Review Therm-ic Refresher 12V DC Boot Dryer & 230V AC Boot Dryer

[Sage O]

The Therm-ic Refresher 12V boot dryer I ordered from aussieskier.com arrived today which I plan to test against the Sidas Drywarmer Pro USB Boot dryers which I used all of last season and was very happy with.

The Drywarmer USB Pro are excellent as they are cheap, super packable, only draw 9watts, operate silently, and can be run off a large power bank battery which make them perfect for car camping or to take on a ski trip where there is no drying room. The only real down side I found was that it does take quite a while to dry out a pair of ski boots using them (about 8hrs). I was keen to see how the Therm-ic would go given they run on 12v, 110v or 230v (depending on which ones you buy) rather than 5v 2.1a USB.

Therm-ic Refrersher 12V Boot Dryer details
In the box you get the dryer, some instructions and a small storage bag.

Weight inc storage bag 485grams (for those who travel)

What I couldn't find anywhere online was what kind of power draw they pull. Looking at the actual unit the sticker on it states 45w and on testing with my goal zero I found it to be 41-42watts so about 5 times the power draw of the Drywarmer pros.

Another bit of info I didn't see online was what the length of the power cable is, and what type of plug it has. The cable length is 120cm and it has a standard 12v cigarette plug with an inline 5A glass tube quick blow fuse. Would be nice if they included a spare one of these in the box but you can get them for about 75 cents at Jaycar.

One thing I didn't see online, but have realised now is that you can turn on the unit and it will run infinitely, or you can set it for 1, 3 or 6 hrs which is a plus.

Another interesting feature is the dryers have a 5v 2.1a usb port built in so you can run a set of Sidas Drywarmer USB Pros at the same time and use these to warm your mittens simultaneously, luxury. Doing so will put the power draw up to about 50watts.

Given its Summer and my ski boots are currently dry I've just done a test to see how well they can warm my boots in 1 hr. Can report these things blow a decent amount of toasty warm air and my boots are super warm and would be ultra nice to slip into in the resort carpark.

I'm pretty confident these will dry ski boots considerably faster than the dryer warmer USB pros. Will it be 5 times faster given they use 5 time more power, time will tell I guess.

Noise wise they put out a similar level of sound to personal USB powered office desk fan so I don't think they wouldn't be a noticeable disturbance to sleep if you were sleeping in your car or using them in your van.

Initial thoughts, they're probably best suited to van dwellers, car campers or the person who wants to warm their boots on the drive up to the resort.

That's it for now, will report back once I've used them post skiing come winter.

*Edit (5/7/22)

Post use testing complete.

• Approx 3hrs was all that was needed to completely dry out my ski boots (no trapped moisture between shell and liner).
• 30-45 min of run time again in the morning on the drive up to the resort had my boots toasty warm in the carpark.
• Worth the asking price imo.

**Edit I've just received some of the 230V model ones in the mail from OS so here is an update on the AC powered ones:

Purchased online from Solelab NZ Wanaka

Therm-ic Refrersher 230V Boot Dryer (OZ/NZ plug) details

• In the box you get the dryer, some instructions and a small storage bag.
• Power draw 60w
• Weight inc storage bag 495grams (for those who travel)
• Heat output compared to 12v version seems marginally warmer but not by very much.
• All other details the re functionality the same as the 12v version.
• Probably best suited to the person who stays at accommodation without a drying room, wants to dry their ski boots at home easily after use or has a 4wd with an DC to AC inverter in the back as standard like the Toyota Prado.
• Will be useful to dry my work/dress boots after being out in the rain

Pics of 12v DC version

Pics of 230V OZ/NZ plug version

A flock of chickens

 

[aazz]

I don't need more ski gadgets. I don't need more ski gadgets. I don't need more ski gadgets. I don't need more ski gadgets. I don't need more ski gadgets.

 

[CarveMan]

Funny story - we were just ticking boxes on order forms and it was a shock when they turned up as 12V - we were expecting 240v as I'd used them before while overseas.

But 12V is great for vanlyf people if you have the battery capacity!

 

[Sage O]

Funny story - we were just ticking boxes on order forms and it was a shock when they turned up as 12V - we were expecting 240v as I'd used them before while overseas.

