Alright... my first binder came in today. I have to say, I give a nice thumbs up to the US Postal Serivce; it only took two days to get here. Much faster than UPS and FedEx traveling the same distance for other things I've purchased.

I am going to put my measurements here just in case there's anyone out there of roughly the same size, that way they'll know about how well the 988 will fit them if they ever want to order it.  My waist (measuring about 1 inch above my navel is only 25.5 or 26 inches) and the average of my ribcage and the biggest part of my chest is 32.5 or 32.75 inches.

With only a regular bra and tank top this is what my chest looks like:





I've seen pictures/videos of other guys with big chest, but I find that if they have kind of a bigger stomach, it seems like their chest can kind of be hidden more with their stomach. My stomach is small, so I was figuring that if I didn't get too flat, I'd just look like I have some sort of a giant tumor on my chest.

With my chest average of 32.5 or 32.75, Underworks sizing charts said I should get a small, so that's what I ordered, and this is what it looks like:




It looked promising, not completely flat, but it seemed fine, but then I put a t-shirt on and now I am disappointed:




It just looks like I am wearing a sports bra. It looks a little better with a button-up shirt over it:



But yeah... not too impressed. I think I'll get an extra-small next time I order, because the small doesn't feel tight, it wasn't even hard to put on, and it feels like things move around in there too easily. I am not going to return this one, because I think it's probably a good idea to keep one around that isn't too tight just in case I ever want to do an activity where I need a breath.

It doesn't compress too much on the top, so I am getting this weird cleavage thing as it I was wearing a push-up bra. I can tell the shirt was made for people with bigger shoulders, because it seems to hang too low on me. I am going to do some alterations on this shirt to see if I shorten the shoulder straps (I think I can take about 3 inches off the shoulders) if it'll fit better. I think that will fix the cleavage problem and make it look more flat, because it will raise the compression material up more.

So, if you're about the same size as me, just go with an extra-small.

Well under works I was made for biological males with bad gyno so the shoulders would of course be bigger...

what cup size are you?

Quote from: Two way Rain on December 15, 2012, 05:15:22 PM
what cup size are you?

D

Try out different ways of re-positioning your chest under the binder, I have a small chest (a B or something probably) but if I just put a binder on (tri-top or cut down double front) I get the same general look as you, they're possibly more noticeable than with nothing on.  With a bit of re-positioning it works so much better though and I look almost totally flat.  The only thing that might give me away is that there's no dip in the centre of my chest because of the binder stretching across it.  Unless there's wind blowing against me and you're looking it's not noticeable at all.

I bet if you put a jacket on, or wore a shirt open over a T-shirt you'd look flat though.  From what I've seen that's a pretty male look as well -- I was so jealous of guys who had shirts to wear like that when I was a kid.

I know how you feel. I use llb SMALL, but no. I have the same problem I think I tried everything. I guess the only thing I can do is to same up to surgery. 

Quote from: Alex000000 on December 15, 2012, 07:11:32 PM
Try out different ways of re-positioning your chest under the binder, I have a small chest (a B or something probably) but if I just put a binder on (tri-top or cut down double front) I get the same general look as you, they're possibly more noticeable than with nothing on.  With a bit of re-positioning it works so much better though and I look almost totally flat.

I tried repositioning, but they seem to move around some, but I think once I shorten the shoulders it'll help a lot. I am going to stitch up the shoulders in the morning and I'll try wearing it while I am out running errands to see how it feels.

I am also considering undoing the stitching on the sides and bringing them in about a 1/4 inch on each side, making it a half in smaller altogether. It seems a little risky to pull it apart and sew it back together, but I figure I have some time to experiment around with it;  although I don't just want to throw $38 away, I figure if it ends up getting completely ruined I'll just know not to do that again and buy another one. I have a sewing book that has a section devoted to sewing spandex and nylon, so I'll study that section a bit and maybe experiment on some spandex that I can probably find at a thrift shop before I decide on whether I'll undo the side stitches. 

Tailoring is definitely the way to go. I have a ton of binders, but the one I really wear the most is the tritop I sent to NChaos (a fellow Susan's member) to have him hem it around the armholes and neck for me, and now it's the bomb! I have 2 other much newer tritops and a bunch of others, but that old one's my favorite day to day due to the alterations. I keep meaning to bring the other two tritops to a seamstress lady I found up here for a similar treatment, but somehow never get around to it. The original reason I had them hemmed down was to fit under a tank or beater.

The other thing is, I second the guy who said repositioning is the thing. I like 'up and out,' and I've heard other guys say that too, but YMMV.

Keep at it, you'll get it!!

It doesn't look like it's made of the same material that a 997 or tri-top is made of. Those two binders have the most compression for a larger chest. I would just call up underworks and say there was a problem with the binder and you'd like to exchange it. My experiences with their customer service has been great.

However, if you have breathing problems or feel that this binder has enough compression then going with those two models might be too much for you.

Quote from: Nygeel on December 16, 2012, 04:49:44 PM
It doesn't look like it's made of the same material that a 997 or tri-top is made of. Those two binders have the most compression for a larger chest. I would just call up underworks and say there was a problem with the binder and you'd like to exchange it. My experiences with their customer service has been great.

However, if you have breathing problems or feel that this binder has enough compression then going with those two models might be too much for you.

The 988 is made of the same material underneath. It only compresses at the chest, then there's a layer on top that goes down all the way to make it look like a regular undershirt/tank top.

I have no breathing problems in this one and it's not uncomfortable at all.

988 sucks. I've used it and wasn't impressed at all. I switched to the 983 or tri-top.

Quote from: Darrin Scott on December 17, 2012, 06:52:07 PM
988 sucks. I've used it and wasn't impressed at all. I switched to the 983 or tri-top.

I am thinking of ordering the tri-top next time, though this 988 is actually really comfortable now that I've altered it some.

I heard the sizes seem to be a little different with the 988 from the tri-top and the other styles (I think I heard 988 seems to be a little bigger); did you have this experience?

Quote from: LearnedHand on December 17, 2012, 08:38:47 PM
I am thinking of ordering the tri-top next time

tri top is the best in my opinion.

Quote from: LearnedHand on December 17, 2012, 08:38:47 PM
I am thinking of ordering the tri-top next time, though this 988 is actually really comfortable now that I've altered it some.

I heard the sizes seem to be a little different with the 988 from the tri-top and the other styles (I think I heard 988 seems to be a little bigger); did you have this experience?

It seemed smaller. It might fit similar to the 997 which I've never bought. I think the tri-top is bigger as far as actual space IMHO.