A Different Kind of Shirt?
I’m always thinking of ways to improve FRIGHT-RAGS. The designs, the customer service, the entire experience…even the shirts we use. Since the beginning, we’ve used Gildan Ultra Cotton shirts for all off our designs. And while that is considered an “industry standard” t-shirt to print on, I’m wondering if we can’t do even better than that…It’s not that I don’t like Gildan, but lately I’ve been wearing other types of shirts because, well, they are just more comfortable. Sure, Gildans hold up pretty well, provide a good surface to print on, and are consistent throughout their sizes and overall quality. I wouldn’t use them if I thought they were crap… But they don’t feel like some of the other shirts I’ve been wearing lately. And although I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a more “premium line” of shirts (using high-end shirts, different printing techniques, etc), I’m still looking for ways to make our standard line even better. So, I’ve decided to start testing out some different brands of blank shirts to see if there is something else out there that fits my criteria better.
But what about you? What do you like in a shirt? I get lots of feedback from people saying they would love a more “form-fitted” shirt (like American Apparel). But then I get messages from people who say that if I ever switched to American Apparel, they’d never buy from the site again. Clearly there is some disparity among those who order our shirts. So while I wait for my new blanks to come in and try out, I thought I would ask for your opinion as to what we should do.
Vote below on what you think we should do about changing our t-shirts to a different brand. And, while you’re here, feel free to post your opinion as well!
PLEASE NOTE: This would only pertain to our regular shirts sizes S-3X. Although we are printing more 4X and 5X shirts, brands that offer them are limited, so we would still print on the same brands for those. As for girl shirts, we would still use the same for those as well.
********** UPDATE **********
I just got in the Alstyle shirt today and I have to say, I’m impressed. The fit is THE SAME as the Gildan shirts, but the fabric just feels better…higher quality… I may be doing some more tests, but i think this one would appeal to the most people.
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Old Navy sells these black undershirts 2 for 10 bucks.
They wash well, fit better, are super soft, and last forever.
Just a suggestion…
Cheap and good shirts.
hey ben,
i will still buy from your site regardless so i’m not so concerned about which you change to. a problem i’ve found with american apparel is sometimes the shirt can stretch or shrink but the printing will not. the shirts fucked then. If you’ve got something that works and isn’t causing any problems stick with it. And some guys should toughen up, whats with all this soft shirt shit? hahaha
rock out
I have found that I prefer the Anvil brand shirts because at size 3X they fit better without being overly long in the body or sleeves. They are also a little thinner and softer. The Gildan shirts are also a little stiffer, but they are well made and probably will last longer. I own six Fright Rags shirts, two Anvil and four Gildan. The Anvil shirts get worn more often. I would suggest going with the Anvil shirts for your main supply, but any shirt that is the same quality as what you now offer and that doesn’t get funky with the proportions in the larger sizes will do. I’ll have 20 more of your shirts before I’m through regardless.
Huwarghhhh….Bennnn !!
The clash war topic that create by Ben…hahahaha..
I think the best way is from S till XL used an
American Apparel because all the thin / small user
need it on form fit,soft cotton !! Very suits with their small size…
And from 2XL till 5XL or whateva bigger size,
u can make it on Gildan / Fruits Of The Loom because
this Heavy Cotton Tee was suits for a BIG GUYS like
me too..Gigantic and Monster user….hahahaha
So,both side Will Agree and No More Blood on this page…hahaha….
FRIGHT RAGS The Best !!
I just want to say that I love your shirts and Fright Rags is the only place I get my horror shirts. I would like to be able to get tank tops though. I usually only wear tank tops all summer and would love to sport the Fright rags all year long! Besides that keep up the GREAT work and can’t wait for the new designs!!
I see there’s a lot of opinions on this.I love the shirts,so whatever you go with is fine.Only one thing i would suggest is that the sleeves not be so big.i don’t have big arms,just an average guy and the sleeves make my arms look like sicks,so just make the sleeves a little smaller and it will be just fine.
First off… I love Frigt Rags. I have 4 shirts that are of excellent quality, have not diminished in quality since I bought them, have not flaked or pulled apart. My only criticism is the size (not form fitting) and the neck has seemed to stretch with age (even though I’ve followed precise cleaning instructions).
While form fitting would be nice and the collar not stretching would be nice these two issues would not stop me from buying another shirt and in fact I hope to buy a new one soon.
Let’s work on some Hammer horror designs. I could really use a Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors shirt.
I would love an option for a “Hip-Hop” style T-shirt because I like the longer length and the smaller collar, I would buy just about every shirt you had if you had this style as an option!
Also long-sleeves in the Horror T-shirts section would be awesome.
I’m not into soft shirts, I prefer them the way you have them. The only complaint I have is that the collar stretches too wide after a while… none the less, I enjoy the shirts.
My 2 cents… I was in an all girl band and we ranged in size from stick thin to a shade over weight. Our favorite brand was Fruit of the Loom Best & Heavy. Those 2 kinds seem to fit a wide range of body types and are soft and durable. The Best line is softer, but the Heavy isn’t too bad.
I’d definitely prefer a softer material and different cut. As many have mentioned above me, the current shirts have that short/boxy fit after a while. It pains me, but most of my Fright Rags tees end up sitting in the closet and only come out for special occasions.
If you went with a softer material, make it a bit more form fitting, I’d rebuy a bunch of my shirts and wear them a lot more.
