I've been looking for an all around great and good quality softshell jacket to last me for many years to come from Either NF or MH. Going to be using it for all around outdoors & city usage. I have been researching both companies for a while along this line but am interested in others' suggestions.

A girlfriend has this jacket (MH Alchemy) in women's and suits her well in temps as low as 20F with just the jacket and a thin thermal. I love the stiff and slicking material and would like mine to have a similarly stiff/solid build to it. Unlike a more clothy or fleece type.
MY QUESTION: How does this jacket match up to the MH Nemesis jacket? In terms of warmth, material quality/durability and any other factors that may be important (please feel free to contribute).

I am also interested in comparing the Better of the two (Nemesis vs. Alchemy) against the NF Apex Bionix. I am interested in any and all suggestions or previous experience with these!
Thanks much!

Vejiburger. Thanks for your questions. The Mountain Hardwear Nemisis Jacket is a Fleece Jacket with Softshell (Schoeller Fabric to be exact) fabric panels and will keep some of the wind off and some of the water for moderate weather protection. Consider it to be a cross between a fleece and a softshell jacket. The Alchemy Jacket from Mountain Hardwear is a Gore Windstopper Softshell Jacket that will block 100% of the wind and a good bit of the water making it a much more weather resistant jacket than the Nemisis. Both jackets have a phenomenal DWR. The Alchemy Jacket was one of the first softshells in the industry to utilize a Windstopper Laminate back in '02 when it was introduced to the market and this laminate makes it one of the most weather protective softshells out there. Most of the Softshells on the market at that time were air permeable... which brings me to the NF Bionic. The Bionic is a Air Permeable Soft Shell treated with a DWR that will keep some weather at bay and breathe well for high output activities. We have a few air permeable softshells in our line. Check out the Android Jacket from Hardwear to see the jacket most similar to the Bionic. In conclusion, All of the jackets are made well and will last you a long time. Here is how I would compare them from the most weather protective to the least which may be the easiest way to decide: 1. Alchemy Softshell 2. Apex Bionic 3. Nemisis Jacket. Hope this helps!!

Oh these are my favorite questions to answer. Here goes: Let's start with a comparison of the Alchemy and the Nemesis. Overall, the Alchemy is a heavier, thus warmer, jacket vs the Nemesis. Furthermore the biggest, most important difference is how these jackets stack up against the wind. The Alchemy jacket is windproof due to the inclusion of a Gore Windstopper laminate. The Nemesis is not windproof, only wind resistant. Lastly, the Alchemy has alpine style pocket on it which will allow you access to them when wearing a pack, harness, whatever. Which one is better depends on what you'll be using them for. For me, the Alchemy is a better jacket since I tend to avoid aerobic activities in favour of alpine slogs through nasty weather (i.e. bone chilling wind). You also mention you like a stiffer face fabric; the Nemesis is a much softer, and stretchier fabric than the Alchemy jacket. They are both covered by MHW's lifetime warranty, so you don't really need to worry about defective products. Now then, let's compare the Alchemy (since I feel it to be the better jacket) and the Apex Bionic. These jackets are very similar. Both are windproof, both are sofshells, both are fleece lined. However the Alchemy is more expensive since it uses licensed technology (that being the Gore Windstopper). Again, in my opinion, the Apex Bionic is the better jacket for all round and city use but that's soley based on the price. If you're going to throw on your hiking books and scramble up somthing this weekend, then I would suggest the Alchemy. It'll stand up better to abuse and it has the higher set pockets. Those pockets really seal the deal for me since I spend a lot of my time outdoors in a harness. One further note, if you haven't looked at the Outdoor Research Mithril Softshell, do that too. It's water/wind proof, has a hood, and is a fair stiff/beefy face fabric. I like it a lot, except the pocket placement.