The technology behind rechargeable heated jackets
As early as 1912, physician Sidney Russell invented what could be called the world’s first electric under-mattress heated blanket – a concept that would later be developed into a practical, thermostatically controlled blanket by prolific inventor George Crowley in 1930. Crowley adored his invention and one remained on his own bed even after he passed away in January 2000, remaining in regular use by his wife.Get more news about
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Once Crowley had put the finishing touches on what would become the first modern electric blanket it became only a matter of time before the combination of fabric and active electric heating would make its way to apparel. In 2001 the North Face MET5 became the first electric heated jacket available for sale – a pioneer of the technology, MET5 was selected by TIME as one of their best Inventions of 2001, however, as with many trail-blazing products, it was burdened with an obstructive $500 price-tag.
Other major brands have entered and departed the heated jacket arena since with differing degrees of success, largely tentatively, with rechargeable heated jackets developed as projects aside to proven and established clothing and outdoor wear collections. In recent years, however, new products have found success in the market thanks to revolutionary improvements in fabric heating technology and reliability – these next-generation jackets are created by brands such as 8K with stylish, versatile heated jackets the sole focus of their attention, which should come as no surprise, as for a heated jacket to become your everyday jacket, it must also be a brand’s everyday product.
Much like George Crowley’s electric blanket, 8K Flexwarm jackets are loved and used regularly by the people behind them, with the latest collection of revolutionary heated apparel for women and men arriving in Autumn 2018.
Many of the heated apparel products currently in circulation use carbon fibre heating technology, which has been used for some time, carbon fibre can be found in many heated jackets going back several years. As carbon fibre is the most common technology available, it’s currently the best standard for comparison to the Flexwarm® heating technology found in 8K Apparel.
Carbon fibre heated clothing works using strips or tubular heating elements, like wires, that are spaced across the heated areas of the jacket to provide warmth.
While these elements are flexible to allow the user normal movement, they are more rigid than the apparel itself so do reduce flexibility. As the jacket heats up, areas directly in contact with these narrow strips will naturally be hotter than any areas in between – this means the temperature is fundamentally uneven and must spread outwards from each source, losing energy in the process.
Flexwarm® uses an ultra-thin film layer as a heating element, allowing the jacket to flex and move with you as normal to retain the level of comfort you’d expect from high-quality apparel. This layer provides a uniform source of heat that’s flush to the fabric and heated throughout, rather than relying on heat to spread from narrow, individual elements – this means warmth can be passed directly through the fabric efficiently and effectively without any uneven hot or cool spots and eliminating the need for excessive layering.
Heating Time
When the thermometer has fallen below zero and you need to head out, you brace yourself for the cold – you know that it’s going to take a little time for your body to come to terms with the change in temperature, so you want your jacket to heat up, and heat up fast. In testing, Flexwarm reached 40-50 degrees up to 3 times faster than carbon fibre.
Flexwarm® technology reached 50°C / 122°F in just 360 seconds, in comparison carbon fibre, took 16 and 37 minutes respectively – In context, if you’re taking the dog for a walk wearing a carbon fibre jacket, you’ll reach a comfortable temperature just in time to walk back into the house and take off your coat. Flexwarm® technology, on the other hand, will have you nice and toasty in no time.
