Men's 3X-Large Black Heated WORKSKIN USB Rechargeable Midweight Base Layer Shirt

SUMMARY: A GREAT IDEA THAT IS UNDER POWERED. BACKGROUND: I wanted to get a heated work shirt or jacket for a while, but they were too expensive for my budget. The chance to evaluate Milwaukee’s USB rechargeable base layer shirt was a welcome opportunity. NOTE: This is a base-layer shirt intended for next-to-skin wear. However, I always wear an undershirt/tee-shirt as my base layer, so this was over that. FIT AND FINISH: The shirt is well made; it is a dual-layer design with the heating elements sandwiched between two fabric layers. The stitching is tight, and seams are double stitched. FEATURES: From the Home Depot page, with my comments as appropriate. • The Milwaukee Heated WORKSKIN Midweight Base Layer-XL Kit is powered by a REDLITHIUM USB Battery with carbon fiber heating elements to create and distribute heat to the chest and back. o The REDLITIUM battery is the backbone of the Milwaukee line of battery products. The battery used in this shirt is the same as used in at least one of their LED flashlights. I found the carbon fiber heating elements gave a warm heat without cooking my skin. • The Quick-Heat function allows users to feel heat 3X faster in the chest and upper back heating zones. o Since this is my first heated work gear, I have nothing to compare it with. It seemed to take longer than I thought it should to get warm. • A 1-touch LED controller allows users to select from 2 heat settings, delivering ideal heat for any environment o The controller is easy to use. Press and hold to turn it on, press and hold again to cycle between high and low settings. The high heat setting shows a red LED on the controller, low heat shows blue. • Up to 3-hours of run-time with REDLITHIUM USB battery pack o This is one of the major downfalls of this jacket. The batteries do not last long enough. 3 hours does not even cover a full morning or afternoon. So, the provided batteries won’t protect through a full workday. I consider this a failure and would not recommend this shirt for someone who needs warming for an 8-hour or longer period. • Heating zones: chest and upper back o The long-sleeved arms have no heating elements. The shirt keeps your core warm. • Washer and dryer safe o Because this is designed for wear next to the skin, I think this is an essential requirement. • Midweight construction keeps body warm and dry o Even if used just as an undershirt the shirt is about as warm as long johns or a sweatshirt. • Fleece lined arms provide total body warmth o Not heated, but still warm. • Raglan sleeves and seamless shoulders provide improve mobility and comfort o I had to google this: ”A raglan sleeve is a sleeve that extends in one piece fully to the collar, leaving a diagonal seam from underarm to collarbone.” Never knew that was the name of that type of sleeve. o The sleeves have a thumb slot that I used when putting on an outer shirt or jacket. This is a handy feature. o Sleeve length was an issue. The sleeves are about 2 inches too long. They extend to the first knuckle of my index finger even with my arms extended. For me this is too long for the type of work I do. I found I had to roll the cuffs back or the sleeves got in the way, but rolling the sleeves up is difficult to do with a base layer shirt that is underneath an outer shirt. And on my watch hand the sleeve ended up compressing my wrist due to the watch band, base layer, work shirt, and jacket. • Pilling resistant fabric extend product life o Time will tell. I have not used it enough to find out. • This midweight next-to-skin base layer kit includes one XL Heated WORKSKIN Midweight Base Layer (405B-21XL), one RLUSB 3.0Ah Battery (48-11-2131), one REDLITHIUM USB Battery Controller/Charger (50-59-2005), and one 3 ft. Micro-USB Cable and 2.1A Wall Charger (48-59-1202). o The web page says the shirt comes with one RLUSB 3.0Ah Battery (48-11-2131) but there were two in the package. This allows up to 6 hours of run time with both batteries fully charged o Battery life is the second fail for this shirt. There is a case for the batteries that is also the charger. But you must plug the charger/case into the shirt. With two batteries and only one charger you cannot have a battery in use and another on charge. Due to the 3-hour battery life, if I went into my unheated shop early in the morning the first battery would discharge before lunch. The second battery would discharge before 2pm. There is not enough battery life, even with two batteries, to power the shirt for an 8-hour shift or a 9-hour day. This is unacceptable for a piece of work clothing. OPERATION: Simple to use. Plug the battery into the dongle for the shirt and press and hold the control button to turn the shirt on. First mode is high (red indicator.) Press the control button again to cycle between the heat settings to low (blue indicator.) Press and hold the control button to turn the shirt off. SUMMARY: Milwaukee also make an M12 line of heated outerwear. The run time on that line is longer due to the larger batteries. If I had it to do over, I would probably get the heated outerwear and use and unpowered base layer. PROS: Comfortable. CONS: Sleeves too long. Run time too short. No separate battery charger. Postscript: Milwaukee ended up sending me two WORKSKIN shirts. With two chargers and 4 batteries I can now spend a full day in the shop with only the hassle of swapping batteries every 3 hours.

