Binder Decision Time! :d

[Guest thefireship]

I'll be purchasing from here as soon as I can make up my mind: http://www.ftm.underworks.com/

I am torn between these two.. Double-Front Compression Shirt and the Chest-Only Compression Shirt with the relaxed waist.

I'd eventually like to try both out, using the Double-Front for "out and about" where I wouldn't be sitting down as much and the Chest-Only for when I'm working where I would be sitting down a lot.

But! Here's the thing. I have a working trip coming up soon so am focusing on being comfortable while there. My question is if there is a big difference between the two comfort-wise, for sitting. (Well, sitting, hunched over sketchbooks, with standing here and there to sell things. ;p Yeah, I know, I'm all over the place. Very restless is Andre.)

If there's not a big difference with comfort between them while sitting, then the next question is, do they both compress roughly about the same? (I'm 38-C, so compression may win out over comfort.)

I am concerned also over the more narrow arm straps of the Chest-Only. However, the arm holes of that one also look smaller (which would be good cause I don't want to have bubbles of boob bulge trying to escape the wrath of bindery bliss. I have broad shoulders as is, so there might be 'room' for fat to try and flee.) I like the look of the Double-Front's shoulder straps, them appearing more wide and comfortable.

Sorry to get so specific. I am needy and do not like disappointment.

And yes, this is my first binder purchase so I'm probably putting way more thought into it than is really necessary. I did dig through other posts about binders but either missed a comparison between these two, or there just wasn't one. (I tried to do my homework, I really did!)

[Guest Raging Shadow]

i've only had the double front and the tri top. the double front is fine, but i tends to roll up, even when tucked into your underwear. and that can be mighty uncomferatable. the binding power is great for small chested people, idk about larger guys. i highly recommend the tri top. it is a great binder and barely rolls up. i don't know about the relaxed stomach one though. I assume it'd bind fine and maybe roll up less, but idk. Good Luck!

[Guest GeoJamesLee]

I have only used the Tri-Top and it works well.

When you have decided and got the one you want, will you let us know how it works?

*hugs*

[Guest Liam]

I think the Chest Only Compression Shirt is fairly new, so it's possible that none of us here have had the chance to try it out. Maybe somebody has, though - speak up if you have!

I've used the tri-top for over three years now, and I really like it. I've also tried the double front, and as someone who has hips that are larger than my waist, I don't like it so much, especially when I'm sitting or moving around a lot. It tends to roll up around my lower stomach, which is somewhat uncomfortable. It does get me fairly flat, but the tri-top does even more, and with more comfort. All in all, though, the double-front gets the job done, so if the tri-top is out of the question, I'd say go for the double front.

[Guest thefireship]

Darn it. Make my decision harder why don't ya!

Okay, so any issues with the Tri-top that I should factor in? I don't have a gut so much as I have a comfy layer of padding going on around the middle but even with that, would it obviously stick out from under Tri-top's edge? I'd expect as much when sitting, but what about when standing? Been working on tightening my abs and shedding the padding but right now I'm still rather, uh, squishy.

[Guest MrAwesome]

Good news! I have the chest only compression one! The wife beater looking one with cotton, and compression only in the chest right?

The 1st thing you should know:

The double front has 2 panels in the front, one in the back. It has no cotton over it, it's just plain binding material. It is full length, and can be tucked into your pants.

The chest only compression one, the binding material only goes down to maybe about just under your chest. It has 2 panels in the back, and 2 in the front. This makes breathing a little harder. Then there is a cotton spandex thingy over it that can be tucked into your pants.

The tritop is only binding material - It has 3 panels in the front, 1 in the back. It goes down further than the binding material in the chest only compression one.

The pros and cons to the cotton shirt:

The cotton is pretty warm I've found. This can be good in the winter, but not so great in the summer. The cotton can be good for helping conceal the binding material though.

Rolling up:

The double front has been known to roll up. You can tuck it into your pants though, this usually helps. When it rolls up, it can hurt...

The chest only one, the cotton may roll up but that's it. the binding material stays in place fairly well.

The tri top - I have trouble with the extra material below the chest rolling up and cutting into my ribs. You can fold it up, and that helps, but still...

look and comfort:

The double front I think looks the best - I think it gives more of an even look. Also - if you have any amount of fat on your hips that you can't stand (Like I do) It works great with spandex shorts to help compress them. Comfort is another story, I like it best for breathing, but the compression over the stomach isn't fun. It's uncomfortable for sitting - however I have worn it on road trips - 4 hours to my destination, and up to 6 hours on the way back...

