Binder Advice

[Martin]

Hello all. I've been absent from here a while- busy life and all that- but of course I come running back in need of advice!
Anyway, I've been wearing my one and only binder everyday for near to eight months now, and the poor thing's just not as effective as it once was. So I've decided it's time to get a new one, since I've got some money set aside, and also since at this time of year, odd packages arriving at my house are less likely to be questioned!
So, right now I've got a small Tri-Top from Underworks. It's served be pretty well, but I'm wondering if I should get a different model this time. It's never gotten me entirely flat, but I'm not really sure if this is just me being overly fussy, or if a different binder might do a better job. I think the size down in the Tri-Top would be too small. I'm leaning towards the Double Front, but I've heard that a lot of people who've liked the Tri-Top have hated the Double Front.
So, I'm just out for some advice here, anything you people have to say is wonderful.

[Konnor]

Hey mate, just thought I'd toss you my two cents. I'm about 5'5 and generally around 150-155 lbs. My chest is like a 34ish B. My first binder was a small tri-top. I absolutely loved it. The only problems I had were the uni-boob effect, the neckline sticking out, and some discomfort after eating. I wore that binder probably atleast 4 days a week for about a year. Then the armpit came unravelled and it ripped down the side seam.  So, my second binder has been a small double front. I like it pretty well, but maybe not as well as the tri-top. If you can get it to stay down, it compresses the hips/love handles well. I really like that aspect of it, but it's a pain to keep down. It likes to roll up and dig into my hips, but I do have pretty big hips. The chest compression is, in my opinion, almost exactly the same as the tri top. It gets me flat enough to look male and that's all I'm concerned with. Either binder is a good choice, and if you have the cash to try it out, try the double front. But if you haven't had any problems with the tri-top and are on a budget, I would stay stick with what works. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or anything. Hope this helps.

[Martin]

Yeah, that's helpful. I'm 5'2"-ish, and maybe 135. I'm thinking that I might just stick with the tri-top like you said, I don't have a lot of money to branch out, so unless I hear that double-front's better it's maybe best to stick with what works.
Though I have heard some good stuff about Love Boat binders, do you/anyone have any experience/opinion on those?

[ilanthefirst]

Regarding Love Boat binders, emil's got an extensive list of ones he's tried and what he thinks of them: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,83589.msg590084.html#msg590084.  I really want to get a Love Boat binder, but I don't bind every day and have a binder that works well, so it can for sure wait until this one (Underworks 988 in XS) wears out, which should give me enough time to save up enough for two.

[Martin]

Ooh, thanks, useful. Sometimes hard to go through all these threads to find what you need...

Based on recommendations & stuff, the Juya binder looked promising.. Until I looked at the price! $54, and that's without shipping, which presumably is a fair bit as it's coming from Taiwan.
So, it looks promising but I'm not sure it looks $20 more promising than the tri-top. I suppose the deciding factor would be if it lasted really, really well.
Anyway, still open to input and thanks for the help! I get a bit obsessive about these things, it comes of not really having the money to spare on getting something that turns out not to be good.

[Konnor]

No worries, I'm the same way man. I did research for weeks before I got my tri top, then my double front. Some of the lesloveboat binders look awesome, but like you I'm a little worried about the price. I don't want to waste my money on something that doesn't bind as well as I'd like. I'm kind of anal about how flat my chest is lol. But emil has tried quite a few and has good results with some of them. So if you're willing to take a risk, some of them could work for you. There's also a chart on their site that compares binding power, comfort, and other factors if that might help you. Sorry I don't have any experience with the loveboat binders yet! Let us know what you decide on!