But 12V is great for vanlyf people if you have the battery capacity!

Put me down for a 230v unit too if you get them in. I'd like to have both options plus I can run both types on my goal zero at the same time.

 

[Crawf]

The Therm-ic Refresher 12V boot dryer I ordered from aussieskier.com arrived today which I plan to test against the Sidas Drywarmer Pro USB Boot dryers which I used all of last season and was very happy with.

The Drywarmer USB Pro are excellent as they are cheap, super packable, only draw 9watts, operate silently, and can be run off a large power bank battery which make them perfect for car camping or to take on a ski trip where there is no drying room. The only real down side I found was that it does take quite a while to dry out a pair of ski boots using them (about 8hrs). I was keen to see how the Therm-ic would go given they run on 12v rather than 5v 2.1a USB.

Therm-ic Refrersher 12V Boot Dryer details
In the box you get the dryer, some instructions and a small storage bag.

What I couldn't find anywhere online was what kind of power draw they pull. Looking at the actual unit the sticker on it states 45w and on testing with my goal zero I found it to be 41-42watts so about 5 times the power draw of the Drywarmer pros.

Another bit of info I didn't see online was what the length of the power cable is, and what type of plug it has. The cable length is 120cm and it has a standard 12v cigarette plug with an inline 5A glass tube quick blow fuse. Would be nice if they included a spare one of these in the box but you can get them for about 75 cents at Jaycar.

One thing I didn't see online, but have realised now is that you can turn on the unit and it will run infinitely, or you can set it for 1, 3 or 6 hrs which is a plus.

Another interesting feature is the dryers have a 5v 2.1a usb port built in so you can run a set of Sidas Drywarmer USB Pros at the same time and use these to warm your mittens simultaneously, luxury. Doing so will put the power draw up to about 50watts.

Given its Summer and my ski boots are currently dry I've just done a test to see how well they can warm my boots in 1 hr. Can report these things blow a decent amount of toasty warm air and my boots are super warm and would be ultra nice to slip into in the resort carpark.

I'm pretty confident these will dry ski boots considerably faster than the dryer warmer USB pros. Will it be 5 times faster given they use 5 time more power, time will tell I guess.

Noise wise they put out a similar level of sound to personal USB powered office desk fan so I don't think they wouldn't be a noticeable disturbance to sleep if you were sleeping in your car or using them in your van.

Initial thoughts, they're probably best suited to van dwellers, car campers or the person who wants to warm their boots on the drive up to the resort.

That's it for now, will report back once I've used them post skiing come winter.

View attachment 273224View attachment 273229

I have the similar one with 2 pin plug. Won in raffle and works well. It works better than the sidas one.

 

[Sage O]

OP edited to now include the 230V AC version info.

 

[Peanut]

I’m actually pretty keen to explore 230/240V boot dryer options, so I’m glad to have stumbled across this post.

I already have 4 x Sidas Drywarmer Pro USB boot dryers, which got used every day during our 7 day family ski trip last year. I bought an Anker PowerPort 6 so that I would have enough USB slots available to run them in our accommodation at night. We were all impressed at how good a job they do with drying boots and gloves/mittens.

The one downside was how long it can take them to dry items when you have both boots and gloves/mittens to dry for four people. We were typically getting back to our accommodation somewhere between 2-4pm. Our routine was to get the warmers into the gloves/mittens straight away and check them periodically. Once they were dry (usually just before or after dinner), we’d swap them over to the boots and leave them overnight.

Mstr 13 and I managed to sneak in a 3 day ski weekend last year the weekend before the Hunter region got put into our “7 day” lockdown, and having the four boot dryers between the two of us worked really well.

I’ve been thinking of getting a couple of sets of bootwarmers that I can plug in at the wall. If they can cut the dry time down to an hour or two, I’d be able to dry two sets of boots at a time before swapping to the second set of boots and keep the USB dryers for our gloves/mittens.

 

[Peanut]

Funny story - we were just ticking boxes on order forms and it was a shock when they turned up as 12V - we were expecting 240v as I'd used them before while overseas.

But 12V is great for vanlyf people if you have the battery capacity!

If you get the 240V version in, I’ll happily buy two.

