The Strike Gold

[Mr. Blue]

Thought I’d share some tasty detail shots of my favorite sweatshirt...

[ColdStorage]

Some not so hot pics of my well worn indigo crew neck.

(A few are xposts from NoKipple thread)

Love it.

 

 

[kiya]

Please bring your dog with you the next time you come down to SESF!

[garden gnomes in space]

quick question:  my strike gold hoody has some holes starting to form on both elbows.  can sweatshirt material be darned like jeans, or do I have to patch?  

 

Kiya: do you have any recommendations as far as a place in SF to repair this, or will any tailor be able to perform the job?

[reallypeacedoff]

^ Denim patch opportunity!

[Mr. Blue]

quick question:  my strike gold hoody has some holes starting to form on both elbows.  can sweatshirt material be darned like jeans, or do I have to patch?  

 

Kiya: do you have any recommendations as far as a place in SF to repair this, or will any tailor be able to perform the job?

 

Pictures would help. I have darned old sweatshirt holes, but it would depend on how large the holes are.

[itsbenhere]

quick question:  my strike gold hoody has some holes starting to form on both elbows.  can sweatshirt material be darned like jeans, or do I have to patch?  

 

Kiya: do you have any recommendations as far as a place in SF to repair this, or will any tailor be able to perform the job?

Damn....how much did you wear this? You'd think it should last forever.

[kiya]

quick question:  my strike gold hoody has some holes starting to form on both elbows.  can sweatshirt material be darned like jeans, or do I have to patch?  

 

Kiya: do you have any recommendations as far as a place in SF to repair this, or will any tailor be able to perform the job?

 

I would take it to a decent tailor and they can sew up the holes, match the thread, and try to make it as clean as possible.   

SF Tailors does great work in Union Square.

 

 

Damn....how much did you wear this? You'd think it should last forever.

 

Fleece isn't a hard wearing fabric, even the heaviest weight versions will eventually bust with regular wear in high friction areas.

Edited August 8, 2014 by kiya

[garden gnomes in space]

Thanks Kiya, Ill swing by.  Ben, I did wear the shit out of it.  For some reason, my elbows see extra wear on just about every shirt/sweater/sweatshirt I own.  This is not the first item to blow out at the elbows that I own.  Ill post pics, its not really that bad, I would just like to prevent any further damage ahead of time.  

[ironheartfan123]

Damn....how much did you wear this? You'd think it should last forever.

why should a sweatshirt last forever?

[ColdStorage]

Please bring your dog with you the next time you come down to SESF!

 

Gladly!

[itsbenhere]

why should a sweatshirt last forever?

 

Alright, maybe that was an exaggeration... but I have a $20 sweatshirt from when I was on my tennis team in school and I've worn it a shitload for about 3-4 years.  It's holding up just perfect... if a sweat costs 10 times as much, hopefully it'd last at least as long, but I know that the added expense isn't really there because strike gold wanted to create the most durable sweat in the world.

[Max Power]

Just ordered the Indigo dyed hoodie. Am I right there's not much if any shrinkage to be expected when washing it?

[Segovia]

Just ordered the Indigo dyed hoodie. Am I right there's not much if any shrinkage to be expected when washing it?

 

From my experience with the zip up indigo hoodie, it is completely pre-shrunk when you receive it. It definitely is able to stretch out if needed from there.

[Max Power]

Thank you! I don't think I Need much stretch nor shrinkage compared to my IH hoodie. I'm glad I finally got (well, ordered) this - I've been in love with the colour from the moment I saw it.

[Broark]

I have the indigo crew neck and there's not much shrink in it, so I would imagine the hoodie is the same.

You won't be disappointed, SG sweats are some of the best I've seen.  My grey hoodie is my go to once it gets cool.

[Max Power]

Thanks! Like you wrote - I found nothing but praise for them.  I own the first (non-loopweheled) IH Hoodie, the loopwheled SW-07, the Joe McCoy Ballpark Hoodie (probably not loopwheeled) and now this. I try to do a short comparison / review when I can.

[Broark]

I've got the Ballpark crew along with a SG hoodie and crew and they're all great.

But there's something about the SG fleece that's very distinct, not sure what.

I guess my only complaint, be it minor, is the length of the SG stuff. I've got a long torso so the extra length would be nice.

