Longevity test 2

I switched from wearing loose boxers to higher quality pouch underwear about a year and a half ago. This has given me enough time to observe the actual longevity of these products. The following is some observations on some items of the first few brands from which I purchased. (You can assume that I’ve washed these on a gentle laundry cycle an average of about twice per month since I purchased them, and have air dried them each time [unless otherwise specified]. Of course, more use means more wear.)

Obviously AnatoMAX Brief, first pair purchased February 2016: In the previous post, I mentioned an Obviously product. This one did even better. The waistband is still in very good condition, and it wears nearly identically to when I first acquired it. There is some minor pilling, but I suspect this item will last a long time to come.

 
Ergowear EW0119 MAX Light Boxer, purchased May 2016: The viscose in this item has the softness and stretchiness of modal fabrics, but has pilled much faster. It’s still highly wearable, but the fit is a little looser.

Cocksox Sports Brief CX76N, purchased September 2016: This is my first Cocksox item, and it has impressed me a great deal with its longevity. It is the only underwear item in regular usage that seems to be indistinguishable from when I first purchased it.

Saxx Ultra Long John Fly Bottom, purchased October 2016: Unlike the Saxx item I mentioned previously, this has very rapidly deteriorated over a single winter of usage. The internal pouch is rapidly coming undone, and the outside surface has more pilling than any other underwear item I own, resulting in an inferior, less even fit. I am quite surprised by how much this has deteriorated in one season. 

Obviously AnatoMAX Boxer Brief with 3-inch leg

 
Obviously is an Australian underwear company that makes high quality underwear and undershirts for men. I’ve reviewed a number of their products before, and I am usually quite impressed with their offerings. The design of the AnatoMAX Boxer Brief with 3-inch leg, taking a place between the Hipster Trunk and the Boxer Brief with 9-inch leg, is a good way to wear one of the largest pouches on the market for those who don't like briefs.
 

Materials and construction: The Obviously AnatoMAX Boxer Brief with 3-inch leg is made out of a micro modal/lycra fabric blend. This fabric blend is soft and flexible, but dries quite slowly. The pouch, while significantly larger than the AnatoFREE varieties, still has the same horseshoe-shaped pouch design seen on the other Obviously Boxer Briefs and Trunks. This means the pouch is deeper but more constrained horizontally when compared to Obviously briefs. The design is high quality, as is usually the case with Obviously products. I have washed these numerous times with no obvious signs of deterioration. The design is tagless, with the relevant information printed inside the waistband. 8/10

Comfort and usability: The AnatoMAX Boxer Brief with 3-inch leg is among the most comfortable pairs of underwear I’ve worn. The legs stay in place much better than in the trunks that Obviously offers, although they do ride up. The pouch is imperfectly shaped, and slightly less comfortable than the more flexible pouch in the AnatoMAX Brief. This rigidity, however, makes it more appropriate for light exercise, although I wouldn’t recommend doing anything intense. The fabric on the AnatoMAX items absorbs odors a little less than on Obviously’s Core items. The AnatoMAX Boxer Briefs stay in place with a tucked-in shirt a little better than the AnatoMAX Brief. 8/10 

Aesthetics: No complaints here. I think the waistband’s logo looks sharp, and the overall look nails the sharp-but-simple aesthetic that Obviously does well. (It does look better in the flesh than these photos indicate.) 6/10

Overall rating: 7/10

Big enough? Yes. This is one of the biggest pouches available.

Obviously Downtown AnatoMAX Brief

 
Obviously is an Australian clothing company that makes high-quality underwear and undershirts for men. I’ve reviewed them a few times before, and am consistently impressed with their quality. Their AnatoMAX line offers some of the biggest pouches on the market (“Downtown” is just the colored versions), and the AnatoMAX Brief is a higher-quality, bigger-pouched item similar to the first Obviously item I reviewed, the AnatoFREE Brief. The AnatoMAX boxers will be reviewed in future posts. 

Materials and construction: The Obviously Downtown AnatoMAX Brief is made out of a micro modal/lycra fabric blend. The pouch is similar to that of the AnatoFREE Brief, but bigger: Instead of just extending out towards the front, it extends to the front and down (see the photo). As a result, it gives you less support and more flexibility, allowing you to hang comfortably. The fit on the entire garment is more relaxed than most briefs, while still being form fitting. The item holds up well after getting washed numerous times, and the minor deterioration I’ve started to see in the waistband of the AnatoFREE Brief hasn’t shown up. I expect this to last a long time. Overall, if you’re looking for underwear with big pouches, the AnatoMAX line should certainly be on your radar. 9/10

 
Comfort and usability: The comfort of the AnatoMAX pouch in this brief is among the best I’ve encountered: Very comfortable and flexible, and the fabric feels very soft against the skin, especially after a few washings. The main issue I had with the AnatoFREE Brief was that it started to ride up in the back when I was wearing it with a tucked-in shirt and a belt. This is also true for this item. I usually wear suspenders with my suits, and there is no riding up with this arrangement, or if I wear a pear of pants with an untucked shirt. The relative lack of support does not make this a great item for vigorous exercise, and there is more vertical flexibility than the AnatoMAX’s biggest competitor, the Andrew Christian Trophy Boy Brief, which tends to hold your package straight down. Another thing to keep in mind is that this item will not hide your bulge at all. Overall, I think this item is best suited as leisurewear, and it’s very comfortable for that. 8/10  

Aesthetics: Obviously doesn’t do much flamboyant or flashy, instead sticking with a more conservative aesthetic. The Downtown colors are about as flashy as this company gets, and it’s a welcome change. The blue color looks great in person, and the two varieties of blue on the waistband’s logo has a high-quality, textured look to it. 7/10  

Overall rating: 8/10

Big enough? Yes.