I walk our schnoodle in the mornings, which means I get the full brunt of Arctic North Carolina weather. Hence, I am always in favor of anything heated. So today I put on my black MILWAUKEE HEATED MIDWEIGHT WORKSKIN, leashed up the mutt, and ventured out with no coat. Yeah, it was gosh darned cold. I would like to report that the WORKSKIN kept me bathed in a cocoon of warmth, but nah. Mind you, the shirt was warm, and it fit great (I'm a 48L), looks great on me (so says my bride) and the fabric was super-comfy, but all in all, it's not that warm. I think it's best to wear this as a layer, under your coat/clothes, like long underwear. That is the perfect application, and the WORKSKIN is the perfect layer! Meanwhile, I'm giving one of these WORKSKINS to my daughter's fiance for Christmas. Maybe if he wears his WORKSKIN, he will not need my daughter for warmth and stay away her until after the wedding.

The MILWAUKEE MEN'S X-LARGE BLACK HEATED WORKSKIN USB RECHARGEABLE MIDWEIGHT BASE LAYER SHIRT is a great idea! It gets very cold during the winter and layering during outside work is cumbersome. This shirt makes it easy to get warm without having to put on a bunch of layers! The heater in the shirts works great and it is easy to turn on and off. You CANNOT harm yourself if you follow the directions. Also, it is a great fit. It comes with a rechargeable battery pack and charger cord and plug.

The shirt is very comfortable and the XL is true to size. Its a good base layer shirt to wear on its own under a uniform or other top shirt as it stays close to my body. The battery pack uses the smaller cylindrical batteries that come included with a usb charging cable. The battery pack is a good size and doesn't get in the way while working while the temperature is controlled by the small logo button at the bottom of the shirt, so you can regulate the toastiness. One battery lasts a few hours so having the other one charged and nearby makes for an easy swap out to keep the comfort going. I throw it in the wash on the delicate/cold setting and so far no pilling. I let it line or rack dry and it dries quickly; ready to go the next day. Its a good heated shirt for the fall when it's cooler in the morning and evenings.

Very comfortable base layer. I'm 6' and 180 lbs and the fit and sleeve length for size Large is great - even the sleeves are long enough for me. It has a smaller battery than the Milwaukee outer layers (it uses the Milwaukee USB battery) and so isn't intended to deliver a ton of power, but that's fine for a base layer. I did try to wear it as a top layer, and you don't feel much heat like that. The battery sits in the front bottom of the shirt in a special pocket - I like this size and position for the battery much better than the ones that have a lumpy battery in the back that digs into my back when I sit down. It seems to heat the upper chest and upper back. I even got out my thermal camera to snap pictures of the heater.... The switch is also mounted down low so you can reach it even with a top layer on. The switch has a high and low setting (it changes colors).

Look this is a super nice and well made shirt but not sure how much the heating element is needed. It gets warm but is only located in your chest and back but generally when it is cold outside I think those are the areas that stay the warmest. So not sure how much it will be needed. The shirt itself is super nice and actually is probably warm enough to not be used with the heating element turned on. The seams are well stitched together. The inside had a fleece type lining and is very comfortable. I got a large and think it is pretty true to size. I wear a large in other shirts and this one fit about the same. I’m 5’11” and 185lbs. The shirt is washable which is super good to hear since it is a work shirt. The batteries are the new 3.0 and they are the smaller batteries so you don’t feel them as much. Overall I like the shirt just don’t think the heating element is worth the money.

