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Road Test: I tried five different binders, here’s how it went

WORDS BY JACKIE ZHOU

“Start slow when you bind, and take it off and stretch when you feel like you need it. Gender euphoria is important, but so is your health.”

Whether you’re deep into your transitioning journey or simply want the appearance of a flat chest, binding is a safe practice for you provided you do it right. As someone who’s pretty early on in their transitioning journey, binding feels like a first step into being more comfortable with the way my body looks and presents. 

Finding the right binder, however, feels intimidating: they can be expensive, and there can be a lot of risk factors for those who don’t get a binder that’s right for them but cannot afford to buy a more pricey one. There are many companies that may sell binders, but not specialise in gender-related gear. 


Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.


Lucky for you, dear reader, I have compiled, purchased and reviewed the binders of five different companies that are either Australian-based or stocked in Australia without an outrageous shipping cost. I’ve reviewed them based on affordability, their ability to bind, comfort, quality and breathability and assigned them each a star rating out of five. 

How to safely bind

There are many risks associated with binding – because you’re compressing chest tissue, you can often experience trouble breathing, which can damage your lungs, according to Minus18. The best recommendation is to not wear a binder for more than eight hours and to not wear it to sleep. You should also look out for chafing (especially under the armpits and around the bottom band) and cramping or pain in your chest, shoulders and/or back. For a measuring guide, I recommend this detailed guide from Amor Sensory. 

For Them The Binder

For Them is based in the US, but on the recommendation of a friend, I thought I’d give its binder a try. Shipping is $20, which I was willing to pay, and it took 18 days to arrive at my door in metropolitan Melbourne. Out of all of the binders I bought for this review, The Binder was by far the comfiest to wear all day – the super stretchy and comfy fabric made it easy to breathe, and there were extra panels of fabric on the sides for extra room under the armpits.

My only concern is that it bound the least out of all the brands, and it bound more like a high-quality sports bra. Nonetheless, it was super easy to slip on and off and the brand’s sizing is super diverse. 

Price: $76

Star rating: Three and a half

Get it here.

Gc2b White Half Binder

I’ve heard a lot about Gc2b binders, but more recently about the safety issues surrounding it bruising the ribs of its wearers. I decided to try it out myself as one of the more affordable options on the market. The back fabric was stretchy and elastic, which made moving and stretching forward easier, but the binding panels feel uncomfortable and stiff, squishing down the apex of my chest much more than other parts – I couldn’t wear it comfortably for more than five hours. 

The bottom of the binder doesn’t sit on my skin and floats around the front, which makes it uncomfortable in that area. Overall, it’s a good starting point if you don’t have the budget to invest, but I’d keep an eye on the reviews surrounding bruised ribs. Binding has as much to do with your health as your gender expression, and it’s important to invest in a good one that fits well across your body. 

Price: $35

Star rating: Two

Get it here.

Amor Sensory

 

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I was super excited for this one as Amor Sensory is Naarm-based and owned by an autistic trans person, claiming to have sensory-friendly products. According to the size chart, I would be most comfortable in the full-chest racerback. As the most expensive binder out of the ones I reviewed, I had high expectations. The binder was the easiest to slip on, and the fabric was soft and stretchy – as promised, sensory-friendly. 

It was somewhat easy to breathe in, but the binding panels were lumpy compared to the others and the bottom elastic was too thick and chunky for me, so the feeling of its tightness was on my mind pretty regularly. I think if the fit was right, I would’ve preferred the brand’s reversible racerback rather than the full-chest one. But this one did the job well, it’s just a bit out of my personal price range. If you can invest in this brand and you’re willing to wait for its pre-orders, I would definitely recommend it.

Price: $144

Star rating: Four

Get it here

Underworks Econo Compression Chest Binder Short

According to the stockist’s description, this binder is the most popular one it offers as it provides a firm compression level at a lower price point. Unfortunately, I found the nylon fabric to be rougher on my skin and less absorbent, but it still offered a lot of elasticity.

The hem is very visible on the binder as it’s not double lined, and the fabric bunches up towards the hem which often irritated my armpits as I moved around in it. The binder is tight but didn’t offer the best bind as the binding panel wasn’t super sturdy. This one was okay to wear for a couple of hours, but it’s not my first recommendation for someone’s first binder. 

Price: $60

Star rating: Two

Get it here.

Sock Drawer Heroes

Sock Drawer Heroes’ newly released line of binders was kindly gifted to me, and it didn’t disappoint. The binder is comfortable, tight and firm while still being breathable. A common problem I had with firmer binders was the elastic at the bottom floating above the skin, but the one in the Sock Drawer Heroes binder managed to remain secure on my skin.

It was sensory-friendly and bound my chest nicely, but after wearing it for more than seven hours, I found I started to have some back cramping and was a little sore on the shoulders. These are normal side effects of binding, but I still think the fabric could be a touch stretchier. This product would be one of my top contenders in the mid-range price point range. 

Price: $66

Star rating: Four

Get it here

Final thoughts

I would recommend that when you’re first starting out with binding you only bind a couple of days a week for a few hours. A lot of the binders I tried out felt way too rigid, but after a wash and wear, they moulded to my body much better.

Start slow when you bind, and remember to take it off and stretch when you feel like you need it. Gender euphoria is so important, but so is your health, and you should practise binding safely knowing all the risk factors that come with it. 

For more on binding your chest safely, head here.

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