at some point earlier this year? It certainly appears to be the case from the emails I've been getting over the last 3 weeks!
Still - some decent stuff for much cheapness. Looks like I'm in for a toastie warm winter. Which, looking out of the window, appears to have started in earnest 🙁
Yeah... but how good is it all?
I've been hovering over the 'buy' button for some time now, but not convinced, given that most of what O-O sell appears to be gubbins*.
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* Including the OEM tyre I bought from them, which seems to be a mis-moulded second. 😐
Ive been using (and washing!) On-One black merino base layers for the last 5 months or so.
They havent shrunk and they dont get special treatment - in with the coloured wash at 40degs. As with a lot of wool stuff for some reason I find the wrist hem to be a bit tight. In fact the woollen On-One stripe jersey is going to go to mums for some butchering as I can hardly get the thing on and if I do my hand goes blue from lack of circulation. And I dont even have fat wrists.
I got the three pack deal (long sleeve quarter zip, long sleeve and a short sleeve) I like the quarter zip the most.
I ride with merino all year round and then just add a gilet or jacket as and when I need to, so my merinos take a beating. Ive worn out Howies in a few years.
I am blaming Binners for making me think about having to buy winter clothing.....*
*Which I do need to sort out really.
I've bought one of the heavier long-sleeved base layers and the stripe jersey. They both seem excellent. I'm actually considering ordering a couple more.
You'll thank me in the end jamie - Seems an ideal time to stock up ready for the next ten months of cold, rain and darkness 😉
Just bought a zipped "cardie" and a LS and SS black top. Bloomin impressed with the quality for the money. Hope they last as well as my fantastic embers kit.
Has anyone put their handwash only zip up logo cardi through the machine yet?
I bought one of [url= http://on-one.co.uk/i/q/CLOOMJ250/on-one-100-merino-jersey-250gm ]THESE[/url] in XXL, bit tight but here's hoping it will not fall to pieces?
I wonder who's in charge of ordering their stock? There's even more of it advertised today. Has anyone not bought any yet?
IMHO Merino wool stuff has been hideously over-priced in recent years, due to expensive marketing campaigns, a bit like nearly all cosmetics aimed at women. There are 66 million sheep in New Zealand, most of them Merino, FFS. I blame Icebreaker.
This is more an example of the prices approaching something more rational and realistic for what goes into the product.
Ordered a long sleeve top for 19.99, will see how it goes.
(agree on the comment above about the tyres, they seem to be "seconds" compared to examples bought elsewhere)
hels - MemberIMHO Merino wool stuff has been hideously over-priced in recent years, due to expensive marketing campaigns, a bit like nearly all cosmetics aimed at women. There are 66 million sheep in New Zealand, most of them Merino, FFS. I blame Icebreaker.
^^^^ This ^^^^^
Hels - whilst there are a lot of sheep in New Zealand I think you will find that some rather than most of them are merino. In addition not all merino garments are of the same quality, I had some craghopper stuff a few years back that went action man sized at the first wash rendering them useless. Quality stuff such as Icebreaker and Howies has yet to fail so get my money. Might take a look at some on on stuff though..
I've got a Howies Merino tee that's about 4 years old. It's as tough as old boots. So I bought another. 🙂
Hels - are there as many sheep in New Zealand as there are bicycles in Bejing? And is there a song to prove it? 😉
Howies merino stuff lasts for years. The on one stuff seems like decent kit though. Especially at the prices at the moment. Roughly a third of what you'd pay for the equivalent Howies
Short Sleeve n Long Sleeve ordered, hope its here for going away at weekend!
Never had a Merino top before, wonder what the fuss is about, I'll hopefully find out!
Ive always tended to use Icebreaker, and have a jacket amongst other items that is going on three years and is still faultless (good old mum sends a care package every year from home).
Having said that purchased several tops and a zip-top from on-one on friday (which arrived on Saturday !!!!!!) and am well impressed, doubly so given the prices.
OK, they are tighter than a tight thing, and Im certainly not bulky, but they got their first outing yesterday, and didn't die so all is good on the planet.
My mum had a beach house near Otaki for a while, which also hosts the Icebreaker factory shop. You will cry if I tell you the prices...
OK sorry, SOME sheep in Enzed are Merino, but some of 66 million is still a significant number, and you are still being ripped off if you pay their prices. Shop at Ground Effect if you must import the stuff, they are based in Christchurch so you can feel stylish, on trend, warm and virtuous into the bargain.
P.S and thats 20 sheep for each Kiwi, I will be returning to claim mine when the nuclear holocaust strikes.
Binners - there must be a song, look up Fred Dagg on t'internet. (not related to Israel Dagg, my new winner of Best Antipodean Rugby Player Name Award, Stirling Mortlock had to be ousted eventually)
Is it MAPP/Zque certified tho'? As I've not seen it mentioned anywhere on their site ... I suspect maybe not. I'm picky about that, (so use [url= http://www.chocolatefishmerino.co.uk/ ]chocolatefishmerino[/url] for my stuff ...).
