Insta Slim Review: Initial Thoughts of the Insta Slim Crew Neck Slimming Undershirt

Several readers have either written in or posted comments wondering what I had to say about the Insta Slim men’s slimming crew neck undershirt that I received a couple weeks ago. Well, it’s been patiently sitting by the side of my computer just waiting for me to put it on and give it a test drive and finally the time arrived when I slipped it on and wore it out while Mrs. Tug and I ran about town having breakfast and running some errands this morning!

In response to a reader’s question about the product, I sent him an email with the following thoughts and feedback about the new Insta Slim crew neck compression undershirt:

hey j,

thought I’d send over some initial thoughts on the instaslim. I wore it today for several hours and overall, was pretty pleased with the product. the one I have is size large, so it was a hair too big for me, but it did a fairly good job in smoothing out my chest and holding in my mid-section. I figure a size medium would have performed even better for me since I normally wear medium sized undershirts.

click to enlarge

one thing I find really interesting, is that instaslim looks incredibly similar to spanx for men. I’m not sure which one was released first, but they are very similar in design so I wouldn’t be surprised if one was modeled after the other to some degree. otherwise, it is possible that both companies had the same general idea of what design they wanted and executed it similarly.

the fabric blend is more on the synthetic feeling side being 80% nylon / 20% spandex than the cotton rich feeling of spanx for men, but personally speaking I do like the instaslim being more synthetic because it not only can work as a regular undershirt replacement, but I can also wear it as a base shirt layer when going to the gym. it feels like a short sleeve version of my gc2 compression tank top which I’m a pretty big fan of and something I wear during every workout.

Insta Slim (left) vs. Spanx for Men (right)

with their current special, you can get two instaslim undershirts for $24.90 each. at that price, it’s a pretty incredible deal for a good performing men’s slimming/shaping undershirt.

I’ve attached some photos and a size comparison that show the instaslim measurements compared to spanx for men. in the photo, spanx4men is on the right in the photo.

hope you find the above information helpful and feel free to email me with any additional questions!

best, tug

Probably the only nit worth mentioning is the collar width being 1/4″ wide really took away from the asthetics of the undershirt. Most undershirt collars are actually cut and stitched in separately, however, the Insta Slim crew neck collar was a simple fold-n-stitch design. They did a nice job hemming the sleeves and the bottom of the undershirt, but they really missed the mark in stitching the collar.

I’ve been asked by others how Insta Slim compares to Slim T’s. To be totally honest, I think the Insta Slim compression undershirt handles flattening, shaping, and slimming much better than Slim T’s overall. Although Slim T does offer some chest flattening, it doesn’t do a really stellar job of holding in the midsection. But, Insta Slim handle both chest flattening and waist trimming about as good as many of the other slimming undershirts I’ve tried, even being one size too big for me. I have to assume that a medium sized Insta Slim undershirt would perform even better on my physique.

Considering these slimming undershirts sell for around $24.90 each (with their current 2-for-1 special), I think Insta Slim is a very good value for the price.

43 thoughts on “Insta Slim Review: Initial Thoughts of the Insta Slim Crew Neck Slimming Undershirt”

  1. Can you help me choosing the most firm tank for the chest and the belly area both together. GC2 gynecomastia, GC2 dual compression, instaslim, underworks ???

    Reply
    • heya adel, good to hear from you and thanks for your question!

      i haven’t heard of any new news about gc2 compression undershirts in a while, nor have i tried their products in quite some time.

      underworks is my most common recommendation because i feel they are the grand poobah of compression undershirts for men, and compression products for men & women.

      i’d recommend visiting their website, and emailing them to ask which of their products is best for both chest and stomach flattening.

      i’ll also forward your comment over to them to see if someone from their team would be willing to make a recommendation.

      Reply
  2. The website lied said free shipping and they change me for it. The customer service was terrible. I called and they said could not do anything about t already purchase. Never again buy from them. Shirts loose 5 inches BS probably one and the material is hot. The collar has a terrible finish. Think twice before you buy!!