I personally don't like the tri-top as much. I'm obese, and it simply doesn't look as good on me, it doesn't look as even, and the extra material always rolls up which I find painful. If your thin though, go for it.

The chest only compression I think if you'll be sitting will be your best bet. If you find it to be too tight - I ended up cutting 1 of the back panels off of mine making it more like a double front.

[Guest My_Genesis]

Good news! I have the chest only compression one! The wife beater looking one with cotton, and compression only in the chest right?

The 1st thing you should know:

The double front has 2 panels in the front, one in the back. It has no cotton over it, it's just plain binding material. It is full length, and can be tucked into your pants.

The chest only compression one, the binding material only goes down to maybe about just under your chest. It has 2 panels in the back, and 2 in the front. This makes breathing a little harder. Then there is a cotton spandex thingy over it that can be tucked into your pants.

The tritop is only binding material - It has 3 panels in the front, 1 in the back. It goes down further than the binding material in the chest only compression one.

The pros and cons to the cotton shirt:

The cotton is pretty warm I've found. This can be good in the winter, but not so great in the summer. The cotton can be good for helping conceal the binding material though.

Rolling up:

The double front has been known to roll up. You can tuck it into your pants though, this usually helps. When it rolls up, it can hurt...

The chest only one, the cotton may roll up but that's it. the binding material stays in place fairly well.

The tri top - I have trouble with the extra material below the chest rolling up and cutting into my ribs. You can fold it up, and that helps, but still...

look and comfort:

The double front I think looks the best - I think it gives more of an even look. Also - if you have any amount of fat on your hips that you can't stand (Like I do) It works great with spandex shorts to help compress them. Comfort is another story, I like it best for breathing, but the compression over the stomach isn't fun. It's uncomfortable for sitting - however I have worn it on road trips - 4 hours to my destination, and up to 6 hours on the way back...

I personally don't like the tri-top as much. I'm obese, and it simply doesn't look as good on me, it doesn't look as even, and the extra material always rolls up which I find painful. If your thin though, go for it.

The chest only compression I think if you'll be sitting will be your best bet. If you find it to be too tight - I ended up cutting 1 of the back panels off of mine making it more like a double front.

wow dude thanks for all the info.

does the chest compression one just look like a regular wife beater then? I might buy it if it does. I was thinking about getting that one but ended up getting one from T-Kingdom, which I'm not sure can be worn alone. I'm looking for one that can also be worn alone as it is getting warm out... so yeah I may buy that one too.

[Guest Aurora Christy]

I bought my Husband the double compression shirt.

I also bought him the body suit, but he doesn't wear it as much because it's a pain to get on an off.

He likes the double compression one minus the fact that rides up a little bit here and there.

[Guest Evan_J]

Sounds like the person who had the experience of both is Mr. Awesome. Those are detailed reviews. I'd sort through em.

Me I had the double front, the cotton concealer (one full panel in front with cotton lycra all over on top), and a surgical one I thought I'd need following surgery. I wore the double front almost exclusively. The cotton concealer was too "giving" in the material. The surgical one..well...if you don't "have" to wear one you don't So I have nothing but the experience of the double front in this set of options.

[Guest GeoJamesLee]

I find that the Tri-Top one works just fine and it doesn't ride up (for me at least).

I don't have any issues with mine except that it's too big. >.<

[Guest thefireship]

Mr. Awesome you've done just lived up to your name. THANK YOU!

I'm leaning towards the chest only compression for my first binder purchase. (Eee! Excited!) When I get it and use it I'll come back and add some feedback here.

[Guest My_Genesis]

Mr. Awesome you've done just lived up to your name. THANK YOU!

I'm leaning towards the chest only compression for my first binder purchase. (Eee! Excited!) When I get it and use it I'll come back and add some feedback here.

I shall be waiting for that.

[Guest MrAwesome]

Hmmm, I do suppose the chest only can be worn by itself. The thing I'd be worried about, is that it might look a little uneven. I'd also be worried about if you got the white one, the shade might be different in the chest.

The cotton stuff is a thin Cotton Spandex knit material, it is looser than spandex, it has... more give, I guess you could say? but it still clings to your body like spandex.

[Guest WastelandBoat]

I actually just bought this one:

http://www.underworks.com/ac498.html (the tank)

Before I had these..

http://www.underworks.com/598.html (tank)

But I wasn't happy with it, I mean I was.. but I'm not anymore. I just feel insecure when wearing a smaller shirt.

Reading this form, I debate about TRYING the Chest Only compression--if I don't like that--then I'm just gonna exchange for the The Double Front. THESE will be mostly for being up and about/cons/festivals/concerts/ect. So I won't be sitting down too much. SO thanks for the info guys!

