4/24/2023 0 Comments Perfect layers 3 reviewThe zonal compression helps with that but you can't ignore the fabric. What I find myself noticing more than anything else is how incredibly soft the fabric is. Even if it was tight though, the raw cut edges at the sleeves and neckline almost entirely disappear. The neck is about the same height as a mock turtleneck but it's intentionally a bit loose with less compression. You'll notice the band of higher compression on your bicep but it won't feel tight against the chest. Once on though, it's compressive in a few key areas but overall, it disappears. It goes on easily and doesn't catch on my heart rate monitor. The Q36.5 Level 3 base layer is all that at once. Then there are others where they slide on with ease but don't have much compression. There are some that are tight enough to get stuck on my heart rate monitor strap and require some contortions to roll down. I always wear the same size in base layers but what that means varies a bit from brand to brand. When you slide the Q36.5 base layer on, you can tell right away that it is different. Q36.5 Level 3 base layer inside view Performance It feels as much functional as illustrative of the capabilities. Instead of printing them, Q36.5 chose to knit the text right into the fabric. Instead, it's an aesthetic detail and the arrow points to the washing instructions at the low back. You could argue that the hexagonal design has some functional use but the big arrow on the back certainly doesn't. There are also clever aesthetic details integrated right into the knitting. On the upper back, there are more ventilation holes and here the patterning is even more complex as it switches between solid fabric and large holes. Under the arms, there are actual holes patterned into the knit for ventilation. The neckline and the waist switch the pattern to a vertical design that maximises horizontal stretch. That flexibility is the real power of the Karl Meyer machine and you can see it employed throughout the design. The Level 2 piece mirrors Level 3 but if you jump to the Level 1, the same pattern reverses the densities with an even lighter internal structure. The centre hexagon uses a tighter knit while the outer area uses a lighter knit with less fabric coverage. At first, it looks aesthetic only but when you look closer, it's actually a variation in density. The Q36.5 Level 3 base layer uses a hexagonal design that covers much of the surface of the garment. You can see that in the dual-purpose surface texture. Whatever the technical reason, there is no doubt that the machine is capable of complex patterning. In every use of a seam, it appears the fabric was knit seamlessly then cut, gathered, and stitched to create a tighter curve. There's a very short stitch under each arm as well as a long seam across the top of each shoulder and the final seams exist at the wrist. Q36.5 Level 3 base layer washing instructionsĪs with the Assos base layer, the seams that do exist, appear to further gather material in places where it makes sense to do so. Q36.5 is using a much more complex design in the knitting and has managed to even further reduce seams. Level 3 is more of a light winter, or perhaps spring and fall, piece but there is also a difference in what the two brands have done with the knit technology. There's a Level 4 and a Level 5 that would be a better match for the Assos base layer. This particular, Level 3, base layer from Q36.5 is a long-sleeve variation of what the brand offers for summer riding. Given that polypropylene has greater resistance to water absorption, it's a substitution that makes sense overall but it's also something that reflects the different projected uses. Q36.5 uses 44% polypropylene, 44% polyamide, and 12% elastane which, while similar to the Assos numbers, swaps Polypro for the polyester that Assos specs. Right at the forefront, the fabric makeup is different. The two pieces are certainly similar but there are lots of differences as well. It might be the same process, or not, but it's not super important. Assos doesn't mention the third-party company that makes the design possible but that's not unusual for the brand. I recently wrote the Assos GTO Winter LS DermaSensor Base Layer review and the similarities are striking. If you are reading this and thinking it sounds familiar, it is. There's no edging, the only seams are incredibly limited, and instead of swapping fabrics the knitting shifts and changes to reduce fabric density. Instead of seams and variations in fabrics, everything is knit in a single piece. At the heart of the design is a cutting-edge, three-dimensional knitting machine from Karl Meyer. If there was ever an example to change your mind about this, it's the Q36.5 Base layer 3.
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