I usually use 997s but they wear out kinda quick, so I ordered a size smaller so maybe it would bind better. But now I'm a little concerned about it squeezing my stomach too much. I would buy a tri top, but I hate that they look like sports bras and people can feel it under your shirt. So I found a 997 style binder that only binds your chest and has just a piece of cotton on bottom so it looks like an under shirt. Does anyone have this from underworks and is it detectable under clothing?
I believe your talking about the 981. I have one like this, but I think that a tri-top is the best for not showing through a shirt. The seams of the tri-top are thinner, which makes it less visible. If you think the roll up/kinda sports bra look is bad why not take the bottom of a old shirt and sew it to the tri-top. If you wear a baggy shirt or button downs other people won't see the outline of the longer binders. Flatness is not the only parameter to consider. Binding should be done to conceal the chest and relieve disphoria without compromising health. A smaller size may cause health problems to arise.
On another note some people use back braces to bind.
You can cut them up, if that's what you mean. Cutting them around the stomach or under arms is fine. The material doesn't seem to unravel or anything.
--Jay