UNBPaul

In 2(x)ist

12 Pairs We Love – 2xist Turbo No Show Brief

August 18, 2014 No Comments

For this 4th installment of the “12 Pairs Every Man Should Own” segment, I’m keeping to my crusade for the brief! This time however, we’re talking about something with more of a twist. Consider this the advanced level of my “12 pairs” suggestion, if you will. The 2xist “Turbo No Show Brief” is another pair for the books. 2xist has been making men’s underwear for a long time and it definitely shows; the quality and breadth of options is the product of many years of refining and honing their look. The results of that process are at the root of my recommendation.

The Turbo line of underwear from 2xist is just an overall fun addition to the brand. Let’s talk looks first: sporting an impressive 5 different color options, the Turbo No Show Brief is sure to have a color for everyone’s interest: whether it’s “Fiery Red” for a hot date look, or “Azure Blue” for the gym. Each style comes with a color contrast side panel for an extra pop of color as well. Your “Fiery Red” comes equipped with blue accents, and darker blue panels and red piping compliment your “Azure Blue”. For those of you who appreciate the “one stop shop” method of purchasing underwear, this means you can have a nicely diverse collection of pairs with just a few clicks of your mouse. So, they look great and come in a few cool colors. Cool. Awesome. Not enough to be on the list, right? You’re absolutely right! So let’s talk about fit, function and finances.

Coming in at a cool $26 might be a little steep for guys who are new to the market, but overall, these pairs fall on the cheaper end of the spectrum. For the money, you’re getting a brief that is made from great quality fabric that, while breathable, also hugs close to the body for a sexy and sleek feel. The material is so weightless that you almost forget you’re wearing underwear when you have them on. The high cut on the thigh comes in at a comfortable angle on the leg, and the no show band sits low on the waist. A solid design for a solid pair, and a pretty reasonable price. This makes the 2xist Turbo No Show Brief, a must have.

Let me know what you think guys! @UNBPaul on twitter!

In Men's Swimwear

12 Pairs We Love – PUMP! Touchdown Panther Brief

August 17, 2014 No Comments

At some point in time, briefs went very out of style for a lot of men. I’ve heard arguments from every conceivable angle: looks, comfort, durability, others reception of them…for whatever reason, a vast majority of men (especially my straight counterparts) no longer consider them an option for day to day wear. In this installment of 12 Pairs Every Man Should Own, I’m calling for a return to briefs! These ain’t your Granddaddy’s tighty whities anymore.

I cannot say enough good things about the PUMP! Brand of underwear. Having, in my opinion, some of the best marketing of any underwear brand in the market, it should come as no surprise that I myself own many pairs. One of their classic pairs, their “Touchdown Panther Brief” has rapidly become one of my favorite pairs to wear and I can’t imagine it not being on this list.

Let’s talk basics. PUMP!’s commitment to a clean, athletic look means this pair reaches across the aisle for both gay and straight men alike. This look is backed up with high quality, breathable materials. The main structure of the pair is composed of durable, cool mesh: perfect for hanging around the house, getting down at the club or working out at the gym. The thick waistband means you’ll be offered full support in the cup all day long, and the high-quality piping around the legs prevents the pair from riding up your thigh making it perfect for athletic endeavors.

While PUMP! offers plenty of options in the classic “tighty whitey” color scheme, the Panther brief comes in a sleek black and blue design which, if you weren’t already convinced by the construction and the materials, further distances itself from the briefs of old. Add this pair to your collection this summer and let it be your first step back into the world of briefs.

Let me know what you think guys! @UNBPaul on twitter!

In Boxer Brief-Trunk Reviews

Review- Interview IV Neotrunk

May 10, 2014 No Comments

For a second there, I thought I was dreaming. How can it be that since my start at UNB I have not only met some amazing underwear enthusiasts, but now I’m receiving pairs for reviews! It is kind of like dying and going to heaven, except not as dramatic.

I digress. For the duration of this review I will be covering the Interview IV Neotrunk from Interview Brand Underwear. When Tim sent out the list of pairs the team would be reviewing, I was a little surprised: Interview was not a brand previously known to me, something that doesn’t happen too terribly often. However, it only took a Google search for me to get really, really excited.Based in Los Angeles (woo!) Interview features a wide selection of underwear styles from trunks to jockstraps, many of which come in fun and attractive colors. Mine were no exception; the Neotrunk pair I received was a royal blue color with yellow around the thigh and white around the waistband. The colors were amazing right out of the packaging, and I appreciated the contrast. To the touch the nylon feels amazing; almost like silk…all of these things I noticed and appreciated before I had even put them on!

