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This isn't a tool or necessarily a shop item but I use it in the shop for the hot Florida summer and it makes it much more bearable.
The vest is just a cloth vest with internal pockets. In those pockets you place chemical packets that maintain a 58 degree temperature around your core. The packets are a phase change chemical that freezes at 58 degrees so they can be recharged in the fridge in a couple hours or ice water or the freezer in about 20 minutes. I drop them into the vest and snug it up to make sure I have good contact to my chest area through a t-shirt and head for the shop. The chemicals themselves are non-toxic.
The initial feeling is cold at first but that fades quickly and you just have a cool sensation around your chest and back area that lasts 2-3 hours although after the 2 hour mark it starts to fade a bit as the ice reverts to liquid. The sensation of wearing it takes some getting used to, you know it is hot, your extremities feel to 90+ temperature but your core is quite cool.
Usually this time of year I am sweating a river in a few minutes and heat exhaustion is something I have to be wary of. A couple hours in the shop and I'm cooked and not much good for several hours until I recover. Wearing the vest I find that I don't sweat anywhere near as much and I'm not suffering from the heat as much. After a couple hours when I feel it starting to run out of steam I come in and feel a little warm but the recovery time is minutes instead of hours providing I was drinking the water I took out with me. I find I don't suffer what I call heat distraction, sweat in the eyes or dripping on my safety glasses, etc that can cause accidents or mistakes.
Downside - It weighs about 4 pounds and is a little bulky but not overly so. The cost is about $170, so it isn't exactly cheap, you decide if that is a downside.
If your interested the URL is http://www.coolvest.com/ . My only association is as a satisfied user.
The vest is just a cloth vest with internal pockets. In those pockets you place chemical packets that maintain a 58 degree temperature around your core. The packets are a phase change chemical that freezes at 58 degrees so they can be recharged in the fridge in a couple hours or ice water or the freezer in about 20 minutes. I drop them into the vest and snug it up to make sure I have good contact to my chest area through a t-shirt and head for the shop. The chemicals themselves are non-toxic.
The initial feeling is cold at first but that fades quickly and you just have a cool sensation around your chest and back area that lasts 2-3 hours although after the 2 hour mark it starts to fade a bit as the ice reverts to liquid. The sensation of wearing it takes some getting used to, you know it is hot, your extremities feel to 90+ temperature but your core is quite cool.
Usually this time of year I am sweating a river in a few minutes and heat exhaustion is something I have to be wary of. A couple hours in the shop and I'm cooked and not much good for several hours until I recover. Wearing the vest I find that I don't sweat anywhere near as much and I'm not suffering from the heat as much. After a couple hours when I feel it starting to run out of steam I come in and feel a little warm but the recovery time is minutes instead of hours providing I was drinking the water I took out with me. I find I don't suffer what I call heat distraction, sweat in the eyes or dripping on my safety glasses, etc that can cause accidents or mistakes.
Downside - It weighs about 4 pounds and is a little bulky but not overly so. The cost is about $170, so it isn't exactly cheap, you decide if that is a downside.
If your interested the URL is http://www.coolvest.com/ . My only association is as a satisfied user.
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