Staying warm ain’t easy this winter. Partly because the weather’s really cold, but mostly because you just returned from spending three years in a tropical country where your entire wardrobe consisted of t-shirts, cargo shorts, and flip-flops. Yeah, you’re not in a white sand beach surrounded by coconut trees anymore. And if you’re ever thinking of picking up a jacket to help ease your existence in this biting cold, the Bosch Softshell Heated Jacket looks like it can be a sweet addition to your everyday cold-weather gear.
Armed with heating pads, it comes with warming cores on each side of the chest and another one on the back, raising the temperature under the jacket to spare you from the torturous cold. It comes with quick warmup and three push-button heat settings, with the ability to achieve desired temperatures within minutes.
The Bosch Softshell Heated jacket is a work jacket designed for heavy-duty outdoor use, complete with a high collar, adjustable sleeves and waist, and rain- and wind-resistance, so you can wear it on a worksite and other exposed areas comfortably. It comes with two hand pockets on the outside, a cellphone-sized chest pocket, a large document-sized inside pocket, and a fifth pocket sized to hold the included 2Ah battery (6 hours of runtime, with an optional 4Ah battery upgrade). Aside from heating the jacket, the battery can be used to charge your USB gadgets, so they threw in a battery holster that clips to your belt if you want to use it for that purpose during warmer months.
Build Quality and Design
This heated jacket from Bosch comes with a stylish design that can go along well with almost anything. A high quality shiny metallic black material covers the front. The red accents on the black body make it look quite attractive. The adjustable sleeves and fitted waist offer agood amount of flexibility. This makes it ideal for usage in work environment. This jacket has a lot of storage space thanks to the inclusion of five large sized pockets.Out of those five, two are hand pockets, one is chest pocket with storage area for cell phones, one is a large sized pocket for document storage and the last pocket is for storage of the battery. The internal location of the battery pocket makes the weight of the battery feel more natural and does not put any strain on your body as well. On the front, forearm and back one can also find reflective strips.
The build quality is solid and there are no signs of any low-quality sewing on the unit. The jacket is quite rugged, the material is both water and wind resistant. The smooth polyester lining both looks and feels quite good. The large size variant of the jacket comes with the dimensions of 5 x 16.4 x 13.5 inches and weighs in at just about 3.7 lbs or 1.7KG.
How does it work?
The jacket makes use of multiple heating zones in order to provide the required heat to the user. There are three heating zones present inside, two of those are present on the chest and one is present in the back area. The heat levels can be controlled as well. Three LED lights are used to show the current state of heating of the jacket. The blue light indicates that the heating is low the green light suggests that the heating is at a medium level and the red light indicates a high level of heat. The operation can be controlled via a button that is present at the front end of the jacket on top of the BOSCH logo.The heating mechanism works by making use of a battery. According to the manufacturer, the jacket can work up to six hours on low settings on a single charge of the Bosch 12-volt max 2.0Ah battery. The battery numbers can change however if you opt for a different battery configuration. The battery can be placed in a special storage pocket that is present in the interior of the jacket.
How does it feel like to wear Bosch Softshell Heated Jacket?
Thanks to a thin yet high-quality polyester lining, the jacket feels very light. A high-quality polyester lining separates the heating zones from the internal area of the jacket. A high-collared zipped front helps you cover most of your body. The jacket due to its rugged nature is suitable for use under all weather conditions. The jacket is also suitable for casual usage thanks to its versatile nature and good looks.One of the best things though about this jacket is the amount of storage space that it comes with. It comes with five large sized pockets. Two of those are hand pockets, one is a chest pocket for keeping stuff such as smartphones or mp3 players, one is a storage pocket for large sized documents and the last one is the pocket for the storage of the battery that is responsible for the heating of the unit. Another great feature is the ability to charge your electronics while they are inside your jacket, through USB charging, you can charge almost any portable electronic at the rate of 1Amp. You can run through headphones and power cords from the small opening present inside and lead it to the pocket that contains the battery. The holster belt clip is all-metallic. The working of the jacket can be controlled via the on/off button that is present on top of the Bosch logo. The sleeves come with a high-quality Velcro that offers agreat level of adjustment.
The overall layout is quite similar to most conventional jackets except, for one thing, the zipper is on the opposite side and also the zipper seems a bit tame compared to the overall rugged and heavy duty look and feel of the jacket.
Is this heated jacked the right one for you?
With the recent drops in prices, this deal is looking much better than the initial deal that was offered when the product arrived in the market. It comes with its fair share of pros and cons, the design and versatility are some out its best features. The ample storage space and good heating abilities are just the icings on the cake. That said the location and quality of the zipper and battery life leave much to be desired. The company does however, offer an upgraded 4Ah battery that considerably improves the battery life and the zipper can be swapped for an aftermarket one at any time. These compromises, however, are something that you have to make in return for a stylish and lightweight body that is good for both work and casual usage. For people such as laborers and construction workers, this high tech jacket is a blessing that keeps them warm during the tough winter days.This high tech jacket unlike many others from its own time has aged very well. This versatile jacket still deserves a look if you are looking for a lightweight, stylish and warm jacket for those harsh winters.