Electric socks, who's got 'em?

[focker]

Actually, the 5.0 socks are $350 but who's counting?

I had Hotronics. They worked well until the cables broke and one battery wouldn't take a charge any longer. That was after just a couple of seasons. I know Hotronics work well for lots of people but my experience wasn't great and it felt like it would be throwing good money after bad. I'll try these for now.

Yeah they are definitely delicate. The nice part is you can just individual parts for them as needed. The ones I got for my wife are still working after 5 years however. She only skis 10 times per year though.

 

[Viking9]

$ 300.00 bucks is a CRAZY amount of money for a pair of socks but if you have circulation issues and heated socks takes care of the issue .......you can’t give’em the money fast enough.( A lot of people with circulation issues are a lot more comfortable skiing in May than February in Alaska )

 

[bigguyski]

Hello,

I have the same sock set up as the one pictured in post #30. This is my third season with these and I love them as the heated socks changed how I was able to enjoy my day. There is less time spent warming my feet and more time pushing snow downhill. Before I started wearing the heated socks a could only last about 1 and 1/2 hours then I would come in and warm up which would involve taking off the boot and walking around in order to increase blood flow to my toes. I usually start the day with the socks on the lowest of the 3 settings and then usually increase to the middle setting after about 1 and 1/2 hours. Then adjust from there depending on how I feel. I have had no problems with the batteries lasting the whole day and I am usually ski from lift open to close.

Sizing: I was reluctant to go the sock method over heated insoles because I have big feet (size 13 wide) and have big calf muscles, but these sock fit, although they are a little tight around the calf.

bigguyski

 

[Tricia]

We just bumped into the Lenz guys at Outdoor Retailer/SIA - Look for more information soon.

 

[David Chaus]

We just bumped into the Lenz guys at Outdoor Retailer/SIA - Look for more information soon.

Give them a hug for me, expressing my gratitude.

 

[E221b]

I, personally, could feel the cables and the elements in the socks the whole time I was wearing them. However, I might have a more narrow comfort band within which I can deal than most people...

 

[Sibhusky]

That would drive me nuts.

 

[Viking9]

I think the socks are going to keep getting better and better and better , hotronics has the socks now.
I think the old style of hotronics will be phased out pretty soon and you’ll see more people making the socks and bringing the price down.
Of course your seeing boots now coming with heated liners, in a couple years I think you will see 80% of women’s boots with heaters, ( that 80% of women who know the difference ).

 

[TheArchitect]

Bring back yer dead thread!

For my fellow heated socks owners, how do you find the battery life? I found it to be lacking the couple times I used them last season. Worse, I just tried an experiment that has me wondering if I have bad batteries. I fully charged them overnight and then plugged them into the socks. Using the app I set the heat level to 5 out of 9. After only 2 hours in the living room the batteries are at 29% and 42%. I would've thought they'd last +/- 4 hours before getting to 50%.

 

[KingGrump]

After only 2 hours in the living room the batteries are at 29% and 42%. I would've thought they'd last +/- 4 hours before getting to 50%.

That doesn't sound good.

 

[TheArchitect]

Tell me about it. I'm going to try it again tomorrow night with the setting at 3 to see what happens. Tonight they were at 9% at the 4 hour mark. Less than a year old.

 

[David Chaus]

Hmm....with my Lenz socks, assuming they were fully charged, I’ve never had them get below 35-40% after a full day of skiing. I usually set them at 7 or 8 for about 20 minutes to warm up, then set them at 3 and leave them. If it gets cold I’ll bump them up again for a bit but don’t usually need to. With Lenz there are several different batteries; I’ve got the RCB 1200. The longest lasting are the RCB 1800.

I have Intuition liners, which I feel insulate better than the stock Tecnica liners.

Also, I’m in the PNW, which generally doesn’t get as cold as other places.

 

[TheArchitect]

Hmm....with my Lenz socks, assuming they were fully charged, I’ve never had them get below 35-40% after a full day of skiing. I usually set them at 7 or 8 for about 20 minutes to warm up, then set them at 3 and leave them. If it gets cold I’ll bump them up again for a bit but don’t usually need to. With Lenz there are several different batteries; I’ve got the RCB 1200. The longest lasting are the RCB 1800.

I have Intuition liners, which I feel insulate better than the stock Tecnica liners.

Also, I’m in the PNW, which generally doesn’t get as cold as other places.

I think I have the 1200. I’m going to try your method of 20 minutes of warm up and then level 3.

 

[NZRob]

Bring back yer dead thread!

For my fellow heated socks owners, how do you find the battery life? I found it to be lacking the couple times I used them last season. Worse, I just tried an experiment that has me wondering if I have bad batteries. I fully charged them overnight and then plugged them into the socks. Using the app I set the heat level to 5 out of 9. After only 2 hours in the living room the batteries are at 29% and 42%. I would've thought they'd last +/- 4 hours before getting to 50%.

I'd be getting in touch with Lenz if I was you, I think there is an issue with your batteries. That battery performance does not match Lenz's aspirations/expectations and certainly doesn't match the experience my wife has had with hers, which is getting through a full day in cold conditions with mid-range heating settings and still having roughly 30-50% of battery remaining.

I as talking to her last night about her socks (it was a slow news day - her comment was that they are the single best and most important bit of equipment she has for an enjoyable day on the snow.

 

[TheArchitect]

I just got off the phone with Lenz and I'm not exactly thrilled with the answer. I explained what was going on and was told that my battery life is what is expected. The batteries are expected to last 3 hours at level 7, 5-6 hours at level 4 and 10 hours at level 1.

I'm currently trying David's approach and will see if they last 5-6 hours at level 4.

 

[ted]

Can anyone compare to the Sidas to the Len.
I'm kind of a Sidas fan in general.

 

[TheArchitect]

Well, at the 5 hour mark last night the batteries were at 8% and 9% each so I guess my pair is performing at the low end of the level 4 setting range. My problem is when I used them at that setting my feet weren't warm enough. Sorely tempted by the SaC deal on Hotronics as a back-up plan. I had them before but they broke quickly.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I wouldn't expect heated anything to keep my feet warm all day. I'm satisfied with "not frozen". When I've overdone it, I end up with sweaty feet and dead batteries before lunch and that's not good.

 

[TheArchitect]

I wouldn't expect heated anything to keep my feet warm all day. I'm satisfied with "not frozen". When I've overdone it, I end up with sweaty feet and dead batteries before lunch and that's not good.

I’ve never had my feet sweat with the Lenz or Hotronics turned up full blast. My feet are always cold in boots, even on warm days. I’ve wondered if I have a medical reason for it but I don’t have the pain typically associated with that sort of thing. The feet are just uncomfortable

The boots are new and fit really well so I’m not cranking them down and cutting off circulation

 

[KingGrump]

I am in fully in epic's "not frozen" camp with my Hotronics.

I carry spares of everything on the road. I fully expect to replace some components through the season. The cable is the most abused part of the Hotronic system. Followed by the bails on the batteries. The heating pad replacement cost $20 with the cambrelle cover include. I can replace a heater pad and cover in about 10 minutes. The bails can be replaced in less than 5.