MrShane

Review: Jake Joseph Trunk

July 2, 2011 No Comments

Jake Joseph trunks are an exciting change from the regular fabric trunks I am used to. Composed of 95% Bamboo Viscose and 5% Elastic, these trunks are soft and stretchy. They conformed to my body and felt extremely nice against my skin. Size Large was a good fit but I think a medium may have been a better fit as this pair seemed to be a bit big.

To be competitive in the trunk market, I get the impression that most companies feel they have to have a pattern or some exotic design printed on the trunk. With Jake Joseph trunks, the gimmick is the fabric. The overall design is what one would think of when considering trunks. The design is basic black but the waistband has the Jake Joseph name in stylized silver lettering. This made the trunk feel slightly more fashion-forward.

The pouch was the same soft material and extremely comfortable—soft and supportive for everyday wear and all day comfort. The pouch was interesting with a normal fly look, but a look inside revealed a horizontal bar. I tried the fly and it seemed rather normal to use. Even though there was a fly, there was also the pouch aspect. While the pouch was fairly standard, the elasticity and softness of the fabric would conform to a guy of any size.

I wore these for normal daily wear and found them to be comfortable, stretchy, supportive and soft. The fabric allowed for my khaki pants to slip on easily and I never felt like the trunk was sticking to the fabric and pulling on my pants. This is something I cannot tolerate from a pair of underwear.

Overall, the fit was good with a soft and comfortable fabric. I found the underwear to be a bit big, but washing and drying them fixed that issue and made them true to size. The style was fairly normal, but I loved the bamboo fabric (I will be buying more bamboo undies). While I thoroughly enjoyed these trunks, I did find a couple of negatives. The price, with no discounts and straight from Jake Joseph, is $37. Quality isn’t cheap. Also, the pouch/fly combo was rather strange.

PROS

Fit
Style
Fabric

CONS

Price
Odd Pouch/Fly Combo

Fit	4
Materials	5
Construction	5
Look	4
Daily Wear	5
OVERALL	4.6
*OUT of 5*

These were furnished for review by Jake Joseph.

In Men's Underwear

Review – New Balance Boxer Briefs

June 1, 2011 No Comments

New Balance boxer briefs are not normally what enters my mind when I decide to try a new pair of boxer briefs. New Balance is a shoe company, after all. With a boxer-brief from a shoe company, one would expect a mixture of leather and breathable fabric with a large NB emblem in the middle of the waistband and a high arch in the back. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the experience.

This two pack of boxer-briefs from New Balance came in black and black with a neon green waistband and small NB on the lower left leg opening. I found the styling to be appropriate, the fabric soft and stretchy (95% cotton, 5% Elasthane), and the fit adequate. When I first pulled the boxer-briefs out of the package, I thought the style was fairly similar to other boxer briefs I have tried except these had no pouch. I do not mind a pair of underwear not having a pouch if the fabric is stretchy and conforming. The New Balance boxer-brief is definitely stretchy and appears to have been made for comfort. After trying them on, the fabric was soft and the fit was good.

First I wore this boxer-brief for normal daily activity and found it to be comfortable and soft. I wore dress pants and they slipped up over the boxer-brief easily and never felt like they were sticking to the fabric or pulling on my pants. I cannot stand a pair of underwear which feels like they are being pulled on by my outer layer of clothing. Next, I wore them to the gym where they were subjected to five miles on the elliptical machine and weightlifting. I like boxer-briefs at the gym as they keep you from chafing and these were no exception. I enjoyed wearing them to the gym more than wearing them as daily underwear.

Overall, the fit was great and true to size large before and after washing and drying. The fabric was soft and conforming. The style was fairly normal and I liked the stripe around the waistband. Although I really enjoyed this pair of boxer-briefs, there are a couple of negatives associated with them. First, the price is $29 for the two boxer-briefs. After a few web searches, I was able to find them for $21 with free shipping from a website, so price may not be an issue after all. Second, some guys will not like the lack of a pouch, but it was stretchy and conforming enough for me.

PROS

Fit
Style
Design
Fabric

CONS

Price
Lack of Pouch

Fit	4
Materials	4
Construction	4
Look	3.5
Daily Wear	4
OVERALL	3.9
*OUT of 5*

This pair was furnished for review by New Balance

In Men's Underwear

Review – Naked Boxer Brief

May 12, 2011 No Comments

Trying the Naked boxerbrief from www.nakedboxerbrief.com was a fantastic experience. This boxer brief is like being naked. It fits close, but it is not tight or restrictive. When you rub your hands over the fabric and onto your own skin, it is hard to tell that you went from skin to fabric to skin. Strange? Maybe for some, but I felt this to be the best feature of this pair of boxerbriefs.

