Keep warm while riding with this intelligent dual-power solution from Keis.
Keis X10 and X800 features
Scooter and bike gear nowadays seems to be all about the style and less about the bulk. Fitted jackets leave less room for insulation, so when the temperature drops there is no room for more layers, unless you load them on the outside.
Heated jackets are one solution. This is the second year I’ve been using Keis bodywarmers, but the first using their entry-level X10 jacket.
X10 Bodywarmer – RRP £119.99
If I’m honest, I prefer this, slightly lower-power X10 bodywarmer to the others because it has no collar, and doesn’t add to the strangulation you can get with too many items of collared clothing.
The vests seem to work best when worn closer to the skin just over a base layer or t-shirt. Additional jumpers can be worn over the top to keep the heat in.
Rated at 18w (1.5 amps draw) it is plenty warm enough for journeys where the temperature drops below double-figures.
An optional heat controller can be purchased (£29.99) but the bodywarmer just runs at full power if you don\’t fit one.
Hardwired
For a regular daily commute the hard-wired option is best because you don’t need to remember to charge anything up. You can either connect a fused cable to your battery terminals or use a lighter-socket adaptor cable.
Sockets inside the vest allow you to then plug in other accessories such as Y-shaped cables to run down your sleeves to power Keis heated gloves.
Wired glove cables are actually quite handy for dangling your gloves off while you fill up or pay for fuel. The only downside is that you look a bit like the kid from school with the taped-up NHS glasses and ‘Gripper’ is very likely to steal your dinner-money.
2600 MAH Power-brick – £49.99
If you are on-and-off the scooter a lot, or want to stay warm on a machine with no hard-wired power options (classic Vespa or Lambretta) then the 2,600 mAh Keis 12v power brick is a better option.
This still has all the possibilities to power the gloves via the pockets in the vest, but unlike the trendy gloves with their own batteries, with the Keis bodywarmer/gloves rig you only have one thing to remember to charge.
The battery life of the power brick depends on what settings you run, but even on the hottest setting for the jacket it should last over 90 minutes. In my experience the lower settings are often enough unless it is freezing.
X800 Gloves (RRP £149.99)
Moving on to the X800 gloves, these feature heat panels all over the outside of the fingers and back of the hand, but nothing on the palm so grip and feel are not affected.
The gloves feature 3 heat settings selectable by an illuminated press-switch on the rear. On max setting they radiate 18watts (drawing approx 1.5 amps), so even on the hottest setting, together with the bodywarmer on maximum, the worst you should get is 45 minutes riding from the power brick.
I made an error when ordering the gloves and got a size bigger than normal. With finger movement inside the glove you definitely notice the difference between when the panels are in contact with your skin or not.
The panels are never hot to the touch, so rather than making your hands feel warm, what they do is massively delay the onset of chill.
The X800 gloves can only be powered by a wired connection, however Keis also produce an X800i model which has a dual power option. We have also reviewed the slightly cheaper dual-power X900 glove previously on SLUK. Both get a nicely toasty thumbs-up from us.
If you suffer from bad circulation or Raynaud’s syndrome then heated gloves are a definite worthwhile investment because they take the misery out of cold rides. Cold rides you can experience Spring, Autumn or even on summer evenings in the UK…
Sticky
For more details see the Keis website
Pros:
- Stay warmer with less bulk
- Dual-power, so plug into the scooter or use the Keis power cell for full autonomy
- X10 vest has no collar which prevents ‘too many collars’ syndrome
- X10 vest has lower power draw (18w), better for lower output electrical systems
- Powering everything off a single source is great
- The battery option is an excellent solution for a 30-40 minute commute
- The wired option is perfect for longer rides
- Flexible heat panels allow garment to be washed
Cons:
- Wires for gloves are not the coolest or most comfortable solution
- Heated bodywarmer can make your arms feel cold by comparison
- You pay extra for the temperature controller for the bodywarmer
Keis Warranties:
- LIFETIME warranty on all heating elements (For products purchased on or after September 2014)
- 3-year Warranty on Temperature Controllers and Accessories
- 180 Day Warranty on Rechargeable Batteries.
- One-Year Warranty on the rest!
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