This is very effective at keeping boobs from moving during exercise (or jumping up and down anyway!) It is Very pointy, but is soft and doesn't seem like it would irritate the skin. The band is firm with 4 hook and eyes.
Visually it is appealing; i like the black and red colourway.
The band is - on my bra at least - is not tight at all. I normally wear a 32, I have a 30.
Being loose with too long of straps - the bra doesn't do anything to kill the bounce. It's fine for sitting in, but the seams show. I bounce out when running. Sigh.
This is an unwired encapsulation bra. It has partially adjustable straps, with the other half of the strap being lightly padded for extra comfort. It has four rows of four columns of hooks.
I got this from another Bratabaser as I was in need of wireless bra options, which happen to be few and far between when you're around my size. As most of the bras I've been wearing lately have been around 30K with the band altered down, I wasn't expecting it to fit in the cups, so the fact that I escape from the top and the sides wasn't a huge surprise to me. It does make ...me feel a bit squashed, especially my top centre tissue.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the straps were positioned in such a way that they would actually stay on my shoulders. Almost everything I try is too wide set for my narrow, sloping shoulders, so these close set, lightly padded straps are quite nice. The band is incredibly firm, only stretching to about 68cm (27" ). A true 28" ribcage wouldn't be able to get it on without an extender. I've marked the centre gore as not laying flat, but as the bra has no wires, it wouldn't actually lay flat in the correct size either.
The cups are, as other reviewers have said, quite pointy! I wouldn't be bothered by this in a sports bra if it did its job well, but I do know that it may be of concern to some other people.
The band feels snug, both because it is firm, and because it is wide. The material seems to be of good quality, and there's no features which would stab you if working out. Unfortunately, because of the sizing issue, while I can wear it around the house, I can't really put it through its paces as an exercise bra, as it's not encapsulating all of my tissue by any means.
Edit: After wearing this for a little while, I've decided it's just too snug in the cups to be comfortable. This isn't really a fault of the bra, as I'm several sizes larger than it was designed for. Read more 252 more words
Besides too small cups, as usual the underwires are too wide for me. Despite that, it seems fairly comfortable although it gives me wicked torpedo boob. Also, Freya calls this "nude" but I would say it is band-aid colored. It's not the prettiest bra for sure (spoiled by the Panache, again) but I'd be ok with that if it worked for me.
It is more open on top than the Panache Sports bra, which doesn't suit me as I have tissue nearly up to the collarbone and that leaves me with too much jiggle when I run. Nice firm band that is comfortably wide and I liked that it isn't as warm as the Panache but unfortunately, I don't think it is compatible with my shape.
Check out Lynx Sportswear. You and I are about the same size, and it's the only sports bra I've found that works and fits properly.
BumbleBean Thanks for the rec! I think it was you who mentioned Lynx in an earlier post? I've actually been in touch with them about being a tester since I'm sized out according to their charts. Looks like that 4Z fits you really well though - definitely am tempted to try it!
Very high quality materials, well made. Seems to run big compared to Shock Absorbers of the same size. So, likely the Freya is just more true to size because Shock Absorber are typically a whole cup and band size too small. 4 by 4 hooks gives you a lot of leeway for cycle related weight fluctuation and extra security.
The wires are very wide. The cup doesn't have much room in the the bottom, might be good for FOT types. The stock photos do a good job illustrating the pointy shape this bra gives. I have a 26.5" underbust and fastened this on the second column of hooks right away, I could probably even go a column tighter. Other 30F sports bras barely let me breathe on the loosest hooks.
Apparently I have narrow roots because there was at least an inch of empty cup on the sides.
The tightness of the band is okay, but the gore doesn't tack for me because the cups are too far apart at the bottom, so they rest on breast tissue. The wires are super wide so I have about an inch of empty fabric on the outsides of the cup. Bending the wires to curve with my ribcage helped it fit better. I don't fill out the top of the cup usually, though it's much worse on my smaller boob. When I'm retaining water, I fill out the cup pretty well on my larger side but still not very well on my smaller side. I would be able to fill the cups if I converted the straps into a racerback, but the wires are still an issue.
