Review: Double Front Compression Vest: Mason

Reviewed by Mason

Product name: Underworks FTM Chest Binder (Double Front Compression Vest with Relaxed Mid-Section – model 988)

Manufacturer’s website: Underworks.com

Cup size at time of use: I’m uneven! An A and one big B (averages to around 35″)

Ratings:

Comfort: 3.5/5

• I would give the chest compression a 5/5 – more comfortable than a tight sports bra and totally awesome. However, the relaxed mid-section lowers everything to a 3.5/5 rating for cutting into my stomach. It is really uncomfortable. The two layers of chest compression stop about two inches above my belly button and squeeze my gut down like a tube of tooth paste. This might be more comfortable for someone that is skinny, has a tight stomach, or a longer torso (so the compression would stop slightly higher on the ribcage). This binder doesn’t work very well with the short torso / chubby factor.

Effectiveness: 4.5/5

• That inner-tube of gut around my midsection gives my stomach a look I don’t like, but the chest compression is great. Any more compression would seriously compromise the comfort of this binder. In a baggy shirt you can’t really tell there are boobs there, even though I’ve got that one large B cup. It also balances out the unevenness of my chest. It also really helps with posture.

Discreetness: 4.5/5

• Again, the doughnut of fat around my waist is noticeable in tight shirts, but it doesn’t necessarily present a female-bodied look, especially in a loose fitting shirt. Up top you can’t really see the seams across my shoulders and my chest looks very smooth. There’s a little fabric looseness along the collar over my bigger rogue boob that occasionally bumps out or catches my looser cotton shirts. More even chested dudes shouldn’t have a problem, though.

Overall : 4/5

• The gut cutting is a real bummer. I’m hoping to stretch out the compression around my midsection to make this binder more comfortable for day-long wear. Love the chest compression, though, so I can’t complain too much.

 

Review: Underworks Tri-Top: Diego

Reviewed by Diego

Product name: Underworks Tri-Top Chest Binder

Manufacturer’s website: http://www.underworks.com

Cup size at time of use: size B

• My chest measured about 34 inches so I ordered a medium according to their measurements and ended up having to exchange it for an X-small which fit well.

Ratings:

Comfort: 4.5/5

• Getting it on is TOUGH. Getting it off, is even harder. It doesn’t hurt when it’s on except for sometimes when I’m sitting in weird positions for a long time. Does chafe at the armpits a little. And also, it makes my chest and stomach make creaking noises when I breathe. But it is all worth it.

Effectiveness: 4.5/5

• I used to use t-shirt sleeves and tight spandex pants legs which I feel sometimes gave me better results because I could pull it tighter. But this is one constant fabric that conceals well and I can wear pretty tight shirts and still pull off a 97% flat chest.

Discreetness: 4.5/5

• It’s definitely passable except for the fact that you can’t wear V-necks.

Overall : 4.5/5

 

Review: Underworks Double Front Compression Vest: Pat

Reviewed by Pat

Product Name: Double Front Compression Vest (#997)

Manufacturer’s website:
http://www.underworks.com/

Cup size at time of use: C

Comfort: 4

• This was the first binder I ever bought. The first time I tried to put it on, I thought I was going to be suffocated, but it got considerably more comfortable after I wore it a time or two. It is really long though, and I usually pull it down over my hips to slim them a bit too, but it rolls up. Bleh!

Effectiveness: 4.5

• A 4.5 is really most appropriate for this one. I’m very flat with it on, but sometimes if I’m going to wear a slightly looser shirt and am not worried about lines, I’ll wear a tight sports bra under it and it will make me completely flat.

Discreetness: 4

• The top seam around the collar shows sometimes for me, and I wouldn’t wear a white top with it because I think it’d show through too much.

Overall: 4

• Overall, this was a good binder to have a first experience with. I just wish it was a little shorter!

 

Review: Homemade/DIY: Neoprene Waist Trimmer: Kaden O’Reilly

Review by Kaden O’Reilly

Product name: Neoprene Waist Trimmer

Price: At a dollar store, three dollars.

Cup size at time of use: On the A/B borderline, I think

Ratings:

Comfort: 2.5/5

• I figured out really fast to wear a tight wifebeater beneath it, folded in half while ensuring the entire area the binder covered was covered, because it does not breathe. Sweating is a huge problem, so if you’re walking up a hill or standing in the sun, it can get uncomfortable really fast. And then of course when you finally get home you have the lovely job of pulling a tight sweat-soaked shirt over your head. As my current only way of binding, I’ll take the bad with the good, but almost anything would be more breathable. If I pull it up high enough the neoprene will sometimes pull on my underarm hair, and if it’s lower so that doesn’t happen it loses some of its effectiveness.

Effectiveness: Between 4 and 5, depending on where it’s sitting (4.5/5)

• When I’ve got it in the right spot, it makes me look almost completely flat in a tight shirt, and even when I found myself in an unfortunate situation where I was being intimidated for money and a fellow clapped me on the chest in mock-friendliness right over my breast he didn’t realize I wasn’t a biological male, which definitely made a bad situation not take a turn for the worse. For that, it deserves about a 10/5. For regular, everyday situations, I pass well,. When I pull it down so it’s not tugging on hair like I mentioned earlier I sort of pop up a bit on top, creating a bit of a funny bump, but in a loose shirt it’s not too much of an issue.

Discreetness: 4/5

• When I’m wearing a tighter shirt, sometimes you can see the line of the top of the binder, which looks kind of out of place but probably wouldn’t get anyone questioning too seriously. I haven’t seen anything showing in the back, though I imagine it’s a similar story to the front. If I wear a polo, I need to make sure that the button-down part doesn’t show the wifebeater. Same thing while wearing a t-shirt with a loose neck: I need to watch that the wifebeater straps aren’t visible, though it’s not completely unusual for a guy to wear an undershirt. I stays where I put it when I’m resting to slightly physically active, but as soon as I spend a day with a seven-year-old playing soccer, pushing swings, and jumping over waves, it slides down frequently and I have to try to be discreet about pulling it up and trying to make it sit where it started. I haven’t figured out if I need to bind tighter to prevent that, or find a way of fastening it to the shirt I wear underneath. One of my other big problems with it is that when I sweat a lot with it on, I can smell the sweat. I haven’t figured out if other people can, but it doesn’t make me smell appealing to myself and I can’t see other people enjoying it.

Overall: 4/5

• It does the job, and the price was right, but it has its drawbacks. I think I’m going to have to try some modifications, but they still can’t fix some problems like the breathability.