Thompson Tee vs Sweatshield Undershirt

A little over a year ago, a reader (John) with a heavy underarm sweating condition (hyperhidrosis) stopped by my site.

After some extensive research and a lot of article reading here, John decided to try out two different brands of hyperhidrosis undershirts – Thompson Tee & Sweatshield.

As of this writing, there are approximately 14 different brands of hyperhidrosis undershirts that I have come across.

Most of them have extra sweat-through prevention protection in the underarm only, while a select couple offer all-over sweat through protection.

John graciously has provided his feedback on which undershirt offered him better protection & a better overall experience.

Hyperhidrosis Remedy: Thompson Tee vs Sweatshield

By: John from UK

2 x Products reviewed.

I have no commercial link to either company, this is my own personal review.

I am a 49 year old male who lives in the UK.

Firstly let me start by saying that finding these shirts was a miracle for me. I have tried everything to ‘cure’ hyperhidrosis and there is no cure.

You have to learn to manage it.

For me I suffer from overheating, which 99% of the time involves ‘wet’ underarms. There is no rhyme nor reason as to when they get wet.

It can be mid-winter or mid-summer. Also wearing a suit can be a nightmare as my underarms overheat as they cannot breath.

Sweatshield

Website: link

Bought a 5 pack, mixture of V neck and round [crew] neck

Thompson T

Amazon: link

Bought 5 x slim fit and V neck only

The Research

As my intro says this has been a long term issue for me.

Changed to a very good job about 2 years ago where at times I have to wear a suit jacket all day. I hate that because I have damp arm pits all day.

Looked again at many solutions including surgery, can’t remember why or how but came across sweat resistant T shirts.

I had no idea if they would work so initially looking at cost I went with Sweatshield, buying a combination of round [crew neck] and V neck.

After about a month of use I realized that they were very, very good and did solve the problem of sweat stains on work shirts.

Each to their own but I realized I had made one mistake. I had bought mostly round [crew] neck.

Often in work I don’t have to wear a tie and I didn’t like the T shirt showing. I decided I wanted V necks.

I also decided to invest in what I read were the best, Thompson T.

Here lies a problem for Thompson, they do not sell in the UK. For the UK they wanted $60 to ship. That’s a lot of postage. With some help here I used viabox and reduced that to $25.

However on arrival in the UK I got hit with a £35 import/Vat bill. Got 15% of for a 1st purchase but all in all Thompson cost me twice the price of Sweatshield.

I have spoken to Thompson via Twitter and they say they will have a UK distribution channel soon.

Key differences

Both brands give you some decent options in treating hyperhidrosis.

Photo shows, Sweatshield are longer, too long. I would say both are a little too long, lot to pack in a suit trouser along with a shirt.

The big difference is underarm.

Sweatshield feel much bulkier, they feel like a nappy under your arm.

Thompson feels much neater under the arm. If Thompson get a UK distribution arm I will most likely throw my Sweatshield out and get another 5x Thompson Tees.

That said I have tested both under very bad conditions and neither let through a drop of sweat.

Some final thoughts

  • Even though both are an additional shirt under other clothes they have not caused me to feel ‘extra’ hot
  • However, the slim fit from Thompson did feel much neater
  • I was in Spain recently in business. For the 1st time in 25 years I could go out for dinner in chinos and a light blue work shirts. It felt lovely
  • Don’t be put off by what I said about Sweatshield, if budget is an issue then go with them. They do work.

The Winner of the hyperhidrosis undershirt challenge

, Thompson T are better but for me twice the price. Are they worth twice the price? In my opinion, yes.

I hope this helps people, feel free to ask questions.

34 thoughts on “Thompson Tee vs Sweatshield Undershirt”

  1. Hi my name is Craig i always have suffered from sweating especially my arm pits I have ordered a sweatshield crew neck one but think I have ordered wrong size as I have ordered a medium but think I should of ordered a small as I’m in between a medium and a small so what do I do?keep order for medium or order a small thank you

    Reply
    • Jez, tough question. Impossible to answer without knowing specific sizes but as I said in my initial post personally as they are undershirts I have learnt to buy a size smaller than I normally wear. They are not meant to be baggy or loose fitting in my opinion. Hope that helps.

      Reply
  2. After owning four Thompson Tees for nearly a year, I can say that I would not recommend them. On one hand, they do deliver the most basic aspect in that underarm sweat stains are not going to be an issue.

