This binder is a really high quality item! It's cheaper than Underworks and not as stiff and unyielding. The chest flattening effect is the best result I've ever gotten from a binder. This item was designed with transguys anatomy in mind as opposed to cismen with moobs, so I assume it's a safer and healthier binder in the long run, too.

I even managed to wear it for a full 8 hours before I wanted to rip it off frantically, breathing in copious lungfuls of air....but, that's longer than any other binder I've ever had in my life, from my first (one of those elastic waist trimmers) up until my previous everyday binder, the Underworks tri top. This one is above and beyond the best binder in all categories as far as I am concerned. My chest isn't small either, probably at least a C, though I've never checked.

A+++

Just seeing the pics and my reflection are giving me hope that I might pass when I start college. 

Awesome review, thanks for sharing. Does the material feel comfortable to wear? Would it work for light activity?

Quote from: Maleth on July 10, 1974, 01:55:05 PM
Awesome review, thanks for sharing. Does the material feel comfortable to wear? Would it work for light activity?

Hey, I also own a gc2b binder. The material has such a nicer feel to it that an underworks binder and I wear mine all day everyday with no problems. Such a wonderful binder

Quote from: Elis on March 18, 2015, 05:04:11 PM
Hey, I also own a gc2b binder. The material has such a nicer feel to it that an underworks binder and I wear mine all day everyday with no problems. Such a wonderful binder

I've read a couple reviews and it seems to have comfort and breathability as the pros. Does it compress as well or nearly as well as Underworks?

Quote from: Maleth on March 18, 2015, 06:02:15 PM
I've read a couple reviews and it seems to have comfort and breathability as the pros. Does it compress as well or nearly as well as Underworks?

In my experience, it totally has. The nice thing is, it only compresses to about where a tri-top binder would, with the rest of the binder being spandex; I wear mine comfortably for ~16 hours a day, including the hour I work out in the morning. It really does a great job at wicking away moisture and such. Also, their sizing is pretty spot-on, IMO. I give it the "AndrewB Seal of Approval."

Quote from: Maleth on March 18, 2015, 06:02:15 PM
I've read a couple reviews and it seems to have comfort and breathability as the pros. Does it compress as well or nearly as well as Underworks?

For me it gets me much flatter than my underworks binder (I'm a UK B cup). And the sizing is good, you just have to make sure you read their measuring instructions and do that correctly. It's not like underworks were you have to go up an extra size just so you can get it on.

I ordered myself a gc2b binder recently and they haven't processed/shipped it out yet but I got one in small. I didn't measure myself but I know my chest measurement and I fit into an underworks small (I ordered a tritop from them but barely ever wear it because the material is too canvassy and rough for me). I hope the size fits.

Quote from: Maleth on March 19, 2015, 04:23:28 PM
I ordered myself a gc2b binder recently and they haven't processed/shipped it out yet but I got one in small. I didn't measure myself but I know my chest measurement and I fit into an underworks small (I ordered a tritop from them but barely ever wear it because the material is too canvassy and rough for me). I hope the size fits.

I wear the Underworks 997 in a medium, ordered my gc2b in XL and it's too small. The inside of the binding area for the gc2b is literally canvas.

Quote from: ElioAyla on March 14, 2015, 08:26:02 PM
Just seeing the pics and my reflection are giving me hope that I might pass when I start college. 

I think you already pass really well.

My only question is, does the binder do well with tighter shirts? I'm a C-something too and I usually wear baggier shirts around the house but I also wear stuff like sweaters, polos and button ups which are a little more form fitting. The rest of my body is pretty slim but I have a hard time wearing the right sized shirt because of my stupid chest. I've been going back and forth on whether to get an Underworks or one of these to replace my old binder.

Quote from: AndrewB on March 18, 2015, 08:48:48 PM
I wear mine comfortably for ~16 hours a day, including the hour I work out in the morning.

16 hours is double the suggested amount of time that anyone wear a binder. 8 hours is the max and even that's pushing it sometimes, especially when you're active while wearing it. I wouldn't recommend anyone bind for 16 hours no matter how comfortable their binder is. I heard horror stories of guys getting stress fractures in their ribs or seriously damaging their muscles and not realizing it until it's too late from binding too tight or for too long.

I agree with Nygeel. It's not responsible to recommend more than 8 hours in a binder. It can be unsafe. In a pinch (like a super long day, I've worn them longer, but it isnt' a great idea.)

--Jay

Quote from: Contravene on March 20, 2015, 12:51:16 AM
16 hours is double the suggested amount of time that anyone wear a binder. 8 hours is the max and even that's pushing it sometimes, especially when you're active while wearing it. I wouldn't recommend anyone bind for 16 hours no matter how comfortable their binder is. I heard horror stories of guys getting stress fractures in their ribs or seriously damaging their muscles and not realizing it until it's too late from binding too tight or for too long.

I'm not saying it's suggested, I'm a barrel-chested guy with broad shoulders that can pull off a bigger chest, so I don't bind super tight (plus my breasts aren't that big, relatively). When I was bigger (I've lost a ton of weight working out) I definitely wouldn't have done 16 hours; I was just saying that, if you get a comfortable size, you could hypothetically go that long. I really don't have any pressure on my ribs, especially since I switched off of Underworks and onto gc2b.

