Although I have not written many undershirt reviews of late, there has been a flurry of email dialog going on with many different readers.
One such reader wrote in a while back and, after finding out that Target had discontinued the Merona Stretch undershirt, wondered if I could help him track down the next best 95/5 stretch undershirt. Thankfully, with the help of several readers, we were able to track down some and put together a fairly comprehensive list of them.
Since he had such a passion for the Merona Stretch undershirts and took the time/effort to visit a handful of stores looking for some of the recommendations we came up, I kindly asked him if he would do a guest Undershirt Review for all of us here!
Stafford Undershirt Review (95% cotton, 5% spandex/elastane)
by “Reed”
I went to JCPenney to find either the BVD V-neck shirts you mentioned or the Stafford. The first one did not have and 95/5 undershirts, they looked and called another person, no luck. Had to go to the larger JCPenney, which did have them, but not the BVD in medium or small, just large and XL. They were still on sale. I found the Stafford 95/5 shirts and they were on sale as well, 2 pack for $7.99, and I had a $10 off coupon, so I got two 2-packs for $5.98. Pretty good deal.
The sleeve length at 9” is too long. I would like at most a 7”, but 6” would be best as I wear undershirts under my polo shirts. From what I saw on the package it doesn’t look like they make a small. The collar drop is 4”, about an inch too low ideally. I like the collar tight on the neck, and the Stafford is a little loose. The fit is nice and snug on the body, sleeves are not loose, just too long.
I have washed these initial 4 a few times and not seeing major shrinkage. Drying one right out of the washer and while I haven’t measured it, I am not sure I can tell which one out of the four it is. I will try and get measurements for you post-dry.
Having worn these for a few weeks now, it is the default that I pick out every time. I would like to get the sleeves hemmed if it isn’t too expensive, or like you mentioned using hem tape.
It is sad to realize how demanding an undershirt wearer I have turned into. Looking to alter undershirts sounds crazy when said out loud.
I picked up another 16 of these shirts while they were still on sale. I have not opened them at this time, just in case I want to return them, but at this point I don’t see that happening.
For the price, these are turning out to be a good undershirt that just needs a little tweaking to be a great undershirt. I will be interested to see how long these are available, since the gentleman at JCPenney thought they were just a one time offering.
