The "woolly pully" wool vs acrylic

[Laurentius]

Genuine woollen woolly pullys seem to a mixture of two things, as scarce as hen's teeth or inordinately expensive, whereas the acrylic equivalent is abundent. I made a mistake not long ago of buying acrylic instead of wool, I did not look at the label carefully enough after having been told by the shop assistant that it was wool.

I know there are differences when it comes to the wet, and acrylic is not fireproof and all that, but worn dry is there actually any difference in the warmth weight for weight?

 

[peaks]

Personally I don't find acrylic as warm as wool in any weight. But that might be me.

Outdoor Knitwear do a decent line of woolly pullys at a range of prices - http://www.outdoorknitwear.com/

 

[Toddy]

+1 to peaks comment. The acrylic ones develop a stale smell when worn for days on end, too.
They're a lot easier to wash though. They're inclined to pill on the surface as well and look shabby all too quickly, I find.

Another vote for Outdoor Knitwear as well They also make the snugpak jackets, which have been excellent

M

 

[Wander]

I'm not such a fan of acrylic.
I prefer wool pullovers not plastic pullovers.

Wool keeps me warm, acrylic makes me sweat.

 

[Macaroon]

I find Acrylic to be amongst the worst of all the synthetics, it smells very bad very quickly and looks old and tired after a very short time. I personally can tell the difference immediately I touch it and I don't like it.

I find really top quality woolen clothing in the charity shops, often very high quality garments that have never been worn and can be bought for very little money.

 

[Wander]

Also try some of the discount stores like TK Max.
Another option are those 'factory outlet' places - M&S can sometimes be found at them.

The moral is, always read the label. Just because it says 'wool' it doesn't necessarily mean real wool. A good example of that is 'The Edinburgh Woollen Mill'. They're a bit of a con, to be honest. I'm sure people go in there and buy clothes thinking they've just bought genuine wool ('But it says 'wool' in the company name!' I've even heard people say. As if advertisers and marketers weren't prone to some...'flexible' word play...). To be fair, I'm sure without doubt that some of the products are genuine wool. But the vast majority is synthetic. Try it for yourself - go into one of their stores and look at the labels.
Anyway.

 

[tombear]

Keep a eye on the makers web site, end of last year herself got me a new XXXXL olive wool-pully for 30 odd quid on special offer and this year, a sage green civvy wool jumper for 32 down from 84. What they have at the mo isn't so nice.

http://www.outdoorknitwear.com/vee-neck/54-langton.html

but that's a matter of taste really.

If your normal sized army stores, charity shops and car boots are full of them for under a fiver. ok you have to examine them closely but I've picked them up for my sons in perfect knick ( for gardening and being around fires, they wouldn't be seen dead in them "out" ) and even found one in 122 cm chest for myself, perfect condition ( oddly looking at the label it's not a govt issue one but it did come from a surplus stall that used to be on Accrington flea market, mind who cares? there wasn't a mark or bobble on it when I got it even if it was a bit snug). For £3.

Easy enough to wash if you follow the instructions.

Bare in mind they are sized to be a close fit so try them on if you ain't a racing snake!

ATB

Tom

 

[Tonyuk]

Gen wooly pullies can be found on ebay easily i'm sure;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRITISH-A...hash=item4af8dac729:m:mXvNJ0Why-2noMKi-pOl8iw

The plastic ones have a v neck, i've not seem them issued in a while. But the wool jumpers are still issued through the system.

Tonyuk

 

[srod]

I have had a "blue castle" branded acrylic one for about 5 years, cost about £15 - warm enough as a mid-layer and hard wearing as anything, I practically lived in the thing, great for work, being out in the woods, etc. Not the smartest looking thing, but who cares. It's kind of semi-retired now and I'd happily get another however currently I favor my Swandrii ranger shirt - which I wear all the time now, best article of outdoor clothing ever!

