Under Armour Charged Cotton T-Shirt Dries 5 Times Faster Than Standard Cotton

95% cotton/5% spandex - "Charged Cotton" - Dries 5x faster than regular cotton

3/23/11 – Does UA Charged Cotton T-Shirt Really Dry 5 Times Faster Than Regular Cotton?

Here’s a cool announcement. For those of you who love the feel of cotton, but want the quick drying performance of synthetics (polyester, nylon, etc.), the new Under Armour “Charged Cotton” t-shirt ($24.99) might be the answer.

This 95% cotton/5% spandex blend performance t-shirt is weaved with alternating hydrophobic (water hating) and hydrophilic (water loving) fibers and makes the world’s first performance cotton t-shirt.

Here’s some additional product details from Under Armour’s Charged Cotton T-Shirt product page:

A game-changing cotton T that dries 5 times faster than ordinary cotton. And you can actually see it working. Just look for the striations when you start to sweat. The Charged Cotton™ Shortsleeve T…Mother Nature Made It. We Made it Better.™

  • Built for Training.
  • Full, loose fit for full range of motion.
  • Lightweight, 4-way stretch construction improves mobility and preserves fit.
  • Made from pima cotton—our softest, most comfortable fabric yet.
  • Signature HeatGear® moisture transport system keeps you cool, dry, and light.
  • Dries 5 times faster than ordinary cotton.
  • Double stitch shoulder detailing for durability.
  • Ribbed collar for stretch and comfort.
  • 95% Cotton / 5% Elastane.
  • Imported.

3/13/2011 UpdateGuess what I got?

12 thoughts on “Under Armour Charged Cotton T-Shirt Dries 5 Times Faster Than Standard Cotton”

  1. Another problem with moving production to Asia is that the sizing is different. I have several of these charged cotton t-shirts in XL. They were made in Peru and fit me perfectly. I’ve bought a few more recently and they are all too tight across the middle. They were made in Indonesia. I’ve been looking everywhere for some more that were made in Peru but I guess they’re all gone. I can’t go up to XXL because they will be too loose across the shoulders. Therefore I have no choice but to stop buying this shirt. If UA had kept production in Peru I’d probably own a dozen by now.

    Reply
    • heya glenn, thanks for stopping by and posting your thoughts.

      you know, i don’t think the issue is so much where the production was moved to, it’s a lack of willingness from the manufacturer to ensure the specs of the garments remain the same.

      tbh, it really should not be that difficult to reproduce the fabric to at least a similar spec, and the sizing issue is one that really shouldn’t be a problem. shirts are cut from a pattern, either in physical form or digital form. so as long as they use the same pattern, and the fabric performs roughly the same, the sizing should be similar.

      the fact that it is not means either:
      1. the new fabric is shrinking more than the original fabric
      2. they changed the pattern
      3. they’re trying to lower the cost to produce, by increasing the number of shirts they get from the fabric. the only way to do this is to reset the sizing so that more shirts can be derived from the same amount of fabric.

      not sure exactly what happened, but the net-net is that either under armour dictated the changes to reduce costs, or their manufacturing partner has really shitty quality assurance.

      Reply
      • Hi Tug,

        I’m sorry to be reviving such an old thread, but I am a lover of t-shirts, and these are among my favorites. I’ve been wearing them since they first came out. In addition to the original all-cotton ones, the new tri-blend version feels just fantastic, and has become a favorite for casual wear.

        However, I must agree that inconsistency in sizing has always been a problem with this tee. I’m pretty much a perfect size large. When I go to buy one of these, I will grab every single shirt a store has in the size and color I want, and try them all on. It isn’t at all unusual for the fit to vary from snug across the chest and very fitted, to slightly loose and baggy – almost but not quite like an XL would fit.

        I usually find one that fits about right, but there are times when I’ve walked away disappointed. And I’ve given up buying these online, which is unfortunate, because this shirt comes in an incredible range of colors, especially on the Dick’s Sporting Goods site, many of which are not available in stores.

