Opinions on the latest Orvis Silver Sonic Waders

[Sylvaneous]

BountyHunter wrote:
I sold the stuff for a living for a long time. Do your self a favor and go with the Simms. Get the G3's "buy once, cry once" My one pair of G3's are 7 years old, I wear them about 100 times / year, I have patched a few pinholes,but they are still going strong.

How's the crotch? I bought my recent G3's because my last ones were soaky when deeper wading. I'm thinking this wasn't entirely a wader failure but a result of being a up-right walker with the leg hinge being under water.

I'm on my 3rd pair since 1999.

Syl

 

[afishinado]

ryansheehan wrote:
The welded seems are a joke. I split 4 pairs of the sonic guides so far, within a couple days on the water. Orvis is going to give me my money back rather than giving me new waders monthly. Customer service is great, waders are garbage.

ryansheehan wrote:
They split at the crotch section from just wading, nothing strenuous. Orvis is aware of the problem. They added a patch to the inside of the crotch on the waders but that only holds the split off a little longer. The first two pairs didn't have the patch and were leaking in 3 fishing days. I have spoken with numerous people at orvis and they have been very helpful but it is a very flawed product. I am definitely not the only one with the issue.

I am pretty sure they have made a recall or redesign it doesn't look like most of their waders are available until the end of June.

Please PM the names of the persons you spoke to at Orvis and told you the product was flawed and there is a recall on the waders making them unavailable until June. I will make sure you are completely refunded for your purchase.

I work for Orvis and am not aware of any such issue or recall with Sonic Seam waders. I checked with several managers at Orvis as well as the person in charge of wader design and they are not aware of any issue. There certainly is no recall since I checked the entire company inventory this morning, and there are thousands of waders in stock and being sold every day.

The Sonic Seam Convertible waders were introduced in August of 2012 and another SS wader was produced and sold 3 or 4 years previous to that introduction. Personally, I've worn the same pair of Orvis SS waders since their introduction more than three years ago and they are still going strong. In addition, I've sold hundreds of pairs of these waders, and Orvis has sold many thousands without a problem with returns or repairs for split seams.

It is possible that the fit is too tight and the seams split on your waders. The wader is actually stronger with our welded seam vs a stitched seam since the stitching perforates and weakens the fabric. It takes about 25 lbs of force to tear the stitched fabric at the seam vs 40 lbs with our welded seams.

I'm sorry the waders didn't work out for you. Again, contact me and I will make sure you get a full refund.

 

[allan_s]

I had a pair split in the crotch prematurely but overall I was very pleased with the waders. Pleased enough to get another pair and not go with Simms.

I will save my complete judgement when I see how this pair fairs.

Honestly, if they last me 2 years then I am satisfied. (The last pair started leaking in the crotch about 1 year into it and came completely undone end of year 2) If they would last me 3 years, I would be happy and if they make it 4 years then I will recommend them to anyone.

 

[NewSal]

All these split seams and repairs have me really questioning waders..

$300-700 for waders that have been known to fail in the past only after 1-2years of use? Really? That's crazy..

I have a pair of $130 frogg toggs bootfelts I've had for two years and they don't leak, where is the extra $400 going?

 

[lestrout]

I'm with afish on these. My Sonics are the best of the dozens of pairs I've gone through, and they are quite comfy summer and winter. I'm a big believer in the welded seam technology and approach. Some of the other brand's top models are a little heavy for my taste.

I took the precaution of getting sized for my Sonics at The Sporting Gentleman, which is closer to me than the Plymouth Meeting store. I'm sure any Orvis store would provide the proper service. TSG ordered my size, and that adds to the comfort.

I strongly believe proper sizing is important for wader durability. Wading and hiking is pretty kinetic activity, and constant flexing of friction points will detract from durability as well as comfort.