I'm.. an A.. maybe a B at best? I don't know. I haven't been checked out or measured for a long long time-and eh, not doing it lol. I just feel like I gotta be comfortable with me 8|.

[Guest My_Genesis]

Reading this form, I debate about TRYING the Chest Only compression--if I don't like that--then I'm just gonna exchange for the The Double Front. THESE will be mostly for being up and about/cons/festivals/concerts/ect. So I won't be sitting down too much. SO thanks for the info guys!

I'm.. an A.. maybe a B at best? I don't know. I haven't been checked out or measured for a long long time-and eh, not doing it lol. I just feel like I gotta be comfortable with me 8|.

I'm an A.

I just got my binder from T-Kingdom today and i've learned the lesson about sitting down :/ Doesn't look flat if you sit down with it.

I'm wondering if the other ones (chest only, double front) do look flat when you're sitting?

It's good to have 2 binders anyways for when you're washing one. That's how I justify buying two of them.

Let me know how the 498 works for ya

[Guest Batsu Maru Otoko Yo!]

My double-fronts from Underworks don't look flat when I sit down unless I'm wearing two...which I never ever do because it's bad for me! Yeah, but anyway...you can adjust your posture to help a little, but the sad fact is that they just don't work as well when you sit down.

[Guest My_Genesis]

My double-fronts from Underworks don't look flat when I sit down unless I'm wearing two...which I never ever do because it's bad for me! Yeah, but anyway...you can adjust your posture to help a little, but the sad fact is that they just don't work as well when you sit down.

Even if I'm small? Doesn't that make it hard to pass? Like, what if inadvertently you sit a certain way that shows you're not flat? I thought it was maybe just cuz of the specific binder I have - I've heard T-Kingdom doesn't compress as well as underworks (some guy on YouTube said that)

[Guest Batsu Maru Otoko Yo!]

I don't know how well it works for flat guys, but for me the way my body shifts when I sit causes the binder to kind of shift and...squeeze them together, I guess? I get more of a sports-bra effect when I'm sitting down most of the time, so I usually sit with my arms crossed over my chest or something like that to keep it from showing. Wearing jackets and stuff helps too, and it wasn't so bad when my binder was newer, but it's getting old and worn-out by now.

I've never tried T-Kingdom...

[Guest thefireship]

Binders arrived!!! Somehow I managed to squeeze into the Double-Front on my own. Assistance would have been GREAT but I'm glad to know I can get into this thing without it. I'm.. not sure how I'll get back out of it but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

First impression was something to the effect of thinking it was overall a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be. WAY more comfortable than a bra. Bra backs and shoulder straps always drove me nuts, so I am really pleased with the shoulder and back feel of this thing.

To find out how much it was compressing, I put on a shirt that I previously couldn't button in the chest area. With the binder, it buttoned without resistance. However, due to the form-fit nature of the shirt and my proportions (even with the binder) the shirt wouldn't look right. I just have too much in the chest area compared to my middle to have it look believable. Still, I am very happy with how much it does compress me.

The Double-Front is a bit long though. So far no major roll up issues, then again I've only just started sitting around with it on.

For the sake of knowing, I did pull up the bottom half back over the chest area for that double strength I've heard some of you talk about. I'm not sure how you fellas manage that without fear of cracked ribs. The pain at the base of my ribs was unfamiliar and weird so I quickly pulled the binder back to normal.

Overall, I think the only part about the double-front that'll take some getting used to is the area of the arm hole that's in the pit. Its a little itchy under there.

I'll try out the Chest-Only compression binder later this afternoon (if I can get out of this one and into the other one) and report back.

[Guest My_Genesis]

Binders arrived!!! Somehow I managed to squeeze into the Double-Front on my own. Assistance would have been GREAT but I'm glad to know I can get into this thing without it. I'm.. not sure how I'll get back out of it but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

First impression was something to the effect of thinking it was overall a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be. WAY more comfortable than a bra. Bra backs and shoulder straps always drove me nuts, so I am really pleased with the shoulder and back feel of this thing.

To find out how much it was compressing, I put on a shirt that I previously couldn't button in the chest area. With the binder, it buttoned without resistance. However, due to the form-fit nature of the shirt and my proportions (even with the binder) the shirt wouldn't look right. I just have too much in the chest area compared to my middle to have it look believable. Still, I am very happy with how much it does compress me.

The Double-Front is a bit long though. So far no major roll up issues, then again I've only just started sitting around with it on.

For the sake of knowing, I did pull up the bottom half back over the chest area for that double strength I've heard some of you talk about. I'm not sure how you fellas manage that without fear of cracked ribs. The pain at the base of my ribs was unfamiliar and weird so I quickly pulled the binder back to normal.

