reviews versus testimonials, are they different?

REVIEWS

I’m a complete nerd for writing this but Wiggy sells THE best sleeping bags on the market. They happen to sell for very reasonable prices and you'll love saying "Wiggy" when you people ask about your purchase. Yes, it’s better than North Face, Kelty, REI, and LaFuma combined.

This stuff is made with a proprietary material called Lamilite that keeps it loft and stays warm when it's wet. It's much better than any of the synthetic materials currently on the market. It also comes with a lifetime warranty. This can be a lifesaver and there’s a good reason why the U.S. Airforce use these bags under the ejection seats (vacuum packed) of all their jets.

This guy also writes an excellent newsletter. Check him out.

David S.--- 1/22/07--- SF, CA.

Best sleeping bag ever, and worth the cost. Wiggy's sells other outdoor gear as well - gloves, jackets, boots, socks, blankets, etc. - so check the website. There's a reason why people buy from Wiggy's - Its quality gear made to last.

C.P. --- RENO, NV ---11/13/16

Hands down the best sleeping bags ever made. I could not be happier. Look and research video and other info on their bags. Totally impressed! I bought them from their website.

T.R. --- HACIENDA HEIGHTS, CA.---3/29/15

Two of my readers sent me links to reviews about goretex jackets. Okay but the reviewers never commented about the garments supposed ability to allow sweat out of the jackets. And that is for good reason it cannot get out of the jacket unless the jacket is opened completely.

These two said that the garments are reviewed but were not testimonials. I did not realize there was a difference, but so there is.

Anyway I came across the three “reviews” of Wiggy’s products so I thought they should be published, please note the dates. I have never seen these before. So thanks to all three of you for your kind words!

NOW THE FOLLOWING IS A TESTIMONIAL AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED VERSUS A REVIEW.

Mr. Wigutow,

I recently purchased your Urban Antarctic Ducksback Parka. It is by far the highest quality and warmest jacket I have ever owned. I appreciate its simplistic design with no gimmick features that are rampant in the outdoor apparel industry. The tan color is perfect as I needed something that is conservative but still allows me to stay visible at night. I like that there are no logos, designs, or branding on the coat as I have always thought that this makes winter gear look tacky. I ordered a size small and the fit is absolutely perfect as I am slim and about 6 feet. The inner drawstring is perfect for getting the jacket close to my body. The lower front pockets are just the right size and location where I can store my Wiggy’s Kodiak gloves. Until now I have never been happy with any of the winter coats I have had. Pea coats looked good but provided me with no warmth. Ski jackets looked too sporty and their fleece linings retained too much moisture. Down jackets make me look like the Michelin Man and are pretty much useless when wet. Many top brands tout down as being the best jacket insulation material and their prices reflect it. The reality is that marketing experts, retailers, and the general public have it wrong. The superior insulation material is Lamilite the laminated continuous filament fiber. Since this is combined with the Ducksback outer layer, it is my opinion that this is currently the best made winter garment ever produced on Earth. I especially appreciate the incredibly fair pricing at under $300 considering the outstanding workmanship and domestic manufacturing. Thank you sir for your attention to detail.

Best Regards,

Collin Meyer

By the way I wore a pair of Lamilite socks and mesh sneakers while playing golf last week. It was the only time I have ever played 18 holes and had dry feet at the end. I am looking forward to when you get the Lamilite boot in my size back in stock.

IMPORT TARIFFS

I have been reading on the SGB on line magazine that the import duties will cover a multitude of textile products. The tariffs will be 25% with other cost increases as well it appears, no determination as to what they are has been said to date.

In order for the USA companies to compensate for these increases the costs that are paid to the Chinese companies will have to decrease. How will that happen, easy the materials used will become much less quality. Two years ago I wrote about buying cotton button up shirts that were replacing cotton button up shirts that wore out after about 10 years. The new shirts are made from cotton that is about one half the weights of the old shirts and I do not expect to get more than one more year’s use of them. The same thing will happen with new production from China only they will be going lighter yet of the materials.

When it comes to sleeping bags and outerwear which are insulated products the insulating materials synthetic and down used will become cheaper than is already put in the bags shipped to the USA. They will also be made lighter in weight for the same bogus temperature ratings they apply to the bags today. However, these marketing companies will spin their advertising to suggest they have a “new and improved” insulation and a “new way” of working with it so you the consumer have a better product than ever before. The end result will be a worse piece of trash that they have today.