While filming a documentary in 2008 in South Africa for his charity, Project World Citizen, Joel Primus developed the idea for Naked underwear. When he returned to Canada, he could not find underwear that was like underwear he had seen in South Africa. After a couple of years of development, the brand became a reality. Thank goodness!

There are three basic styles for Naked underwear, boxer, boxerbrief, and brief. The boxer has longer legs than the boxerbrief, but retains the close fit and is not the normal boxer we tend to think it would be. There are no waistbands on Naked underwear as they would only be a distraction to the style and fit. The pouch is ample, supportive, and soft two-ply fabric. The fabric itself is from Italy and is 86% Polyamide and 14% Elastane (microfiber).

I wore this boxerbrief for normal daily activity and found it to be comfortable and soft. I wore khaki pants and they slipped up over the boxerbrief easily and never felt like they were sticking to the fabric and pulling on my pants. I hated to take them off at the end of the day.

Overall, the fit was great and true to size large. The fabric is some of the softest I have felt. The style was modern and made me think of life in the city in a loft. I love these boxerbriefs! I would like to try the brief from Naked and see if it has the same fit and overall niceness of fabric. Even though I really enjoyed this pair of boxerbriefs, there are a couple of negatives associated with them. First, the price is $42 for the boxer brief, $44 for the boxer, and $38 for the brief. While these are the best boxerbriefs I have ever worn, the price would prevent future purchases. Second, the lack of a waistband will bother some guys I am sure. Last, the care instructions are: Cold Wash, Hang Dry. This will deter some guys from purchase because having to wash your undies out in the sink and hang them to dry may not be the most convenient way of caring for your undies.

PROS

Fit
Style
Design
Fabric

CONS

Price
Care
Waistband (for some)

Fit	4
Materials	4
Construction	4
Look	4
Daily Wear	4
OVERALL	4

These were furnished by Naked and can be bought at the Naked Website for $42.

In Men's Underwear

Review: Sly Underwear The Real McKoi

May 10, 2011 No Comments

SLY Underwear, out of Australia, has the following information on their website: “Born amidst a flamboyant and forward thinking youth culture on Australia’s eastern shores, Sly Underwear provides an alternative in male underwear for those wanting to look and feel good from the bottom up.” After viewing their website, I would partially agree with their statement. The styling consists of a boxerbrief (workhard), long-legged boxerbrief (playharder), and a pair of boxer shorts (resteasy) which all reflect the reticence of young men to wear anything but a boxerbrief-type pair of underwear. The patterns/configurations are fun and up-to-date. I partucularly like the workhard pair with the gun printed on the side.

The pair I road-tested is the Real McKoi playharder boxerbrief in black and gold. This pair is 95% cotton and 5% elastane with a two-inch nylon/elastane waistband. This is a very soft fabric combination with a stretchiness that provides a lot of support and comfort. On the right trunk resides a gold koi fish that appears to be swimming upwards toward the torso when you have it on. Integrated into the small pouch is what SLY calls a “fire exit” for the forward facing endowed human beings (That’s a “fly” to us Yanks!). As mentioned, the actual pouch is rather small, but the fabric allows for stretch around your parts and it is the playharder boxerbrief meant for athletic activity.

I wore this pair of boxerbriefs for an entire day which included grocery shopping, teaching a college class, and a trip to the gym. The boxerbrief was fine for normal wear to the grocery store and for teaching class. Normally for the gym I wear a jock, but I decided to test out the playharder boxerbrief to see what would happen. The brief was supportive and kept things in place during rigorous cardiovascular exercise. The long legs were great and made for a very comfortable five miles.

Overall, this is a great pair of boxerbriefs. I enjoyed the fabric and the fit. The styling was spot-on and the design was modern. The size large was true to size and very wearable. On the negative side, I really do not like the two-inch waistband for everyday wear, but it could look nice peeking over the top of a pair of jeans. Also, the brief says not to tumble dry it. I think, for most men, that this may be a deterrent. Having to wash the brief and hang it or lay it flat to dry may be too many steps to complete.

PROS

Fit
Design
Pattern
Fabric

CONS

Large waistband
Special washing and drying

Fit	4
Materials	4
Construction	4
Look	4
Daily Wear	3
OVERALL	3.8

These were furnsihed for review by Sly Underwear.

