Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) said on Feb. 5 that it tested the water repellency of eight popular running jackets before and after washing and found that the performance of four, or half, declined.
Water repellency is rated on a scale of 0 to 5, with 5 being the best. In the test, all eight products received the highest grade (5) before washing, but four products—including New Balance "UNI Sports Essential Windbreaker," Descente "Running Warm-up Windbreaker," Adidas "Adizero Essential Running Jacket," and Under Armour "UA Launch Hooded Jacket"—fell to grade 3 after five washes.
By contrast, Nike "Repel Miler," Andar "Clear Feather Men's Wind Jacket," Xexymix "RX Airlight Jacket," and FILA Holdings Corp. "PERTEX Lightweight Windbreaker" maintained grade 5 even after washing.
For heat retention (how well heat loss is blocked in wind), products from Nike, Descente, Andar, and Under Armour were relatively excellent. On the other hand, for air permeability (sweat release), products from New Balance, Adidas, and Xexymix were rated highly, indicating they release sweat generated during running well to the outside.
The agency advised, "Because heat retention and air permeability are competing functions, it is important to choose based on one's activity environment and preferences."
Prices ranged from 89,000 won for the Adidas "Adizero Essential Running Jacket" to 199,000 won for the Descente "Running Warm-up Windbreaker," a difference of more than 2.2 times. Among them, the Nike "Repel Miler" (115,000 won) received good ratings (two stars) for both heat retention and air permeability and maintained a water repellency grade of 5 even after washing, making it a "good value for money" product.
The agency added, "It is advisable to purchase running jackets by comprehensively considering the necessary functionality, design, durability, and price."