Faraday's Prototype

An up-and-coming underwear company called Faraday’s decided to send me some samples from their upcoming line to write a review on. (Since they didn’t give me a proper style name, I will just refer to it as “the prototype.”)  The prototype’s design is an interesting one, mixing some features that are common on high-end men’s underwear with one that is quite new and original: A special material in the pouch that purports to shield the user’s genitals from EMR (electromagnetic radiation). While I can’t attest to the success it has in that endeavor, I can attest that, for a new underwear company’s first attempt at a product, this is a very respectable effort, and I’ll be interested in seeing their further developments. 

Materials and construction: The prototype is a boxer brief design that’s fairly short on the legs. While not obvious from the external appearance, there is an internal pouch with some small sheets of fabric to separate the scrotum from the legs. There are two types of fabric here: A bamboo fabric surrounds the entire garment, which is reinforced by a “silver metallic” fabric lining the inside of the pouch. The thin, stretchy bamboo material around the hips and legs made the sizing flexible: The company sent me two adjacent sizes, both of which fit me comfortably. The waistband is very limp, and there is little extra elastic around the legholes, two features which, together, do significant damage to the functionality of this underwear, despite its overall practicality. 7/10  

Comfort and usability: Slipping these on, the first thing that struck me was the lower-temperature feel, not only due to the thin material outside the pouch, but also the cool first touch of the metallic pouch material. The pouch is more accommodating than it looks, although it will never compete with something like Obviously or Sukrew for space. The position of the pouch also makes it significantly more comfortable standing up with than sitting down. This prototype should be considered a low-activity underwear, because the thin fabric is unsupportive and unsuited for anything athletic. Finally, it’s held up well after a number of washings, with no obvious signs of wear. 7/10  

Aesthetics: The focus of this pair of underwear was not on appearance, but it doesn’t look bad. The grey accent on the waistband and lack of branding (or any other form of text) on the outside give this a sleek, space-age look. 6/10

Overall score: 7/10

Big enough? Not quite, but it is better than most underwear and not bad in a standing position.