Review: 8K Flexwarm® Heated Jacket

Disclaimer: I was gifted an 8K heated jacket for the purposes of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. if you click through and make a purchase I may earn a small commission, there is no extra cost to you. 

Despite what you might think, I don’t actually like being cold. I may be an outdoor blogger, but as much as I love being outside, I still like to be cosy at all times. To combat this, I have a lot of coats. I have a coat or jacket for every possible occasion. I have a down jacket, I have a couple of body warmers, I have a soft shell, I have a fleece jacket, I have 3 waterproof coats (all with varying levels of insulation), I have a coat that is basically like wearing a giant sheep, and there’s probably one or two more that I’ve forgotten about. I thought I was covered when it came to coats. I was wrong.

Enter the 8K Flexwarm® heated jacket

What I was missing from my extensive collection was a heated jacket. Obviously.

I’m not going to lie, when I first heard about the 8k Flexwarm® heated jacket, I was sceptical. I didn’t see how it would work. Surely it would be bulky, hard to operate and wouldn’t it get a bit too hot? But I’m always willing to try new things, so I gave it a go and I was pleasantly surprised.

The Tech

So just how does it all work? The clever folk at 8K have come up with the revolutionary Flexwarm® heating system, this is essentially an ultra-thin (0.5mm) printable heating element, which is printed and layered between the inner and outer layers of fabric to create three controllable heating zones. These zones are at the back and across the front.

I think that the most impressive part of this jacket is just how lightweight it is. I expected it to be a bit bulky, but it’s actually very comfortable. Although it isn’t filled with down, it feels similar to my down jacket and even without the heating capability, this would be a very stylish and warm coat. I liked the stretchy panels at the side to ensure that it fits snugly, and I also  liked the way that the heating element is evenly spread, so you don’t get too hot in one area. it’s more of an all over, gentle warming feeling.

The heating has three different levels, low (40°c), medium (45°c) and high (50°c), and you can also have either just the front or back heated, or both. I like this degree of control, as it allows you to adapt to changing conditions. It takes about 6 minutes to get up to the highest heat setting, which I thought was quite reasonable. I have really only used the low and medium settings for any length of time as it hasn’t been too cold yet. I’m sure it will get a proper workout once winter really hits!

The controls are very simple, there are two buttons on the side of the jacket, or you can use a smartphone app. The 8K Flexwarm® heated jacket comes with a small, lightweight dual port power bank to charge it.

You can also control the heating via the Flexwarm® app. I didn’t tend to do this as I found it easy enough to just use the buttons. I was worried that if I used my phone it would run out of battery, but the power bank supplied with the jacket has two ports so that you can charge your phone as you go. If you just use the power bank to charge your jacket, it will last for 13 hours, which is very impressive.

Practical Uses

For me, the coat really comes into its own on those occasions when you’re standing around in the cold and not moving. For me, it’s when my three year old is climbing the walls and I really need to take him out. Standing around while pushing him on the swings, or hanging about while he endlessly searches for the perfect stick, is when I really feel the cold, especially now I usually have a newborn attached to me so can’t run around as much. This coat ensures that I’m warm and toasty at all times. I can also see myself wearing it at night when we’re camping.

For the future, it will be invaluable when the boys are older and I’m waiting to pick them up, or watching them play sports from the sidelines.

The only negative I have come across is the fact that it isn’t machine washable. While this may be obvious, as a busy mum kit that needs special care doesn’t usually get much of a look in around here. Also, at a RRP of £225 it isn’t cheap. Having said that, there is nothing like it on the market today. I can appreciate the years of research and development that has gone into it, and it’s a high quality product that I will use for years to come.

For the first time ever, I’m hoping for a cold winter!

What do you think of the 8K Flexwarm® heated jacket? Do you know someone who needs this in their life?