2undr Swingshift Boxers

 
2undr is a Canadian underwear company that aims to “create a high-performance men’s athletic underwear.” Like companies such as Saxx and MyPakage, they use an internal pouch. While the Swingshift Boxers are an admirable attempt in certain ways, the final product is a deeply flawed one. For anyone thinking about purchasing these boxers, I’d recommend the far superior Saxx items. 

 
Materials and Construction: The fabric is a modal blend. It has all the stretchiness and comfort one would expect from modal, but the thinness of the fabric gives it the extra advantage of drying a little faster and having a cooler feel. The internal pouch is a sort of horseshoe-shaped sheet of fabric within the crotch (see the photograph above), and you put your package in front of it. It’s not a very stable or natural fit, which I discuss in the next paragraph. The length is good (this is the 6” variety), a nice midpoint between the shorter and longer varieties of boxer briefs (and 2undr has short and long variations of the Swingshift Boxers). The fly is big enough to be usable. As far as quality goes, one thing I did notice is that the stitching on the outside is visibly uneven, which is not something I’d expect to see on a high-end pair of underwear. This item has, however, held up fairly well after getting washed numerous times. 5/10

Comfort and usability: Putting the Swingshift Boxers on requires much more adjustment than one could expect from most underwear. Since there isn’t much depth to the pouch, it doesn’t hold you in place very well, and the somewhat loose fit exacerbates this problem. Sitting down and standing up pulls you out of place much more than standing and walking. 2undr seems to market their products heavily to golfers, and the combination of breathability and reasonable stability during very light exercise probably makes it a decent item for that, but I cannot say that this is a good item for general use. 3/10

 

Aesthetics: In terms of appearance, there’s nothing particularly offensive or good about this pair of underwear, although the silhouette is a bit shapeless. 4/10  

Overall rating: 4/10

Big enough? It is big enough, but it’s not a particularly good item.

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. 

Saxx Ultra Long John Fly Bottom

 
Saxx is a Canadian menswear company that specializes in underwear and stresses innovation and comfort. Like the other varieties of underwear they offer, the Ultra Long John Fly Bottom uses the same internal pouch. This is the first anatomically correct pair of long underwear I’ve tried, and the overall design seems unique on the market. While it won’t replace my warmest thermal layers, the experience I get wearing it is a good one. 

Materials and construction: The Ultra Long John Fly Bottom is made of 95% viscose and 5% spandex. Especially compared to most long underwear, this material is thin and form fitting. It’s a little more forgiving around the hips and tight around the legs, which is a good balance for comfort and warmth, although it can shift a little when sitting down or standing up. The waistband is stable without feeling constricting. The internal pouch, which you could see in the inside-out photograph of the item, makes sure you stay dry even when you’re inside with air conditioning or near the warmth of the fireplace. 7/10 

 

Comfort and usability: The viscose blend is a lot stretchier than the cotton blend I experienced in my first pair of Saxx underwear. It’s less warm than long underwear made from polyester or wool, so I see this item as being more practical for mildly cold weather or days when I’m only planning on being outside only for short periods. Also, since the material is so thin, pants that are more permeable to cold can be felt through the fabric. For instance, I had better experiences with the wool suit pants and worse experiences with jeans. I enjoyed having only a single layer under my pants, and not having the issues with multiple layers bunching up under my pants. Overall, this is the most comfortable pair of long underwear I’ve worn, but not the warmest. 7/10 

 

Aesthetics: It looks like a Christmas sweater, which is appropriate for the season. The pattern looks sharp and detailed. 7/10

Overall rating: 7/10

Big enough? Yes, these are the most comfortable pair of long underwear I’ve tried so far.

What does a man get when he buys underwear at the mall? A comparative review

Most men receive their underwear as gifts, and the majority of men’s underwear sold falls into two categories. The first is the multipack: An option for convenience and a cheap price, multipacks are offered by companies like Hanes and Jockey and are a quick way of replenishing a rapidly depleting underwear drawer. The second category is a more pricey and varied section of the market, men’s underwear offered by general clothing brands. This variety caters more to discriminating men (or their significant others), usually is sold as individual items, and is usually offered at a higher price point. While many men will end up with underwear purchased alongside other clothing items, what do men actually get when they purchase underwear from a common shopping mall brand? To investigate, I wrote four reviews on products by American Eagle, Gap, Hollister, and Express, and I compare my findings here. 

