one more socalled genius product ?

MOLTEN SALT

In the publication Specialty Fabrics Review I read about a “phase change” material trade named ‘phasecore”, a material I had never heard of. I know all about the nonsense associated with outlast that has been around since about 1990 that hasn’t worked since it inception in the market place. Outlast is supposed to absorb body heat and when you reduce your aggressive movement and start cooling the outlast microencapsulated paraffin send the heat back to you, therefore defying a law of physics that states heat moves away from its source never to return.

Phasecore is based on the same principle of absorbing heat, only the material that absorbs the heat never sends it back to the source, it keeps it.

The material is what the company terms “molten salt”. The company first line technology either makes in the USA or Asia vests with pockets to hold pouches of the molten salt. The molten salt starts to absorb heat once the source is 82 degrees F.The garments that the company makes are vests. So you put on the vest with these packets of salt and of course human skin surface temperature is 91 degrees. The initial result is the molten salt starts to absorb body heat immediately. For the sake of good order any garment you put on will start to absorb your body heat immediately. But the molten salt keeps the heat and according to the company representative I spoke with you know it is absorbing the heat because the molten salt liquefies so the packets look to have water in them. This vest is called a “cooling vest” and its purpose is to reduce heat stress. They also say and I quote; “the phase-change chemistry does not overcool the wearer”. Brilliant since the ambient air temperature has to be 82 degrees for the molten salt to do its job. The vest is made from polyester or nylon materials that will stifle the movement of perspiration and of course being synthetic the material all by itself will also be absorbing heat. So the statement about the wearer of the vest “not overcooling” is as accurate as it can get.

I do not believe for one moment that this concept has any value, but the company has put a value of anywhere from $200.00 to $400.00 per vest. And I am very dismayed that my and your tax dollars are paying for vests to be worn by soldiers.

If you want to be cool wear cotton shirts so all of the heat and moisture from your body can easily move away from you. Wearing these vests is not only going to cool you but keep you heated.

Rational thinking at all levels of the textile industry does not appear to exist any longer. I attribute this lack of rational thinking or non-thinking to its root core the advent of goretex. I vividly recall watching bobby gore boil water and the steam created when the water boiled went through the tiny holes of the ptfe film and about a dozen or so other by standers were fascinated by this demonstration. Not a one of them gave thought to the reality no one sweats like boiling water gives off steam. This took place in February 1977 I believe. So the lack of rational thinking has deteriorated since 1977 in my opinion.

Each and every day that I receive several textile industry on line magazines I am exposed to more and more products such as the phasecore that have no chance of doing whatever it is the company making the stuff claims. The tragedy is in my opinion has to do with the ages of the people who are employed by these companies that happen to be 40 years of age or younger. The guy who spoke with me about phasecore is 33 years old. When I asked him how his product differed from outlast he had never heard of out last and them went to their web site to learn about it. I did inform him that it did not work EVER but I did not tell him his product was of no value either.

THINKING – All thinking is a process of identification and integration.

Ayn Rand; Galt’s speech in Atlas Shrugged.

The process of thinking is something that the youth of America for the most part has yet to learn and therefore we have people who actually believe materials such as goretex do what the gore company claims and what first line technology company claim.

I am glad I am not a part of the youth of America.