ororo lightweight heated vest

after the milwaukee vest fiasco, and the promise that the boss would buy us christmas heated gear, i went directly to amazon. naturally. the ororo line has both men's and women's cuts, in a similar price range to milwaukee. but, the battery - palm sized, flat, and sits on the hip. 9/10 definitely superior design, and rather than the wordy product description, a picture!

after hemming and hawing over the size chart [everyone's favorite part of online shopping..] i ordered the xl. i figured, correctly, larger would be better since i would be wearing it over a workweight hoodie in the winter. back in the pre-pandemic days, i received my vest 2-day-shipping, and of course, immediately tested it out. the heated portions are in the front core giving you functionally heated pockets, the upper back, and in a fucking stroke of brilliance, in the neck. the battery wears comfortably at the hip in an interior zippered pocket, and since i sized the vest to go over bulky winter wear, it doesnt hurt my body. revelations.

as far as flattery and fit go.. well its a puffy vest; they are naturally unflattering ..and puffy. the arm holes are a little large and the side with the battery bulges out a bit more than my normal hip. the slight cut in at the waist isn't restricting, and the vest is long enough i don't risk exposure to my lower back when bending. and goddamnit it is warm. a couple days of 10-20 degree starts, i had vest on high [a fun ironman glowing red led] and had to turn it to medium. at low [blue led], the battery does last a whole 10 hour workday, but i usually turn it off during lunch or while running material.

so downfall... it's not workwear material. i think i managed a week before my first tear in the nylon. it may be water resistant, but it is not nail snag/splinter/knife resistant. fortunately we have an abundance of flashing tape, and i recommend siga wigluv for patching - it is matte and ... sort of blends with the fabric. also i realize i got some kind of sealant shit on the front. its a work vest. whatever.

Comments

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