JohnnyRubicon

Ok call me obsessive but before I spent $400+ on custom fit seat covers for my JK I wanted to make sure that I was getting exactly what I wanted. I started by putting together a matrix to compare all of different options out there. (Prices are for a 4 door)

From there I was able to narrow it down to the 4 brands (Iggee, Marathon, GT Covers & Wet Okole) I wanted to take a closer look at based on input from this forum. I wanted to stay away from Neoprene because of the way it tends to hold water at the surface.

I ordered swatches from all four companies and got them all except for Wet Okole the envelope was all torn up when I got it with nothing inside. Not sure what happened there but didn't care to much because I was not planning on going with Neoprene anyway. Would have been nice to torture test though.




Let me start by telling you that the Iggees, Marathon and the Leatherette material from GT covers are 100% waterproof. I was able to stick these under the faucet and water just continued to roll off. Surprisingly the waterproof material from GT covers was not it was more like Neoprene although it looks like Nylon.

Next came the durability test. I was concerned with leather like material that it would get really scratched up in time and start looking like an old leather couch that a dog has lived on so I got out my little letter opening knife to scratch the surface of each material.




First was the Marathon Cordura Nylon material. A regular knife like this could do almost no damage to the material.


The Iggee swatch took a little damage but held up ok. I was lightly swiping the knife tip across the surface.


Same process for the GT cover leatherette, this guy took a pretty big gash. Not a good sign.


I won't even bother posting the GT cover waterproof, it did not take that much damage from the simple swipe but I was able to cut it in half easily with the edge of the blade. That combined with the non-waterproof performance meant it was thumbs down for this material. The microfiber preformed similar to the waterproof from a durability standpoint.


CONTINUED...

JohnnyRubicon

Next it was time to get out the big knife to see what these things could stand up too.

This knife was just sharpened by a professional knife maker who just made a custom sheath for me so it is sharp as hell trust me.



I was finally able to cut into the Marathon cover which I was not able to do with the smaller knife. I had to fold it over the edge and saw through it. Once I had a cut I tried to rip it by hand but could not. I even got my roommate to hold one end while I held the other but it barley ripped. This is some tough stuff…



Next was the Iggee swatch, which I was able to cut through but not too easily. You can see how the cut is jagged as I forced the blade through.




Last was the GT Cover Leatherette which I was able to slice right through.




After all of this testing I have added to the matrix which has helped me narrow it down between Iggee and Marathon.


Other pros with Iggee is that is padded, however the cons are that it is not as durable and it gets hot in the summer. Marathon is virtual indestructible but the material is fairly course, plus it’s also more expensive

I thought that all of this info might help some of the forum members who are having trouble deciding on which brand of seat covers to go with.

For those of you who have these covers or others please feel free to chime in and add to my comments or correct me if I am wrong anywhere.

RedneckJeep

Damn man. You plan to give them seat covers hell, don't you? LOL I don't blame you. I'd think about comin up with somethin too. Seems there's a lot of crap bein sold these days. Thanks for the comparo.

JohnnyRubicon

I forget to mention that the prices for the 4 brands I looked at include a $25 shipping charge.

Audiophiliac

I got the Iggee covers and havent looked back. They are awesome!

RedneckJeep

The Iggies look good. The Marathons don't have much of a color selection, though.

sully151

This made me laugh, but was kind of informative.

I think we can learn a lot about the OP by looking at the pictures and seeing what is on his desk.

Good luck on your choice JR

dadgummit

This picture cracks me up. I like the look and strength of the marathon in your testing. Does it have any padding or is it just thin cloth?

MJS_Jeep_888

Very cool idea, and thanks for sharing the results with us all.

kntr

I love Wet Okoles.