When the review package arrived from Tim, I was a bit excited because my life has recently changed dramatically (and for the better) with the birth of my first child. I haven’t had time to really think about underwear outside of browsing the new Spring offerings from my favorite brands. When I opened the package and out came the Candyman 9692 Brief also referred to as the “Zip Around Brief” (on Freshpair). My first reaction in a word, was “Wow!” The brief is definitely on the more risque side, and since my only other pair from this brand is the mostly basic,  Candyman Jockstrap 9656 I wasn’t prepared for something I’d consider out of my comfort zone. The 9692 Brief comes in White and Black and is available anywhere Candyman is sold online.

Since I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a full day’s wear out of these briefs, I decided to wear them from post-evening workout until my bed time on a night in which I’d be running around the house packing for a vacation to Florida. Given the overall construction of the brief (I will delve into specifics shortly) I was surprised how well it stood up over the 4-5 hours I had them on, while running up and down our stairs to pack. While generally this brief is probably better for “a night of fun” I would venture to guess that you could wear it all day, but as I’ll discuss shortly, you probably won’t want to.

As has been the case with Candyman so far, the 9692 Brief fits fairly true to size to perhaps just slightly larger (American Sizing). My pair was an XL (34-36) and they seem to fit my 36 inch waist comfortably. Since Candyman doesn’t have any gaps in their size chart (L=32-34, XL= 34-36) you may want to size down if you’ve got one of the matching waist measurements, e.g. If you’re a 34 inch waist, get a Large.

The brief itself is constructed with 96% Nylon and 4% spandex. The majority of the brief features what Candyman refers to as a “Modern Mesh” which given the materials used, are fairly elastic and move with you. Unlike most mesh briefs that are micromesh, the mesh pattern on these briefs is large, almost emulating a typical lace design. As if the mesh weren’t enough to put this in the “Erotic” category, twin zippers on both the front fly and covering the crack of the wearer’s butt on the rear send this into another dimension in terms of erotic underwear design. Both zippers are made up of a gold (on the black brief) or silver (on the white) leaf like textiles, and are fully functional. The zippers platform also gives the brief its structure, providing a surprisingly roomy pouch for your boys.

On the whole I like the brief for what it is, and I dislike the brief for what it isn’t. I like the attempt  I see with this brief from Candyman. The designed with this brief wanted to adequately marry their fairly standard fare of highly erotic pieces with their less standard, but still readily available practical pieces. It is a goal that I think the designer achieved with the 9692 Brief, which is what makes the pair likable for what it is. There really seems to be a “catch” to this success though, and that is even though they found a way to make a sexy and somewhat practical product, the brief has too many elements that make it unwearable as daily wear, and I just simply can’t get over that. While I stated that this brief had a “surprisingly roomy” pouch, that doesn’t mean I was satisfied. Given the design itself, I knew the pouch was going to be cramped and it still is, it was just less cramped than I expected it to be once I got it on.

Personally this is an extremely difficult review for me to write. While I definitely am an adventurous underwear fanatic (no problem wearing skimpy thongs, briefs, etc) this particular pair is hard to really compare to any of the other “risque” underwear for a couple of reasons. The first is that my mind has a hard time getting over underwear with large sturdy zippers as a part of their design because I typically associate designs with those elements as conducive to an erotic BDSM lifestyle with which I know nor feel nothing. The second issue is perhaps more relevant to the review itself-which is the fact that until now, there really isn’t a pair of underwear I own that I can’t wear all day, including all of the more risque styles in my drawer. I want a brief to be wearable and this one isn’t for daily wear purposes at least.

Overall, while I personally wouldn’t buy the Candyman 9692 Brief for myself, that does not mean it isn’t a good or even great pair of underwear.

Pros: 

• The color options. I love gold on black and silver on white. 
• Nice marriage of overtly erotic design, combined with solid construction of a basic look (the brief design).

Cons: 

• Zippers in both front and back can get awkwardly placed while sitting or walking. 
• Overall design isn’t quite as inclusive (to a broader customer base) as the “marriage” I talk about above might want it to be.

Ratings (1-10 Scale, 10 is Best):

Daily Fit – 6

Sizing – 9

Construction/Materials – 10

Styling – 9

Daily Performance – 4

Overall – 7.6 out of 10

Candyman furnished this pair for review.