Favorite & least favorite Brand T-shirts?

6801 Views 16 Replies 10 Participants Last post by numberonenog, Nov 17, 2020

LisaBR

Discussion Starter · Nov 6, 2017 (Edited)

What brand of shirts are your favorites and which are your least favorite?
Has anyone used Tultex? If so, how do you like it? And how do you like heather colors?

As you can probably tell I'm new to the t-shirt business

and asking because I'm considering using the Tultex brand, but still wondering if I should try a few others before I make the decision. I use the (white toner laser) heat press transfers.

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

NoXid

· #2 · Nov 6, 2017

I encourage you to sample a variety of brands and see what you think of them and how they work for you. If you have a local distributor where you can do "Will Call" pickups rather than paying for out of state shipping, I would take a close look at what they carry.

For modern fashion cuts, I like Next Level Apparel. I switched to NL from American Apparel after AA went bankrupt the second time and Gildan bought them. Tultex is TSC's house brand, and their attempt to imitate American Apparel. I have not tried them, so maybe you should

For a heavier, boxy, old-school T-shirt, I like Hanes Beefy-T. It is ringspun cotton and a finer weave, so is softer than Gildan's version of this style.

For hoodies I like International Trading Company, S&S carry them. They don't skimp on the cuffs and waistband, nor sleeve and body length.

EDIT You mentioned heather colors. These typically have a high polyester content, which can make for problems depending on how much heat your transfers require.

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LisaBR

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 6, 2017

NoXid, thank you!
I was told AA got bought out but didn't know who bought them out. I was told by some people that work with sublimation & transfers to stay away from Gildan due to them having some type of chemical on them that would not go well with transfers.

I'll look into Next Level and see how they are, unfortunately there aren't any distributors near us that I know of, it would be nice if there was, so I could see them first.

DrivingZiggy

· #4 · Nov 6, 2017

When you say Alabama, I think Conde. They seem to focus more on dyesub, but they do have blanks. Located in Mobile. Which could be 300 miles from you for all I know.

LisaBR

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 6, 2017

Hi Bryan, yes I'm about 40 minutes or so away from Conde and have visited them several times. They only sell Vapor apparel, polyester for sublimation and can be pricey. They do - do some cool things with sublimation there though and people there are all very nice.

Nikar

· #6 · Nov 7, 2017

Does anyone here have experience with the Anvil 780L women's t-shirt? The specs say 24-singles, 5.4 OZ 100% ring-spun cotton.
Is that considered to be above average quality?

NoXid

· #7 · Nov 7, 2017

Nikar said:
Does anyone here have experience with the Anvil 780L women's t-shirt? The specs say 24-singles, 5.4 OZ 100% ring-spun cotton.
Is that considered to be above average quality?

I have not sampled those shirts myself. Ringspun is good; it is stronger and softer. 24-singles is on the coarse side; 32-singles to 40-singles, or so, is the typical range for a Bella or Next Level. 5.4 oz is heavier than average, and some people associate that heavier, thicker feel with quality. The typical quality ringspun is trying to imitate American Apparel and is more like 4.3 oz.

But specs and forum blather goes only so far. Get yourself a sample and see what you think

Reactions: 2

wncprinter

· #8 · Nov 7, 2017

LisaBR said:
What brand of shirts are your favorites and which are your least favorite?
Has anyone used Tultex? If so, how do you like it? And how do you like heather colors?

As you can probably tell I'm new to the t-shirt business and asking because I'm considering using the Tultex brand, but still wondering if I should try a few others before I make the decision. I use the (white toner laser) heat press transfers.

I just screen printed on Tultex last week and I love them. I used the ringspun heather royal I think it was. I like the heather colors, but they weren't much different to me than other heather brands. The feel of them is awesome.

LisaBR

Discussion Starter · #9 · Nov 7, 2017

wncprinter said:
I just screen printed on Tultex last week and I love them. I used the ringspun heather royal I think it was. I like the heather colors, but they weren't much different to me than other heather brands. The feel of them is awesome.

Which Tultex heather did you use, the 202 (50/50 poly cotton) or the 241 (65 poly/35 cotton)?

