Print Review: S2S Nation

A little bit ago, I received a request from Canadian brand S2S Nation to review their product. They're a new-ish contest site with a couple differences from the rest of the pack. For starters, you vote on three criteria, perhaps the most important three: Quality, Creativity, and Likelihood of Purchase. This eliminates the questions most people have to ask when voting on a design: does my vote mean I want to buy this, or just that I think it's a creative piece? This is well done, but boring... or else a great concept with a poor execution... how do I score this? Of course, we all know the average voter will simply score all 5s for their favs and get grumpy they had to put in so much effort, but the fact remains, it's an interesting idea to quantify all three separately rather than forcing a user to average on his own. Still, while this is a potentially groundbreaking idea, what S2S is really banking on is simpler: a bamboo/organic cotton blend tee for their blanks. Bamboo, as they say, is super-soft, incredibly sustainable, simple to grow plenty of pesticide free, naturally better for soil than other crops... yeah, these are some o' them hippie folks who want to promote improving the environment. A shirt from S2S, ideally, causes less environmental impact than your average clothing production. It's an idea I can get behind, and an idea that doesn't really have any cons. S2S is hoping that it is something we'll find to have plenty of pros.

All the good intentions, however, won't save you if the product sucks, so where do they stand on that? From a logistical standpoint, S2S Nation is indeed a starter company. They have a number of pieces that show definite promise, but they also would probably be ecstatic if you decided to head over and sub something amazing, because that would almost assuredly help their catalog. At the moment, for my money, their strongest tee is The Creator, currently on pre-order. I ended up being sent another strong one, Broken Melody. Besides coming from Canada, which is fun to start with, my tee was slipped inside this tote bag, which is a fairly useful extra. Apparently these totes are made from recycled bottles. See? I feel greener already!

You can see for yourself... even with my crappy camera, the tee still looks stunning printed. The mesh-work came out clean, the print feel is fine... whoever's screening these is doing a solid job. As for the tee itself? I'm going to say the folks at the bamboo clothing plant are over-selling their product a little... so far I have not purified my body, learned to caber-toss, or spoken with woodland creatures (which I think are all claims I've seen bamboo make before). Still, this is definitely a comfortable shirt. It doesn't break my top-3 blanks, but if it's not as soft as the pitchmen would like you to think, it doesn't change the fact that it is noticeably softer than your average tee. It's also a bit of a heavier shirt, but it doesn't feel it on your body. This could be an excellent thing for those who find American Apparel to be too thin. Finally, can I just say that I -love- the cut? I asked for a large, based on the sizing charts, though I normally wear XL in most blanks. This delivers. To me, I'd say it fits like a large-and-a-half, comfortably between L and XL, but as always, checking the sizing charts will suit you better. And best of all, these things are preshrunk, which seems like such a freaking obvious step to me. Solid print + solid shirt goes a long way toward equaling a solid company.

The big question, though, is this: is a bamboo tee worth the $35 base price? I'm going to go with a resounding "maybe." I would say it's the sort of thing you should make a splurge on once, see how you feel about it, and then choose from there. I can see certain people loving bamboo, especially if you're willing to spend a little extra to support the environment, and while it's a bit spendy for my blood, the right design could certainly twist my arm to go full price. It's like spending more for a "green" lightbulb: between the environmentally friendly (and therefore more expensive) construction and the knowledge your product will last longer than the average product, the price stops seeming quite so high. Right now, however, that's not a concern we need to worry about. If you're interested in trying out S2S Nation, they're currently offering all their tees at $25 as an "End of Summer" sale, from now until an unspecified future date. If there's a tee in their catalog that you're loving, I certainly cannot think of a reason why you shouldn't try them out. S2S seems pretty dedicated to quality product, and those are the sorts of tee sites we need to see more of out there.

But if even $25 doesn't tempt you, I do have one last comment on bamboo to share. I've often heard bamboo described as self-cooling. You're shaking your head in astonishment, because it sounds like absolute crap. But let it be known, I've been wearing my tee the whole time I've been writing this review, and I'll be damned if there's not an odd yet not unpleasant draft in my tee. Art and comfort are two important factors in tees for me, but it is not too late to add "mysteriousness" to that list.