Overall, I think the only part about the double-front that'll take some getting used to is the area of the arm hole that's in the pit. Its a little itchy under there.

I'll try out the Chest-Only compression binder later this afternoon (if I can get out of this one and into the other one) and report back.

Thanks for the review still looking for a second binder, probably the chest-only one. For the under the arm thing, you can probably wear a t-shirt underneath, i did that with my binder from t-kingdom and it's a lot more comfortable. i've heard some guys say it cuts in under the arms and they do that as well.

can you sit down with the binder on and still look flat?

[Guest thefireship]

Thanks for the review still looking for a second binder, probably the chest-only one. For the under the arm thing, you can probably wear a t-shirt underneath, i did that with my binder from t-kingdom and it's a lot more comfortable. i've heard some guys say it cuts in under the arms and they do that as well.

can you sit down with the binder on and still look flat?

About as flat as I do standing up. Its not as flat as I'd like but I don't think I could accomplish much more flatness at this point unless I wanna have a rib crackin' good time. (My lumps are of the dense variety. I'd probably literally have to crush myself in order to be truly flat.)

As for the Chest-Only. I JUST managed to squeeze into it. I.... muchly prefer the Double-Front. Sure, the cotton over the belly area is comfy and nice and OH GEEZ does the chest area compress but I think having the double lining in the back as well as the front might be a bit too much.

Another thing I'm noticing about the Chest-Only is that the compression lining seems either too short or too long for me. I'm thinkin maybe too short cause when sitting, the compression lining rolls up and tries digging into my ribs, which, to me only emphasizes the lumps in spite of them being even more squashed than with the Double-Front. Again, this could be the fact that my lumps are dense/firm/difficult. May try cutting away that extra layer in the back to see if that makes a difference.

Actually.. Yeah, I think I need to get out of this one right now. It might serve me better as a weight loss goal or something. Maybe if I dropped a bit of my "comfy layer" this would be a bit more tolerable. The arm holes, however, are much more comfortable with the cotton. Would be nice though if the tops of them were more broad like the double front.

[Guest My_Genesis]

About as flat as I do standing up. Its not as flat as I'd like but I don't think I could accomplish much more flatness at this point unless I wanna have a rib crackin' good time. (My lumps are of the dense variety. I'd probably literally have to crush myself in order to be truly flat.)

As for the Chest-Only. I JUST managed to squeeze into it. I.... muchly prefer the Double-Front. Sure, the cotton over the belly area is comfy and nice and OH GEEZ does the chest area compress but I think having the double lining in the back as well as the front might be a bit too much.

Another thing I'm noticing about the Chest-Only is that the compression lining seems either too short or too long for me. I'm thinkin maybe too short cause when sitting, the compression lining rolls up and tries digging into my ribs, which, to me only emphasizes the lumps in spite of them being even more squashed than with the Double-Front. Again, this could be the fact that my lumps are dense/firm/difficult. May try cutting away that extra layer in the back to see if that makes a difference.

Actually.. Yeah, I think I need to get out of this one right now. It might serve me better as a weight loss goal or something. Maybe if I dropped a bit of my "comfy layer" this would be a bit more tolerable. The arm holes, however, are much more comfortable with the cotton. Would be nice though if the tops of them were more broad like the double front.

Hmmm... other than the armpit itchiness, is the double front comfortable? I don't want my stomach and back to feel suffocated.

I think maybe I should get the double front and if the armpit part bugs me I'll either wear an undershirt underneath - like a wifebeater, then just wear the binder as a regular tank top (will that look normal? lol) Or, I'll stitch pieces of cotton in the armpit area.

[Guest Pól]

Hmmm... other than the armpit itchiness, is the double front comfortable? I don't want my stomach and back to feel suffocated.

I think maybe I should get the double front and if the armpit part bugs me I'll either wear an undershirt underneath - like a wifebeater, then just wear the binder as a regular tank top (will that look normal? lol) Or, I'll stitch pieces of cotton in the armpit area.

The binders tend to 'break in' after awhile. The first week or two, it's rather tight, and then after that it's comfortable. Defo wear a shirt underneath though. It's easier to wash the shirt than the binder, and then there's no chafing.

[Guest StrandedOutThere]

The binders tend to 'break in' after awhile. The first week or two, it's rather tight, and then after that it's comfortable. Defo wear a shirt underneath though. It's easier to wash the shirt than the binder, and then there's no chafing.

I had a really bad allergic reaction to some part of the material in a T-Kingdom binder. NOT COOL!

Most definitely... Wear a shirt underneath!