    But beyond that, nearly everything else about the undershirt is a negative and at their price point, simply aren’t worthwhile.

    1) They take a very long time to dry. I have to run them through two dryer cycles. Jeans dry faster. Air drying takes at least 24 hours, sometimes longer if there’s higher than average humidity.
    2) When they do finally dry, they are a wrinkled mess.
    3) Hang drying stretches them out a great deal.
    4) Flat drying contributes to the “wrinkled mess” problem.
    5) The type of cotton used in the undershirt constantly pulls against any shirt, regardless it’s material or finish.

    In the end, they are uncomfortable, a pain to maintain, and simply not worth the price.

    Reply
    • Drew, which did you buy, the original fit or the bamboo slim fit?

      I have the bamboo type and I do agree re the drying time but think you must have the original as the bamboo don’t have that wrinkle issue as they are designed to be skin tight. They might be slightly wrinkled but as soon as I put them on they are gone.

      As I wrote in my review I also buy a size smaller than I normally wear (medium instead large) so they are truly skin tight and the arm length is slightly shorter for wearing under polo’s. I don’t understand the original fit as they must be bulky under a work shirt or any type of shirt? The only purpose of the Thompson is to stop armpit sweat showing, the T shirt is a by product?

      I will end by saying that I have no commercial link to Thompson Tee other than I owe them my new life.

      I can now wear nice light coloured shirts under my suit, go to conferences where I have to wear a suit jacket all day and not live in fear. I have got 3 promotions as my confidence is 1000% higher.

      Nothing is perfect but Thompson Tee for me does exactly what they say they will do, I sweat a lot and never, ever have they leaked. Quite literally they changed my life.

      I know from reading the Thompson guys that they like feedback, good or bad, why not mail them, you can help them improve.

      Cheers & I hope you find an alternative for your under arm sweating that makes you happy. Good luck.

      Reply
      • Good question, I purchased the Men’s Sweat Proof Hydro-Shield Bamboo – Slim Fit – Crewneck shirts: three medium and one small.

        I purchased the slim fit for exactly the same reasons you did. the small size is def better if you wear short sleeve polos with very short sleeve lengths.

        The wrinkling makes folding and storage a real pain in the neck. And I do agree that most tend to become moot when worn (due to the slim fit design), some of the worst wrinkles remain.

        But the worst element is how much they pull against anything and everything worn over them.

        In the end, it’s trading one concern (underarm sweat) for something else.

        So if that’s a fair trade-off, then individuals can make that call but I can say that the irritation caused by how badly they pull is just as much of an issue as any concerns about underarm sweat. Frying pan, meet fire; fire, this is frying pan.

      • Have to say I don’t experience the pulling you are referring to and been wearing them now for over 2 years?

        As for issues with folding and storing them I just roll them and throw them in a cupboard, the bamboo does not lend itself to folding but as they are never seen then I don’t care.

        Going to the US on business in May so will buy 10 new ones, have them delivered to the hotel I am staying in and throw the old ones out. Cheaper than buying in the UK for me. Good luck in finding another solution

      • for clarity to those reading these comments, “bamboo” isn’t really a yarn or fabric.

        these undershirts are made from viscose/rayon, which is a semi-synthetic yarn made from various trees.

        it’s generally the same as modal, which is a branded viscose/rayon, made by lenzing, that originates from the pulp of sustainably grown trees.

        in the case of “bamboo” fabric, it’s basically viscose/rayon that was made from the pulp of a bamboo tree.

        in the case of modal fabric, it’s viscose/rayon made from the pulp of beach trees.

        tencel is similar (nicer imo), and is made from sustainably grown eucalyptus trees if i recall correctly.

    • heya drew, thanks for that bit of feedback about thompson tee.

      a few quick questions:

      1. as an alternative to wearing an undershirt with integrated underarm pads, have you ever thought about using a 7-day antiperspirant instead? they are much more effective than regular antiperspirants, and are specifically designed for people with heavy sweating (hyperhidrosis).

      i use 7-day antiperspirants now exclusively, and for me they usually last 10 days since i don’t have heavy underarm sweating.

      2. have you tried any alternative sweat-through resistant undershirts? if so, which ones and what was your experience with them?

      3. if you could change something about the undershirt, what would it be? would it be to have an undershirt with the same underarm sweat protection but (a) made with underarm sweat protection that dried faster, and (b) made with fabric that was smoother/slicker?

      look forward to hearing back from you!

      thanks again for sharing your thoughts as this is an important topic of discussion!