For reviews, I really try to put a pair through the ringer; and choose to wear them on days when I know I will be doing the most of everything. This pair was spared no grief and went through a whole day of work at school as well as night celebrations with my friends and boyfriend. Overall, the pair was a great success. I mentioned before the vibrancy of the colors: these held up when I put them on and I discovered that I quite like the look of blue around my butt-I don’t have many pairs in any color close to it so I enjoyed that newness. The yellow thighbands and white waistband help give this pair an edgy sporty look, and would make it appropriate for date night or another day at the office.

Tim sent me a large and I think this was a good choice. Since they weren’t too small, I got to avoid a lot of the “riding up” that would have occurred if I had gone with a medium, and it meant my thighs didn’t appear to have muffin tops of their own from being too restricted. The 90% nylon make up of this pair also meant that I had plenty of ventilation breathing room as I went throughout my day; keeping in mind again that I am constantly running around being chased by children. I was especially appreciative of this considering the absolute heat wave Los Angeles experience the week I received the pair; I hardly sweat at all and the pair didn’t feel like I was wearing another layer of clothes that trapped heat.

One quick note before I wrap this up: it is very common for underwear (especially trunks) to come with a seam down the middle of the pouch like they do in this pair from Interview. What I’ve noticed is that this pouch caters to a specific type of man, the man who tucks his junk forwards, away from his body. This seam, while also providing support, enhances the look of a mans pouch and make it look more pronounced. That being said, what about those of us who tuck our junk towards our body?

Often times I find that this seam leaves us with a little bit of an unsightly pucker because the pouch isn’t filled out like it was meant to. While this is really just a prefrancing issue, I could see why someone would be frustrated by the way this looks (or what it would look like to someone else) and on a personal level, I try to avoid this style. I can’t level this as a negative aspect of this pair and this pair alone, as I mentioned this is common in hundreds of styles and brands. But it is something I noticed while wearing this pair; not that it changed my overall opinion of it in the slightest.

Overall, the Neotrunk from Interview is a great, versatile pair of underwear that would function well at work, the gym or at play. Priced at a cool $21.00 this trunk also comes in at a pretty reasonable price and would be a great choice for anyone looking for a solid pair of undies. So in summary:

Pros:

Great colors give it an athletic but fun look
True to size
Material is super lightweight and airy

Cons:

Nylon feels like it could rip very easily

Ratings:

Daily Fit: 8
Sizing: 8
Construction/Materials: 7
Styling : 7
Overall: 7.5

These were furnished by Interview for review.

In Men's Underwear

N2N Warehouse Sale Visit

May 1, 2014 2 Comments

It’s become pretty clear that underwear brands are not just relying on in-store markets to pump up sales; social media plays a big part in connecting brands to buyers in today’s world. If you’re like me or any of the other guys on the site, you too might be following your favorite brands on Twitter, Instagram and the like. While the steady stream of pictures of barely-clothed men is nice, it is also a great way to find out about the newest styles of underwear that are about to hit the market. And with any luck…it’s also a great way to find out about some awesome sales.

When I came on to the UNB staff page a number of weeks ago, UNBTim told me he was jealous of the fact that I lived in LA, because a few of the great brands we’re use to reviewing are based out here. Of course, Andrew Christian is the first that comes to mind, as he has a few store fronts out here (the West Hollywood store is only about 20 minuets from me). Recently, I began following N2N Bodywear on their new Instagram page (@N2Nofficial) and was happy to find out that its warehouse is even closer to me, about a 10 minute drive away!

Shortly after I began following them on Instagram, they posted about a pre-white party event they were going to be having in the warehouse, with underwear, swimwear and activewear on sale from $5-30. With prices like that, I knew I didn’t have an excuse not to go, especially since it was so close to my house! So midday on Saturday, my boyfriend and I jumped in the car and headed downtown to take a look.

Immediately I noticed how impressive the store front looked; plenty of merchandise in the windows and great looking banners with stunning models. When I rang the doorbell to get in, we were immediately greeted with open arms, literally! Andrew (who I would later find out to be the owner and creator of N2N Bodywear) answered the door, shook our hands and promptly walked us through a tour of the warehouse. We walked through what is the entirety of their distribution warehouse, with rows upon rows and boxes upon boxes of underwear. It was, in short, like I had died and gone to heaven.

