comments about a product and the article that explains it that the company who makes it will not appear in the public domain.

I have reprinted the following article from Sporting Goods Business (SGB) on line magazine that I receive daily.

MISINFORMATION STATED, BUT IT SOUNDS GOOD

The following statement from Polartec precedes the article.

“For centuries, wool’s natural properties have been used in clothing”.

After heavy use and repeated washing, wool fibers become unstable.

Polartec is immediately contradicting their opening comment. If for centuries wool has been used in clothing and for centuries it has been washed why would they say repeated washings make the wool fibers “unstable”? NONSENSE

Synthetic fibers were invented to eliminate this breakdown and touted for their durability, shape retention, wicking efficiency and faster drying times.

MORE NONSENSE; I could be wrong but historically nylon the original synthetic fiber came into existence to be used for nylon stockings in 1934 and it was made by DuPont. In 1941 a British chemical company developed polyester fiber and they sold all rights to DuPont in 1946. Both of these fibers were manufactured to the same length as cotton staple fiber. It is referred to as chopped staple and is generally 2 inches long. Wool is much more variable in length so there is no standard that I am aware of. Both the nylon and polyester are blended with cotton and wool in the yarn making process.

Synthetic fibers which are a plastic are not necessarily more durable than cotton or wool. We will know if they are around for centuries. Synthetic fiber has no ability to wick any liquid!!!!! Since the synthetic fibers are a plastic and therefore do not absorb moisture of course they will dry faster if subjected to water.

But who wants a synthetic next to the skin when you can have the comfort of wool? I wish I had 1/10^th of one penny for every nylon or polyester garment sold in the world that is being worn by a human next to their skin. I am sure my wealth would far exceed all of the wealth held by the one percent. What if you could have the best of both threads? By knitting both yarns together will not give you a particularly good technical product which is what they are going for. The wool on the inside against your skin will readily absorb the moisture coming out of your body and the polyester will readily stifle any further movement of the sweat. Whoever wrote this article does not know the difference between thread and yarn, par for the course.

Polartec Power Wool is a natural synthetic fabric in a bi-component knit construction. A “plated” fabric design positions each fiber where it belongs amplifying the natural properties of one another.

A plated fabric is putting the wool yarn on one side of the fabric and the polyester (synthetic) on the other side. Nothing is amplified to make a better product as they are suggesting.

Power Wool places merino wool next to skin, which means during activities the fabric breathes, wicks moisture, is warm and comfortable. On the outside, synthetic fibers strengthen the form and structure of the fabric for a much more durable product. The synthetic fibers also transfer moisture from the wool, dispersing it away from your skin for faster drying and increasing comfort.

The single fabric has the characteristics of multiple layers, making it the first “natural synthetic” that Polartec is “greater than the sum of its parts.” The fabric can be used for many different applications because of its versatility and efficiency for warm and cold environments.

The merino wool will easily absorb sweat, but it will not be very vapor permeable (or as they say, "it breathes") and if you are active in a warm environment because the moisture does not move away from you, you will find that you are uncomfortably warm. Your sweat will not be transferred anywhere. It will be trapped within the yarns not being dispersed away from your skin. Yes it is as an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous material being greater than the sum of its two parts. While wearing a garment made of this fabric in a warm situation will be uncomfortable wearing it in a cold environment can be life threatening, especially if it is worn against the skin.

Kitsbow recently announced a collaborative partnership with Polartec to manufacture a new line of Merino wool apparel.

“After a number of distinctive garments designed with Polartec technologies over the years, I’m excited to formally recognize the partnership between our companies.” — Zander Nosler, founder and CEO, Kitsbow.

Kitsbow will incorporate the Polartec fabric into styles that support extreme athletic activities in cold and/or wet conditions, such as leg warmers and arm warmers with a higher level of compression, shape retention, natural odor resistance, durability and breathability.

Kitsbow expects to begin shipping these new styles to customers mid-2018.

“As a cyclist myself, I’m delighted to see [Kitsbow] embrace our new fabric combining the best of Merino wool with synthetic fibers.” – Gary Smith, CEO, Polartec

I have no knowledge of this Kitsbow Company, however I do have knowledge of the fact that they are without knowledge of what they are doing. It all goes along with the fact that Polartec Company also has no particular knowledge of what they are doing. In this particular situation I believe we are seeing a perfect example of the blind leading the blind. Also they are the unstable not the wool!!