VenustasMen's Fleece Heated Vest with Battery, Lightweight Insulated Electric Vest

I bought to use for bike riding, haven't tried that yet, but I spent an evening outside at a X-mas mart in 25 degree weather. I wore what I would normally during a sub 45 degree ride minus the thin water wicking first layer. I wore a heavy brown thermal top under the vest(made for cops) and a heavy black cotton hoodie over it. I pre-heated it for 5-10 minutes in the house, but found that to be unnecessary later on. I waited outside for the family in the driveway to test and ended up switching it to medium(I'm more sensitive to heat than cold unless acclimated) . In the car I had to switch to low and then barely noticed it. Outside throughout the evening I constantly switched from high to medium depending on the activity that my body created the necessary heat for. I am holding off for the final verdict until I go on a sub 35 degree bike ride for which I bought the garment.The product itself. Of everything I found on the market, the heat zones were the most logical. Typically when riding in the cold initially, the cold wind on the upper chest is the most unbearable and the the heat zone placement and thickness is made perfectly for that. The front shoulders can be an issue and this is covered too. You don'tneed anything around your stomach unless your a glamour model so those other products are just stupid. This would make me nauseous probably. The top back is good too, I might make a thin zone down the spine, but let me try it on a ride. The back of the neck is a nice touch, I'll have to decide if that's a true selling point. Besides for the top front, I wish the garment was a bit thinner and more elastic. From a pure warming solution, the garment must be snug at all times like a wetsuit. I saw nothing out there that compares to this really, so I guess I won't complain too much. I'm 5'11" and 265lb. I'm big boned and fairly bulky still from surfing a number of years ago. I've got a big belly(inherited). I bought an XL and besides for my belly, it's nice and snug like a glove. My belly will stretch that puppy out eventually.I'm really glad this company is seriously addressing cold weather activity solutions with this new technology. They should really expand their line for other parts of the body. I'm not sure if my arms would need anything if my core is good. I doubt that would be addressed for the consumer market due to lower sales volumes, but a leg solution is something that would be a good seller. I would design a medium weight thermal long john solution with wide zones on the front and back of the thighs. I seriously don't remember thinking my calves were cold, so that would not be required. Also, the back thigh pad needs to be designed as not to obstruct any part of a sitting posture. That would both damage the product and entice unwanted wiggling around for comfort. Butts are made to handle all conditions. Then I would consider something for the top of the feet and intelligently designed gloves. I think for gloves, just the top side of the fingers might be good enough.I'll update once I really work this thing out with any hidden flaws revealed. BTW, does anybody know where I can get a helmet with a heated air ex-changer built in? NASA????[Edit]Went for my first 33 degree bike ride today. It was mostly sunny. Wore a sleeveless T-Shirt, then a medium weight(very well designed textured fleece) by REI long sleeve top. I had an old cheap fleece sweat shirt and I cut the shirt off below the Pectorals because I needed another layer on my arms but didn't want body bulk and I wanted to wear the vest with just a wet layer and a single thermal layer. On top I wore my thick cotton hoodie for protection like I always do.I turned it on high right before I jumped on the bike and started riding. I was a bit de-conditioned so I didn't quite make my 23mph average speed. After the 15 - 20 minute warm up period( the worst part of a cold day ride) I was too warm. I was never was cold at all up to this point core body, but my arms started out a bit chilly at first, but went bearable cool. I turned it down to medium I thought but after the ride I saw that it was on blue. This was very comfortable and the added benefit was when I stopped for liquids my soaked tee shirt never felt cold, but rather a cool warm which was quite invigorating. My legs where pretty bulked do to all that layers, so I don't know how much that contributed to my core body heat regulation.This is where I saw that first problem. Once dressed and on the bike, there was no easy way to adjust that vest levels. I think that button should be moved to the bottom right hem of the vest so you can snag it with one hand to operate it and also pull away from you a little to observe the color. Also, this would solve that failure point other buyers mentioned about the thin wiring connections up at the button. With the button on the waist, you could mold a thicker RTV block into the fabric so the wiring would permanently secured and protected from mechanical stress. Even put a heavy duty 2 pin connector right into the mold so the switch assembly could be swapped out. You can use female connector pins soldered and heat shrunk right on to two loose wires on the vest side to save costs.I only charged the battery once since I had the vest and when I started today it showed 3/4 and after the 1:40 hr ride it showed 2/4. With my experience with Li-ON batteries, there's probably 20-30% of stated operational hours left in the battery. It will take a while to gauge real max usage time due to discharge rates being dependent on both the usable life point of the battery and ambient temperature at time of usage. Lets keep the fingers crossed for longevity of the gear.