    Reply
    • hey luis, thanks for stopping by and posting your comments about your purchase experience with insta slim.

      i have to say that i’m always skeptical buying from “as seen on tv” or “informercial-based” websites. their ordering tactics are usually suspect, especially when there’s a bunch of fine print somewhere that customers can’t see very easily.

      from a product point of view, the instaslim i have performs very much the same as the other shaping undershirts i have. yes, the collar doesn’t have the greatest finish, but several other shapers i own have a similar collar-style. that said, you’ll notice i made the same comment about the collar in my review.

      not sure what to say about the shipping. their website at instaslimshirts.com says $9.95 shipping, but it is possible you purchased from another website that claimed free shipping.

      at the time i wrote this article, the price of instaslim was $24.90 if you purchased two of them. i don’t recall if they charged for shipping at that time, but compared to other shapers, it was a good deal at the time.

      though, the current price for instaslim is $29.95 for one, and shipping is $9.95, making the cost of one instaslim $39.90. not such a great value at one unit, but the unit economics get better if you look at their 3-packs. plus shipping stays at $9.95 as you add more items to your shopping cart.

      for the near $40 price, you can get two hanes power slim fit tee cotton shapers or one of the slimming/compression shirts from underworks which are high-quality items made in the usa.

      so sorry to hear about your experience with purchasing an instaslim. the great news is that the information will be here for others — so they’ll be in-the-know! thanks again for stopping by and commenting!

      Reply
    • I had bought an Instaslim shirt a few weeks ago. I also paid a ridiculous amount for the shipping. The shirt works great for the first few days before loosing it’s usefullness, if you can get past the large seams digging into your sides. I was also put on their email to receive different ads and savings, however after receiving a special that sounded good, I tried to order more, but their customer service would not stand by that price, and was very rude to me, and told me how wrong I was for thinking that they would actually stand by such a price. They’re your typical “bait and switch” company. I will never be buying from them again.

      Reply
      • hey james, thanks for sharing your thoughts about insta-slim.

        as you can see from my article, i wrote that back in august of 2010 – nearly 3 years ago. i’m not sure if they’ve changed up the product since then, but the insta slim shaping undershirt i have has held up pretty well and always offered a consistent level of smoothing and shaping.

        though, because i got the sample from the company directly, i can’t speak for their sales or customer service tactics.

        i’ve not found very many as-seen-on-tv products where people have raved about the customer service or overall shopping experience. based on your experience with them, i don’t blame you at all if you don’t purchase from them.

        truth is, there are many other very good slimming and shaping undershirts on the market that you can choose from, like the many listed here on my website.

  3. Hey I just ordered this but I am a bit confused on the sizing.
    Basically I am a XL in regular t shirts but I can fit in to SOME L t shirts. My waist is 40″ and my chest is 42″ but I have a medium body frame. So I ordered a L instaslim do you think it will fit me good? Or should I have gotten a XL?

    Reply
    • hey adrian, sorry this slipped through the cracks? did you get your insta slim shirt yet?

      i have a size large, have 39″ chest, 34″-35″ waist pants, and my insta slim fits pretty well. not too tight, not too loose. i might even be able to size down one. since the shirt tapers at the bottom, it might be a little more difficult for you to get around your waist, but the extra compression might be something you like.

      anyway, keep me posted!

      Reply
    • I love the InstaSlim shirts.They give me great support when im playing sports/working out or most any activity.InstaSlim is a great way to look good and helps with loosing weight.My girlfriend thinks i look great and thats whats important to me.Im ordering lots more InstaSlim,these guys are really thinking.

      Reply
  4. And to Jim’s comment since he must be a super stud muffin… why would you stop on this page being the “buff master” ? My chest (shoulder width) is 57 & my waist is 43 inch so that would put me within a 2 size (3x-2x) size range….i would be smashed in the chest just to get the firmness in the waist area ….. this might also present a problem

    Reply
  5. Obviously these shirt were designed for the smaller person in mind. I weigh 275 lbs and wear 2x to 3x shirts so how would these shirts do with the larger male in mind? I could just wear an xl shirt and stretch it out…

    Reply
    • hey chew, the instaslim is an “as seen on tv” product. while you’d expect any company making a slimming undershirt to make a wide range of sizes, the sad truth is they don’t.

      i think instaslim has simply been trying to capitalize on the growing men’s shapewear category and based on the amount of traffic my site gets for this product on regular basis, i suppose they are doing pretty well. it frustrates me a little too, because all these “as seen on tv” folks have to do is copy some other product, plug into pre-existing processes of creating infomercials and buying tv time, and put it on-air. their cost to do this very likely substantially less than it would be for the inventors of the actual/original products. i guess it’s capitalism at it’s finest.

      if you’re looking for a bigger size slimming garment, check out either gc2 or underworks. they both offer bigger sizes like 2x, 3x, etc.

      Reply
  6. Narrowed my choice down to spanx for men style 607 for 58.00 and underworks style 998 for 32.99. Whats your thoughts on these. How difficult is it taking these shirts on and off and the care for them. For underworks did you try styles 998 & 498 ($24.99). The article you did on insta slim did a little comparison with spanx. I agree insta slim looks like they could have did a better job with their collars. That being said do you think spanx is overrated. I do want something that will compress the chest,waist and stomach area. It seems like spanx, underworld and insta slim gives you the undershirt crew neck to handle that.

