in the battery. It will take a while to gauge real max usage time due to discharge rates being dependent on both the usable life point of the battery and ambient temperature at time of usage. Lets keep the fingers crossed for longevity of the gear. Read more

This vest is awesome. I will say the first battery is for died the first time I used it and wouldn't charge again. They sent me a new battery and I've been using it ever since. I love my heated vest. It's so cozy perfect for the harsh winter. Fits me perfectly, light weight and seems to be made well. Read more

I really like this vest. I bought it mostly to wear under a jacket while hunting on very cold days. The battery life ranges are accurate to what the directions list. On a full charge I get a hair over 3 hours on high setting. Low setting is about 6 hours. For hunting I don’t turn it on until I start getting cold. It’s not a blast of heat but it definitely makes a warm difference and cuts the chill. I’ve also noticed I don’t need to layer as heavy since I’ve started being this in the woods. I’ve also work the vest out if we are going to be walking anywhere while cold as it is very well made and looks sharp. Good for outside fall sporting events. The battery does take a while to charge full. Haven’t timed it but I’m guessing 6-8 hours. So you just have to get use to putting it on a charge right after use so it’s ready to go the next time you need it. The heat areas are chest, back and collar. This model does not have heat in the pockets area. That’s the only thing I wish it had, but it’s not a deal breaker at all. Otherwise this is a good product and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Read more

Vest worked as advertised. Enjoyed the ease of set up. Nice design and it fit perfectly. Read more

This was a gift for my dad and he loves it! He’s a big fisherman and he’s already worn it on a couple of fishing trips. He said it works great and keeps him so warm. He has a large belly so I was worried about the fit but this vest fits him fine. He normally wears an XL. It’s only been a week so I don’t know when or if the battery will stop working but so far so good. Read more

This material is super soft and the sizing is right on. It is lightweight but packs a nice warm punch. Definitely get one for whoever is on your list. Read more