Testing Labs

Confused Data from the Hohenstein Institute

How many of you have ever heard of the Hohenstein Institute (HI), probably not very many. I have heard of them for years as a company that tests textiles, been at it since 1946 located in Germany.

I spoke with their US representative to find out how they actually work based upon an article I read concerning evaporative cooling. He was very specific in telling me they did not function like Consumer Reports (CR) does. CR in my opinion goes into the market place and buys products and tests them in an objective manner. What they find is what they write about, and then the people interested in whatever product can judge for themselves the merits or not. HI works for the company that contracts with them to access if what they the company says about their product is what they say it is. HI is told all about the products characteristics and HI either verifies or doesn’t. If they don’t agree with the customer chances are the customer will not come back.

I read an article titles “MEASURING THE EVAPORATIVE COOLING POWER OF PERFORMANCE APPAREL USING THE HOHENSTEIN “WATSON” TEST SYSTEM”. What they state demonstrates to me that they are confused as to how the body actually works as regards to sweating.

They clearly state that “cooling fabrics work “passively” by enhancing sweat evaporation through the smart combination of new polymers as well as innovative yarn and fabric construction.” They further state “The physics and principles of evaporative cooling fabrics is all about liquid sweat and its three stage process”. 1- The fabric needs good wicking properties (if it is made from synthetic fiber which is what polymers are it has no wicking properties, ability to absorb). 2- The fabric should have lateral moisture transport capabilities. (If the fabric does not wick then the moisture cannot travel through the fabric. 3- The final and highly relevant stage is the effective evaporation of the liquid sweat. (Since the fabric does not absorb the sweat to any degree whatever does move to the surface of the fabric will begin to evaporate, but it will be a slower process that if the garment were made form a cotton fabric). BUT if the person was wearing a fishnet shirt as the moisture coming out of your pores condensed on your skin surface it would do exactly what it is supposed to do; i.e. cool you and because it is not covering your skin surface except marginally all of the moisture would evaporate quickly.

The HI created a machine called it WATson which is a “heat release tester” and the sell its service to companies who are so unsure of themselves i.e. the products they make they go to the HI’s of the world to tell them what they have works like they say it does.

HI supports the non-sense associated with ALL of the companies that scream to the world they have the best waterproof breathable that ever existed. I would like to know what they think of insulations! This company and all like them in my opinion are a joke and a bad one at that. People all over the country maybe the world will buy into products that do not perform as advertised because the manufacturers will says that their product was tested at this or that INDEPENDENT TESTING COMPANY.

I once spent $1000.00 with Kansas State University Environmental Labs to find out that my bag had a 4.5 clo value, when I asked what that converted to in temperature whether F or C they told me they did not know, but my bag had the highest clo for its weight, the bag I gave them was an Ultra-Light a plus 20 degree F bag. I guess that was comforting.

I have never sought out a testing lab since, as I believe that humans are the best testers alive.