The barrier: no documented penalty
The waterproof barrier and surface repellency are different functions. Gore’s ePE and Sympatex’s polyester membrane documentation establish that fluorinated chemistry is not necessary for a waterproof barrier; the exact garment still needs its own evidence.
A manufacturer figure applies to the named fabric or garment and method, not every fluorine-free material. Without a like-for-like test, similar headline numbers do not establish identical garment performance.
The finish: a real but unquantified trade-off
Finish-specific repellency and contamination resistance should be evaluated separately from the barrier. Different care intervals alone do not establish a controlled durability comparison.
Care advice can guide maintenance of the stated garments. It does not establish that every newer finish has a shorter lifespan or can be renewed indefinitely.
What we cannot tell you
We could not verify a directly comparable, method-named finish-durability dataset in the accessible official documentation reviewed.
The same applies to long-term membrane questions. Gore's ePE is recent; multi-decade field data does not exist yet. What exists is the guarantee: ePE garments carry the same 'Guaranteed to Keep You Dry' promise, which is Gore putting its own money behind the transition.