Men's Workout Essentials Base Woven Shorts vs Men's Home Waters Hybrid Shorts: which is safer?

adidas Men's Workout Essentials Base Woven Shorts is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

adidas Men's Workout Essentials Base Woven Shorts

Adidas

Men's Workout Essentials Base Woven Shorts

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 47/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Woven polyester/nylon blend, no waterproof or stain-resistant treatment specified

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes and heavy metal colorants

ReportedMicrofiber shedding from synthetic blend

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in finishing

Patagonia Men's Home Waters Hybrid Shorts

Patagonia

Men's Home Waters Hybrid Shorts

PFAS grade

Poor 45/100

Overall grade

Poor 37/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Polyester blend with PFAS-free water-repellent coating finish

Confidence

78%

PossibleFragrance or dye allergen sensitivity

Possiblewater-repellent coating finish durability and re-application hazard

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Azo dyes and heavy metal colorants, Microfiber shedding from synthetic blend and Formaldehyde resins in finishing on the Adidas and not on the Patagonia.
  • We flag Fragrance or dye allergen sensitivity and DWR finish durability and re-application hazard on the Patagonia and not on the Adidas.
  • The Adidas is Woven polyester/nylon blend, no waterproof or stain-resistant treatment specified where the Patagonia is Polyester blend with PFAS-free DWR finish, which is most of the difference in these two grades.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More waterproof sports gear, see the full ranking