I searched on the forum but didn't see any reviews . . . so:


A defuzz-it.

Anyone use one of these to restore their fleece garments? It looks like an anti-pilling device but I'm not sure it works.

My wife said that she used to have a battery-operated thing that cut the fuzzballs off her sweaters (like Angora wool), but that isn't what I'm looking for. (You'd end up with less material to keep you warm.)

And it looks like there's a razor in this thing, too, so it may not be the answer to fleece-pilling.

I'm looking for something to fluff up the fleece, remove the 'pills,' give it some loft, return it to its original condition. Will this work, or do you know of something else that will?

Or am I just dreaming?

Why do I need that? A regular razor works better, or so it would seem. Is there a hidden benefit to this uni-tasker that I'm not getting?

Ronco used to sell a de-pill electric razor thing years ago. Watch TV and maybe the ad will come up again.
This looks like the Ronco thing I remember:
http://www.amazon.com/Formerly-Izumi-Seiko-S-Yard-KT11C/dp/B000E1FGHW

What I'm not looking for is a razor, something that removes tangled or pilled fiber, rather something that untangles the fibers, creating loft.

The only thing I can think of is something like my friends way, way back in high school had to increase the volume of their afros and that was called a pick.

Would a small version of that unknot the polyester fibers, create loft and restore insulation, or again, am I just dreaming?

Oh...I never knew those pills were "untanglable". I started to suggest a curry comb (those afro combs) but their too big.

So, how about:
1) a nit comb for removing lice (walmart).
2) run your carpet sweeper over the garment and see if the power brush has any effect.
3) wire brush?

I'm driven to solve this problem for you, Kevon.

paul:

I'm thinking about hitting Petsmart and seeing if they have some smallish dog brush that might work. If I do, I'll post a video if successful with my lofty idea(l).

Whan my fleece gets balls, I just leave them be. It is a sign of poor quality fleece. I really do not see how combing them out will really help much. I suspect that once combed out they will re-ball shortly. Be more aware of fleece type the next time you purchase gear. I have never had cheap fleece work out well. In addition the cheap fleece seems to breath poorly and I sweat a lot in it.

Good point. I think I've always assumed that fleece is fleece is fleece.

For what brands should I be looking?

I prefer Polertech. The high end outdoor manufacturers use this. There is also WindPro- not very breathable but wind resistent. Patagonia has is own "pripritory" fleece. Most clothing from regular stores (such as JC Penny) will just say "fleece" 100% polyester. It can be of greatly varying thickness or quality. If you go to fabric stores they have different brands such as "Polar" fleece. The higher quality fleece for fashion clothing is made to be pill-resistent. Not that it is necessarily warmer or breaths better, but does not pill. When you buy generic fleece it is hit and miss as to quality. Some actually works out fine, others not. And athletic gear makers also will call the old fashioned cotton sweatshirt "fleece".

There is new fancy high-tech fabrics coming out every year and different fleece brand names. If you read reviews, things like pilling and breathability usually are cited in the reviews. Actual warmth is a more subjective issue. It is my preference to buy a brand name high quality item, on sale, rather than an originally cheap item. You are better off sticking with clothing made for outdoor use, not fashion stuff.

Duct tape will take some of it off....:)

You won't find anything that won't remove the fuzzballs--they'll be gone altogether. Unless this is an item you wear around town and want to look neat, I wouldn't bother. Under a shell or windshirt, the fuzzballs will provide a tiny amount of dead air space between the shell and the fleece, so actually will provide a little more insulation than if they were removed.

You're talking to an old hand at removing fuzzballs from the acrylic sweaters so popular in the 1950's when I was in high school and college!