    Reply
  7. I would like to know if the tank top holds in body heat? All the body shape wear for women make me feel hot and sticky with the humidity we have in Oklahoma. I can not wear the body shape wear at all in the summer.

    By the way I am researching this product for a man, not myself.
    The tank top would be used as an undershirt & during workout sessions. I hate to invest in the product if you end up feeling hot & sticky when you wear it.

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • hey lori! thanks for stopping by and posting your question!

      personally, i’ve worn my full insta slim undershirt many times during the warm summer months and have always been pleased on how cool it wears. it’s made out of a poly/nylon blend that breathes pretty well.

      i would fully expect the tank to wear even cooler since it offers less coverage.

      of course, that’s my own personal experience and individual results will vary, depending on the person’s own biological make-up.

      Reply
      • hey robert, got your questions about the instaslim belt & tummy tuck belts. also about which slimming undershirts might be the best overall value.

        out of all the slimming undershirts i’ve tried, i think the ones with the best value include (in no particular order)
        1. underworks
        2. gc2
        3. instaslim
        4. power body shaping

        i recently heard from a reader who bought some of the new evolve-brand shaping undershirts, and he said they were a good value as well, but didn’t compress as much as other slimming undershirts he’s tried. so if you’r looking more for “shaping” than slimming or compressing you might want to try these out.

        i have not tried any slimming belts recently, but in looking at the instaslim belt and the tummy tuck belt, it looks like those two products approach slimming slightly differently. the tummy tuck belt claims to “melt” belly fat with the combined use of their cream and belt. the instaslim belt is something that shapes you only when you’re wearing it.

        since i have not personally tried either, i couldn’t tell you how effective they are. one word of caution though, if a product claims to melt fat, be skeptical. although not a doctor, and cannot back this with any empirical evidence, but my guess would be that there is no such product that can actually melt fat. only diet and exercise can do that.

        it goes without say that the other higher-priced products like spanx for men, equmen, ript fusion all perform good as well, but if you’re looking for a good slimming-to-value ration, the list above is a good place to start.

        hope that helps!

      • So if money were not the driving factor would you choose or consider spanx for men,equmen and/or rift fusion first.I will be using these undershirts for casual and for suit use once a week. I definetly don’t mind spending for something thats worthwhile.

      • well that tough one, because it’s highly subjective and based on personal need.

        out of the three you just listed, the spanx for men cotton compression looks most like a traditional undershirt. equmen is more athletic looking, and ript has slimming in the midsection only.

        i find myself wearing my ript black tank most and the spanx for men cotton compression second most. i recently got my hands on some spanx “cotton control” products, and i’ve been wearing them quite a bit lately (to test them). even though they don’t have as much compression as their cotton compression brother products from spanx, i quite like them.

        out of all the products we’ve discussed here, i think the following (in no particular order) fall most naturally into my mind for daily use:
        > spanx for men cotton compression or cotton control
        > underworks
        > ript
        > gc2

      • NOW ABOUT THE TUMMY TUCK BELT , I’VE WORN IT AND IT WORKED GREAT FOR THE FIRST 3 MONTHS .. BUT YOU HAVE TO READ THE FINE PRINT , THEY SEND YOU THE SLIMMING CREAM EVERY MONTH FOR $ 30.00 EVERY TIME .. IT GETS KIND OF EXPENSIVE FOR ME ONE TUBE FOR THIRTY BUCKS , NO WAY AND THE PRODUCT SAYS YOU’LL SEE RESULTS IN 4 TO 6 MONTHS GOOD RESULTS .. YES THEIR RIGHT BUT , I COULDN’T AFFORD IT .. I’LL STICK TO CLIMBING UP AND DOWN HILL SIDES STRUCTURE PAINTING FOR THE STATE .. AND “NO” WE DON’T GET PAID 100THOUSAND A YEAR , YOUR LUCKY IF YOU GET PAID 50.000 A YEAR AFTER UNCLE SAM GETS DONE WITH YOU ……..

    • Jim – Way to go there making stupid assumptions about the people who would purchase this sort of product. In my case I suffer from abdominal hernias which makes my tummy bulge and can’t be corrected by exercising so a slimming shirt would make a good alternative to the only other alternative (surgery). Think before you post next time.

      Reply
    • I would recommend buying the same size as you normally would. i normally wear a size medium, but got the size large instaslim. it worked pretty good, but i would have preferred a sized medium to get a little more slimming.

      good luck and let me know how you like it.

