I started using Bluffworks clothing about 18 months ago and they have become daily drivers for me ever since. Their chinos have become my favorite pants, their suit is just amazing for anytime (but especially when you have to pack tight), and their jeans, dress shirt, and t-shirt have all hit the mark with me.
Review of the Bluffworks Piton Polo Shirt
Disclaimer: Bluffworks provided me with my choice of the Piton Polo for review. They did not pay me for the review nor did they see this review before it was posted. I will actually be buying additional Piton Polos myself because they are just that great.
Link: Bluffworks Piton Polo Shirt – $68 (this is an affiliate link that supports the site should you purchase through it – thanks for the support!)
TL:DR: Let me sum it up – the Bluffworks Piton Polo is about to replace the Under Armour polos that have been my go-to in that department for the last dozen years. The Piton Polo follows the rest of the Bluffworks family in working great for travel and everyday use and may just be one of the best values from them yet.
My Polo Situation
The one piece of clothing that I have been waiting for was a polo shirt. See, I wear polo shirts about 200 days out of the year. While I love their Meridian dress shirt and wear them pretty frequently, I am outside a lot and the weather for 4-5 months of the year can be over 90 degrees with some pretty good humidity. For me, polo shirts are a must.
For the last 12 years, that polo shirt need has been filled with Under Armour polos – and I always love them. They are lightweight, they keep me cool, and their are a bunch of colors and designs (plus, I always get them at huge discounts through their outlet and stacking deals). Still, with what I knew about Bluffworks, I knew that a polo from them would be something that would be an instant wear with me.
Under Armour Compared to Bluffworks Piton Polo
Bluffworks summed up this comparison (without using names) perfectly in their description of the Piton Polo – “Newer athletic polo shirts skewed too far in the technical direction with fabrics that were shiny and slippery, and oversized logos never appealed to me. Ours is a technical polo shirt with moisture-wicking, quick-drying, wrinkle-resistant abilities – without sacrificing aesthetics, thanks to the refined pique knit fabric and classic silhouette.”
Yep – nailed it!
Review of the Bluffworks Piton Polo Shirt
In May, they finally released a polo shirt, their Piton Polo, in 3 colors. I went with the Spun Grey for starters, though they also have them in Sky Blue and Classic Navy Blue.
When I first felt the Piton Polo, I actually wasn’t sure what to think about it. I have become so used to the Under Armour material for their polos that the Piton Polo felt a little bit more coarse (I think would be the best word). This made me wonder for a moment if my most anticipated Bluffworks product was going to be the first Bluffworks product I wasn’t a total fan of.
The Bluffworks Piton Polo in Fit, Form, and Comfort
However, once I started wearing it, didn’t feel coarse at all. It is simply just a different material feel than I was used to. It was actually very comfortable and fit very nicely.
When Bluffworks said it breathes, that is definitely true. I wore it on several days when I was outside in 90+ degree weather with high humidity and it kept me very cool and it even felt like it was not there. Again, I am used to the Under Armour quality of polos so I often don’t feel too hot in them but the Bluffworks Piton Polo actually took the comfort level up a notch, compared to Under Armour.
If you follow the sizing chart, you will find that the fit of the Piton Polo is excellent! I never had an Under Armour polo have the fit that the Piton Polo has (for reference, I was told that the size I wear with the Bluffworks T-shirt would be the same for the Piton Polo and that worked great). Not only does it fit great but the form of the shirt really holds up. I am used to the Under Armour polos losing some form after some wear but not so with the Piton Polo!
Another thing I liked about the Piton Polo was the button structure. It allows for any number of buttons to be left undone and not have the shoulder sections sag off. With other polos, I found that going down a couple of buttons caused the collar to fall out too far which made the shoulders do the same. This doesn’t happen with the Piton Polo.
The Bluffworks Piton Polo for Travel
Ok, so of course we have to hit the travel perspective. I tried a few things with the Piton Polo to see how well it would hold up. First, I washed it and hung it to dry to see how fast it dried. In just a couple of hours, it was good to go. That works nicely if you need to make a quick wash job during a trip.
Another thing was stains. I dripped some sauce on it (I mean, come on, if we travel, we are going to eat some good food!) while trying an incredible sandwich. This was actually the thing I was a little nervous about with such a light colored shirt but I was able to get it out with some water and a cloth and it looks pretty good – before even hitting the washing machine.
I mentioned I wore this shirt on multiple hot days. Well, I did that without washing it in between to test an important factor of odor. I was walking a ton on those days and sweating yet the shirt never took on any bad odors (and I wasn’t the only one doing the sniff-test!).
Finally, I tried out the wrinkle-free claim. I had an overnight trip and I love traveling as light as possible (since I started wearing Bluffworks clothes, that has become much easier!). I basically had a small sling bag for my tablet, camera, and clothes. So, yeah, the polo was just stuffed in there.
In this area, there were more wrinkles than I am used to with a Bluffworks product. It wasn’t like bad and they wore away pretty quick. I’m not sure if it is that the color is solid so no patterns to hide them or what. Still, the few amount of wrinkles there were not horrible and still it worked well.
Bluffworks used these words to describe the Piton Polo – “elegant, yet rugged.” I think those words are perfect for describing the Piton Polo and my experience with it.
Summary of the Bluffworks Piton Polo
At $68 per shirt, that is in the ballpark of polos from Under Armour and others if not a little higher than those average prices. Even though I own some $89 Under Armour polos, I never spent that much. I always used deals to get them for around 1/4 of the retail price.
So, for a deal-hunter like me, it is harder to spend that amount on a polo shirt. But, this is the way I look at it – all the Bluffworks stuff I have has held incredibly well with a ton of wear. While UA polos hold up pretty well also, their clothes loose their form after about a year of regular use. With Bluffworks, this is a $68 purchase that should last most people a very long time – while ticking the right boxes in travel and comfort.
My only regret? That there are only 3 colors (right now). I am looking forward to additional colors in the future and they will wind up in my closet and suitcase as well.
Bluffworks has done it – they have made my daily driver of Under Armour apparel become more of an unused apparel item in the closet. Now if we can just get them to make some running clothes… 🙂
Check out the Amazon polo shirts, which cost $12 and are identical to the ones I (used to) pay much more for.
Thanks for the recommendation! I have actually never bought Amazon clothes before but will definitely try it out! I went with UA, originally, because I could get them for about the same/less than many department store brands and they lasted longer. Over time, I realized how important that “lasted longer” part of the equation was!