Gildan vs Next Level Apparel: which hoodie wins?
Both land in the budget tier — the Gildan Heavy Blend Hooded Sweatshirt at $16, the Next Level Apparel PCH Pullover Hoodie at $24, just $8 apart. Here's how they stack up, head to head.
| Gildan | Next Level Apparel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $16 | $24 |
| Material | 50/50 cotton/polyester fleece, ~8oz. | Cotton/polyester peached fleece, ~8oz, soft brushed interior. |
| Fit | Boxy and roomy, runs large; shrinks toward true after a hot wash. | Trim modern fit, runs slim; size up for a relaxed look. |
| Quality | Functional blank quality — warm and opaque, but the fleece pills and the cuffs lose stretch over time. | Budget-plus — soft hand and clean cut, but the mid-weight fleece pills and hardware is basic. |
| Best for | Layering, around-the-house warmth, printing on, and a hoodie you won't baby. | Printing on, a soft slim blank, and a current-cut hoodie cheaply. |
| Care | Wash cold and tumble low to limit the shrink and pilling the blend is prone to. | Cold wash inside-out and tumble low to preserve the peached softness. |
Two ~8oz blank-apparel hoodies eight dollars apart. The $16 Gildan Heavy Blend is the commodity option — warm, opaque, boxy and prone to pilling — while the $24 Next Level PCH keeps the same weight class and adds a peached soft hand and a trim modern cut.
- The case for Gildan
- Under $20 for genuinely warm, opaque 50/50 fleece is the entire argument — reviewers treat it as exactly as disposable as the price implies, which for printing runs and rough use is the point.
- The case for Next Level Apparel
- A noticeably softer peached interior and a current slim cut that reviewers rate above the cheapest blanks — the extra $8 buys hand and fit, not durability, since it pills and its hardware is basic too.
The bottom lineWhich should you buy?
Neither hoodie escapes pilling or basic construction, so the $8 question is purely fit and feel. Buy the Gildan for bulk printing, layering and around-the-house warmth where boxy is fine — just know it runs large and shrinks toward true after a hot wash, and its cuffs lose stretch over time. Buy the PCH when the hoodie will actually be seen: the peached fleece feels better and the trim cut reads current, though it runs slim, so size up if you want a relaxed look. Ordering blanks on cost, take Gildan; dressing a person who cares, the PCH is $8 well spent.
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