      • hey randy,

        do you have any idea if the same sized items with different fits are made in different countries?

        i’m just wondering if the inconsistency is due to the shirts being made by different supply partners in different parts of the world.

        do you have any that are different sizes where you can check the “made in” what country from the care label?

      • No, the same sized items with different fits were same color, same time, same store, and made in the same country. I do not have any different sizes of this shirt – I’m pretty much a perfect size large, and that’s what I buy. I have bought a lot of these nice t-shirts over time, and they show manufacturing origins in Peru, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.

        This phenomenon is by no means unique to Under Armour. Same thing happens when I go buy my favorite Levi’s. I’ll grab 3 or 4 pairs, all of the exact same size, color, and style, and they will often all fit a little different. And I guess that’s to be expected – you don’t manufacture t-shirts and jeans to aerospace tolerances.

      • very strange. most lines like this are cut from the same pattern, so variances shouldn’t be a whole size difference.

        but, it could happen if:
        1. the fabric performance (shrinking / not shrinking) varies greatly between fabric production groups
        2. sizing/labeling mix-ups — someone puts a size “large” label on a size medium

        cutting usually happens with patterns, and i would expect that the suppliers that do work for a company as large as under armour would use digital cutting machines instead of humans. even so, variances of a whole size would seem nearly impossible from just small cutting or sewing errors, even done manually.

        very strange indeed, but i do completely know what you’re talking about. i just don’t understand how sizing can be so vastly different unless there are problems with the patterns, fabric, or both.

  2. Can anyone help me out with the question of does sweat dry quicker than water? My brother went excercising then came home drenched shirt underwear all. I said man u dumped water on yourself he argued he dint but this was 16 hrs ago his shirt still wet in the laundry room. I think its water

    Reply
  3. Under Armour has been contracting manufacturers, mostly in Peru, but also a small quantity has been produced in Bolivia. They use the TransDRY(R) technology developed by Cotton Inc. which very effectively wicks moisture and helps it evaporate more quickly. I would encourage anyone who is interested to check out

    http://www.cottoninc.com/Transdry/?Pg=3

    and the subsequent pages. This is a very effective technology but is also very dependent that the fabric is made correctly, in the factory. Unfortunately, Under Armour does a poor job of enforce its products’ performance standards and though most of their South American suppliers do a very good job of producing this technology, one or two do not. To make matters worse, Under Armour is in the process of moving all its South American production to Asia. The Charged Cotton program is going to Pakistan, where there is even less control for product performance.

    If you really want a Charged Cotton product, you should insist on testing it, in the store, before you purchase. Luckly, this is easy. A drop of water should produce a matrix look, as half the yarns are treated to be hydrophobic and the other half are left naturally hydrophilic. How effective the TransDRY(R) treatment is can be gauged by what we call the fried egg effect. Where the drop of water first touches the fabric will remain wetter than where the water spreads and this looks like a fried egg with the yoke being the wet center. The smaller the yoke is, in comparison to the white of the egg, the more effective the TransDRY(R) treatement.

    If Under Armour won’t take the measures to insure you’re getting what you pay for, and you really want the UA logo, at least test the product and be willing to tell the retail store that your not willing to be scammed.

    Reply
    • hey insider! thanks for sharing the information about the “fried egg” test. that is really great information that i’m certain readers will appreciate.

      sounds like you’re pretty well versed on the specifics, so if there’s any other info you want to share, please feel free. if you prefer emailing that to me (or get my email address from my logo at the top) directly as well, that’s totally cool.

      Reply
    • hey marie,

      thanks for stopping by my site and posting your comment!

      i haven’t gotten a chance to pick-up the ua charged cotton t-shirt yet, but i plan on it in the next week or so. once i get it, i’ll wear it to the gym and see how it performs and will post the results on the site.

      Reply

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