My Mariah Racer came in as well. I love the weave on the MC. The prominence of the black within the weave makes them look great IMO and sets them apart from past MC racers. To me they feel longer than the original racer.
They are tech knit not tech fleece and thus more expensive. Consider some outlet hunting as well as Marshalls and you can find for as little as $50. I have a black pair and they are awesome.
I have two hoodies. No issues at all. I launder them regularly just like any other clothes. I'm not sure why people are saying it's fragile and stuff like that.