Great question from a reader about which slimming undershirt would be better for him – Spanx for Men Cotton Compression or RipT Fusion.
He had some specific requirements which were well thought out.
Hey Tug,
Got two words for you: Awesome website! You’ve taken much of the guesswork out of picking “shapewear,” a fashion-forward clothing concept that I did not know existed until very recently.
Needless to say, I’m intrigued and want to pick the right shapewear for my body…So I can really use your two cents on this one.
I’ve pretty much narrowed it down to Spanx for Men or Ript Fusion. I considered Equmen, but the sporty/gym clothes design wouldn’t work since I want to wear it with dress shirts and suits. Equmen’s also pretty price prohibitive.
ADVERTISEMENT Now, I can’t seem to figure out whether to get the S4M or the Ript Fusion.
I was hoping listing my criteria would trigger the right choice in your mind since you’ve had a lot more experience with both these products than I have. And I can’t really go to the department store to try them on due to time and embarrassment factors.
So here’s my criteria for the V-neck white shirt I need:
1. Has to look like a normal shirt so the ladies don’t notice it’s shapewear when I’m undressing. Also don’t want them to notice when they touch my midsection, which the touchy ones tend to do a lot.
2. I’m young and have a fairly-well defined chest and arms, so I don’t need support there. No man boobs here.
3. The only place I really need support is the waistline (belly and love handles that I can’t seem to get rid of). I’m not fat, but flabby/soft in the midsection.
4. Polyester almost always makes me sweat a lot in the armpit area, so the more cotton the better there.
5. Can’t roll-up since it’s hard to readjust dress shirts every ten minutes.
6. Will pretty much only be worn with dress shirts to work or special functions.
I was initially leaning towards the spanx since it looks most like a normal shirt, but I hear that it only offers moderate support for the midsection. So the firmer hold of the Ript Fusion sounds more enticing, unless of course anyone touching my midsection will think I’m wearing a girdle or something. Also, the Ript Fusion looks a bit awkward with the midsection looking different from the top and bottom.
Could really use your advice on this one bud. Thanks!
Mark
My Response:
Hey there Mark!
Thanks for taking the time to write in and ask your question and thanks for the compliment on my site!
This is a tough one, my friend. I gotta say it’s a complete toss up because with Spanx for Men cotton compression undershirts you get the “looks like a regular undershirt” thing in spades.
Meaning, if you took off your outer shirt and a girl saw you wearing it, it wouldn’t be obvious that you’re wearing a slimming/compression undershirt. You get overall compression with this undershirt, but there’s not as much compression in the chest and arms area – but to your point, you don’t need it there so it still would be a good option.
While RIPT Fusion looks like a regular undershirt on top and bottom, the midsection is made out of a synthetic material and when worn by itself, it’s pretty obvious there’s something different about the undershirt.
The midsection support is pretty good, but I can’t say it’s any better or worse than Spanx for Men. I’m kinda built like you in the midsection area and it does flatten/smooth me out there, but because I’m a little on the trimmer side, I don’t see a bunch of slimming. The thing I kinda like about this one is that because the midsection of the shirt is made from a slicker synthetic fabric, my shirts drape really nice and never get caught up on the undershirt.
Point By Point
In reviewing your numbered list below, this is how I would answer each one:
1. Spanx for Men wins on looking like a regular undershirt. I think they’re both the same on the ladies touching your midsection requirement (assuming you mean you have a shirt over it)
2. RIPT Fusion wins. RIPT Fusion doesn’t have any compression in the chest or arms. Spanx for Men does.
3. Tie. Both slimming undershirts offer midsection support and compression in the waist and love handle area.
4. Tie. Neither have polyester in the armpit area. RIPT Fusion has poly in the middle, but made out of a lightweight cotton/spandex blend in the top and bottom parts. If I recall correctly, Spanx has 80/20 cotton to spandex blend.
5. RIPT Fusion wins here. Bottom doesn’t have any compression and fits/feels/performs like a regular stretchy undershirt. In regularly wearing my ript fusion, I haven’t noticed any rolling up. Spanx for Men will roll a little
6. Tie. Both undershirts will perform good under dress shirts and on special occasions.
Based on the above, it’s clear that it’s a pretty close tie between the Spanx for Men and RIPT Fusion. In all fairness, you’d likely be well served with either.
But, because you were looking for a slimming undershirt with mostly midsection & waist slimming, I decided to pull both out of my closet, put them on, and do some before and after measurements on my own waist.
Laying flat, both undershirts are pretty close in waist measurements. A medium-sized Spanx for Men measures 13.25″ in the narrowest part of the waistline. A medium RIPT Fusion measures .25 inches less at 13″. I put both on, and measured around my love handle area which measured about 35.5″ without an undershirt. I didn’t see any noticeable difference wearing Spanx for Men, however, I did see a .5″ reduction of my midsection area (35″) wearing RIPT Fusion.
If you’re looking at straight statistics, you should head out and buy a RIPT Fusion since it’s the winner in 2 of the 6 areas you identified as important to you. If you’re #1 requirement is looking like a regular undershirt, I’d say go with Spanx for Men.
Hope the above information helps you make that decision you were trying to make. Keep me posted on what you decide to buy and be sure to email me back and let me know what you think of the shirt you decided on!
Mark’s response back to me:
Thanks for the in-depth comparison, Tug! You’re awesome man! Much more than I expected. Really appreciate you goin that extra mile to try both on and measure them. Good luck with the full-length comparison article.
In the end I think I might get one of each. By the way, as an interesting afterthought, a friend of mine happens to have a RipT Fusion undershirt and made a comment about how the part where the midsection meets the top portion has a white seam line that’s visible through most white dress shirts. As such, he can only wear it with colored dress shirts or white shirts with thick fabrics. That alone is a good reason to have a Spanx shirt reserved just for white dress shirts.
Looking forward to seeing the article on the website. Keep on doing what you’re doing. I think I speak for many when I say we really appreciate it!