They are both really nice, but I feel like the 241 (65/35) is a bit too thin, so that's why I was thinking to go with the 202, it's a tad thicker but still feels soft and has a good stretch to it.
We also tried the Ei-Lo, they are thicker but they don't stretch nice, when you go to put it on, you feel like "oh, this isn't going to fit" before you can even pull it over your head, but once you get it on, it does fit just fine. I just don't want customers to think like that and return it.

And we love the heather colors in the Tultex also! Haven't seen them in other brands though. Wish there was an expo close to us that we could go to see and feel many different brands. We went to the SGIA in New Orleans (a few hours drive for us) and a vendor there said there was going to be an expo in NC that many apparel brands would be at, but we just couldn't swing going to that one this time around. We are in South Alabama, near Mobile.

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LisaBR

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 7, 2017

NoXid said:
I have not sampled those shirts myself. Ringspun is good; it is stronger and softer. 24-singles is on the coarse side; 32-singles to 40-singles, or so, is the typical range for a Bella or Next Level. 5.4 oz is heavier than average, and some people associate that heavier, thicker feel with quality. The typical quality ringspun is trying to imitate American Apparel and is more like 4.3 oz.

But specs and forum blather goes only so far. Get yourself a sample and see what you think

So would a ... 4.5 oz., 100% ring-spun cotton ..or .. 50/50 for the heather colors, 30/1 fine knit jersey ... be a decent shirt do you think? This is the Tultex 202 shirt. We have only tried the heather colors in this shirt so far, I'm wondering if the 100% ring spun cotton will be as nice.

wncprinter

· #11 · Nov 8, 2017

LisaBR said:
So would a ... 4.5 oz., 100% ring-spun cotton ..or .. 50/50 for the heather colors, 30/1 fine knit jersey ... be a decent shirt do you think? This is the Tultex 202 shirt. We have only tried the heather colors in this shirt so far, I'm wondering if the 100% ring spun cotton will be as nice.

I like printing on Gildan Ultras. But 100% ring spun (at least in my opinion) has higher perceived value. I have talked to customers that think Ultras don't *feel* expensive, and also talked to folks who think that their weight makes them feel sturdy and they like the feel of them.

Same thing with ring spun. I have actually had people tell me they feel too light.

It's all about what the customer is going for.

It's good to have options, but I like them a lot after only one run.

Harley8823

· #12 · Nov 8, 2017

How do the Tultex fit?

wncprinter

· #13 · Nov 8, 2017

Harley8823 said:
How do the Tultex fit?

I haven't worn those personally, just printed on them. But I have worn Bella/Canvas, Gildan ring spun, and Anvil ringspun. All cotton shrinks, but I feel like you notice it more on the ring spun than others. Probably because it's a thinner fabric.

lostmase

· #14 · Nov 8, 2017

I used Alstyle for a while. Then I realized there are substitutes that are lower cost and only lose a little quality. Hanes has a great line of products that fit that catagory.

FitEyes

· #15 · Mar 17, 2020

I’ve lived through many fashion trends going all the way back to Velour while I was growing up, but distressed denim has got to be the worst trend yet like wearing lil peep merch hoodie.
Leisure suits (1970s). We seemed essentially stupid at the time and now stupid. Hideous colors and patterns (think orange and green plates) with an equally disgusting, large colorful shirt, patterns come with platform shoes from floral curtains of somebody. Add to that the fact that they were disco-oriented (horrible music) and used by the disgraceful people they considered cool (think the Festrunk Brothers, who played the' two wild and mad guys' on the SNL in the' 70's by Steve Martine and Dan Akroyd).

ondalevel9

· #16 · Oct 16, 2020

We like to print on the port and company tees.... we usually never have any problems with them as far as stains and seams unsewn....

numberonenog

· #17 · Nov 17, 2020

I'm doing my damnest to get my customers to buy USA-Made products.

For my direct-to-consumer revenue stream, I use the Bayside 5040 5.4 oz T and I've had nothing but positive responses from my customers. They're stiffer (made from USA cotton, which I guess is stiffer than other cottons), but they're easy to print on and they feel like a quality product.

I think Bayside may have the best prices for USA-made garments too. AA, Bella, LA Apparel, etc. are all more expensive wholesale, but getting B2B customers to not buy the cheapest shirts available (usually from Nicaragua or Honduras) can be challenging.

Anyone else uses Bayside?

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