      Reply
      • I purchased them more as a deterrent to underarm stains than any concerns about sweating through the undershirt.

        And no, I haven’t tried any other options at this point.

        Your suggestions are all spot on. The undershirts I gravitate toward are those made from man-made fabrics and compression based. In those instances, shirts slide effortlessly over them, they dry quickly and rarely, if ever, wrinkle. The only thing they don’t offer is the added underarm protection.

        Basically, I avoid any undershirts from all or part cotton.

        If I could find something that delivered all of those, it would certainly be worth trying. I’m certainly open to suggestions.

      • heya drew —

        if you’re trying to avoid underarm stains (or getting underarm stains on your outer shirts), then i don’t think sweat-through resistant undershirts like thompson tee would be the right solution.

        undershirts like thompson tee are designed for people with heavy sweating, or rather, hyperhidrosis.

        while they will help in keeping pit (yellow/brown/discoloration) stains off your outershirts, any other undershirt will provide the same level of pit-stain protection.

        to avoid getting pit stains on your outer shirts, you can:

        1. pre-treat the underarm area your outer shirts with water or pre-treater after you wear them

        2. stop wearing antiperspirant, and use deodorant instead — the aluminum in antiperspirant is what stains your shirts

        3. switch to a 7-day antiperspirant. you put it on at night, it dries and takes effect overnight, and then you don’t have to worry about it for up to 7 days. since there is no antiperspirant residual, you won’t get stains on your outer shirts

        if you’re looking for a man-made fabric, that has more of a slick surface, you should check out nylon undershirts like the execwear coolnylon undershirts or the atmoswear nylon undershirts.

        let me know if you have any additional questions (:

      • Tug, which 7 day antiperspirant are you using. I have tried them before and they were alcohol based and it felt like I had poured acid in the pits.

        I do agree than Thompson Tees are for those that suffer heavy underarm sweating. I do, it is uncontrollable to a large part so I wear Thomson Tees now for 100% support. I tried another shirt that you recommended on here and that leaked so through a process of trail and elimination I for to the TT’s.

        Thanks

      • i mostly use kleinerts sweat shield ultra now, but i also have some sweatblock.

        personally, i have not experienced any burning or tingling when applying either of the above antiperspirants, so i’d recommend giving them a try.

        outside of thompson tee and sweatshield undershirts, what other sweat-through proof undershirts have you tried?

  3. Hi Tug,

    Thank you for your info and forum.

    Great intentions to keep things honest. I appreciate that!

    What are the Thompson Tee like? Does the material last and/or stretch?

    Tim Shaw didn’t care that I complained about how misleading he is on his website about the sweatshield and how long they last.

    I brought it to his attention that these shirts have not lasted 6 months (worn and gently washed once a week each- less than 25 washes- and not the 1yr/52washes stated).

    I was offered no solution or compensation. Just flicked!

    Well, as a repeat customer I am annoyed to say the least!

    Great shirt but Sweatshield undershirts don’t last! They wear thin and stretch way beyond wearable size.

    (And I bet Tim Shaw will contact me now with an excuse or offer or accusation I work for the competition now that I’ve gone public-just watch- pffft!!)

    Reply
    • I wrote the blog that Tug put up here.

      I bought the bamboo Thompons Tee undershirts, have 10, bought over various intervals but most well over a year old now.

      They are wearing fine, not stretching (they are stretchy anyway as fabric from day 1) and they don’t smell.

      I will probably look to replace the oldest 5 which are 2 years old in the next few months but undershorts last way longer than really good work shirts so good investment.

      As my blog said i am impartial and each make their won decision.

      I tried both brands but swear by Thompsons, it is no exaggeration to say finding the changed my life.

      Reply
    • heya mark,

      thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

      just to make sure i’m clear on what your issue is, are you saying the shirt/fabric quality is questionable?

      or, are you saying the underarm sweat-through prevention/protection didn’t last?

      it sounds like you’re saying, that after 25 washes, the sweatshield undershirts lost their shape & stretchiness to a point they became unwearable.

      that’s definitely unfortunate if that is the case.

      just curious — was the underarm sweat-through protection affected?

      Reply
      • Hi Tug,

        Yes, the fabric is very questionable with the white fabric/undershirts.

        I have found it does not last very long at all!

        The under arm protection works well but the undershirt is un-wearable as it is so stretched out and thin and oversize.

