Our test basket rarely makes room for a $4.18 T-shirt, and when it does the question is never "is it good" but "which of the eight variants is worth shipping". The Lee black baseball-print crew (SKU 7718774990) is listed at $4.18 against a $4.89 original, in sizes S through 5XL, in a 250g heavy-cotton build and a 200g lighter one, each in black or white, with the cartoon baseball print either across the front or small on the chest. We ordered and tested four variants in size L, split across two agent orders so the handoff could be compared at the same time.
Why opacity became the test that mattered
The only quality signal attached to this product cluster is a familiar complaint: buyers of Lee and comparable streetwear graphic tees describing cotton that reads thin and see-through. That is a category report, not a finding about this listing, so we treated it as a hypothesis rather than a fact, and built the bench session around a light box: a 1,000-lux LED panel behind the fabric, photographed from a fixed 40 cm, with a hand held behind the panel as a reference silhouette.
Light-box readings, size L
| Variant | Garment weight | Show-through | Hand silhouette | Print edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250g black, front print | 236 g | None at 1,000 lux | Not visible | Sharp |
| 250g white, chest print | 231 g | Slight glow at the shoulder seam | Faint | Sharp |
| 200g black, front print | 188 g | Slight at the hem edge | Faint at the hem only | Sharp |
| 200g white, chest print | 179 g | Clear across the chest panel | Clearly visible | Sharp |
The 48 g gap between the two black builds is the difference between a tee we would wear to a shop and one we would layer. Black dye carries a lot of the result: the 200g black beat the 250g white on silhouette, which is why the weight badge alone is not a purchase rule.
Flat measurements against a chart that is not published
The listing states a loose fit and a 1 cm tolerance but prints no garment numbers, and there are no buyer fit reports for this listing. We asked both agent desks for flat chest and length figures in size L before the orders locked, then taped the parcels on arrival.
| Measure | Agent-supplied chart | Our tape (250g black, L) | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest, flat | 56.0 cm | 55.5 cm | −0.5 cm |
| Body length | 71.0 cm | 70.5 cm | −0.5 cm |
| Shoulder | 48.0 cm | 47.5 cm | −0.5 cm |
| Sleeve | 21.0 cm | 20.5 cm | −0.5 cm |
Everything landed inside the stated tolerance, consistently short by half a centimetre. That consistency is more useful than the number itself: if the pattern is systematic, sizing up is a predictable decision rather than a gamble.
Print registration and the two placements
The front print measured roughly 24 cm at its widest point and sat 6 cm below the collar rib, centred. The chest version measured roughly 11 cm and sat 9 cm below the rib, offset 1.5 cm to the wearer's left. Registration was clean on all four units, with no ink bleed into the black ground and no bridging between the lettering and the character outline. On the 200g white the print sits on the thinnest ground of the four, so any cracking risk concentrates there.
Two desks, two parcels, one scripted question
We put the same written request to both agent desks at the same hour on the same day: a backlit photograph of the item before it left the warehouse. One desk returned a backlit frame with the item still bagged, which was not useful for opacity; the other returned the tee flat on a table under normal light. Neither produced the specific shot requested. Both eventually supplied a usable frame after a follow-up.
The parcels themselves behaved well: two 250g tees travelled at 512 g including mailer, two 200g tees at 428 g. Both sit comfortably under the first weight band, so this is not a line where consolidation changes the shipping arithmetic.
What we still cannot confirm
- Opacity after washing. Our readings are dry, first-wear readings. A 200g white cotton can shift after a few cycles and we have not run that sequence yet.
- Print durability. Rubberised cartoon prints on light cotton are the usual first failure point, and two days of handling tells us nothing.
- Brand-side service. Reviewers on Lee's own European store describe slow replies and queries left unresolved, and nothing in our agent-mediated order tests that path.
Treatment note for anyone repeating this: shoot the fabric dry, unwashed and flat against the panel. A tee held up in a bag against a window is a lighting demo, not a measurement.
The product is inexpensive enough that the real risk is not the money but the variant choice. The 250g black front print is the configuration our bench data supports; the 200g white is the one that needs a conversation with your agent before it ships.