I have a Fist Gear Heated Jacket Liner and Gloves. I have had them for about 10 years. I am very pleased with the performance of both the jacket liner and the gloves. First gear has a separate heat controller which I have hard wired into the bikes electrical system. The jacket liner has full sleeves and It puts out a lot of heat. Also you can wear the liner as a windbreaker when off the bike, just put the cord in the pocket and no one can see its a heated liner. First Gear is not anywhere close to the cheapest but it is durable and it works.
Az Wingrider
The one I got off AMAZON is a vest & has it's own battery. I live in central Fl. I wouldn't spend a lot on money on anything heated as I won't need heat too often.
I think you're right. I get Consumers Reports monthly & they test everything except MC stuff. It seems most often, the most expensive does not get their best rating. I also try to check the online ratings & read the 1 & 2 star ratings first..... I get Motorcycle Consumer News (MCN) magazine & they're pretty straight forward with their ratings. A online good one is webbikereviews.com, all they do is review motorcycle gear.