[sweetheartice]

I noticed that one of the t-shirts I bought at the beach over summer is by Anvil. I'm guessing the store bought them wholesale and had them pressed with beach images. Anyway, since the shirt has lasted well and fits well (doesn't change size after washing) I know I'd like to use it. Does anyone know the cheapest way to get lady's Anvil shirts? As for the men's shirts, I have no clue what shirts are good to use, so maybe you could give me some advice about brands? If I plan to use a heat transfer machine to put images on shirts, is it true that I need to use 100% cotton? (I think I read that here?)

 

[monkeylantern]

T-shirts are very subjective. I recommend finding a few sites that use the major brands and buy one of each to see which you prefer (get a men's AA, Gildan, Hanes, and Fruit of the Loom).

Persoanlly, I like Gildan for men, AA or Bella for women. Many here like the men's AA, and a lot use Hanes Beefy Ts. I think Threadless is currently using Fruit of the Loom. Try a few and see what floats your boat.

 

[Solmu]

The cheapest way to get them is the usual wholesalers (S&S, Bhodek, etc.). Anvil also do men's shirts, so if you like the brand you could use the same brand for both.

What brand to go with depends on what you're after. As one of the cheapest brands Gildan are a popular choice. Personally I like Fruit of the Loom. Depending on the target audience you might want to go with a brand like Royal Apparrel. Hanes and Anvil are also good choices though.

Your best bet would probably be to order single shirts in a few different brands and decide which one best suits you. All the major brands have their advantages and disadvantages, so it mostly comes down to personal taste.

For women's shirts I'd also recommend Bella. I've never seen the Anvil shirts in person so I have nothing against them - if you're happy with them there's no reason not to use them. But if you are interested in trying others first just to be sure, Bella is who I would recommend.

 

[Solmu]

I think Threadless is currently using Fruit of the Loom.

Yup.

They started the company on AA, but received too many complaints.

Interestingly I've noticed this as a bit of a trend - companies started on AA a few years ago, switched because they got too many complaints, and are now (in some cases) switching back to AA because too many customers are complaining they're not using AA.

Threadless use AA for women's shirts, Fruit of the Loom for men's shirts, and AA for both men's and women's shirts in the case of the Katrina relief tee.

 

[monkeylantern]

There's also the practicallity of ordering. Suppliers have different models for different brands. For example, my supplier allows any combination of sizes and colours for Gildan, However they have a 12colour/size policy on FOTL. So on a order of 300 shirts, I'd have to have 12 xxl or xs, even if I sell 250lrge for every 1 xs.

Quaility+Price+Feasibility+Customer Preference in your market=Your Brand

 

[jdr8271]

I like anvil shirts. They are very good for heat transfers, since they are very smooth unlike jerzee, gildan, fruit of the loom, and others with are softer and fussier feeling. (Although I do like gildan and fruit of the loom better from screen printing) Anvil makes mens and womens t-shirts. I know that bodeck & Rhodes sells them, and Im sure that others do too. Check anvilknitwear.com under the product locater link to see who distributes the styles you are looking for.

 

[monkeylantern]

The only shirt which I would seriously warn against are the Jerzee line. While I have my issues with some shirts (such as AA being a little tight for the avaerage customer), all the main brands are perfectly acceptable. The cut on Jerzee shirts, however, I think is awful. They remind me of cheap knock-offs that fake Disney shirts come on.

Like wearing a sack.

 

[jdr8271]

Yes, I totally agree mankeylantern. Jerzee shirts are terrible, and they have a really small round kneck hole too, instead of the usual larger oval kneck hole that most shirts have.

 

[Solmu]

I got my first Hanes Beefy-T recently, which was interesting having heard so much about them.

The neck on the shirt is very tight, and the fabric very heavy. Both of these add up to making for a very hot tee. Very unsuitable for me since I overheat easily, and not very suitable for Australia's climate.

That said, the fabric feels really nice and if you were in a colder area I could see it being a really comfortable t-shirt.

I can see why it's a popular brand, but it's a great example of a t-shirt which could either be great or terrible for your business depending on circumstances (it would make a terrible beach t-shirt for example, but a good one for snowy stuff).

 

[SpacemanFL]

I am using the Jerzees ZT. It is very soft and has high quality construction.

 

[monkeylantern]

I am using the Jerzees ZT. It is very soft and has high quality construction.

I knew I'd upset someone!

 

[sweetheartice]

Thank you for all the comments. I figure if I buy the shirts, that's the first step. lol. Next, learning about heat transfer machines. What's the avg. price? Any suggestions which to buy?

 

[identityburn]

I've used Hanes Beefy-T for all the shirts I've printed and most people are suprised at how comfortable they are. I guess they are used to brands like froot of the loom and jerzees. Not to say they are bad, they are just quite a bit thinner and don't seem to hold up as well.

As posted above some people may think they are too thick, but I haven't had any complaints yet and I'm in the valley in california where it gets around a max of 110 in the summer.

I'm considering trying American Apparel, but I think most people aren't into the form fitting t-shirts as far as the masses are concerned.