I came across this thread, and thought I'd offer my experiences with these types of handwarmers.
After a number of years, I believe I've finally "figured them out" .... I have both the zippo
type, and the peacock type - both function fine when setup properly.
I've found that filling and lighting are the two critical aspects - over filling
will stymie the function - you only want vapors, no liquid should be present.
Two aspects to light them - first, warm the body of the hand warmer ....
a warm to hot body is what keeps the vapor path working from the body
to the head cap of the unit. If I have time, I lay the unit on top of a baseboard
heater for 5 minutes - or if in a hurry, use a lighter and apply the heat to
the body of the heater near the top outlet - for 30-40 seconds, rotating the
body so both sides get warm/hot. When the body is well warmed, I'll
apply the flame to just below the fibers in the top - early on I put the
flame on the fibers, and eventually the fibers char and the catalytic
combustion stopped working.
Again, make sure the body is warm - even hot - it makes lighting
a breeze, and fast tracks the vapor movement setup. When the
body is hot, it "feeds" the vapor generation, and keeps the
catalyst steadily supplied.
I've also found that it's important to use the felt-like carriers
they include - once the unit starts working, these carriers keep
the body warm/hot, which in turns keeps the warmer going very
steadily. They also prevent the unit from being "cold shocked" ...
if you drop a "bare" warmer on the cold ground, chances are it
will go out - not so if they are in their cloth carriers.
By keeping direct flames away from the catalyst fibers when lighting,
the heads last a very long time - if you apply the flame directly
to the fibers, they will clog quickly and stop working.
Also, I found a source for the platinum fiber that can be used
to re-pack a worn out head - google:
Platinum Bright Embers by Advanced Catalyst Systems
There's a great video on repacking a warmer head at:
Finally - all this talk about how to gauge the amount
of fuel so they don't burn forever .... just pull the
head off the body - it immediately stops the process.
If you're concerned about the head being hot, use
gloves or pliers, but I've found if I pull it off
quickly, it's no big deal using my bare fingers.
Hope this helps, folks