[reallypeacedoff]

@Broark, exactly why I have never been able to buy any top from SE. I wish Japanese brands would add about 3" (at least) to all their tops.

[Broark]

I have a problem with it too usually, which is why I don't have a bunch of shirts from Japanese brands either.

The hoodie I have is alright but the crew is on she short side, works well with higher rise jeans like my KS1001.

I really wish the SG tees and flannels were a little bit bigger, I'd be all over them!

[itsbenhere]

That's pretty funny... For me, if you add 3" I'd probably never buy a Japanese top again. I still have trouble getting them short enough...

Edited August 14, 2014 by itsbenhere

[Segovia]

I definitely wish they would add an additional larger size. Quite a few Japanese brands simply don't go large enough for my 6' 210lb frame. I have the largest size of the SG indigo hoodie and while it works, I would probably be better off with one size larger (if it existed).

[reallypeacedoff]

That's pretty funny... For me, if you add 3" I'd probably never buy a Japanese top again. I still have trouble getting them short enough...

 

Haha BUT their jean inseams come in generally 36" and above?! I have owned several cars over the years, VW Golf, Holden Commodore, Isuzu pickup, Mitsubishi Colt, Subaru WRX STi (x3) etc and the Japanese cars always had the most room. For a country with smaller people, I'm not really sure I get it. If only they would make their tops longer. Actually I lied, I forgot I have the TFH Glory Park S/S Indigo Linen shirt and it fits like a charm, length is actually quite long. No luck on anything else though.

[itsbenhere]

Also, like br0ark alluded to, higher rise jeans make kind of a huge difference... it makes shirts either look way longer or way shorter depending on what kind of jeans you wear.

 

But you'd probably have to stick to IH if you want longer shirts.

[ColdStorage]

 

But you'd probably have to stick to IH if you want longer shirts.

 

Or FlatHead, those things are like capes.

30"+ length all the time.

Doesn't work for me, but i'm 5'6"...

[Cold Summer]

Flat Head's shirts are actually cut way shorter than Iron Heart and other brands because FH shirts are designed to be worn untucked, weird that you find them longer.

[tmadd]

Or FlatHead, those things are like capes.

30"+ length all the time.

Doesn't work for me, but i'm 5'6"...

 

Flat Head's shirts are actually cut way shorter than Iron Heart and other brands because FH shirts are designed to be worn untucked, weird that you find them longer.

 

You guys can both be right on this one! For certain body types (big shoulders and or barrel chested) FH shirts end up being longer than most Japanese brands (especially ones that use boxier cuts) because of sizing up to accommodate shoulders/chest.  For taller slender guys, FH can be super short.

[ColdStorage]

Well, i'm actually no expert in IH since it doesn't really speak to my style but I have had to return 3 flathead shirts over the years because I just couldn't make the length work for me.

 

However, just going by a random sampling of SE product pages for both (using whatever is closest to a 44" chest which I would wear) I find the following:

 

Iron Heart:

 29.5" Length

28.1" Length

28.9" Length

 

and Flat Head:

30" length

30.7" length <---Here is one of the ones I had to sadly return 

29" Length

31" Length <----and another one I had to return 

 

...so i'm not really seeing a drastic difference between the two and in fact it seems FH is clocking in slightly longer. 

 

 No beef of course, and for obvious reasons you are MUCH more knowledgeable than me on the full FH offerings but in my experience, as a 5'6" person who can't hang with a top block disappearing into an untucked shirt, I can't make FH work. I wish it wasn't the case, I love a lot of their fabrics but....

 

 To try to stay slightly on topic since this is a Strike Gold thread, my SG sweats all fit like a dream in the length dept, and hover around the 25" mark. I guess that's just how im proportioned. Lucky in traditional type 3 jackets and sweats... cursed in most button down shirts.

 

*(edit cause I did not see Tmadd response. "Barrel chested" is a nice way of describing my physique I suppose. I know most 5'6" people arent wearing a 44" shirt... )

Edited August 15, 2014 by ColdStorage

[Cold Summer]

I can see how the length would be a problem if you're a size 44 and 5'6".  That's probably the average height of guys wearing FH in Japan, the difference is that they're all in size 38s...

[itsbenhere]

It's kinda sad how instant my boner is when i see short lengths on shirts