Print Review: Scopial

Let's get some shameless promotion out of the way before we get down to brass tacks: my "Get Equipped!" is up for voting at Goodjoe. I'd obviously be much obliged if you'd go vote if you like it. I've been hoping to find a good home for it for a while.

That all said, today is all about Scopial, a little contest site over in India which sent me a package a week or two ago. If you like great shirts, this'll be worth taking note of.

Scopial sent me two tees... Predator (which we've spoken of before), and Casajordi's "The Red Nightmare" (shown here... click for full view). Predator, I promise, is awesome also. So awesome it's already been worn, and ergo is in no fit state for photography. It's not quite as saturated as in the photos on their site, and there is some slight print imperfection where it wraps around the seam of the shirt (something many sites warn against with their full-tee prints), but obviously it's speedy wear proved these were minor setbacks, especially considering Predator was (I believe) their first print. You can see The Red Nightmare for yourself, though... it's definitely a complex print, and it came out beautifully. The fine detail is fully represented... a site that can pull off a print like this so early on is one that I feel I can recommend pretty confidently.

Scopial insists their brand of shirts are the most comfortable thing in the world. I don't know if I'd go that far, but they certainly are high-quality blanks, and I'd imagine even the pickiest fashionistas would be ok with them. I do have to say, however, they are much shorter than you're probably used to. The classic AA is known for its length... Scopial's "Supima" tees, less so. If you're tall, you may want to consider a size up, especially since Scopial's tees are just a smidge slimmer than an AA, as well. I still take my same size, so unless you like your tees tight, you should be good to go, but it's worth checking their sizing chart anyway.

To alleviate worries as far as international shipping: I know international can often be a long, arduous, expensive process (I've been nipped by this too). To be sure, Scopial's shipping to the US is about $12... comparatively, a single shirt seems to sit at $12 when not on sale. Still, DBH fans and Threadless devotees know that $24 for a shirt is nothing truly new. If that shipping fee is daunting to you, though, consider this: Scopial's US shipping is flat rate: Order one, and spend up to $24 on it. Order four, and you're still only paying the $12 to get it in. It pays to make a multi-shirt order, obviously, but even one will come to you for less than many shirts at popular domestic sites. Another thing to consider is that it's damn quick... I got my tees in about a week, which is some solid turnaround time for an international order. My tees ended up being triple bagged by the time they got to me, but they came intact and quickly. To me, the charge is totally worth it considering the distance traveled and quickness of that travel. Given my experience with the site so far, and the already strong lineup they've been fostering, they're coming highly recommended, both for ordering from and, for any designers, their quality makes them a worthy site to peddle your own wares to.

Print Review: Full Metal T-shirt

I didn't even try to, but I won a Compete-Tee-Tion run contest for a free tee from Full Metal T-shirt. I simply expressed my sadness that no one shared my favorite tee of their catalog: Dale Edwin Murray's "Splash". Of course, this was before yesterday's feature was up for sale, and by a matter of days alone... there's a part of me that curses my luck for being just early enough to miss that opportunity. Still, a free shirt is always fun, and I figured I would share my findings with all of you upon receipt. If you like what you're seeing, too, don't forget "singularitee10" will get you 10% off your orders.

Blank: White Alstyle. Alstyle are arguably a step down from American Apparel, but still wear quite nicely. My one word of advice: check your measurements. The blanks FMT uses are cut much truer to size than AA, and possibly more so than the style of Alstyle Teefury uses... the shirt looked HUGE to me compared to what I'm used to. You might find your normal size is a bit bigger than you'd otherwise wish, so check. A convenient note: your tee will come tagged twice: one for the company, and the other containing helpful washing instructions for the long life of your DTG graphic.

Print: I can sum up my first DTG experience in a word: weird. Don't get me wrong, the print impressed me with how good it looked, considering the perceived shortcomings of the Direct-to-Garment process. The colors are bold and the linework is clear and it is smooth as can be. But I think that smoothness is what weirded me out. Unlike most prints, where you can make a judgment call about the ink texture, the print here feels synthetic and shiny. It wears fine... not stiff, not stifling... but the feel of the print is definitely unnerving, even still to a degree. My only comment on print quality is that there was a small fuzz on the print which, if stroked, unveiled the tee blank. I mention it only as a possible caution for DTG printers and purchasers... it's impossible to see unless you're giving a thorough perusal, but it's one more reason you should be very careful when you're washing these. The affected area is on the second photo below. Even if my camera were less blurry, you'd be unable to see it.

