Originally developed by technology company P2i to help protect the military from chemical attacks, Ion Masking is an astoundingly simple, three-minute process that renders an entire object immune from the effects of water and other outside agents. Water simply beads on it; dirt can't gain a grip. The treatment's effectiveness has seen Ion Masking increasingly find its way into commercial usage; and the most recent examples, courtesy of Hi-Tec, are golf shoes and gloves.
"If I wanted to sell the Ion Masking treatment to you in 10 seconds," says Duncan Patmore, Global Product and Marketing director of Hi-Tec, "I'd simply get a treated piece of material and drop some water on it. You can see how dramatic the effect is. To see water bouncing off the Cabretta leather glove we are bringing out in Spring 2009 is just so alien to what we're all used to seeing."
But it's shoes that will see the most Ion-Masking activity from Hi-Tec. Six products from the higher echelons of the new SS09 product line-up will get the treatment - four from the men's range and two from the women's.
The treatment works like this. A completely assembled pair of shoes is placed into a chamber; air is sucked out to create a vacuum. A plasma treatment is then carried out to prime the shoes, swiftly followed by exposure to a non-toxic flurocarbon gas. This chemical, a Teflon derivative, treats every fibre of the shoes' material at a molecular level, coating the edges of the minuscule holes in the fabric. The gas leaves a film reckoned to be a thousandth of the width of a human hair - but one that can now repel water and dirt.
The process makes Ion Masked Hi-Tec shoes the first in golf to offer waterproofing without the use of a membrane. And Patmore is convinced it is an innovation worthy of following the Padraig Harrington-inspired CDT performance technology and the Enviro, golf's first truly green shoe.
"In fact it was a major reason in my deciding to return to Hi-Tec after a stint at UK Golf Services," he reveals. "When the opportunity arose to get involved in the product, I could not turn it down."
Patmore's confidence in Ion Masking is based on a series of benefits the process possesses.
"First, of course, is the waterproofing. All materials have holes, but once treated with Ion Masking those holes become smaller. Because water molecules are bigger than the air molecules, they let air through but not water.
"There are other treatments out there, like so-called DWR Dip Applications, but these are dipped in component form into a liquid to form a coating. But ours is a plasma-based gas oriented process, so every single fibre of the product is treated. Moreover we are treating the finished product, so can include the stitching, the seams, the joins and laces, which otherwise don't get treated."
During the Ion-Masking process, Hi-Tec stuff the shoe to ensure the moisture-wicking attributes of the footbed, to assist in dispersing the build-up of perspiration, are preserved.
"Second is breathability," Patmore continues. "Ion Masking does not compromise the breathability of the original material at all, whereas membranes do so by up to 95%. Sure, other brands have developed breathable membranes, but put one over your face and try to breathe and you'll see how air flow is affected.
"Then there is the lightweight angle. The average weight of a membrane is 35 grams, a weight we are able to save. This fits in especially well with our lightweight V Lite range."
Further, no doubt influenced by the positive coverage generated by the 99% eco-friendly Enviro shoe launched last year, Hi-Tec is keen to stress the environmentally friendly aspect of Ion Masking. "A membrane is basically a plastic sheet," says Patmore. "Cutting it to size means wastage, plus there is more energy used in creating it in the first place. Our process sees minimal wastage. It takes place at room temperature, and the non toxic gas can be re-used again and again; 800cc will treat 10,000 pairs."
Finally Patmore points to the stay-clean attributes of Ion-Masking. The process causes the surface to become hydrophobic, or water hating, and substances are repelled by the surface. "We've done tests where just one shoe of a pair has been treated," he adds. "The treated one stays cleaner for much longer. It could perhaps mean that you'll be happy to wear white shoes year-round, without feeling the need to change to black in winter."
Ion masking will be demonstrated on the Hi-Tec stand at the upcoming Harrogate Golf Show, and the brand's new Ion Masking product is being sold in now for SS09. It will feature in a series of intriguing new designs and styles, headlined by the Pure Power, a shoe designed to trump the performance of the CDT range worn by Padraig Harrington for his three major triumphs. And with features like Dynamic Suspension Technology and Variable Chassis Thickness, you run the risk of your new shoes possessing more technology than your motor.
"The shoe has directional cleats that compress and release individually into a new outsole," says Patmore. "The idea is that when you stand on slopes the cleats will either compress into the outsole or stand proud to give more traction on undulating surfaces. We have also been able to vary the thickness and flexibility of the chassis through the use of TPU, which can be made with different thickness and density. So the shoe is supportive where it needs to be, in the heel and shank, yet flexible in the forefoot.
"With cleats on individual pods and a flexible chassis you get more contact with the surface during your swing than with any shoe that's ever been made."
Alongside the Pure Power, which will retail at £110, is the £90 Pure Distance, a more traditional shoe featuring similar technology. Elsewhere Ion Masking can be found in the V Lite range with the Ian Woosnam choice Custom model, a shoe blending technology with traditional looks, and the new V Lite Enviro. The ladies' Enviro is also Ion Masked, as is the high-stability, croc-trimmed Piccadilly (£60).
Meanwhile, Hi-Tec has not forgotten its entry level customers. The popular £40 Dry Tec Spirit, a strong and light waterproof leather shoe, gains a new outsole from a £70 shoe, the C2. The shoe features the performance stability bars on outer sides, inner side roll bars and directional traction lugs that have become the staple of a highly functional Hi-Tec range.
Hi-Tec is the third largest outdoor footwear brand in the world, yet up to now its golf department has lacked an especially high profile. Yet if the company continues to innovate at its current pace - with the courage that saw them adopt the Ion Masking process while others delayed - and the ringing endorsement of a treble major champion, that situation can hardly last.
"The initial CDT performed fantastically but wasn't the most attractive of products, dare we say," Patmore concedes. "Our challenge now is too keep passing on the technical benefits while improving the look. I think we've achieved that this time round.
"We were the world's first to come up with a game improvement shoe, and FootJoy, Nike and adidas have followed us. Sometimes it takes the bigger brands to give the technology credibility, to make the consumer believe in it. But we have to stay one step ahead. We did that through the Enviro, and now we are the first golf shoe company offering nanotechnology through Ion Mask. Hopefully people will start to notice we have some good brains here, and the expertise to offer great value stylish, highly functional footwear."