Alright, so silly me sent the bra back before properly measuring it. I do remember I measured the cup width, so that one is correct. Bratabase wouldn't let me leave the wire length blank so I filled in in - note that I just guessed at it, so it would be best to disregard it.
Band length - my underbust measures 28 break the tape tight, and 31 relaxed but snug. The 30 band was pretty much the perfect length. I always wore an extender with my 30 band freya active underwired sports bras - the non moulded ones - but I didn't need to with this bra. ...It definitely wasn't loose at all, or very stretchy.
I sent it back because it was too large on me. I sometimes need a 30G in bras with too wide wires because so much of the cup is taken by not-boob at the sides, but I should have gotten a 30FF in this one. I jiggled a little bit within the bra, and I think it was because it was too big. If I got the right size, I think the support would be good. Read more 86 more words
The underwires were just too wide for the band. the cup width takes up 2/3 of the total band length. When I first got it it was completely unwearable until I figured out to bend the underwires into a more human shape than triangle. The underwire is very stiff so I never managed to really get it bent enough. The band is too large for me so my boobs fall into the gore. I can't exercise comfortably in it at all.
I love how comfortable this bra is! It has become my daily bra. The material is supportive, and I like the lift that it gives me. The only bummer about this bra is the seaming. Although I like the support and shape the seams provide, they frequently show through clothing, which is a definite con for me.
The band is SUPER snug. If your ribcage expands a lot during intense exercise, go up a band size or two. I had to wear an extender with it so that I could breathe while running! It also gives a very pointy shape, but this didn't matter to me because how my breasts look isn't a concern while working out. If this is something you don't want, I would try a different sports bra.
I've just recently starting wearing 30 band size bras (previously wore 34C), so I am still experimenting with my size.
Goodness, this bra fits tight, but I do measure a 31 under bust. The band doesn't stretch much at all. I cannot tie form the back, but what I do is tie it in front (cups in the back) then rotate it so it's proper. I might wear a bra extender next time, but despite that, I'm happy with the 30 band.
I feel very supported with this bra, and my breasts don't bounce at all when I go running/jogging. Like I said, the band is tight, but it feels tight in a good way.
The bra seems to give a pointy shape, but I'm not too bothered by it.
I would normally wear a 32JJ in this brand, but this size was unavailable and I am still losing weight. The 30K is definitely too small for my ribcage, especially since the band is quite firm. It is difficult to fasten with an extender, but almost immediately after scooping I have to ease it closed another hook or two.
The wires on this bra are incredibly wide. They easily stretch an inch behind even the breast tissue under my arm. The cups themselves are fairly shallow, so the center gore only touches my sternum when I am standing up very straight. That said, the bra is actually quite comfortable to wear and gives a better shape on me than most of the regular bras I've tried from Panache.
I have not yet worn this to work out, but a simple bounce test suggests that the bra should do its job. The construction is very sturdy and functional, so it's not the prettiest, but it seems like it'll keep things where they need to be.
Feels nice, the best sports bra I own. I got it in a sister size (36E instead of 34F) mostly because it felt okay and Nordstrom Rack didn't have a 34F to try on. It seems like the band in this bra is tight, though, so it was probably a good move. Tight bands don't make my asthmatic lungs feel very nice during cardio.
The true test will be when I actually wear it to the gym, which I haven't done yet.
I used to layer two regular "D" sports bras, and my boobies still flopped and hurt. I now have no excuse, because the girls are CONTAINED, although it's not the prettiest thing lol! I have to have my husband help me hook this, but once it's on it feels nice and snug but not too tight. The gore is too high, but it's not uncomfortable. The gore also doesn't tack, but I heard in sports bras that it's not really supposed to/doesn't have to. I jumped up and down for a while and they barely moved! There was no pain! Now the problem is I have no excuse not to exercise.. damnit.
I bought this bra for aquafit classes. It does a good job at reducing bounce but the body is a bit long for my short torso and tends to sag at the bum when I get out of the pool - Nice! The damson colour has faded quite badly. I have had this experience with other similar coloured costumes so I imagine other colours might be more fast.
Check out Lynx Sportswear. You and I are about the same size, and it's the only sports bra I've found that works and fits properly.