Fanum
Toubab
I feel I ought to revisit my comments about Keis kit.
My initial reaction to getting a heated vest and gloves was anything other than positive, and I have to say if I could go back a fortnight or so, I certainly wouldn't buy the Keis kit again, but it isn't quite as bad as my initial reactions might suggest.
SIZING:
I got an 'XL' sized vest, and although I'm a fat bastard, I have to say (still) that the vest is just NOT XL sized.
I can wear it, but only as a base layer on top of a thin t shirt......even then, it is a bit tight to zip up......if you're a skinny fekker, it would be fine, but seriously, before you buy a Keis vest, wear one and make sure you can fit into it.
The gloves fit well and are comfy under my BMW summer rally gloves.
EFFECTIVENESS:
The vest is good......considerably warmer around the lower back, but that suits me nicely being a long bodied bloke.
The vest heats up fairly fast and the heat output is fine....not as good as my own home made one that I made for about 15 quid with some resistance wire and a couple of crimps......That one has better heat distribution for ME, but that's because I designed it and sewed the wire exactly where I wanted it......kidneys and neck area plus a bit all over the rest.....Now though, I have a vest that Rosie can use and one that's just as good for me to use, so although on reflection I'd not buy the Keis vest again, it hasn't been a total loss (and it'll be a nice surprise when I can toastify Rosie next time she's out on the bike this winter)
The gloves are a slightly different matter.
They DO get warmish, but it's not a noticeable warmth, it's just enough to negate the freezing fingertips that I would otherwise have in my summer gloves inside the muffs.
So they keep that chill off, and it's good that they warm down to the fingertips, but in a couple of week's use on the bike, I haven't consciously thought "Ooh, my hands are toasty, this is nice....."
It's more of a case of just not noticing the chill, and frankly, I was hoping for more, particularly as I'd paid for a bundle with a heat controller (39 quid normally) that implied to me that there might be a need to turn the heat down.
USE:
This is my biggest issue with this kit.
The connector plugs, although sheathed so they look like they should fit nicely inside eachother, merely butt up together.
There's no way they are waterproof, and for an all year around rider who wants heated stuff in rain, snow, ice, fog and everything else, that's not good enough.
There is a pocket on the inside of the vest that is supposed to take the loose wires, but if the vest has to be worn deep inside several layers, that's silly......you have to set yourself up for fishing out the wires right as you get dressed in the morning......thermal t shirt, Keis vest which you have to attach THREE wires to in those not particularly secure plugs/sockets, then my lambswool thin jumpers, a thick synthetic fleece fluffy jumper, windproof gillet and finally my Rukka or whatever.
(My windproof gillet is great by the way, it's a "Result performance' gillet that I got from an army surplus place, and it's sized Medium, yet it's only snug even as the 4th layer....go figure
)
So there you are, layered up from the moment you get dressed because the vest HAS to go underneath, two wires trailing down the inside of your jumpers that will inevitably get lost and you'll spend ten minutes fishing them out.....they also pull out of the sockets, which are stupidly placed under the armpits in this Keis vest
The gloves are worse to use......the material is nice and thin so it fits under any gloves as they're meant to, but it feels TOO fragile, and when you put the gloves on, the sockets are therefore too floppy on the fragile material.
I do like the fact that they use carbon panel thingies so that the warmth (not heat, see above) goes right to your fingertips, but the thin material also rucks up inside the gloves, so you can't conveniently pull off the outer gloves of your choice plus the inner heated ones and put them back on again....you have to treat them as two pairs of gloves (which is what they are) but that's a pain in the arse, sorry.
So, you've overheated over breakfast (I don't do breakfast so not as big an issue for me as it might be for others) and then you struggle to match up gloves, inners and wires, plugs and sockets.
Now you get on the bike, and that FUCKING LEAD that comes out of the bottom of the vest is, of course, several layers down (especially if you've had a piss since you got dressed)
Now of course you have to remove your gloves, all four of them, find the lead from the vest, dislodging all of your carefully prepared layers, plug it in, put all your gloves back on and then you fumble for the heat control.....its too fiddly, but you make it.
The heat controller....sorry, the EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE heat controller is a foot or so of wire with the heat control tab and a short flying lead, it plugs inline between the bike lead and the vest lead.......I just KNOW that soon, I will lose it.....that's why they sell them (so expensively) as separate items
CONCLUSION:
Heat ok, was expecting better from gloves though.
Convenience: Wiring and design crap, could be much better...it's fiddly, inconvenient and poorly conceived.
Value OK(ish)
I got the gloves and vest for £139 from a large ebay stockist....not bad.
Would I buy Keis again....fuck no.
If I could do it again, I'd buy better gloves only, and stick with my home made vest, or better still, convert my windproof gillet to a heated vest myself.
Ah well......You live and learn
YMMV
Oh, I should add that after 1 day use, the inner liner was marked up....after 2 weeks, its looking well worn......I doubt it will last.
