I figured I'd relay my recent experience with Ornot's Microclimate vest. After 4 months and about 8 wears (along with careful washing/line drying) i got a 1/4" hole in the material. I reached out to Ornot and they believe i snagged it. While it is possible that it got snagged (i'm dubious), my larger issue is the durability of the the material. If this was snagged, it happened under extremely gentle care or use. I haven't had an issue like this any other of my cycling kit and the material seems incredibly fragile. Let the buyer beware, premium price for something that likely wont last long. Regarding their customer service, they offer only empty apologies and mentioned that based on their assessment, not covered under warranty.
by elonmuskie
4 Comments
Thanks for sharing. I was considering Ornot but will definitely be staying away from them now
They could warranty their products; ornot.
It’s likely it was snagged, a fabric like this (pretty sure it’s Polartec) only requires a minor snag to start a run in the material that leads to a uniform tear like this. Basically it probably started as a tiny snag and tore along the knit pattern.
The choice of fabric for application is certainly another consideration all together. This is a pretty common mid layer fabric from Polartec (look at at lot of ski companies), so you could argue it maybe should be under a shell or outer layer and not exposed, but those layers snag on things as well.
Basically, nothing is snag proof unless it’s a super tight woven (still not “proof”), fabric is generally pretty fragile if you want light and breathable. I think offering a repair of some sort would be fair, but warranties typically only cover “manufacturers defect” aka an mis-sewn seam or something similar. A tear in the middle of fabric that you seem to know wasn’t there when received really isn’t technically a warranty.
FWIW I’ve had mine for years and have jerseys from them made out of the same material and never had any issues. I’m also not delicate with them. Put a small iron-on or glue patch on it and keep using it.