        Such a shame as I am happy to invest in a quality product but these Sweatshield undershirts don’t seem to last very long at all. :-(

      • ok, thanks mark. sorry to hear that sweat shield undershirts are not holding up.

        do you have any photos you can share so we can see what you are referring to?

        you can email me the photos, and i can post them here, or you can post them somewhere like google drive or dropbox, and put a link to them here.

        hope to hear back from you!

  4. Stay away from this company. Their products do not last and the company will not stand behind their product.

    I have ordered several t-shirts only to arrive damaged.

    SAVE your money and purchase t-shirts from another company that will stand behind their products and not just take your money.

    Reply
    • Frank, which company, Thompson or Sweatshield. have to admit I have bought both and had interactions with both sets of customer services and both were great?

      Reply
    • heya frank — good to hear from you buddy.

      what company are you suggesting to stay away from?

      there are two companies listed in this article, so i’m curious as to which one (thompson tee or sweatshield) you are referring to?

      also, when you say items arrive damaged, what kind of damage are you referring to?

      have you contacted the company about the damages, and if so, what have they told you?

      Reply
    • heya john, frank emailed me back yesterday evening with the following:

      “Hello, it’s the Thompson tee, they do not last and are not worth the money. I have had damaged thompson tee’s shipped to me also. – Frank”

      i don’t recall hearing this kind of feedback before about thompson tee.

      knowing billy thompson, i would think that if a customer reported quality issues or receiving damaged thompson tees, that he’d make it right.

      hard to say ultimately what went down because frank didn’t provide any other details.

      Reply
      • Tug, forgive the cynic in me but would like to know who Frank works for!!! If you have a beef give some details, I hate anonymous people who just pop up, say a company is crap and give no details.

        I have a personal preference for Thompsons but nothing against Sweathsield. Been wearing Thompsons for nearly 2 years now and no issue.

      • I do not work for any company related to clothing. I am customer who purchased several Thompson Tee’s . I’m sorry if my experience offends you.

      • Dear Tug and John

        My name is Tim Shaw and I am the owner of Sweatshield Undershirt and thank you for the great website and for this interesting article.

        I have seen these comments from Frank and now the comments from yourselves.

        As this is an article comparing Thompson Tee to Sweatshield it would seem that you are implying I must in some way have something to do with the comment from Frank.

        I would like it noted that these comments are not in any way related to me.

        I too think the Thompson Tee is a great undershirt however I am always genuinely surprised how many times I hear the same feedback as that given by Frank.

        If ever we are out of stock on any items I always suggest that the customer buys Thompson Tee and I very frequently get the feedback that they have tried them and did not like them.

        I do find it surprising that both of you are are so vehemently claiming that Franks comments are not genuine and what that would imply towards my company.

        If Frank doesn’t like the Thompson Tee then he doesn’t like it and I don’t really understand your “shock horror” in this.

        Thank you again for the great site Tug.

        Best Regards

        Tim Shaw, Sweatshield Undershirt

      • heya tim, good to hear from you buddy!

        i’m not implying anything specific, and surely not suggesting that frank is aligned in any way with your company (sweatshield).

        that said, i do get quite a bit of spam comments and “planted” comments that either try to knock down one brand, or over-hype another.

        while you may not see it, it happens on the back end here and i do my best to moderate them and keep the site clean of fake information.

        i’m not saying that frank is saying something untrue, but when i asked him for additional details of his experience with thompson tee, he failed to elaborate.

        my goal with the question of asking for more information is really simple — open up a dialog with a hope to get to the bottom of issue, and possibly find a solution.

        as i’m sure this is the case with you, if a person came to my site mentioning a bad experience with your company, you’d probably appreciate some open dialog with the person to see if the issue could be rectified.

        what i was trying to do with frank is see if he could provide more information about his experience so,

        1. other people could read details and use that information to make an informed decision

        2. see what types of things frank did to try and remedy the issue, which hopefully would provide more info for #1

        3. have all the information there just in case thompson tee cared enough to investigate further and see if they could help frank, even though they may have missed the mark on the first couple goarounds

        coming here and just saying that a company is bad, or provided bad service, doesn’t really truly help anyone — because it’s incomplete information.

        that also holds true for overly positive comments as well, which can (and have been) planted here by company/brand/product representatives.

        again, my goal is to just open up a dialog so anyone visiting the article and comments sections can make an informed decision on more complete information.

        hope that makes sense.

        as you can see, i haven’t removed frank’s comments because i do think it’s possible he had a bad experience with thompson tees.

        i was (and am) hopeful he may take the time to provide more information about his experience, and about how he may have tried to remedy the issues with the company.