My initial reaction to getting a heated vest and gloves was anything other than positive, and I have to say if I could go back a fortnight or so, I certainly wouldn't buy the Keis kit again, but it isn't quite as bad as my initial reactions might suggest.
SIZING:
I got an 'XL' sized vest, and although I'm a fat bastard, I have to say (still) that the vest is just NOT XL sized.
I can wear it, but only as a base layer on top of a thin t shirt......even then, it is a bit tight to zip up......if you're a skinny fekker, it would be fine, but seriously, before you buy a Keis vest, wear one and make sure you can fit into it.
The gloves fit well and are comfy under my BMW summer rally gloves.
EFFECTIVENESS:
The vest is good......considerably warmer around the lower back, but that suits me nicely being a long bodied bloke.
The vest heats up fairly fast and the heat output is fine....not as good as my own home made one that I made for about 15 quid with some resistance wire and a couple of crimps......That one has better heat distribution for ME, but that's because I designed it and sewed the wire exactly where I wanted it......kidneys and neck area plus a bit all over the rest.....Now though, I have a vest that Rosie can use and one that's just as good for me to use, so although on reflection I'd not buy the Keis vest again, it hasn't been a total loss (and it'll be a nice surprise when I can toastify Rosie next time she's out on the bike this winter)
The gloves are a slightly different matter.
They DO get warmish, but it's not a noticeable warmth, it's just enough to negate the freezing fingertips that I would otherwise have in my summer gloves inside the muffs.
So they keep that chill off, and it's good that they warm down to the fingertips, but in a couple of week's use on the bike, I haven't consciously thought "Ooh, my hands are toasty, this is nice....."
It's more of a case of just not noticing the chill, and frankly, I was hoping for more, particularly as I'd paid for a bundle with a heat controller (39 quid normally) that implied to me that there might be a need to turn the heat down.
USE:
This is my biggest issue with this kit.
The connector plugs, although sheathed so they look like they should fit nicely inside eachother, merely butt up together.
There's no way they are waterproof, and for an all year around rider who wants heated stuff in rain, snow, ice, fog and everything else, that's not good enough.
There is a pocket on the inside of the vest that is supposed to take the loose wires, but if the vest has to be worn deep inside several layers, that's silly......you have to set yourself up for fishing out the wires right as you get dressed in the morning......thermal t shirt, Keis vest which you have to attach THREE wires to in those not particularly secure plugs/sockets, then my lambswool thin jumpers, a thick synthetic fleece fluffy jumper, windproof gillet and finally my Rukka or whatever.
(My windproof gillet is great by the way, it's a "Result performance' gillet that I got from an army surplus place, and it's sized Medium, yet it's only snug even as the 4th layer....go figure
)So there you are, layered up from the moment you get dressed because the vest HAS to go underneath, two wires trailing down the inside of your jumpers that will inevitably get lost and you'll spend ten minutes fishing them out.....they also pull out of the sockets, which are stupidly placed under the armpits in this Keis vest
The gloves are worse to use......the material is nice and thin so it fits under any gloves as they're meant to, but it feels TOO fragile, and when you put the gloves on, the sockets are therefore too floppy on the fragile material.
I do like the fact that they use carbon panel thingies so that the warmth (not heat, see above) goes right to your fingertips, but the thin material also rucks up inside the gloves, so you can't conveniently pull off the outer gloves of your choice plus the inner heated ones and put them back on again....you have to treat them as two pairs of gloves (which is what they are) but that's a pain in the arse, sorry.
So, you've overheated over breakfast (I don't do breakfast so not as big an issue for me as it might be for others) and then you struggle to match up gloves, inners and wires, plugs and sockets.
Now you get on the bike, and that FUCKING LEAD that comes out of the bottom of the vest is, of course, several layers down (especially if you've had a piss since you got dressed)
Now of course you have to remove your gloves, all four of them, find the lead from the vest, dislodging all of your carefully prepared layers, plug it in, put all your gloves back on and then you fumble for the heat control.....its too fiddly, but you make it.
The heat controller....sorry, the EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE heat controller is a foot or so of wire with the heat control tab and a short flying lead, it plugs inline between the bike lead and the vest lead.......I just KNOW that soon, I will lose it.....that's why they sell them (so expensively) as separate items
CONCLUSION:
Heat ok, was expecting better from gloves though.
Convenience: Wiring and design crap, could be much better...it's fiddly, inconvenient and poorly conceived.
Value OK(ish)
I got the gloves and vest for £139 from a large ebay stockist....not bad.
Would I buy Keis again....fuck no.
If I could do it again, I'd buy better gloves only, and stick with my home made vest, or better still, convert my windproof gillet to a heated vest myself.
Ah well......You live and learn
YMMV
Oh, I should add that after 1 day use, the inner liner was marked up....after 2 weeks, its looking well worn......I doubt it will last.