In Men's Underwear

Review: Undergear Physical Brief

December 21, 2010 No Comments

I am always surprised when I open a package containing Undergear brand underwear. The packaging is plain with the underwear usually wrapped around a piece of cardboard in a clear plastic covering with a white label detailing the product and size. This is what keeps the prices of Undergear underwear at a minimum and I enjoy that particular attribute of the Undergear company. Normally, I find the Undergear underwear to be a fantastic fit, nice in styling, and extremely comfortalbe, but this pair of underwear left me disappointed.

This particular pair of underwear is the Undergear Physical Brief in gray with black trim and a pouch styling with no fly. The waistband is about an inch wide and was very comfortable. The Undergear website describes this pair of underwear as a “Men’s Gym Brief”. After wearing it for an entire day, I can see why it has this monicker. It would be a great brief to wear to the gym or some other athletic adventure if you are a guy who wants real support but does not want to wear a jockstrap, which some guys find too revealing for the gym.

The styling appears to be somewhat retro with a nod toward a more modern retro design. I found the fabric to be fairly soft but it could have been softer and there was not a lot of give to fabric. I generally wear a large but I found this particular large to be slightly constrictive which is very unusual for Undergear. I found this unusual because I think their sizes run a tad big for washing and drying shrinkage.

I did have some dislikes for this pair of underwear which lead to a fairly low rating. There is a very large seam in the crotch area that I found it to be itchy and distracting as I wore the brief. The crotch piece is rather wide and had some bunching issues for me. I would rather this piece of fabric be much smaller to fit between the legs as a much better design. The pouch was very angular in design, and let’s face it, the male anatomy is not angular. Also, I felt like I was having to pull at the underwear in varying directions all day as it was rather inflexible and was prone to riding up.

Overall, I am very disappointed in this pair of underwear from Undergear. I have several pairs of underwear from Undergear and this is the first pair about which I have anything negative to say.

Fit	2
Materials	3
Construction	4
Look	4
Daily Wear	2
OVERALL	3

These were furnished for review by UnderGear

Editors Note: I tired these as well, and I didn’t have the issues that Shane had. I did go to the Undergear site and saw that they had two reviews, one was a great review and the other had issues with the stitching. I think it may have been a production run issue. If we hear more we will keep you posted but I enjoyed the pair much more then I thought I would. The pouch fit nicely and I had no issues. But part of our reviews are personal preferences and fit. – Tim

In Frank Dandy Underwear

Review: Frank Dandy Hayman Boxer

November 6, 2010 No Comments

Frank Dandy Superwear! I had never heard of this company, so this pair of underwear was a pleasant surprise. The complany was founded in Sweden in 2003 as an anti-tighty-whitey company. As you know, the tighty whitey can be a bit predictable and it is always good to have underwear that adds spice to your life. The products from this company include underwear, leisurewear, beachwear, and accessories. The patterns challenge what one thinks when pondering what a pair of mens underwear should be comprised of and really pushes the limits. Precisely, the underwear is called Men’s Hayman Boxer, Raspberry, 95% Cotton, 5% Elastane. This pair is navy blue with a white palm frond pattern and raspberry waistband.

I modeled the new pair in the mirror and found them to be exciting underwear. I really liked the fit. I found the fabric to be soft and flexible, having just the right amount of support in all areas. This boxer brief has an almost flat front which I found to be the right flexibility for me. The leg length hit mid-thigh. Waistband width was a plus at 1.75” (4.45 cm) since I do not care for a large waistband. The overall stitching on the pair of underwear was nice and looked good with the natural line of the male form.

After I commuted to work for an hour and a half and spent the day working, I found this pair of underwear to not ride up with normal wear and was comfortable over a long period of time. My experience reveals no major complaints about this boxer brief. The size large was a great fit for me as well. Underwear sizing is not totally universal and, frankly, never seems to go with the size of your pants. I found that the large was a great fit for size 34 pants and would probably be good for a size 32-36 with regular washing, drying, and wear.

Fit	4
Materials	5
Construction	5
Look	4
Daily Wear	4
OVERALL	4

After reviewing the Frank Dandy website, I have to say that I am impressed with the pattern selection, cut, and style offered from this company. The entire selection is one that I would enjoy trying. The fabric and cut are the main things making us want to try more of this brand.

These were provided by Kingston Lounge Now, North American Distributor for Frank Dandy.