Got this workskin to go along with my Milwaukee heated hoodie. And it’s definitely a nice addition to there line up. The material it’s made of is smooth and soft and stretchy. The kit came with 2 batteries, charger and the shirt. The batteries didn’t take long to charge about an hour. Which is ok timing. But I don’t know if it’s just me but I noticed they can charge faster at different plugs at least for me. I used it for hours on a chilly windy day and when I checked by lunch time the power had shut off on its own. The battery had fully drained but it did last a long time. I really like the red light up button to turn it on and off. I had to hold the button down for about two seconds to turn on or off but that’s good so bumping it won’t cause it to accidentally turn on or off. It has a great spot for the battery where it’s not in my way and that’s great because that was one of my original concerns at first. The actual heating on it works good but it definitely doesn’t get as hot as the sweaters or jackets. But it does get to comfortable heat when It’s just cold enough for a sweater but not quite. I do wish it would beat up a little more but it’s not a sweater and at point I did get pretty warm especially when active on the job site. I ordered a large and that was a good perfect fit and I’m 5 ft. 10 in. I definitely wouldn’t recommend that this could replace a actual sweater but when combined with a regular sweater it sure kept me comfortable when it was cold and windy. I definitely would recommend it to anyone. It just comes in handy plain and simple and it’s a quality product. And it’s easy to use.

This shirt works great as a base layer against your skin. It is really comfortable, but you will have to have another layer over the top to really feel the extra warm provided by the battery. The package includes two 3.0 Ah batteries, but only one charge/controller device. Changing the batteries out in a cold environment is not something you will want to do twice. Two controllers would have been the right thing to do. I got 1.5 hours of heat at the high setting but I did not get the full three hours at the lower setting. The batteries do charge up in about an hours, so if you need to charge while using, you can get a full battery before the active battery dies. I am 5 foot 9 inches and about 190 pounds. The Large sized shirt fits me perfectly. I did wash the shirt. The cable for the battery slid thru the hole in the pocket and went back into the shirt. I was able to fish it out, but I will need to come up with a solution to that problem.

Lightweight and warm this will work well by itself until it gets really cold. The shirt is well made and a nice weight for a long sleeved shirt. The cuffs have thumb holes which is always a win in my book. There's a small zipper pocket for the battery on the lower left side of the shirt where the on off button is. It's in a location where you won't notice it, unless you're wearing a toolbelt, in which case you will have to have this shirt over the belt. There are two settings, high (red) and low (blue). It heats up gradually and will keep you pretty warm on a damp day. The shirt is machine washable and can go in the dryer as long as you remove the battery first. Couple this with a heated jacket and you'll be warm all winter long. It comes with a usb cord and an adapter for charging and two batteries.

Makes working outside much more bearable.The sleeves are lined with fleece and super comfy and all of the materials and stitching have a good feel to them and seem to be high quality. And its a definite plus that it doesn't require any special cleaning- it can be put in washing machine on gentle and dryer on low. The heated cables are thin and not not very bulky but still not something you would want tightly against your skin, there are 2 layers of fabric all around the heating elements to protect skin from direct contact plus the fit of the shirt is a bit loose , not as tight as other base layer thermals. The heating has 2 settings where on the lower setting the heating is barely noticeable so something you would use in fall. The heating on the high setting is still quite mild and keeps ya toasty without being uncomfortable. The heating cables cover a area about 6" high across the front and rear of the shirt. The battery is small and fits in the palm of your hand , it inserts into a zippered pocket that is easily accessible at the front of the shirt. packaging stated battery life is 3 hours, I never tested the full 3 hours but I got 2 hours out of it with a bit left so 3 hours seems like a good estimate. It does come with a extra battery to get you through a full work day. I find that the battery takes a bit getting used to , its not that large but it weighs just enough to weigh the pocket down and feels awkward. Not a deal breaker but takes getting used to. The cut of the shirt is on the long side so the battery pocket falls right below that waist line.