As for outerwear again they will represent the newest and greatest of insulations to keep you warm and dry. And of course the weight of the garment will be no heavier than your T-shirt.

The reality is as I see it, these large companies are without question more concerned about their bottom line than they are about presenting to the consumer a quality product. The reason I know this is because these companies have been following this path for years. Observing what someone does or has done gives you a very good indication of what they will do in the future.

Speaking of winter outerwear we are now starting to receive orders for our jackets and I am suggesting very strongly that if you want one of the parkas you consider ordering soon. Our production for the Alaskan market has already started so if you want to be warm this winter think about placing an order.

I know that we have been experiencing a warm spell but it will not last forever and I fully expect the upcoming winter to rival last year. I’ll know more when the Farmer’s Almanac is published.

The only good that will or could come out of the tariffs is possibly giving consumers a reason to pay more attention to American made products, so Wiggy’s can ultimately benefit. But there are other companies throughout the USA that may also benefit. I guess that is partially its purpose.

OUTDOOR RETAILER TRADE SHOW

It runs from the 23^rd to the 26^th of July I believe. I am waiting with bated breath to read about all of the newest and greatest discoveries that will be introduced in garments that will keep you from sweating, smelling, increase your ability to climb mount Everest, increase your endurance while mountain biking and who know what else.

You will not have much longer to wait.

Chemical-free, doubt it! thermoregulating not possible and ‘smart’ the new by word for fabric! – Coolcore

PORTSMOUTH, NH, (November 17, 2017) – Coolcore (www.coolcore.com), the leader in chemical-free thermoregulating fabric, this week announced a partnership with Pale Morning Media for national public relations support.

David Ludd the V.P. of says the material is thermoregulating and Drew Simmons the president of Pale Media swears to it. Two peas in a pod of charlatans.

Coolcore’s “smart” fabric is an engineered material that rapidly accelerates the evaporative drying process without chemical additives or treatments.

The following was reprinted from the coolcore’s web site.

“Coolcore works best with moving air as the moisture cooling properties are activated by a breeze, the wind and/or air movement that occurs when the end user is running, cycling, hiking, walking, skating, boating, etc.”

Coolcore’s smart fabric has to be awakened by a breeze that will blow away the moisture, so I guess the fabric is smart enough to know that moving air will help to dry it.

Independently regulating the core temperature of the wearer at a cool and comfortable level, Coolcore’s base material delivers research-proven performance benefits for both winter and summer activities.

Fabric does not regulate anything, it just lays there. Where was the research done at the hoho institute in Germany.

“The active apparel market is littered with products that use treatments and additives to transform them into performance pieces. We don’t.”

The above statement is very accurate to a point. Yes the market is littered with products and additives that are claimed to transform the materials or garments into performance pieces, and that is absolutely a lie. Their product doesn’t work whether it is treated or not.

In 2013, Coolcore became the first US Company to receive the “Innovative Technology” award from the Hohenstein Institute, and remains the only company globally to receive it for “Cooling Power”.

I wonder how much the hoho institute charged them to test their material and as a result gave them this nonsensical award. Their material is polyester and so are all of the other materials used for making the same types of garments from companies who make the same claims.

Independently tested by the world-renowned Hohenstein Institute on its WATson test, which measures a fabric’s cooling and drying power, Coolcore’s fabric received the best scores against seven leading brands and three competing technologies.

They never tested my fishnet underwear that out performs all of them.

“Is Coolcore ‘smart’ because it’s thermoregulating? Or is it smart because it’s chemical free?” said Drew Simmons, president and founder of Pale Morning Media. “It’s no secret that apparel made with ‘smart fabrics’ are delivering the new frontier of outdoor performance. But what’s really special about Coolcore is that they’ve achieved their breakthrough technology status without the use of added chemical treatments.”

Drew Simmons is not very smart! Drew, fabric is inanimate, fabric is not a living entity so it cannot develop the ability to be anything that is reserved for living entities. If you do not soak it in a chemical it is chemical free, but when the material goes through the dyeing and finishing process it is subjected to chemicals, just not the same chemicals that are supposed to make the fabric work better. Also, Drew again fabric is inanimate so it cannot thermoregulate anything. To answer your questions, coolcore does nothing!

I do not know how many companies have been taken in by this company’s sweet talking salesman, but I do know that any company that chooses to use this fabric for garments will not be thinking about their customers wellbeing, such as what is in your wallet? Money which is what they want.