EDIT: Thought I'd also like to add, to whomever might get the wrong idea from my comments, that tighter binding does not always mean better binding. You can only compress tissue so much until all that extra tension just gets placed straight on your ribs, shoulders, spine, etc., as has been mentioned above. That's one of the reasons I'm content with the job my binder does and why I can wear mine for so long, but I understand that a lot of guys go as tight as they can for as long as they can.

Any type of binding can harm you, Andrew, especially when you're doing it incorrectly and for so long. Binding compresses a part of the body that isn't able to withstand pressure for long amounts of time without eventually warping or breaking. At the very least your tissue will start to break down. Wearing a binder loosely can distribute the pressure unevenly and wearing one too loosely kind of defeats the purpose of wearing it at all. It's your choice, of course, but I hope you don't hurt yourself and I wouldn't encourage others to bind that way even if it does seem comfortable.

And I digress...

I would never encourage anybody to bind longer than currently suggested time limits, or if there is discomfort.
That being said, I was measured for my binder in a shop by a pro, and other than having to learn how to squirm into the 997, I've had none of the discomfort others have experienced. No back pain, no rib pain, no trouble at all breathing (I would never stand for this), no rashes, just decent binding. It's a little more comfortable than a bra, physically, and way more mentally comfortable.
I'm generally binding 8 to 16 hours a day, no troubles. However, I will be having top surgery after binding for one year. So I will not have to deal with any effects from binding long term. If I didn't have plans for top surgery, and expected to be binding for years, I would definitely consider limiting binding time as much as possible, due to possible tissue damage.

Basically, a good measuring job and a good size chart, and a lucky body type (I
have large boobs and am somewhat fat, but have a short-ish torso) apparently can make a big difference.

Quote from: MacG on March 20, 2015, 01:34:14 PM
I would never encourage anybody to bind longer than currently suggested time limits, or if there is discomfort.
That being said, I was measured for my binder in a shop by a pro, and other than having to learn how to squirm into the 997, I've had none of the discomfort others have experienced. No back pain, no rib pain, no trouble at all breathing (I would never stand for this), no rashes, just decent binding. It's a little more comfortable than a bra, physically, and way more mentally comfortable.
I'm generally binding 8 to 16 hours a day, no troubles. However, I will be having top surgery after binding for one year. So I will not have to deal with any effects from binding long term. If I didn't have plans for top surgery, and expected to be binding for years, I would definitely consider limiting binding time as much as possible, due to possible tissue damage.

Sounds like you and I are in a similar boat, then, as I plan on having top surgery hopefully in the next year or so (just found out my insurance will cover top surgery for GD). I also don't experience discomfort, and can take deep, full breaths without restriction. Basically, I listen to my body. I've never been one to wear painful things to look good, even before I came out as trans. It's just not worth it and I can't tolerate it. Obviously I wouldn't condone my allotted binding time to everyone and their brother on a whim, as those guidelines are safety measures meant to keep people that bind extremely tightly from warping their ribcage in a month or less.

Quote from: Contravene on March 20, 2015, 12:39:15 PM
Any type of binding can harm you, Andrew, especially when you're doing it incorrectly and for so long. Binding compresses a part of the body that isn't able to withstand pressure for long amounts of time without eventually warping or breaking. At the very least your tissue will start to break down. Wearing a binder loosely can distribute the pressure unevenly and wearing one too loosely kind of defeats the purpose of wearing it at all. It's your choice, of course, but I hope you don't hurt yourself and I wouldn't encourage others to bind that way even if it does seem comfortable.

I do appreciate your concern, but most of these effects don't apply to me. Top surgery is in the less-than-far future, I do not feel any compression in anywhere other than my breast tissue, I have complete range of motion, can take wide breaths without issue, and I do still get the effects of binding. Binding is not all about complete compression but rather sculpting the figure to a more masculine shape. Cis men do not have inverted rib cages, as far as I'm aware. 

But again, as I've said, my situation is mine alone and I'm not granting anyone the power to bind how/for as long as I do.

Quote from: AndrewB on March 20, 2015, 01:40:55 PM
Sounds like you and I are in a similar boat, then, as I plan on having top surgery hopefully in the next year or so (just found out my insurance will cover top surgery for GD).

Great news about the insurance!

Happy to be reading all these guys getting their top surgeries covered.

--Jay

Quote from: aleon515 on March 20, 2015, 11:51:08 PM
Happy to be reading all these guys getting their top surgeries covered.

--Jay

Quote from: MacG on March 20, 2015, 11:40:48 PM
Great news about the insurance!

Yep, all my love for the Intel Corp. for stepping up and choosing to cover it before Oregon legislature could push for it like Cali did. The less trans guys can bind, the safer they are 

Oh hey. I'm in Oregon, too.

Quote from: Nygeel on March 19, 2015, 07:00:32 PM
I wear the Underworks 997 in a medium, ordered my gc2b in XL and it's too small. The inside of the binding area for the gc2b is literally canvas.

Perhaps people have found it to be so comfortable due to the material that is not in the binding area. I dunno. I only use my tritop for special occasions as it has very good compression but it is also very uncomfortable for me. Oh well. I'll give it a review once I get mine.