Hi Ben,
Good to see this is up for debate. I don’t mind Gildan but the quality is hit and miss, and the feel is very rough, even after using fabric softener. I think there are better options. I recently bought a “Back to the future” shirt printed on a Alstyle shirt and it was a better fit and softer. I wear it alot. I never have had a AA shirt so I have no opinion about that. I love the horror art designs here and probably would buy more if they were printed on a more reliable tee. Good luck!
I’ve only had trouble with one shirt I’ve purchased through you. A Nosferatu shirt became unraveled at the hem around the bottom… not a big deal, but I don’t wear the shirt.
When did you order it? That shouldn’t have happened… Email me…
I’m not terribly big on “form fitting” shirts as I don’t think I really have the best body type, lol. However, Iif Fright-Rags does choose to switch to a thinner, softer, material I won’t be discouraged and will still be a loyal customer.
Hey Ben, I love the shirts just the way they are. The vintage and the regular shirts are great. If you want to make’em softer, that’s fine, but don’t change the fit. You know the old saying, if it aint broke don’t fix it. Keep up the great work.
********** UPDATE **********
I just got in the Alstyle shirt today and I have to say, I’m impressed. The fit is THE SAME as the Gildan shirts, but the fabric just feels better…higher quality… I may be doing some more tests, but i think this one would appeal to the most people.
I think you shirt’s straight the way they are it wouldn’t hurt to get some a little softer but I think these one’s are fine maybe start off with a couple of test one’s and sell a limited supply I’ll be the first one to buy one from you.
I would actually buy both. I love what you have now because I modify my shirts when I receive them. This brand always seems to stay intact for years. Maybe you should just have both brands? ; )
Ben!! If Alstyle is good enough for “Back to the future”… one of the greatest franchises ever, it should be good enough for Fright Rags! Go man go!
I will agree that the fit is similar but not exactly the same. Since I only have the one shirt I don’t really know about consistency. I will say between my gildan XL and Alstyle XL my Alstyle fits a little bit better. Overall, they are similar but have enough differences where it counts.
Hey Ben I have a shirt for the Band Skinless and its gotta be one of the most high quality shirts I have and it holds the ink well, and is so freaking comfortable. The actual shirt is a “Hanes Tagless 6.1″ well at least thats what it says, and its just so comfortable and I wear it allot and even my girlfriend wore it for awhile, even with her mom washing ti with cheap detergent it keeps good color and best of all NO HOLES! I have this problem allot with Jinx shirt I get, they seem to get a ton of holes. I mean the shirts you use now are nice and they don’t get holes, but sometimes I dunno they just don’t feel comfortable.
I think you should look into the “Hanes Tagless 6.1″ I really do. feel free to email me if you would like to ask any questions, absolutely love your designs keep it up man!
it may be too much… but it would be excellent if there were a “girl tee” option, for more form fitting shirts.
I haven’t gotten an of the new shirts because I do not like the fit of the shirts I have. I am a smaller dude and like shirts that fit my body. American Apparel x-small and small are my favorites. Fruit of the Loom Heavy Cotton small is a pretty good one too, most of the time. Sometimes they are larger than normal for some reason. I do love the designs and support the company 100%
Go with what works. I’ve seen it too many times that everyone wants change & once you change the shirts people will be saying they liked the old one’s better & will stop buying. Why not keep your old shirt’s & also offer the new shirts giving people a choice. If they don’t like the new shirt they can always order another shirt that is the orignal style.
People love choice
I like the idea of form fitting, softer shirts, but I see where some people dislike the idea of a “high end” type of shirt, I say it’s up to you Ben, if you feel you can strike a neutral ground with a specific brand of shirt (By the sounds of it, Alstyle hits the mark) go for it!
As long as the shirts don’t go past $20, I’m happy
Gildan brand t-shirts just plain suck. They are made for short fat people and the sleeves are too long. Not only are the sleeves too long, but they stick out and make you look like you have wings and are gonna fly away or something. Dont like ‘em at all.
Hey Ben! Did you use a regular Gildan shirt for the NOTLD limited edition shits? Mine feels…eh, different. Not like an American Apparel obviously (which I love) but it didn’t feel like a regular Gildan shirt either (with the weird fit and sand paper feel).
Yup – it’s a Gildan shirt. Slightly different weight, though, Why, did you like it?
Well…it feels a lot better than regular Gildan shirts. I still prefer AA shirts tho but yeah, I liked it…I can say I’ll wear it until it disintegrates . Dunno about those “Alstyle” shirts but if they’re something in between, then I’ll keep buying shirts. I haven’t bought shirts from you because they were printed on Gildan shirts but I took my chances with that NOTLD because the design was just awesome.
Anyway, I ranted a lot and the point is, your shirts rock and I think you should use at least something different for those limited editions, you know, just to keep everyone happy.
As some other folks have mentioned, I’ve also held off on buying any of your shirts until a better quality tee is used. Now, I’m a big guy. I stand at 6’5″ and I weigh nearly 290lbs but I still prefer American Apparel.
American Apparel shirts do run small but as a standard most tee shirt distributors suggest ordering one size larger. I normally wear a 2x so with American Apparel I always order a 3x. I probably own close to 20 American Apparel tees and they are all great, very soft and believe it or not, they rarely shrink!
I love Alstyle shirts. You really can’t beat the quality of the fabric.