Had two howies tops, both went holey. but to be fair they did give me a refund. have also got a Norwegian top which has also got holes in it, shame as its bloomin lovely otherwise. got three on one tops and only one small hole so far but they were a lot cheaper so not as worried. I'm coming to the conclusion that merino may be too fragile. i'll also recommend the ground effect stuff. i have one of their tops which is merino on the inside and polyester on the outside so much harder wearing and seems like a good compromise. pretty reasonably priced too.
Jamest is right when he says most sheep in NZ NOT merino, and of those only some produce a fine enough wool to use for baselayer. One reason for the high price is scarcity. Not all years are good for wool growing. Next couple of years may well be bad as heavy snow hit at lambing time with a 300% increase in lamb deaths.
Cheap merino may not even be merino at all. Been told that in China either coarser merino wool or ordinary wool is treated with chemicals to make it feel like merino.
Genuine merino certainly isn't fragile. I've got tops I've been wearing for years and are still good. All made with MAPP merino/Zque and yes, it's certified and far better quality than anything else I've tried.
Howies isn't what it was. First it was taken over by Smartwool/Timberland, and now I hear by VF Corp. so it's a long time since they could claim to be using NZ merino. As for the "Norwegian" stuff - it's all made in China. Only two companies I know of that aren't are Arcteryx (Canada) and Chocfish (NZ) and both use MAPP merino.
The fact is that cheap merino is rubbish - the comments on here are proof - pay a decent price and you get quality.
XXL is 43 inch chest ,dont they do adult sizes?
IMHO Merino wool stuff has been hideously over-priced in recent years, due to expensive marketing campaigns, a bit like nearly all cosmetics aimed at women. There are 66 million sheep in New Zealand, most of them Merino, FFS
Only a matter of time before the Chinese or whoever cotton on (!) to this, and start breeding their own Merino flocks, and producing their own just-as-good-yet-significantly-cheaper Merino stuff...
Loads of Merino flocks in Oz too. Once knew a lass whose family ran one of the biggest Merino farms in Australia. They were laughing at how much they could sell the stuff to the UK....
XXL is 43 inch chest ,dont they do bloater sizes?
FTFY.
XXL is 43 inch chest ,dont they do adult sizes?
Is that your measurement of it as it says 48" on the website? Just checking before I hit the button...
gonetothehills
Is that for the same style though. The offer out today is for [url= http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLPXOOMERLS/planet-x-and-on-one-100-percent-merino-wool-ls-top ]THIS[/url] which is 48" in xxl. I've been hovering over the button all day between a xl and xxl because IME they are not over-generous in sizing.
Damn confusing 👿
Yeah - that's what I was checking too 🙂 I can't see a merino top with a 43" XXL - the base layers and the zip ups are shown as 48" as you say, but I don't want to faff them / me about with returns... Anyone got one they could possibly measure please (or at least another size that we can compare against what they think?) Cheers in advance...
Just checked and the xxl's are sold out.
They still have black ones like [url= http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLOOMJ250/on-one-100-merino-jersey-250gm ]THESE[/url] in xxl which are 43" according to the PX site.
Edit: Plain old On-Ones still there in xxl at £27.49 [url= http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CLOOMER/on-one-100-percent-merino-wool-ls-top ]HERE[/url]
Crivvens,according to their catalogue,Ground Effect clothing is all made in NZ,as are most of their fabrics.
I've been using their gear for 5 or 6 years & I think it's top quality,I might have a look at the bargaintastic on-one stuff though,just to compare different brands 😆
Just ordered an XL and added what I'm hoping will be an explicit request to not ship if it ain't gonna to fit! Fingers crossed... 😕
On-One haven't directly bought it all, but I think the Chinese have had a meaningful impact on merino prices over recent years as they are buying it all! Same principle as inflation in other commodities like copper:
[url= http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?SearchText=merino&CatId=0&IndexArea=product_en&ssk=y ]Alibaba[/url]
I've heard that the raw material price of merino is up more than 20% yoy at the factory gate, so that translates into higher prices. Cashmere is even higher than that, for similar but I think also due to a bad winter meaning more goats had to be eaten or something...
Only a matter of time before the Chinese or whoever cotton on (!) to this, and start breeding their own Merino flocks, and producing their own just-as-good-yet-significantly-cheaper Merino stuff...
I'm guessing they already know how to breed sheep! Its a climatic reason why NZ is so good for merino, and why you can't breed them in the UK. Anyway, the Chinese are too busy feeling quietly superior about the fact that they were spinning silk garments and breeding cashmere goats when us westerners were still hitting mammoths with clubs.
When I got mine the On-One sizing guide said to measure your chest and choose the next size down. I ignored this advice and went the next size up and it's ideal. I prefer it to my £60 Icebreaker baselayer, for £20 it was a bargain.
The Howies stuff I had was prior to them being taken over as far as I remember and the Norwegian stuff is from Dale of Norway and the label states "Made in Norway", whatever that means exactly.
There's nothing wrong with the On-One merino I have. The knit looks looser than say Icebreaker, but it works well with a windbreaker.
These days I buy Icebreaker. It seems to last forever and fit well.