If your bod just happens to fit a given model of wader, good on you. Your waders will last much longer than if they don't. I've gone through dozens of cheap and expensive waders and the thing I should have done long ago was to make sure they fit, especially when bending over, stretching, and lifting legs when climbing up and over big objects. I think one reason Simms get good reviews is that they have a large number of sizes, so a store can outfit you properly. The same attention can be obtained with Orvis models too - I've quit looking at most other brands, and will never mail order them, hoping they sorta fit.

 

[ryansheehan]

afishinado wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
The welded seems are a joke. I split 4 pairs of the sonic guides so far, within a couple days on the water. Orvis is going to give me my money back rather than giving me new waders monthly. Customer service is great, waders are garbage.

ryansheehan wrote:
They split at the crotch section from just wading, nothing strenuous. Orvis is aware of the problem. They added a patch to the inside of the crotch on the waders but that only holds the split off a little longer. The first two pairs didn't have the patch and were leaking in 3 fishing days. I have spoken with numerous people at orvis and they have been very helpful but it is a very flawed product. I am definitely not the only one with the issue.

I am pretty sure they have made a recall or redesign it doesn't look like most of their waders are available until the end of June.

Please PM the names of the persons you spoke to at Orvis and told you the product was flawed and there is a recall on the waders making them unavailable until June. I will make sure you are completely refunded for your purchase.

I work for Orvis and am not aware of any such issue or recall with Sonic Seam waders. I checked with several managers at Orvis as well as the person in charge of wader design and they are not aware of any issue. There certainly is no recall since I checked the entire company inventory this morning, and there are thousands of waders in stock and being sold every day.

The Sonic Seam Convertible waders were introduced in August of 2012 and another SS wader was produced and sold 3 or 4 years previous to that introduction. Personally, I've worn the same pair of Orvis SS waders since their introduction more than three years ago and they are still going strong. In addition, I've sold hundreds of pairs of these waders, and Orvis has sold many thousands without a problem with returns or repairs for split seams.

It is possible that the fit is too tight and the seams split on your waders. The wader is actually stronger with our welded seam vs a stitched seam since the stitching perforates and weakens the fabric. It takes about 25 lbs of force to tear the stitched fabric at the seam vs 40 lbs with our welded seams.

I'm sorry the waders didn't work out for you. Again, contact me and I will make sure you get a full refund.

Sure, I will pm you shortly.

 

[ryansheehan]

PM sent, never used it before so I am not sure if it went through, please let me know you received it. Thanks.

 

[AFISHN]

While we are on the subject of waders,here are some guide reviews I have found helpful:
http://www.anglerscovey.com/blogs/anglers-blog/2016/3/23/guide-reviews-waders-and-boots?utm_source=Angler%27s+Blog&utm_campaign=3853a9a527-Angler_Blog2_18_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_075b30dbe5-3853a9a527-199188281

 

[NewSal]

Anyone feel like responding about my concerns on the expensive waders?

On average how long do these $400 plus waders last for?
What makes them so much better then a pair of

 

[afishinado]

ryansheehan wrote:
PM sent, never used it before so I am not sure if it went through, please let me know you received it. Thanks.

Ryan,

Have not received a PM from you.

Click on my name at the top of my post

From the drop down Click on PM

Type in subject

Type in body

Hit Submit

 

[Six-Gun]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
Anyone feel like responding about my concerns on the expensive waders?

On average how long do these $400 plus waders last for?
What makes them so much better then a pair of

 

[Tony300wby]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
Anyone feel like responding about my concerns on the expensive waders?

On average how long do these $400 plus waders last for?
What makes them so much better then a pair of

 

[afishinado]

Six-Gun wrote:

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
Anyone feel like responding about my concerns on the expensive waders?

On average how long do these $400 plus waders last for?
What makes them so much better then a pair of

 

[ryansheehan]

afishinado wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
PM sent, never used it before so I am not sure if it went through, please let me know you received it. Thanks.

Ryan,

Have not received a PM from you.

Click on my name at the top of my post

From the drop down Click on PM

Type in subject

Type in body

Hit Submit

I did that before but it took me to a strange window, anyway I sent it again and I see a copy of it in my outbox.