      Reply
  8. hey i just got my instaslim shirt, pretty impressed, worked on mu chest and did pretty well in my gut area, i was expecting a bit more but overall feels great, was a bit hard to wear it lol but its ok i guess

    Reply
  9. hey i want to buy the instaslim shirt and i dont know how long it will take to be shipped.. have any idea? im really looking forward to buying

    Reply
  10. Hi, I had purchased the Foam Contour brief with waistband – 2(x)ist but the problem I had was that it kept rolling down each time I wore it. I’ve also tried the InstaSlim T-shirt, but the only part which I didn’t like was the collar. Could you please recommend me the best ones which offers a tight compression for only tummy area. I’ve seen the boxer shorts with waistband from GearCom and wanted your recommendation. I’m interested in Muscle Tanks and briefs with waistband. Thanks.

    Reply
  11. I just got my Insta slim shirts. I bought six for really cheap at one go. I risked getting the medium fearing it would be too small but they are just right even though it is hard to get into and out of. Wearing them though is quite comfortable and the result in incredible. I just look so much neater (I am not fat, just a bit out of shape at 6′ 1″, 205 lbs and gasp 60 years old) I have wanted to try a product like this ever since I heard of Equmen but did not want to spend the money. Now that I have been introduced to compression wear I would spend the money when I need to get more shirts. Not that there’s anything wrong with these, but I probably won’t be able to find them again in the future when I need them.
    And they look great as shirts too.
    I bought a combination of black and white, tees and tanks.

    Reply
  12. Also when you buy these shirts, are you supposed to buy for the size you are or the size you want to slim down to?

    I wear anything from a medium to an XL at times, so I wasn’t sure.

    Reply
    • hey ryan,

      thanks for your feedback and suggestions. I might just put together a comparison chart sometime soon, but in the meantime, let me help you a bit more.

      sizing: in general I have found that most all the slimming undershirts are true to size. meaning, I normally wear a medium and the medium sized slimming undershirts have fit me pretty well. the only exception at this point is firm51/underworks. it was suggested that I size up on that one to a large which was a good recommendation. in my reviews, I typically note the size and whether or not I felt I could size down or not.

      chest compression: most all of them performed well in this area except for ript fusion. that slimming undershirt is designed for midsection slimming only.

      midsection compression: I haven’t found any particular slimming undershirt to take a bunch of inches of my midsection, however, the three that stand out to me in this area are the ardyss, gc2, and firm51/underworks. ardyss is the least attractive/strangest looking out of the bunch, but it does perform pretty well in chest and midsection compression.

      most similar looking to a standard undershirt: spanx 4 men – hands down wins in this category

      best overall value: it’s kinda hard to rate this one: on one end, the original bodymax from the uk did a pretty good job overall and it was pretty inexpensive. of the more recent ones I’ve tried, the gc2, instaslim, and underworks provide good overall performance-to-price.

      master list of all the slimming undershirts:
      http://www.undershirtguy.com/ask-tug-compression-and-slimming-undershirts-shapewear-for-men/

      hope all the above helps you find a compression undershirt you’ll love!

      best,
      tug

      Reply
  13. I’m just throwing it out there, but I’d do an op-ed piece if I were you and break the top 5 or 6 shirts down ala Consumer Reports style based on certain criteria.

    Like first would be aesthetics. Everything is going to be based on your opinion, obviously, but I’d rank them 1 to 5 on which look the best and are the most aesthetically pleasing.

    Second area would be Waist Compression. Which ones hid the gut the best. Ranked best to worst, one to five, whatever.

    Third could be Chest compression.

    Then fit / feel.

    Then price.

    Etc.

    Because personally, I’d be able to look at that whole big breakdown and identify which characteristics are most important and then see where each one fell.

    Just an idea, I know these male sculpting shirts are getting pretty hot right now. A big breakdown like that might garner more traffic.

    Reply
  14. I can’t help but notice that you seem to love all the men’s sculting shirts. You have pretty kind words for each of them, which is nice, but it’s not really guiding me in my purchasing decision.

    You should stack them, side by side, and just point out winenrs in each area. Who has the best feel? The best aesthetic? Which hides fat better? Etc.

    As is, I don’t know which one to get right now. I need more guidance from someone who’s sampled them all.

    Reply
    • hey ryan!

      thanks for the comment. it’s a little tricky writing opinions/perceptions because everyone’s need is slightly different. I try to write to inform people of the characteristics so they can make their own buying decision.

      if you’d like to tell me more about what things would be important to you in a compression undershirt, I would be happy to offer up some specific recommendations. also, what price point are you comfortable paying?

      best,
      tug

      Reply

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