Print Review: ShirtFight

As I've said before, one thing I'm loving about newcomer tee contest ShirtFight is that they seem determined to do things their own way. For better or for worse, they're printing tees that not only seem different from what the rest of the shirtosphere is doing, but that don't come together and become stale. The only question is: are the shirts worth it? El Presidente and Miss Etti were kind enough to send a tee my way to find out.

"You Might Need More Than A Night Light This Time," Evanimal's wordy debut winner, doesn't shock in the quality blank department: again, we're looking at the classic American Apparel tee, and all the pros and cons that those of us who buy tees online have come to expect and even love. Which means the tee is soft and lovely, yet also seems bigger than other black American Apparel XLs I own. Comes with the territory.

As for the print? Let's just say my stone-age cam doesn't do it justice. It looks great, is basically all I can say. The bright colors give the characters the feel of '80s action figures, in that they probably shouldn't work together, and that's exactly why they do (anyone who remembers My Pet Monster, or the more flamboyant He-Man villains will probably see where I'm coming from there). The detail comes through strong in the finished product... nothing seems lost in translation, nothing seems substituted from the original work... a credit to not only Shirtfight and their printers, but the designer himself... many a shirt has fallen short due to a miscommunication of tee blanks and pantones. And while Teextile has set the bar pretty damn high for me now on print feel, I can take no issues with Shirtfight's own ink distribution. Oh, it's there... you can tell by touching it... but what it lacks in softness, it makes up for in lightness... the print doesn't seem thick to me, meaning it wears comfortably, and there's plenty of breathing room in the print... it's one thing to print the inks well, but I'm also quite happy with how the negative space came out, just as intricate as any of the colors. You can see some details below: again, I apologize for the sorta bunk camera.

As for shipping, you get a standard-issue shipping parcel... you know, the quasi-paper ones, like a flexible manila envelope crossbred with a bag? You'll know it's from them, because the back is branded with their little fighter dude. In retrospect, I should have saved it to show you... I thought it was kind of cute... but hey, one more surprise in your mailbox, eh? I found shipping to be quite speedy, myself, which isn't bad at all considering Shirtfight offers free shipping inside the US. But besides a well-printed shirt, I found a secret special surprise inside my bag.

That's right, folks, Shirtfight gave me an official do-it-yourself Thumbwrestling kit. If you enjoy thumb wars the old fashioned way, you've never experienced them in a cardboard ring with a luchador mask! Nerdy? A little, but if you've been keeping up with ye olde fighters of shirt, you've probably noticed they've still got a bit of their inner child within them. I thought it was a fun touch, myself... a little extra "punch" to keep their brand in peoples' minds, as well as letting their personalities shine through.

So what about you guys? Have you picked up anything from Shirtfight yet? If so, what did you think of your tee? (and if not, why not pick one up? My personal fav. so far is Greg Abbott's "El Presidente's Birthday.") As before, don't be shy about letting me know what else you want to know about your tees, and if you've got some product yourself that you'd like people to find out about, feel free to contact me at 5songsinc@gmail.com to let me know!