 

[MikeLA]

Big big fan of the woolly pully that and Hexi are my all time issues uses. A compromise could always be lambswool sweater can be bought cheaply. Carry 2 for the same weight as a Jhw issue

 

[oldtimer]

My wife knits mine for me, but they aren't cheap: enough wool for a sweater costs about £70. Now she is retired she has enough time, but when we were still working, I went for fleece, but never acrylic. I still have the first sweater she ever knitted for me over 50 years ago.

My great uncle Caleb was a shellback' i.e. a man who had sailed round Cape Horn in the days of sail. He looked like Popeye and was as hard as they come. He taught my mother to knit being an expert at making his own clothes on his long voyages. This he regarded as proper man's work as his view was that a real man could look after himself in all respects at all time and in any circumstances.

My father was grateful to Uncle Caleb for teaching my mother to knit because, as he said, "Now she has something to think about while she is talking."

 

[Kilbith]

I know there are differences when it comes to the wet, and acrylic is not fireproof and all that, but worn dry is there actually any difference in the warmth weight for weight?

Weight for weight : acrylic COULD be warmer. Acrylic COULD be also stronger, mothproof, smooth and easier to clean.

The problem is that acrylic could be very good (ex : high bulk) or horrible (pilling...). Most often it is horrible....and cheap. Wool is wool, and if it is "woolmark" it will be always good for insulation and...expensive. But remember that more important than wool or acrylic is the airiness of the fiber.

-For a low aerobic activity, wool is better. It will fix some perspiration in the fiber and you will be nice and confortable.
-For a high aerobic activity wool will be saturated by perspiration and acrylic will be better (specially under something like goretex).



You could find good sweater with 50% wool and 50% acrylic. This is the best of both world (advantages of acrylic and wool). But it must be a good one with good acrylic and good wool : most often bad acrylic is here only to assist a bad (shoddy) wool (make it stronger for fast industrial machine and cheaper to produce).

A study about this : https://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=...sg=AFQjCNGBXc7huu90_c92d4AEHgYov3HA5g&cad=rja

An old one from US army : https://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=...75.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEB21lrb1WAWakBluC3WVzUsGonGQ

 

[rancid badger]

If you're looking for straight forward functionality and exceptional value for money then look no further than the genuine issue wooly pully. I've used these since I was about 12, collaring a couple of my oldest brothers cast offs when he was serving in the RAF and later on being issued my own with the TA and as always, acquiring spares throughout the years.

 

[Lazy J]

Big fan of the woolly pully. Even if there's not that much difference when dry, the wool one will breathe properly and not make you sweat. Plus the woolly pully just feels better and probably lasts longer.

 

[OMark]

I much prefer wool and find it both warmer in both wet and dry conditions. Wool is pretty amazing when it gets wet as the fibers absorb and encapsulate the water, which makes them better at keeping the water off your skin than synthetics.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

I used to have an acrylic one which I quite liked, but have had wool versions for the last many years. Excellent bits of kit, which as said before, can be found cheaply on ebay, or from surplus stores.

Slightly OT, but I got one of these for my birthday last year, and was so pleased with it that I asked for one for Christmas as well. 100% wool, very warm, and at a decent price (not sure if they ship to the UK though...) : https://www.xxl.dk/mackenzie-hunter-vildmarkssweater/p/1057977_2_style

 

[John Fenna]

You just cannot beat natural fiber fabrics - but you have to learn how to get the best from them....
Synthetics are so "easy care" that those brought up on them can get it wrong .... but naturals are the true "wonder fabrics" in terms of performance!

 

[SaraR]

It depends so much on the acrylic, can be great or awful (as with wool I guess). I find acrylic jumpers get sweatier if you get a bit too warm in them.

 

[Mowmow]

Wool regulates moisture and temperature better, doesn't readily burn and imo is harder wearing and doesn't smell, I don't think I've ever washed my woolly pully n it still looks and smells pretty clean even after being covered in all sorts of muck just give it a good airing out.People say they're expensive but if you shop around ya can find some bargains.


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[Highbinder]

So where's the best place to get one of these mythical woolies?