Andrew was a gracious host and showed us the backroom where he had laid out all of the boxes of merchandise that was on sale. Underwear was typically $5, swim was typically $15 and active was around $30. We spent about 30 minuets looking through stuff before I finally deciding on two pairs of swim apparel, (stay tuned for some reviews maybe….?) but I honestly could have purchased it all. Not only did Andrew and N2N make it a great buying experience, the sale prices were out of this world and I was thoroughly impressed by all the pieces I saw: nothing but high quality materials and great designs. Andrew hugged us on our way out as well…what a guy! I can’t wait for the next sale!

Be sure to check out the entirety of the N2N Bodywear collection, available online at http://www.n2nbodywear.com/. And follow them on Instagram! @N2nofficial. And as always, don’t forget to drop me a tweet at @UNBPaul, and let me know what you think.

In C-IN2

Undies Unknown UNB Paul C-IN2 Pop Lo-No Show Brief

April 22, 2014 No Comments

Hey guys, Paul here! As you know from reading Jon’s review, a little more than a month ago we decided to pick pairs of underwear for one another to buy, as we both were in the market for some new underwear. The only input we had was on the price, and the style we were looking for. All I told Jon was that I wanted some new briefs-while I’m religiously a trunk/boxer brief wearer, I have recently began building my collection of briefs. I knew that Jon had some good recommendations, but I was going out on a limb as far as what he liked. Let me tell you, the straight boy has taste.

Jon picked the C-IN2 Pop Lo No Show Profile Brief for me, which he said was one of his favorite pairs. Luckily for me, mensunderwearstore.com had it for an extremely reasonable price of $20 dollars, with plenty of sizes and colors to choose from. My instructions were to buy a purple pair, and as easy as that, I was the proud owner of my first C-IN2 pair of underwear. Not to mention, mensunderwearstore.com has ridiculously fast and efficient shipping and was overall a great buying experience. When I got the package I was, as always, excited to try them on. The purple color was bright but not in an obnoxious neon way; it felt professional yet still attractive. Again, mensunderwearstore.com had a multitude of colors and sizes for sale and if you’re looking for a little bit more color, they offer a brighter orange pair, which I would recommend.

When I’m not drooling over rows and rows of underwear products online, I work full time in education, running up and down at schools working in a rather upbeat (read: hectic) environment. For me, the idea of wearing briefs to work is a novel idea: usually it leads to chaffed thighs or me awkwardly rearranging my junk every 5 minutes. However, Jon expressed to me that he often wore this pair in his workout routine, and that it held up throughout his vigorous physical activity. On his word, I wore them to work, still suspicious. This for me was the hallmark of this pair; not only did they keep me comfortable all day at work, they felt better than most pairs I had worn to work before. Of course, briefs leave one with a little bit more movement in the legs, and keep things a little cooler than boxer briefs or trunks do. This pair demonstrated both; the fabric kept me cool even while I was running around campus and gave me plenty of free-range movement. More than that, the support in terms of the pouch was also exemplary: keeping things right where they should be without being too constricting. For most of the day, I forgot that I was wearing them, which to me, is a great thing. No irritation, no restriction. Just a pair of underwear that moved with me.

As far as aesthetics and sizing are concerned, again the purple color Jon chose for me looked really great: it felt appropriate for work but would also be great for going out and showing off. In terms of size, I am 34 inches which means I’m usually in between the medium and large sizes for most underwear companies. I wish I would have listened to Jon, who recommended erring on the smaller size thanks to the cut of the brief. Instead I got a large. What I noticed is that the pair doesn’t quite cling to me in the way I would like; there is definitely some bunching that happens in the rear from being a little too big, and surprisingly enough, I don’t quite fill out the thighs the way I would like to (considering I have massive thighs). So if you like a little bit of wiggle room, aim for a true size. If you’re looking for a pair that hugs a little closer, aim for a size down. When and if I buy another pair, they will be in a medium.

The size issue here (which was no ones fault but my own) is really the only negative thing I have to say about this pair. I’m extremely grateful to Jon for picking a pair that was not only worth my money, but functions great as well. I’d highly recommend this pair to anyone looking for a steady pair of affordable, good-looking briefs. Overall, this has been a totally fun experience for Jon and I, and I hope that we get to do it again soon. If you like what we’ve done here, please let us know! We’d love to hear your ideas as we move forward. Happy undies, guys!