Bosch PSJ120 12-Volt Heated Jacket
Heated Jackets have slowly started showing up on the job-site as a solution for the cold weather job-site wear. I’ve been seeing them elsewhere too; on hunters, walkers, sports fans and regular people just walking about town.
We recently took a look at three brands of heated jackets. This article will focus on the Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120.
First Impression:
The PSJ120 12V Max Heated Jacket weighs 4 pounds and is a high quality rain and wind resistant work jacket.
My first impression was how sleek looking it was, almost too nice to wear on a job site. It’s a really good looking jacket.
The Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 has a high zippered collar, adjustable sleeve cuffs and and waist all three features are welcomed in windy environments. The Velcro sleeve cuffs are large enough to use with gloves on.
There are white reflective strips on the front shoulder area of the jacket, as well as along the back and forearms.
Five adequately sized pockets are included:
- Including a cell phone in the upper chest area – zippered.
- Large inside right side, document pocket- mesh, zippered.
- Battery Holster/Backup- zippered.
- Two hand pocket- zippered.
Video Review:
Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 Features:
Power Pack:
The Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 runs off a 12V battery, the battery and charger are sold separately.
Inside the jackets battery compartment is a power-pack. The power pack attaches to the battery and stows safe and secure inside this protective, inside zippered pocket.
This power-pack also has a USB port that is compatible with many personal electronics, like a cell phone. The beautiful thing about this is you use your heated jacket while charging your phone.
A belt clip on the power pack allows you to charge your phone without having to wear your jacket.
The jacket has a few spots or “wire tunnels” that allows you to thread a power cord from the inside of two of the outer zippered pockets to the inner battery pocket, this allows you to avoid having to open the jacket or have ipod or cellphone power cords hanging outside the jacket.
Heat Settings:
The Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 has three core heat zones: two chest zones and one back zone. All three zones heat up quickly in a matter of minutes.
The on / off switch is located in the upper left front of the jacket above the Bosch logo. To operate the heat you simply push the heat switch.
The Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 has three heat settings: Low, Medium and High.
The first press places the heat controller on High with a red LED indicator, a second press places the heat to a medium setting and a green LED indicator and a third press is for a low heat setting and a blue LED indicator.
Run-time:
The Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 when powered by a 12V max 2.0-Ah battery will heat up to 6 Hours on the low setting. When paired with a 4.0-Ah battery the jacket will heat for almost 12 hours.
Outer shell:
The Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 is a 100% polyester shell and liner. The outer is rain resistant and water beads up to a point. It is a very effective wind resistant jacket. The heat coils are embedded between the liner and outer shell.
Using the Heated Jacket:
The jacket is super comfortable, simple to use and heats up fast. The pockets and cellphone cable tunnels are super convenient as the adjustable sleeve cuffs and and waist features.
I received many, many compliments on how good looking this jacket is. People also notice the illuminated on / off switch which is a great opener for conversations about the jacket. Great advertising too!
I was impressed that hardly noticed the battery or its weight when standing and only notice it slightly when sitting in a vehicle.
On my jacket, I immediately noticed the heat along my back and only a slight amount of heat in the chest area. It took me a bit to figure out why this was occurring. The issue was that my jacket was slightly larger than I needed and it was not touching my chest.
With heated jackets its important to get the jacket to fit your body. I fall between a medium and large jacket size so I always opt for a large jacket.
The problem with me wearing a large jacket is the back of the jacket touches but the front hangs an inch off the body and does not have complete contact resulting in me not benefiting from the full benefit of the front heating elements.
Overall Impression:
Overall we loved the Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120. Its comfortable and effective at heating and weather resistance.
As far as durability we have some concern that the outer shell is not tear resistant enough for the job site. Job-site conditions often mean bumping into sharp sheet metal, exposed nail heads or flashing that could potentially tear this jacket shell.
This jacket can be worn anywhere to provide heat and can see this jacket expand into the hunting, walking, and outdoor sport fan arena.
If you’re already using the Bosch 12 volt battery platform this jacket is a no brain-er. It’s perfect to wear to the job-site to get started in the cold mornings as well as site visits and estimates.
If you are in the market for a heated jacket then look at this on as a serious contender.
How Much and Where To Buy?
The Bosch Heated Jacket PSJ120 can be purchased for $170.00 online here: Bosch-PSJ120L-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Softshell