Check the rechargeable hand warmers before cold weather returns

What to check

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on July 30 with Shenzhen Street Cat Technology Co., Ltd., doing business as OCOOPA Direct. The affected products are OCOOPA rechargeable lithium-ion battery hand warmers. The recall covers models UT3053, UT3056, ZLS-118, ZLS-118S, ZLS-118D, H01, and H01(PD).

Those model numbers are not the product names most people remember. OCOOPA’s recall page says UT3053 corresponds to UT3 Lite and UT3056 corresponds to UT4 Young. CPSC says the model number and the three-digit batch number appear on the underside of the hand warmer. “OCOOPA” appears on the top of the device and on the packaging.

The sale window is wide enough to matter. CPSC says about 1.5 million units were sold online at Amazon, Ocoopa.com, Ocoopa.net, and Walmart from September 2018 through May 2026, usually for $15 to $60.

What makes this one different

Many recalls ask people to stop using a product because it might fail. This one has a long injury record attached. CPSC says OCOOPA Direct has received 1,480 reports of overheating, with 15 fires and 350 burn injuries. The agency also says an 83-year-old consumer in San José, California, died in February 2026.

A lithium-ion battery stores dense electrical energy. If a defective pack overheats, it can ignite and spread fire quickly. That is why the disposal step matters as much as the refund step.

How the refund works

CPSC tells consumers to stop using the recalled hand warmers immediately and contact OCOOPA Direct for a full refund, either as an OCOOPA gift card or to the original payment method. Consumers will be asked to write “RECALLED” on the hand warmer with permanent marker, then submit a photo showing that word, the model number, and the three-digit batch number through OCOOPA’s recall page.

Do not throw the device in the trash, curbside recycling, or a regular battery box. CPSC says defective lithium-ion batteries need different handling because they carry a higher fire risk. Ask your municipal household hazardous-waste site whether it accepts defective lithium-ion devices before you bring one in.

OCOOPA’s page adds one practical instruction: do not dispose of the hand warmer until the company reviews the recall request and sends instructions. That creates a small tension with the safety warning. The plain course is to stop using it, keep it away from heat and soft materials, submit the claim, and wait for the disposal instruction.

The useful habit

If you bought rechargeable hand warmers for skiing, commuting, camping, field work, or a winter car kit, check the underside now. This is a five-minute errand in August. In November, it becomes the kind of thing people discover only after they charge the device again.