This electric lunchbox by VASG is neat and works exactly as advertised, but I’m struggling to identify the target audience or the ideal use case.

Let’s talk about what this lunchbox does and doesn’t do. With itsinsulated bag and sealed container, this lunchbox will keep your food cool until it’s time to eat, and will then heat your food up using its built-in heating element and battery. The lunchbox is powered by a 12,000mAh battery that’s rechargeable via USB-C. The lunchbox is not intended to cook food, only warm or reheat it. It takes about 30 minutes to warm food from room temperature (like soup or canned food), and 60 minutes to warm chilled food from a refrigerater.

The lunchbox comes with a padded and insulated bag with a handle and carrying strap. Theoretically a person could put refrigerated leftovers inside the lunchbox inside the bag which should keep it cool until mealtime. Also included are a 2/3 scale of metal silverware and a USB-C cable for charging.

Inside the lunchbox is a metal tray that holds 1.2L of food. It looks a bit like a bread pan, with a plastic lid that smooshes down air-tight thanks to a rubber disc in the center of the lid. To warm your food you place it inside the metal pan, inside the lunchbox.

Once you understand the interface, the unit is simple to operate. There are only four buttons: an on/off button, two up/down buttons, and the “mode” button which is used to change modes. The only difference between the modes are the length of time the unit runs. There’s the “warm room temperature” 30-minute mode, the “warm refrigerated food” 60-minute mode, and a custom mode that allows you to select between 20 minutes and 60 minutes in intervals of 10.

The final mode is a timer mode that will allow you to schedule the unit to turn on at a later time. In theory a person could pack their lunch at 7 A.M., schedule the lunchbox to start warming at 11 A.M., and open it up to a warm tray of leftovers around noon.

For my initial test, I heated a can of SpaghettiOs. The can was stored at room temperature, so I used the 30-minute setting. After the timer had elapsed, the lunchbox does not beep; instead, it kicks into a “keep it warm” mode until the food is removed. The sides of the metal pan were hot, but not too hot to touch. The lip was warm and easy to hold. The SpaghettiOs were steaming warm but not scalding hot. The meatballs were warm all the way through, but I didn’t have to wait or blow on the food to cool it down.

Here are the things I’m struggling with:

While neither the Amazon page nor the instructions give an exact temperature that the unit runs at, the instructions specifically state that this device is designed to heat food and not cook it. That rules out a lot of use cases. While it’ll heat anything out of a can or anything pre-cooked, I’d be a little cautious about heating leftover chicken or shrimp without checking temperatures.

The lunchbox’s battery is undersized. At 12,000mAh, the unit can only run for about 60 minutes before needing to be recharged. If you’re heating room temperature foods that means two cycles. If you’re reheating refrigerated foods, you’ll need to charge it every single time.

And that’s where I begin to struggle with use cases.

People using this in a vehicle, whether it’s for vanlife, people living in cars, or simply on a road trip, you’ll get 1-2 uses before having to recharge the device. Despite being only a 12,000mAh battery, it charges pretty slowly. Estimates are 3+ hours from zero to 100%. If you’re in a vehicle, that means running the engine for that amount of time which works if you’re on a roadtrip, but not if you staying in town.

There’s a use case here for hikers or campers, but again you’re limited to a couple of reheats before needing charging.

The Amazon link shows people taking the lunchbox with them to work. I’ve never personally worked anywhere that didn’t have access to a microwaves, but maybe you do, or maybe there’s always a line to use it. You could use this to heat your food at your desk and eat it there. Along those same lines, I could see this working for kids who take their lunch to school and want heated food for lunch. Mom could schedule when it should start cooking and by lunchtime, your kiddo could have a warm meal for lunch.

As you can see, I’m struggling for use cases here. The lunchbox is perfect for someone who (a) needs to warm (not cook) food, (b) does not have access to other means of heating like a microwave or propane, (c) has the ability to charge the device for several hours every day, and (d) has the time to wait 30-60 minutes for their food to heat up.

As I said in the beginning of this post, this electric lunchbox works exactly as advertised, and if your use cases line up with this devices capabilities, I do recommend it. With a larger battery and the ability to cook this would be a game changer. As is, it’s a convenience that you’ll have to decide if it makes sense for you.

Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3XjExoR