Look, everyone already knows AS Colour makes great tees. That's not a hot take. But they're not the only option out there, and if you've never looked past them, you might be surprised by what else is available. This is our honest rundown of every blank tee we carry — what they feel like, how they fit, what makes each one worth your time.
No rankings. Just reviews.
Our views are our own.
1. UCT280 Urban Collab Adult 280gsm Club Tee
280 g/m² | 100% Single Jersey Knit Cotton | Drop Shoulder / Short Block Fit | XS–5XL
Pick this up and you immediately notice the weight. 280 g/m² is genuinely heavy for a t-shirt — this thing has substance. Most tees you've worn in your life are probably sitting somewhere between 150 and 200 g/m². The UCT280 is a different animal.
The fit is a drop shoulder with a short block cut, which means the shoulder seam sits further down your arm than a normal tee, and the body is slightly cropped. It gives the shirt that oversized streetwear look without actually being a size too big. It just sits right. On a hanger it looks like something from a boutique. On a body it looks intentional.
The 100% single jersey cotton is smooth and consistent at this weight. It holds its shape through washing in a way that lighter tees just don't — nothing goes limp or boxy. XS through 5XL, which is a wider size range than you'd expect for a fashion-forward cut.
If you're after a tee that feels premium before you've even put it on, start here.
2. American Apparel 9001 Super Heavyweight T-Shirt
300 g/m² | 80% Ring-Spun Cotton / 20% Polyester | Oversized Fit | S–3XL
The heaviest tee on this list. American Apparel calls it the Super Heavyweight and that's accurate — 300 g/m² is about as heavy as a t-shirt gets. The yarn count is 12 singles, which means thick yarn, dense fabric, serious weight.
The 80/20 cotton-polyester blend is interesting. At this weight you might expect pure cotton, but the polyester keeps the fabric from losing its shape over time. It also makes it slightly more stable under heat, which matters if you're printing on it. The result feels sturdier than you'd expect even from something this heavy.
Wide 2×2 ribbed collar — noticeably wider than a standard collar, gives it an almost athletic look. Rolled forward drop shoulder. Side seams. OEKO-TEX certified dyes. Available in ten colours: White, Black, Bone, Brown, Burgundy, Gravel, Lieutenant, Rust, Sea Blue, and Smokey Violet. That palette is earthy and considered — nothing garish, nothing boring.
The 9001 is the kind of tee you put on and feel like you're wearing something. Not just a shirt.
3. Cloke Outline Tee
185 g/m² | 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton | Fashion Fit | S–3XL, 5XL, 7XL
Cloke is a New Zealand brand, and the Outline Tee is their everyday option. At 185 g/m² it's a proper mid-weight — not trying to be a streetwear heavyweight, just a really well-made tee that does what a tee is supposed to do.
The fabric is combed ring-spun cotton, which is the good stuff. Combed means the short rough fibres have been removed before spinning. Ring-spun means what's left gets twisted into a tighter, stronger yarn. It's softer than standard cotton, more durable, and it stays that way. Pre-shrunk and anti-pill treated, so the fit and feel you get on day one is the fit and feel you keep.
Side seams stop it from twisting in the wash, shoulder-to-shoulder tape reinforces the neck, twin-needle stitching on the body and sleeve hems, tear-away label. Everything done properly.
The fashion fit is slightly more tailored than a classic cut — follows the body a little more without being fitted. Works well on most people. And the size range goes all the way to 7XL, which is genuinely rare at this quality level.
A solid tee. No gimmicks, no fuss. Just good fabric and good construction.
4. Gildan 65000 Softstyle Adult Midweight T-Shirt
180 g/m² | 100% Ring-Spun Cotton | Modern Classic Fit | S–5XL
Gildan built the 65000 specifically for printing. The high-stitch-density fabric creates a smoother, tighter surface than a standard jersey knit, which means sharper results — especially for DTG (direct-to-garment). If you're buying blank tees to print on, this is worth paying attention to.
That said, it's also just a good tee to wear for everyday use. 100% ring-spun cotton at 180 g/m², modern classic fit that sits slightly slimmer than a traditional Gildan cut. Tubular (seamless) body. Taped neck and shoulders. Recycled tear-away label. Runs S–5XL with a good colour range.
It's not the most exciting tee on the list. But it's consistent, it's comfortable, and it delivers on what it promises. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.
5. American Apparel 2001CVC Unisex CVC Short Sleeve T-Shirt
156 g/m² | 60% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton / 40% Recycled Polyester | Relaxed Fit | XS–3XL
The lightest tee on this list, and the one with the strongest sustainability story. CVC stands for Chief Value Cotton — a blend where cotton makes up the majority (60%), with recycled polyester filling the rest. That recycled polyester is made from diverted plastic waste, not just a cost-saving filler. OEKO-TEX certified dyes. Better Cotton member. American Apparel has put genuine thought into this one.
The 60/40 blend produces a fabric that's incredibly soft and light. The CVC process also creates a subtle heather effect on most colours — that slightly muted, textured look that makes solid colours feel less flat and more considered. Black and White stay solid. Everything else gets that quiet depth.
At 156 g/m² it breathes easily and layers well. The relaxed fit works across body types, and the combed ring-spun cotton means it softens even further with washing. Non-topstitched rib collar, taped neck and shoulders, side seams, tear-away label.
If softness and sustainability matter to you more than weight, this is the one.
6. UCT180 Urban Collab Set Adult Tee
180 g/m² | 100% Combed Cotton Single Jersey Knit | Classic Fit | XS–5XL
The UCT180 is the everyday version of the UCT280 — same brand, same commitment to quality, mid-weight rather than super-heavy. At 180 g/m² it's a comfortable, familiar weight for a tee. Not trying to be a statement piece. Just trying to be a great daily wear.