• American Eagle AEO Mesh Panel 9” Flex Trunk: Compared to the other three items, the AEO Mesh Panel 9” Flex Trunk combines the best construction quality and materials with the worst design. Created as activewear, the AEO Mesh Panel 9” Flex Trunk is abrasive on the legs and very hot. Combined with the lack of room in the crotch, this is undoubtedly the least comfortable and practical item of the bunch. Still, given the mesh panel design, one could tell that the company had actually made an effort rather than just releasing a cheap item to the market with as little thought as possible. 
• GAP Stripe Stretch Trunks: This has the most conventional design of the four. The quality is not much better than what would be found in the cheapest underwear available, and the Stretch trunks began to degrade within a few washings. The fit is slightly more relaxed, and there’s noticeably more room in the crotch than the American Eagle or Hollister items. 
• Hollister Active Classic Trunk: Slick, rubbery feeling makes the Hollister Active Classic Trunk unpleasant to wear. The stretchiness of the fabric makes the crotch a little more comfortable than it would be otherwise.
• Express Vintage Star Print Boxer Briefs: The highest quality of the four, this one is certainly my favorite.  The elastic around the legs is among the best I’ve seen, which prevents the Vintage Star Print Boxer Briefs from riding up. While this is not competition for high-quality pouch underwear, I can at least say that what quality and features are offered are reasonable for the price.

Overall, I was actually disappointed by my experience trying these four items. While my expectations were not particularly high, three out of the four pairs seem like they are closer to the bottom end of the market than the top end (despite some redeeming features). Half of the items, the offerings from American Eagle and Hollister, were so clumsily designed that it seems like they were released to the market prematurely. My unsurprising observation that the best underwear tends to be made by dedicated underwear companies is vindicated by these four items. What one actually gets when they purchase a pair of underwear from a shopping mall brand varies significantly, but is no better than what one could find from an underwear company at a similar price.

Obviously Essence AnatoFREE Boxer Brief with 3-inch leg

 
Obviously, as I’ve reviewed before, is an Australian company that makes quality underwear and undershirts for men. I’ve previously reviewed the Essence AnatoFREE Hipster Trunk, and today I’ll be reviewing the very similar but superior Boxer Brief 3-inch leg version. 

Materials and construction: The Essence AnatoFREE Boxer Brief is made out of Obviously’s top grade fabric, which is a micro modal/lycra blend a little thicker than the bamboo rayon/lycra blend found in their Basics Collection. It a bit softer and seems to dry a little faster. The waistband sits fairly low on the hips, but stays in place very well. The pouch, which is attached to the body of the item by a horseshoe-shaped seam, is much larger than one would find on most underwear products, but a little higher and smaller than the AnatoMAX products Obviously offers (which I plan to review in the future). The 3-inch leg variety makes a very small visual difference, but a very big functional one, as I discuss below. As an added bonus, there’s no tag, with washing instructions printed on the inside of the waistband. Overall, this is a great set of features. 9/10

Comfort and usability: Like all the AnatoFREE items, especially the boxer briefs/trunks, this does lift you a bit, so it runs the risk of causing a noticeable visual bulge if you’re wearing thin pants. It also requires some more adjustment than the AnatoMAX pouches, which slide into place comfortably with minimal adjustment. There is a major difference between the trunks/boxer briefs versions of this item. Whereas the trunks feel like they have zero traction to stop them from riding up, the boxer briefs stay in place pretty well. The material is a little on the warmer side, and absorbs odors a little more than many materials, so these do not make ideal exercise garments. Overall, I’d say that a bigger pouch would make this an ideal leisurewear item. 7/10

Aesthetics: The solid black appearance with the finely-stitched blue logo looks great. No complaints here. 9/10

Overall rating: 8/10

Big enough? The AnatoMAX line has the ideal pouch, but this is another good offering from Obviously. I could wear these with only occasional adjustments.