Rapha Men's Pro Team GORE-TEX Cycling Rain Jacket vs Mens Balance Made In Usa Cycling Jacket Windbreaker Water Resistant: which is safer?
Mens Balance Made In Usa Cycling Jacket Windbreaker Water Resistant is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Gore
Rapha Men's Pro Team GORE-TEX Cycling Rain Jacket
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyTeflon-type coating membrane integrity and environmental release
PossibleFluorocarbon water-repellent coating finish durability and reapplication toxicity
PossiblePolyester degradation and synthetic fiber shedding
Our pick
Mens Balance Made In Usa Cycling Jacket Windbreaker Water Resistant
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Possiblewater-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating composition (non-PFAS hazards)
PossibleMicroplastic shedding from synthetic fabric
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PTFE membrane integrity and environmental release, Fluorocarbon DWR finish durability and reapplication toxicity and Polyester degradation and synthetic fiber shedding on the Gore and not on the .
- We flag Durable water-repellent (DWR) coating composition (non-PFAS hazards) and Microplastic shedding from synthetic fabric on the and not on the Gore.
- The Gore is GORE-TEX polytetrafluoroethylene membrane with DWR finish where the is Synthetic fabric with water-resistant DWR coating, unspecified, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are 5 points apart, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric: 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 cycling rain jackets: see the full ranking