  5. I bought Sweatshield Undershirts a few years back, it did change my life for sure like many others.

    i too have a overheating problem, sweating anytime summer or winter (probably sweat if i lived in the north pole).

    i have about 10+ white undershirts, i used them every day. i only have a few issues.

    if you dont tuck the undershirt, it will roll up to my belly like a tank top and i’ll like a few other colour option.

    Also like others have said when you wear a some polo shirts the undershirts arm doesnt show a bit.

    but this product did change my life i cant fault it, i didnt like going out much in the past, i wore mostly black shirts to cover the sweat stain.

    Am very pleased that Sweatshield are coming up with new product very soon, i got my credit card ready.

    Reply
    • thanks for stopping by andre and sharing your sweatshield product feedback with us!

      keep me posted if you try any new products from either of these companies, or even other companies.

      you may want to checkout nanodri undershirts too.

      Reply
  6. Hi John

    My name is Tim Shaw and I am the founder of Sweatshield Undershirts.

    Thanks for the awesome review and I am delighted that Sweatshield Undershirts changed your life.

    There is nothing more amazing than the emails we get every week saying how we have changed peoples lives and its what keeps us going every day.

    We have some very exciting new developments coming at Sweatshield Undershirts including a new fabric that we will be using in the underarm to make that underarm area super thin and ultra streamlined so that it will be barely noticeable.

    The length of the undershirt is absolutely critical and we will never change that aspect.

    It is the additional length that keeps the undershirt tucked in. This is a critical element in terms of stopping bunching up and the sheer annoyance of an undershirt coming untucked when worn under a shirt.

    We have some extremely exciting new products coming soon that we have been working on for a very long time.

    These new products will make a huge difference for suffereers of heavy sweating and we are super excited to be releasing them within the next few months.

    Thanks again John and we wish you all the very best.

    Tim Shaw

    Reply
    • Tim,

      Thank you. I would challenge you over the length.

      They are too long, when I put on one of your shirts it will actually fit down to crotch level. This too much cloth in the pants area of the suit trousers.

      If you are wearing a pair of small speedos(!) then his might not be an issue but I am loose fitting boxers guy so way to much fabric down there, there is way to much bunching up down there.

      The nature of the tight fitting fabric (both sweatshield and Thompson Tee) is such that they don’t ride up anyway.

      Here is another project to develop!

      A small arm one specifically to fit under polo shirts and the like.

      As I mention on this thread I have bought medium Thompson Tees for a shorter arm to fit under casual shirts but even a medium (and I am a natural large) just about shows.

      Potential to develop a short arm model for casual shirt times?

      Look forward to seeing your new product when it comes to market.

      Reply
    • Greg, encourage him to read.

      Choose your product yourself but they do work.

      Been a suit on many a day where I dreaded taking it off but with both products to be fair not a drop has got through.

      They pay for themselves as good shirts and suits are not cheap.

      Also now I know I won’t ruin a suit or shirt I am able to buy nicer items and you do walk a little taller in a really nice suit!!

      Reply
  7. Hi Tug, thanks for posting this.

    I trust people will see it as a fair review of both products.

    My life has changed by finding Sweatshield and then on here doing some research on Thompson Tee, it was you that pointed me in the direction of the shipping method.

    There is an addition to my story which I will give here..

    ‘Was in America in April on business so took the chance to buy some new Thompson Tee’s with a twist.

    Also having them shipped to the hotel i was staying and got me free postage.

    The twist is………. By nature I am a large, so have 5 x large bamboo v necks.

    These are great under work shirts but under polo t shirts outside of work the arm is nearly showing.

    I have now bought 4 x mediums.

    The body fit is fine as the bamboo stretches, however the arm length is shorter so i will keep these for when I wear short sleeved casual tops.

    Also flew long haul last week for the 1st time in a long time.

    From leaving home to arriving in destination was 24 hours and 2 x flights. Normally I would stink or feel awful after 24 hours of having my arms tight by my side like you have on a flight.

    Wore one under shirt for the trip and no issue. Felt much more at ease when traveling.

    Feel free to ask any questions. All anon don’t be embarrassed.

    Hyperhydrosis is an awful condition, this does help.

    Reply

Leave a Comment


Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.