Two rechargeable hand-warmer brands recalled in Canada over overheating and burn risks

As Canadians pull gloves and toques out of storage for the first cold mornings of fall, Health Canada is warning that two brands of rechargeable hand warmers can overheat. Recall notices published Oct. 1 cover HotHands Rechargeable Hand Warmers, distributed by Kobayashi Consumer Products, and the Gobi Heat Rechargeable Hand Warmer Pair, sold by Dragon Gear Inc. Both are joint recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The HotHands units are white with orange accents and come in packs of two that join together magnetically. Each warmer has a built-in lithium-ion battery, a USB-C charging port, LED indicator lights and a silicone lanyard. According to Health Canada's HotHands recall notice, the battery and electrical components can overheat and ignite, creating a burn hazard. The affected model number, H163650, is printed with the batch number on the underside of each warmer.

Kobayashi told regulators that 72 of the HotHands warmers were sold in Canada and about 77,000 in the United States between July 2025 and August 2026. As of Sept. 14, the company had received no reports of incidents or injuries in either country.

The Gobi Heat recall involves a black-and-grey pair identified by SKU HW-PR/UT3053 and UPC 810141672550. Health Canada's Gobi Heat notice says the internal temperature control can fail, letting the device overheat and posing burn and fire hazards. The company reported 47 units sold in Canada and 5,250 in the U.S. from October 2024 to March 2026. The warmers were made in China by Shenzhen Street Cat Technology, and no incidents had been reported as of Sept. 22.

Owners of either product are told to stop using it immediately. HotHands customers can get a refund through Kobayashi's recall website, or by calling 1-866-534-9986 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on weekdays. Gobi Heat owners can call 1-888-462-4743 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mountain time on weekdays, or email recall@gobiheat.com, for refund and disposal instructions.

Disposal matters here. Both notices ask consumers to make sure the warmers cannot be used again and stress that lithium-ion batteries count as hazardous waste. They should not go in household garbage; Health Canada says to ask your municipality how to transport and drop them off safely.

The notices also point out that the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits reselling, redistributing or even giving away recalled products. That is worth keeping in mind during fall decluttering, when lightly used winter gear often ends up on online marketplaces or at yard sales.

The number of affected units in Canada is small, but the risk is worth taking seriously. Rechargeable warmers pack lithium cells into gadgets designed to sit in pockets and mittens, right against the skin, so a failed temperature control is more than a nuisance. Before buying a warmer secondhand, shoppers can search Health Canada's recalls and safety alerts database by brand or model number.

Health Canada encourages anyone who has had a safety incident with these or other consumer products to report it through its Consumer Product Incident Report Form. Both recalls are also listed on the OECD Global Portal on Product Recalls.