 

[Sage O]

I’m actually pretty keen to explore 230/240V boot dryer options, so I’m glad to have stumbled across this post.

I already have 4 x Sidas Drywarmer Pro USB boot dryers, which got used every day during our 7 day family ski trip last year. I bought an Anker PowerPort 6 so that I would have enough USB slots available to run them in our accommodation at night. We were all impressed at how good a job they do with drying boots and gloves/mittens.

The one downside was how long it can take them to dry items when you have both boots and gloves/mittens to dry for four people. We were typically getting back to our accommodation somewhere between 2-4pm. Our routine was to get the warmers into the gloves/mittens straight away and check them periodically. Once they were dry (usually just before or after dinner), we’d swap them over to the boots and leave them overnight.

Mstr 13 and I managed to sneak in a 3 day ski weekend last year the weekend before the Hunter region got put into our “7 day” lockdown, and having the four boot dryers between the two of us worked really well.

I’ve been thinking of getting a couple of sets of bootwarmers that I can plug in at the wall. If they can cut the dry time down to an hour or two, I’d be able to dry two sets of boots at a time before swapping to the second set of boots and keep the USB dryers for our gloves/mittens.

I’m pretty confident the therm-ic will be able to dry a set of boots in sub 3 hrs based on my initial tests and other reviews online, the airflow factor makes a big difference

 

[Peanut]

I’m pretty confident the therm-ic will be able to dry a set of boots in sub 3 hrs based on my initial tests and other reviews online, the airflow factor makes a big difference

That would be perfect for us. The kids are usually done with skiing by about 2-3pm, and the first thing I always did last year when we get back to our accommodation is to get the dryers into either the boots or the gloves. With a sub 3 hour drying time and two therm-ic dryers, I’d be able get all four pairs of boots done by bedtime.

 

[Sage O]

Post use testing complete.

• Approx 3hrs was all that was needed to completely dry out my ski boots (no trapped moisture between shell and liner).
• 30-45 min of run time again in the morning on the drive up to the resort had my boots toasty warm in the carpark.
• Worth the asking price imo.

 

[Aractus]

They're just the updated model of the Sidas Dryflow UV (which was only available with EU/UK plug or US 110V). It's nice they have a 12V car model, but it would be better if the plug was interchangeable so you could use it in the car and then in the wall socket. Good product though.

 

[Sage O]

They're just the updated model of the Sidas Dryflow UV (which was only available with EU/UK plug or US 110V). It's nice they have a 12V car model, but it would be better if the plug was interchangeable so you could use it in the car and then in the wall socket. Good product though.

The 230v one only draws 60w so you could just buy cheap inverter for your car.

 

[Peanut]

I actually caved and bought the last 12V therm-ic boot dryer Aussie Skier had in stock a week or two before we went down to the snow when I remembered that 230/240V to 12V transformers are a thing.

I found that the kids’ hire ski boots were getting more damp inside than mine or the Greater Balding Yeti’s, so theirs got first priority for drying. They found the dryer so easy to use that they’d happily set it up in their own boots without me having to do a thing. It certainly dries the boots a lot more efficently and effectively than the USB boot dryers I bought last year. I was getting all four pairs of boots dry before we went to bed of an evening. The USB boot dryers got used for drying/sanitising gloves and mitts.

 

[Sage O]

I actually caved and bought the last 12V therm-ic boot dryer Aussie Skier had in stock a week or two before we went down to the snow when I remembered that 230/240V to 12V transformers are a thing.

I found that the kids’ hire ski boots were getting more damp inside than mine or the Greater Balding Yeti’s, so theirs got first priority for drying. They found the dryer so easy to use that they’d happily set it up in their own boots without me having to do a thing. It certainly dries the boots a lot more efficently and effectively than the USB boot dryers I bought last year. I was getting all four pairs of boots dry before we went to bed of an evening. The USB boot dryers got used for drying/sanitising gloves and mitts.

Great thinking @Peanut. I’ve just ordered a 100v-240v AC to 12v DC transformer ($12 eBay) too to add extra flexibility to my 12v Refresher.

Coupled with a AUS-JPN or AUS-USA/CA I should be able to take it north for winter use too where the voltage is 110v.