I don't think powerlifting is doing itself many favours. Imo it has the potential to become an Olympic sport, but introducing 3 and 4 ply shirts is doing the sport no favours whatsoever. Where do you draw the line? When the shirts are built with thicker chests so you only have to lower the bar a couple of inches?
Surely wearing a shirt doesn't make you stronger? It only gives you the equivalent of a few hundred/thousand extra tendons to assist you to move additional weight which you otherwise couldn't. Take the shirt off and you're just as strong as you were raw?
On the point on lowering the bar with a shirt, I know people who have had to PULL the bar down because they are wearing a shirt, that hardly makes it that impressive pressing it back up again?
I agree it takes a lot of time and hard work to get the most out of a shirt, but why bother if you don't suffer from bad joints?
Anyways, each to their own and all that. Each are treated separately and rightly so, but personally I plan on competing in an equipped national deadlift comp in the next few weeks and winning it raw