I had received a vest with, as it turns out, a bad battery. Lesley of Venustas CS was terrific in handling the situation! Their customer service was outstanding! Thanks again, Lesley! The Vest is very comfortable and warm and will get me through this very cold winter!

I live in NE US, so a heated vest is great for early morning dog walks and blustery days walking the beach. The product is very nicely packaged, creating a great initial impression. I prefer the fleece material over a more plastic shell and it appears well-made. Controls are simple enough, although setting the temperature level correctly the first time takes a little practice. The styling is on point for casual smart. Might be a little too nice for dirty exterior work as an outer garment. Functionally, it provides a nice steady warmth. Although I find an outer jacket is advised as temps fall below 40 on cloudy days, particularly if the humidity is high and there is a breeze. Battery life is reasonable and I understand an upgraded battery is available for those that need it. Overall, a good vest and a nice addition to outerwear.

He loves different heating controls and really works well , looks great, fits perfectly would recommend!

I am very pleased with the quality and fit of the vest. It is made of quality materials, and the stitching and finish quality are top-notch; this alone warrants five stars, as far as I'm concerned. I wear this vest under my jacket when I take my dog out for walks (early mornings and late evenings in Michigan winter). The vest has made our walks during sub-freezing temperatures very tolerable. Now, my only gripe is that the battery life leaves a bit to be desired. I don't know if it is just how the battery is or if I have a sub-standard item, but I have to charge the battery frequently to get daily use (I use it for less than two hours a day). Regardless, I like this vest (more like I love it), and it is a must-have item if you deal with sub-freezing temperatures like we have in Michigan. I'm one happy customer (even with the battery issues).

Ordered men’s and women’s heated fleece vest. Very nice quality vests and the front and back heaters definitely keep you nice and warm. Love the 3 heat settings also. We had an issue with the men’s vest where the battery easily disconnected from the connection wire inside the vest. Contacted customer service.and couldn’t believe how quickly they responded and how amazing their customer service is. They sent us a new vest. Would definitely recommend this company and these vests.

Fits good and very warm

I will start this review with the sizing. I am 5' 6" tall about 175# average build. The sizing chart says I should wear a Medium. Not even close. I purchased a Large and had to return it for an XL. It fits better without restricting movement. I am assuming that the manufacturer wants it to be tighter fitting so that the heat is closer to the body, but those sizes are just too small. So, if I were purchasing again, go 2 sizes up. The battery works fairly well and has decent life. One other feature that should be implemented in the future should be a drawstring bottom to better retain heat. Would I recommend purchase? It works okay and it's good for outdoor activities down to the 40's - 50's.

—-update—- the vendor contacted me and shipping me a new one! Anne is very helpful and attentive.. pleasantly surprised with the customer service level from the vendor.I bought the venustas heating vest for my boyfriend as recommended by my friend who is very satisfied with this. Unfortunately, I guess something is not right.I charged it for 6 hours as recommended initially (note that the battery was already at 72 when I plugged it) and now I put it on and it does not flash at all, becomes red right away. The heat is not everywhere and barely heats up. My friend said that at the red level, it should be really hot, now it's like it's very low and not even all where it should be. The battery went from 100 to 50 in not even one hour.I am very sad because it's still a very good amount that I paid and I wanted this one because it does heat on the shoulders. My friend says to call customer service because there is a defect with the product, not normal. Hers becomes very hot at red and the battery does not go down that fast. The fact that it does not flash is also not good, it's written in the booklet to contact customer service when not flashing.I did send an email to the company, but no one responded. I saw reviews that said that the vendor contacted them right away. I really wanted this vest for my boyfriend. Hopefully someone will contact me.

This product is excellent. Yes there are less expensive ones but in this case, you get what you pay for. It feels comfortable and well made. It has kept me warm in this Canadian winter. I am 5'7"; 155 lb…the Medium fits perfectly I tend to get cold easily but this allows me to get out for long periods and enjoy our winter.I have had no issues as I see in other reviews with the battery.Even the packaging was impressive.The instructions are clear (and not printed with a small font which is difficult to read). And even is laminated.It’s evident that the company cares about the product. There’s many notices of the return policy and warranty with a direct line to the company if there’s any issues. And I received an email to that effect directly from the company.As you can guess, I highly recommend this product.

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Really impressed with this vest. It heats up within seconds And it is a very cozy fleece. I put it under my coat in -15 weather And had to set it to low because it was getting too hot. This is gonna be great for snowmobiling in northern Ontario. I wish this company would make heated long underwears. Over all it's even better than I was expecting. And that's something very rare.

Heated vest purchased in October 2023 for a Christmas gift in December 2023. Item not functioning - battery unit charges as expected and vest light indicator flashes when battery connected. However, when adjusting button depressed vest does not heat.