Graphene-X T-shirts: FirstLook/FirstUse
...these are not your father's tees!!!
RainyDayMagazine’s mission statement is: Find gear at the intersection of technology and the everyday.
And today we are diving into a product which perfectly aligns with our mission statement.
We know marketers, etc., sometimes jump on trendy words (ie: nano, quantum, etc.) to make their products sound more high-tech then they are. So when we read the word graphene, especially in relation to t-shirts, our buzz-word-alert radar kicked in. Bzzt! BZZT BZZT BZZT!
But you know, every so often a company does come along with an offering that actually does stand out from the pack, is truly innovative, and lives up to the hype.
And so, dear reader, today we give you the Layer-X tee-shirt from Graphene-X.
Can you write with this t-shirt? It’s made from pencils, right? Pencils are made from Graphene, right? Wait, they’re not? Oh, graphite, not graphene…
Graphene-X
Many a reader has heard about the “miracle” molecule graphene.
Graphene has been touted as a possible solution for everything from room-temperature superconductors to cables for space elevators to paper-thin bulletproof vests.
Note #1 to Some-But-Not-All readers: But not pencils, apparently. It’s graphene, NOT graphite…
But can you WRITE with it.
The excitement is no doubt justified (unless pencils), but what does it mean for the average person? Well, how about a t-shirt that ACTUALLY keeps you cool when it is hot and warm when it is cold? Marketing blather? NO! The Graphene-X t-shirt is legit!!!
Note #2 to Some-But-Not-All readers: Unless you think you can write the Great American Novel with it. The Graphene-X t-shirt is NOT legit for this purpose. Again, NOT graphite…
By integrating graphene into the fibers of the Layer-X t-shirt, Graphene-X has created a t-shirt like no other. It is:
- Stronger and more snag-resistant,
- Breathable,
- Moisture-wicking,
- Antibacterial, and
- Anti-UV.
Layer-X
This T-shirt material is 90% graphene-integrated polyester and 10% spandex. It has a very unique feel: smooth—almost rubbery smooth—but unexpectedly silky-soft to the touch. Unlike silk, though, it is not slippery. . And yes, it feels GREAT next to the skin.
Wear this ONLY inside the house for the first few days to get the this-feels-so-silky-I-can’t-stop-stroking-it thing out of your system.
The pieces of the t-shirt are laser-cut and somehow joined together…we don’t know the process, but there isn’t a single stitched seam anywhere: not on the collar, not on the shoulder, not any place else. The result is an amazingly smooth transition from one piece of fabric to another.
Note #3 to Some-But-Not-All readers: It’s NOT magic, but it is chafe-free.
No seams anywhere to irritate the h*ll out of you.
The material itself has a very tight weave, stretchy, and flows well. The Layer-X shirt is super light and having it on feels like wearing…almost nothing!
What looks like a seam but isn’t a seam (in the seamstress sense)? However Graphene-X figured out how to connect these pieces of cloth together…
FirstUse
We wore the long-sleeved Layer-X when we went out for a birding photo-shoot in mid-April. Living in New England, we know that the weather could be in the 40ºs or the 80ºs (or both on the same day) so layering is a must. On this particular day, it was cool enough for a vest and a hat, but not a jacket.
Correction: Cool enough for a vest and a hat and an adorable chickadee.
Graphene is a really efficient heat conductor, so a shirt infused with graphene translates into an incredibly efficient way to manage body heat! This means that the Layer-X t-shirt kept us warm when it was cold out, but didn’t let us overheat when things got “active” because it held all the heat, not us. We liked that!
InTheHeat
Fast forward to June. Spring is now a memory, the outside temperature is in the 90ºs, and we have shifted to t-shirts and shorts.
It captures the heat, but kind of leaves the wrinkles alone.
The much warmer conditions clearly called for light, loose-fitting, comfortable clothing. Can the black, short-sleeved, Layer-X t-shirt still answer the call? To our amazement, that answer is Yes!
Just a man, a Graphene-X t-shirt, and a convertible.
The Layer-X short sleeved t-shirt is light, comfortable, and had a cooling effect when worn on hot days. We are guessing here, but our thinking is that the graphene-infused fabric, when in contact with the body, was conducting the heat away from the surface of the skin.
On a cooler day, one of the editors tried on the t-shirt and had to take it off after a few minutes, because the Layer-X was so efficient in conducting the heat away from her skin heat that, in her words “I need to put on a sweatshirt.” She was kind of joking…we think, LOL.
We really think Graphene-X should think about using this material for a sleep-wear line. Some of the women here believe that, um, WOACAs (Women Of A Certain Age) would buy that product in droves. Droves, they said!
Links to items mentioned:
BTW…
To read more about graphene, here are some of the smartest people on earth (yes they are) making the world better and more interesting by using it.
To completely get your graphene-geek on, here’s what some really lovely people across the pond are doing vis-a-vis this “miracle” molecule. Videos at the atomic level and everything!
Leave a comment