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Saturday, December 26, 2020

rabbit EZ Tee Collection Apparel Review


Rabbit has been delivering some very comfortable and durable apparel for a while now. The EZ Tee SS (short sleeve) and LS (long sleeve) are no different and utilize their comfortable polyester and spandex hybrid material for a shirt that is comfortable for nearly any effort. As in the title though, this is for those easy day efforts, and for when you also want to look good doing your thing.

If you haven't heard of rabbit before, here are a couple things that define their company. They are a women-founded company that puts an emphasis on sustainable and ethical manufacturing. Based out of Santa Barbara, CA, they do all their manufacturing and product development within the state of California, keeping tabs on each step of production.


Rabbit EZ Tee Collection Review
By Senior Contributors Nathan Brown and David Salas



Rabbit EZ Tee Short Sleeve
Material: 94% polyester, 6% spandex
Price: $48 at Running Warehouse: Shop Men | Shop Women

David Salas, Senior Contributor: The rabbit EZ Tee SS is made of their incredibly soft and comfortable material in an aesthetically pleasing heather design. The shirt is best on easy days in temperate environments, but can be used as a workout top in slightly colder conditions. The shirt is a pleasing addition to any clothing rotation.

The fit of the EZ Tee SS is relatively form fitting with having still a little room to play with. The dimensions are really well constructed along the sleeves and contours from the armpits through the torso. Everything is held together nicely with no major amounts of rubbing or swaying. In my normal men's medium the length of both the shirt and sleeves are really well placed. This shirt should fit nearly any one nicely since it is sized well and still expandable and stretchy if it really needs to be. Very impressive fit. 

The rabbit EZ Tee SS is a nice blend of breathable and warm. It's breathable enough to run on warmer days, but still structured and warm enough for some colder days as well. In warmer climates above 90 degrees the shirt might begin to feel like a little much, but is still doable. The sweetspot on temperature here is probably 70 to 80's, but can still run well in the 60's. I've done some speed workouts with it slightly colder than that in the mid 50's ok, but after a warm up of course! Breathability lies in the middle. It isn't nearly as airy as some of the running shoes on the market, but makes up for it with comfort and versatility in usage across varying temperatures.




From a pure comfort standpoint the material of the rabbit EZ Tee SS is pretty hard to beat. It is incredibly soft and adaptable and a pleasure to have on. The material does however run a tad thicker than some of the other performance shirts on the market. Because of this it will have a tendency to hold a little more moisture than some of the more airy competitors. For those controlled efforts where you are not going to be sweating profusely anyways, this is an incredibly comfortable piece of apparel. If you are in a hot/humid climate and doing an effort that will cause a lot of sweat, perhaps you might look for something a little more thin and airy. This isn't to say it does a bad job of wicking moisture, it actually does a great job. It's just a little thicker and warmer than some of the other running shirts out there.

One of my biggest things with apparel purchases is durability. rabbit does an excellent job with durability. I wear this shirt through high mileage every single week and it goes through the wash countless numbers of times. It is still just as comfortable as the day I got it and has no signs of wear anywhere including the logo. The construction is done very well and it will last you a lot of miles (and maybe some casual wear too...).

Summary: The rabbit EZ Tee SS is a short sleeve running shirt for someone looking for a luxuriously soft and comfortable shirt to log miles in. The shirt is a tad thicker than some of the other running shirts on the market, but is aimed at those easy days when you don't look at the watch. Proportionally the shirt is constructed very well and is also very durable. This is a shirt that could find a spot in anyone's rotation for easy days and long runs.

Positives: Dimensions are perfect throughout, incredible softness for the price and durable material
Negatives: A bit warm in hot, humidweather. less moisture wicking than other running apparel



Rabbit EZ Tee Long Sleeve
Material: 94% polyester, 6% spandex
Price: $50 at Running Warehouse: Shop Men | Shop Women

Nathan Brown, Senior Contributor: The EZ Tee LS may be the most comfortable shirt to touch my skin. My wife touched it for the first time and said "Wow, this feels better than my own skin". Don't tell her, but I got her one from Christmas this year (don't worry, she doesn't read my reviews - hah). The EZ Tee LS is a thin, comfortable shirt that avoids irritating the skin and can serve as a good base layer in the winter and fly solo in the fall/spring here in Wisconsin. 

For almost every shirt I wear, I am a size medium top, partially due to my slightly broader shoulders. For test, I was sent a size small and it fit perfectly. Thanks to the 6% of spandex material it molds really well over the shoulders and chest while remaining looser, given some room to play with. While running, there are no areas of irritation or rubbing in the armpits, chest, or on any of the seams of the shirt. Sleeve length, when pulled all the way down would hit the middle of my palm, but would sit nicely at the crease of the wrist. Length-wise it easily covered the waist line and was not too long. Again, this shirt fit me perfectly.

I was sent this shirt for test in late fall in Wisconsin, and tested it alongside the rabbit super sleeve. Between the two, this is certainly the lighter weight option and was best in the earlier fall temperatures and I assume will also thrive in spring as well. Obviously temperature is a tricky thing as everyone gets accustomed to their climate, but here was my testing experience. For anything 30 degrees F and above, I would rock this thing solo. Anything below that I would use as a base layer, particularly on the overcast days and more humid days. That said, this shirt functions really well as a base layer given how soft the material is and that it does not irritate the colder, more firm skin.

The EZ Tee LZ costs $50. If you spend $50 on a shirt, you will want it to really last. So far so good. There are simple washing instructions (meaning you don't have to do anything crazy to take care of it -- just cold wash and tumble dry low) and it hasn't changed at all over the number of washes I've put it through so far.

I don't have any recommendations to make for this shirt in terms of comfort/performance. It's fantastic for comfort (even just daily use), fits well, and avoids irritation on the skin. For the consumer, just make sure you check sizing. If I didn't know better, I would have bought a medium and it likely would have been too large.

Summary: For someone looking for a long sleeve shirt to handle those seasonal transitions with high end comfort, this is a great option. Shirts that run in the $50 realm should be able to give you the value out of that purchase, and all signs point to this shirt being able to deliver. It doesn't have any special warming tech, but just is a shirt packaged with high end materials and top tier comfort. 

Positives: Great fit throughout, feels soft and comfortable on skin
Negatives: None for me!

 


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Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your
local running physical therapist. If you are in the Los Angeles area, I am currently taking clients for running evaluations.

***Disclaimer: These apparel items were provided free of charge in exchange for a review.  We thank the  people at rabbit for sending them to us.  This in no way affected the honesty of this review. We put at least 40-50 miles on clothing prior to reviewing them. Currently we have 80 miles (David) and 42 miles (Nathan) in our clothing. Our views are based on our extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear or apparel rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.


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