In the test: heated socks with USB-C and 5000 mAh power banks

For years I've been toying with the idea of ​​buying heated socks, which keep your feet warm in winter and make it more comfortable to defy the low temperatures.

When the Cyber ​​Monday and Black Friday events were happening, I struck and myself the heated socks from Neijiaer ordered (price currently approx. 60 euros).

One size fits all?

The first thing that struck me was the fact that there was no size selection. The socks supposedly fit shoe sizes 37 to 47. That sounds strange, but since my shoe size is EU 44, I thought I would fit quite well in the middle.

In the end, they fit me reasonably well, but they were a bit too big even for me. If you have shoe size 37, you will probably have way too many socks for your feet.

Temperatures from 45°C to 70°C

Here we come to the first point of criticism. If you read through the technical data of the socks, you will find that there are a total of 4 heat levels that can be set using the power banks.

The setting works via a button on the power bank and the current heating level and the charge level of the batteries are shown on two 4-part LED displays.

My criticism here is the specification of the temperatures, because the highest level is supposed to deliver 70 °C. Who's the Bite-Away Sting Healer held my arm will understand why I have my doubts here. The sting healer only generates 51 °C and it feels on the skin as if you had a burn blister afterwards.

If the socks actually produced 70 °C, you would probably have jumped out of your socks faster than our cats from the cat box when going to the vet.

It may be that the built-in heating wire generates 70 °C, but due to the insulating socks, it feels like 40 °C on the feet - at the highest level, mind you.

But ok, you can tell that the soles of your feet are getting warm. In this respect, I was satisfied with the heat development.

Processing of the socks - unfortunately very mediocre

If you now look at the socks from the processing, I immediately notice three things:

• The shape of the socks is basically tubular. There are no tapers between the ball of the foot and the heel, and there is no taper between the calf and the heel.
• The fabric (according to the data sheet wool) is not particularly finely processed. It tends to pull strings and doesn't seem particularly robust to me.
• The cable routing from stepping into the socks to the heating element is not noticeable on the calves, but it runs along the sole of the foot near the heel - which is clearly noticeable when the socks are put on.

If I had to give a school grade, I would choose a 3 to 4, because unfortunately the processing quality doesn't deserve more.

No hiking socks!

I thought to myself that such heated socks might be something for a leisurely winter hike where you trudge through the countryside for 2 or 3 hours. However, this can be avoided completely, for the following reasons:

• The socks don't fit properly and are therefore uncomfortable at best and blistering at worst.
• The cable that runs along the sole of the foot by the heel isn't too bothersome if you're standing around most of the time, but it gets annoying pretty quickly on a hike.
• The fabric of the socks is anything but robust. I think that after 30 to 50 hours of hiking you already have the first holes in the fabric. Maybe even faster, because the poor fit causes the fabric to chafe significantly more than good hiking socks.

I don't want to imply that the socks are completely pointless, but I don't think you can really hike with them, but rather use them at winter garden parties, visits to the Christmas market, horseback riding, skiing or similar events where the standing around proportion is higher is than the circulating fraction.

Do the socks get warm???

yes they do Not insanely hot, but pleasantly warm. However, you have to climb directly into the heated socks without any additional socks, otherwise the other socks insulate too much and you hardly notice the heat.

However, only the second highest and highest heating level seems sensible to me, because otherwise you don't notice enough of the heat. The running time should then be about 3 to 5 hours.

Another point of criticism is the distribution of the heated area. This is on the sole of the foot between the heel and the toes. This means that the toes themselves are not warmed up, which is particularly noticeable in the first 10 to 20 minutes. After that, the heat is distributed a little more in the shoes and the toes also get warm.

My conclusion about the heated socks

I think I was overthinking the use of heated socks a little. In practice, you get more from good shoes and good merino hiking socks than from battery-powered socks. That's why my recommendation is to invest the money in warm clothing that you can enjoy for a long time.

I see the battery-operated, heated socks more as a gimmick for the Christmas market or for the garage party at home, but not for longer walks.

If you still want to take a look at the socks, you can find them in the following product box via this link to Amazon:

Neijiaer Heated Socks, 5000mAh/5V Battery Max. 12H Foot Warmer Electrically Rechargeable Wool ...

• 🔥🔥Warm your life: Heated socks are made of highly stretchable core yarn fabric on the outer layer and short ...
• 🔥🔥12 hours of heat storage and warmth: Equipped with 2 X 5V/5000mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery, ...
• 🔥🔥4 Adjustable temperature: Neijiaer electric foot warmers with 4 temperature levels, self-warming socks with ...

Buy it at Amazon Price includes VAT, plus shipping costs (updated: 24.04.2024 at 10: 06 clock)

For the sake of completeness, here are the instructions for the socks. It also contains the technical data.

Jen Kleinholz( Founder & Sir Apfelot )

Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He acts as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with technical problems. In his spare time he rides electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with the iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions to current bugs.

The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de