What makes it stand out is the range. Over 20 colours — Blue Dusk, Caribbean Blue, Copper, Dusty Rose, Heather Slate, Military Green, Stone Blue, Smoke, Tan, Pitch Black, and more — across XS through 5XL. That kind of breadth is unusual at this price point and quality level. If you've ever wanted a specific colour and been told it doesn't exist in your size, the UCT180 is worth checking.
The combed cotton single jersey is smooth and consistent — better than your average open-end cotton tee, though not quite as refined as combed ring-spun. Side seams, shoulder-to-shoulder tape, double-needle hems. The body is cut slightly longer than a standard tee, which is a small detail that makes a real difference for taller people or anyone who hates a tee that rides up.
Heather Dark Grey is 60% cotton / 40% polyester. Heather Grey is 95% cotton / 5% viscose.
A reliable, versatile mid-weight with an exceptional colour range. Hard to go wrong with this one.
7. Gildan 75000 Hammer Heavyweight Adult T-Shirt
237 g/m² | 100% Ring-Spun Cotton | Boxy Oversized Fit | S–3XL
The Hammer is Gildan's take on the heavyweight streetwear tee, and it's a good one. At 237 g/m² it's comfortably in heavyweight territory — not as extreme as the UCT280 or the AA 9001, but noticeably more substantial than your average mid-weight.
The boxy oversized fit with rolled forward drop shoulder gives it the same intentional, streetwear-ready silhouette as the UCT280, just at a lower weight and price point. Wide rib collar. Side seams. Taped neck and shoulders. Recycled tear-away label. Made with OEKO-TEX certified dyes and Better Cotton.
Colours: Blue Dusk, Cherry Red, Dark Chocolate, Deep Royal, Forest, Garnet, Pitch Black, Tan, White. A tighter palette than some of the others here, but well chosen.
If you love the look of an oversized heavyweight tee but don't want to spend top dollar, the Hammer delivers. Ring-spun cotton rather than combed ring-spun, so it's not quite as refined in hand feel as the Cloke tees — but at this weight and price, that's a reasonable trade-off.
8. Comfort Colors 1717 Adult Heavyweight T-Shirt
207 g/m² | 100% Ring-Spun Cotton | Classic Fit | S–3XL
The 1717 is the one people come back for. Not because it has the highest spec on paper, but because it has something that spec sheets can't fully capture — it feels like it's already been worn a hundred times, from day one. That's garment dyeing. The shirt is sewn together first, then dyed as a finished garment. The dye goes into the fibre rather than coating it, which gives it an immediate softness and a depth of colour that no standard piece-dyed tee can replicate.
At 207 g/m² it's a proper heavyweight. Ring-spun cotton at yarn count 22/1 — tight twist, holds its shape, doesn't pill. Soft-washed garment-dyed fabric. Double needle everywhere — collar, armholes, sleeves, bottom hem. Twill taped neck and shoulders. Twill label (softer than a printed or woven label and doesn't scratch). The construction is thorough.
But honestly, the colour range is what makes this tee. Over 30 options. Not just black, white, and navy — Hemp, Brick, Watermelon, Sage, Grape, Violet, Seafoam, Ivory, Mustard, Blue Jean, Pepper, Khaki, Midnight, Terracotta. These are colours that feel chosen, not generated. The kind of palette where you find exactly what you were looking for, and a few things you didn't know you wanted.
It wears beautifully, it washes beautifully, and the colour deepens slightly over time rather than fading flat. People don't throw the 1717 away. They wear it until it's genuinely done.
9. Cloke Edit Tee
220 g/m² | 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton | Slightly Relaxed Fit | S–3XL, 5XL
If the 1717 wins on feel and colour, the Edit Tee wins on fabric. 220 g/m² of combed ring-spun cotton — the heaviest pure combed ring-spun tee on this list. That combination matters. Combed means the short rough fibres are out. Ring-spun means what's left is twisted into tight, strong yarn. At 220gsm, the result is dense, smooth, and noticeably premium in the hand. Pre-shrunk, anti-pill, and tight-knit.
Side seams, shoulder-to-shoulder tape, twin-needle stitching on body and sleeve hems, tear-away label. The slightly relaxed fit flatters most body types without going boxy.
Cloke describes it as "a tee so full of Cloke Comfort they often get borrowed by significant others." That's a bold claim. It's also accurate. This is the tee that disappears from your wardrobe into someone else's, and you don't get it back because they're not wrong to keep it.
10. American Apparel 1301GD Unisex Faded Heavyweight Cotton T
203 g/m² | 100% US Cotton | Relaxed Fit | S–3XL
The 1301GD is the 1301 — American Apparel's proven heavyweight — put through a garment-dye process specifically designed to create a faded, vintage look. Same 203 g/m² US cotton. Same shoulder-to-shoulder taping and recycled tear-away label. Different identity entirely.
Six colourways: Faded Army, Faded Black, Faded Brown, Faded Cream, Faded Mustard, Faded Navy. These are intentionally uneven — the dye sits differently across the garment, creating natural variation that looks like a tee that's been through years of wear. The seamless (tubular) body adds to that relaxed, unstructured feel. Wide rib collar. Almost no shrinkage at home, because the garment-dyeing process has already done that work.
This tee has a built-in personality. It doesn't arrive as a blank slate — it arrives looking like something. If you usually have to wait six months for a tee to look the way you want it to look, the 1301GD skips that entirely.
It's a specific aesthetic. Not everyone wants it. But if you do, nothing else on this list comes close to it.
All tees available at basically.co.nz.
Our views are our own.
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