smarty textiles?

NOT SO SMART TEXTILES

Researchers investigate wash ability in smart textiles

March 9th, 2020 / By: IFAI / In the Industry

Enhancing usability of smart textiles is necessary for improved user acceptance, and wash ability is a key requirement, especially concerning textile integrated conductor tracks, a new study concludes. Those tracks, it says, “exhibit a higher level of integration into the textile substrates compared to other, often removable components of smart textiles.”

The article was published by the Journal of the Textile Institute. Authors Sigrid Rotzler, Christine Kallmayer, Christian Dils, Malte von Krshiwoblozki, Ulrich Bauer and Martin Schneider-Ramelow assessed changes in conductivity to determine the effects of different washing conditions on different combinations of textile substrates and conductor tracks.

“Differing results for each combination do not permit global conclusions about the wash ability of textile-integrated conductor tracks or smart textiles,” the authors report. “Instead, wash ability is influenced by the choice and combination of materials as well as methods of integration and processing – important to consider when developing new products.”

Imagine that the smart textiles are faltering when they get washed. I suspect there will still be people buying these garments with electrical wires running through them anyway. If these makers of these garments get a strong hold in the marketplace then a variety of laundering methods will have to be developed.

In my opinion what these companies are doing will always be a waste of money for the people who are suckered into buying these products. And of course, the information in the above article proves correctly so that they are a mistake to buy.

SIMMS WADERS

Last week I read that a fellow by the name of Casey Sheahan, a fellow who has been with several companies in the outdoor industry. When I read that he now the ceo of simms I wrote to him to find out if he was going to get rid of the goretex waders since they were a product that did not actually work as they and gore claim.

Believe it or not he has not responded to my question. I wonder if he has brought this to the attention of the gore folks. At this time simms is offering a product that does not work never has worked and never will work. So, all of you fly fisherman who are buying simms waders, if you buy the goretex models you have unequivocally wasted your money if you think they can perform on dry land let-a-lone in the water.

SPECTRUM S INSULATION

Today I received a new outdoor publication; Recreation Retailer. It is interesting since it points out various products to retailers to be knowledgeable of. One product highlighted is a sleeping that has SPECTRUM S insulation in it. The company that sells this bag is located in Utah. They do not actually manufacture it. It is made in Asia. I went to the web site to find out about this marvelous new insulation but all I could learn was the following and I quote: “extremely packable and light weight but still provides a thick, warm loft to capture warm air for exceptional comfort”. The bag model shown is a 0-degree bag with a weight of 3.5 pounds. not possible. How does it capture the warm, unexplained

I wrote to the seller of the bags teton sports, because like so many companies today they want you to leave a message or go to the website and write to them. They do have a chat capability, so I started a chat and asked what the spectrum s was, and they write back a blend of Sonora and other fibers. I asked if it was a blend of polyester or down fibers. I was told the technical people would have to get back with me if I gave them my e mail address, I did.

I do not expect to hear back as I do not believe I will ever hear from Casey Sheahan. The spectrum s is a polyester fiber blend that they like to make claims about just like the folks who use primaloft or softie and any other chopped polyester fiberfill made in the world.

Maybe one day before it is to late for these companies they will wake up to the real facts that what they are making or having made for themselves are products that do not work as they say and therefore in my opinion are a sham.

Textiles are not smart thinking people are smart. Therefore, any thinking person is going to know that when someone offers them a smart textile it is time to RUN in the opposite direction.