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Outdoor Life's best Bluetooth vest: six heat levels, motion-sensing heat control and 4.5 hours on high. It needs a separately sold Bluetooth dongle to work at all, the battery costs extra too, there are no physical buttons, and Outdoor Life's vest shut itself off before the battery ran out.
In the box: No. The battery (about $40) and a Bluetooth dongle (about $20) needed to run it are sold separately (Outdoor Life)
Top complaints
- Extra parts required
The battery and a Bluetooth dongle are sold separately, and the vest can't be operated at all without the dongle (Outdoor Life). That puts the total at about $230, though the same article also quotes $300.
Source: Outdoor Life - Turned off on its own
The vest shut off before the battery died, so Outdoor Life couldn't measure its true battery life. Turning it off means unplugging the power cord.
Source: Outdoor Life - No collar heat, no buttons
There's no collar heating and no physical controls (Outdoor Life).
Source: Outdoor Life
What owners love
- Fine-grained, motion-aware control
Six heat settings, a motion mode that adjusts heat as you move, and an eco mode that cycles power (Outdoor Life).
Source: Outdoor Life - Core and lumbar heat
It heats the stomach, back and lumbar area and measured 125 °F (Outdoor Life).
Source: Outdoor Life - Machine washable
Outdoor Life lists it as machine washable.
Source: Outdoor Life
- You want simple buttons
- You want everything in the box
- You need dependable all-day heat
- App and motion-based heat control
- Lower-back (lumbar) and stomach heat
- Thin layering for active sports
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Outdoor Life: Best Bluetooth (updated 2024-11-27): 4.5 h on high and motion control, but it needs a separate dongle and battery, has no collar heat, and shut off early in testing.