TK4
Well-known member
The Toughest Jackets on Earth Are Built in This Torture Chamber
Inside the brutal research lab that torments testers—and produces the most effective outdoor gear ever.
www.bicycling.com
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The story of Gore-Tex
- Thread starter TK4
- Start date
www.bicycling.com
Mad Mike
Well-known member
When I read about GoreTex I grind my teeth a little. I spent 10 years developing specialty textiles that performed at the same or better than GoreTex products. My market was medical, so I rarely competed with Gore however there were times my customers wanted the cachet of the GoreTex brand for some of their fashion items.
Their secret sauce is simply marketing. Gore brands and promote a relatively generic technical textile, a laminate of polyurethane film and pretty much any durable synthetic fiber cloth. Neither the cloth, PU film, manufacturing techniques differ from any other PUL (polyurethane laminates) manufacturer -- what does differ is the millions they spend on marketing their brand to keep the cache and exclusivity.
I will give them credit for ensuring no cheapo manufacturers use their stuff -- to get the material a manufacturer must have their designs, manufacturing, and marketing stuff thoroughly detailed then sampled and evaluated by Gore before the item goes for sale. This insures a product made with GoreTex label has met some very high design and manufacturing standard.
As for the material, it's just fabric. No better or worse than any quality laminated material made by countless other mills. When I inspect a garment before purchasing I evaluate the construction, materials and design. I could care less about the brand of fabric used.
Their secret sauce is simply marketing. Gore brands and promote a relatively generic technical textile, a laminate of polyurethane film and pretty much any durable synthetic fiber cloth. Neither the cloth, PU film, manufacturing techniques differ from any other PUL (polyurethane laminates) manufacturer -- what does differ is the millions they spend on marketing their brand to keep the cache and exclusivity.
I will give them credit for ensuring no cheapo manufacturers use their stuff -- to get the material a manufacturer must have their designs, manufacturing, and marketing stuff thoroughly detailed then sampled and evaluated by Gore before the item goes for sale. This insures a product made with GoreTex label has met some very high design and manufacturing standard.
As for the material, it's just fabric. No better or worse than any quality laminated material made by countless other mills. When I inspect a garment before purchasing I evaluate the construction, materials and design. I could care less about the brand of fabric used.
The best part of Gore-Tex is the lifetime waterproof warranty. I have used it and they stood behind their product.
That tidbit is worth the price for me.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Yes and no. It's a limited lifetime warranty and there are strings. 1) Original purchaser only. 2) Proof of purchase required (manufacturer dependent) 3) must be be purchased the manufacturer's authorized dealer (luck will vary if you find a GoreTex item at Winners) 3) Normal wear and tear is not covered, only defects in materials and craftsmanship that impact wind/waterproofness.
I have a Berghaus Xtreme 5000 GoreTex rain jacket. It's 5 years old and I think I've worn it less than 10 times, it cost about $600 new. The seam tape that waterproofs construction completely disintegrated (the wrong adhesive was used in production). In order to claim warranty I need to find a receipt from Christmas 2014 then ship the jacket to England. Detailed photos and an explanation of why the seam tapes failed was not acceptable to trigger a warranty claim with Berghaus.
The jacket I bought was seam taped with a water soluble adhesive, a quick and cheap alternative to using solvent sealing methods. Fortunately I have experience with high performance laminated materials, it was easier for me to replace the seam tapes myself.
Glad the warranty worked for you. My rain jacket didn't get the same Gore-love.
boyoboy
Well-known member
'Forever chemicals' found in Cincinnati drinking water
The man-made chemicals, used to make waterproofing and flame-resistant materials, are called forever chemicals because they don't break down over time
www.cincinnati.com
DuPont and the Chemistry of Deception
Internal documents reveal that DuPont long suspected C8 was harmful, yet continued to put the company’s workers and the public at risk.
theintercept.com
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