Shipping: Megafast. I got the tee exactly a week after I won the contest. To put it in speedier terms, I got a tracking number last Friday and got the shirt on Monday. Your mileage may, of course, vary, but it's likely that you're not going to be waiting long for your new threads. They ship, like so many, in a mailer you can see through the front of, but while you can see inside, I was still pretty surprised by the "customer care package" I found with my tee. So besides a t-shirt that pleasantly surprised me, I received the following:

~A postcard with a print of another Full Metal Tee.

~Two pins: One of the company logo, and one with art from my shirt. These were attached to my shirt's tag.

~A FMT sticker.

~Two business cards: one was a reprise of the sticker art on the front, and a propaganda-style "vote" message on the back. The other was a gold-embossed "thank you,"
which is nice of them.

~A dollar bill folded into a t-shirt. Which I find to be somewhat trivial compared to just saving a dollar, but will convert into a taco quite wonderfully.

All this was nestled into a black envelope, sealed with actual sealing wax with one more iteration of the Full Metal T-shirt logo imprinted into it. Which all in all is a pretty nice haul of extras for you, and some smart promoting for them. I imagine the pins and postcards are randomized... it is entirely possible the whole package might differ slightly from customer to customer... but just having it sets them apart in a very saturated market. It's the little touches that really made it clear to me that the guys over at FMT are in it to win it, so to speak. I hope they're able to stick around and really show what they're made of.

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!

Print Review: Teextile

We hope you all went over to Teextile yesterday to get the awesome "Trampoline" (shown above), but if you missed it, all is not lost: it'll still be available for the weekend at $15. Of course, many of you might be wondering if the premium is worth it. Thankfully, Teextile was kind enough to send a sample my way, and these, my friends, are my findings:

Blank: Most of the big players in the shirt game use American Apparel blanks, and Teextile is no exception. It means you know you're getting a quality product from the get-go. If you've been reading this blog, you're probably used to AA's blanks, and fashion-fit tees in general. If not, I'm still glad to have you, but be warned... AAs often shrink, and probably have a different cut than you're used to. Most people recommend a size up, but personally, I'd do a little research and then trust your gut (no pun intended).

Print: They sent me a copy of "I Want to Dance, Too," by RecycledWax, which couldn't have worked out better. I have to say, I was incredibly impressed with these guys in the print department. The printer they're working with was able to handle the more complex watercolor look of the piece with relative ease, leading to a print that really captures the charm of the original submission. What I was really impressed by, however, was the SOFTNESS. It hardly feels like there's ink at all... just soft, soft shirt. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Shipping Info: I've been hearing reports around the webs of people feeling the shipping was a bit slow... I didn't notice, personally, but as I think back, it was my experience also. Still, for $2 shipped (and free shipping for any design you voted for in scoring), I'm personally pretty forgiving if my tee takes the scenic route, especially since Teextile prints to order (meaning shipping time includes the tee getting printed, as well). One thing to consider: I got my order in one of those mailers with the clear plastic window, sort of like DBH and Teefury do. If you're ordering a gift, or live in a sketchier neighborhood than most, you'll probably want to take that into account.

Overall, I'm definitely recommending Teextile. They've been getting some really diverse designs, and unlike some other new contest sites, they're finally hitting a stride with new submissions. It is, of course, to be expected that a new company may come with a couple changes early on: that's true for sure of Teextile's print schedule, but I'm liking what I'm seeing, and trusting that with enough support, they'll only be changing for the better.

Speaking of changing for the better, if there's anything you guys want to see in future print segments, let me know. It probably won't be a regular segment, but there will likely be more (I have Shirtfight lined up for next week already). Of course, if you're a company that would like to put yourself out there, consider this a formal invitation... I'm always happy to have a reason to chat up some of the smaller and newer acts. If interested, contact me at 5songsinc@gmail.com and we'll work something out.