People do not often think of t-shirts when they discuss underwear, but today I am reviewing the New Balance Cotton Crew shirt.  The shirt is made of 94% Cotton and 6% Elasthane which gives it a stretchy feeling but also a great wicking ability.  I received two of these shirts for review and they have since become my two workout shirts.  New Balance made a shirt that does exactly what it’s supposed to do.  I think my favorite part about these shirts is they can do double duty. These shirts look good under button ups or sweaters but also can be worn in the gym, take a beating and still keep you dry.

The color, cut and construction are all great; in fact, even after several wears and washes, they are holding their shape well. The color I got was a bright blue which is different than a lot of other shirts I see which helps me stand out when running on the road. These shirts are cut for an athletic body. I am a skinny guy and shirts often fit me like a paper bag but this shirt has a fit perfect for my build. However, if you have a few extra pounds, there is enough stretch to take care of it.

The color, fit and the ability of these shirts to keep you dry, no matter how hard you sweat, was unmatched. Whether I was lifting weights in the gym, going for a 5 mile run or jumping from meeting to meeting, I never got soggy or felt like the shirt was sticking to me.

At the end of the day, I love these New Balance shirts for the versatility and ability to handle what ever I throw at them—weather it is a hard workout, lounging at home or adding some color for a work meeting—this shirt can do the job.

PROS

• Fit
• Color
• Versatility

CONS

• That I only have two

There were furnished for review by New Balance and can be purchased from their site.

We are going to continue our series of New Balance Underwear reviews. We also have a few more from some of the other guys that will be out over the coming weeks! The pair I have now is the Thermal Compression Mock Neck, which for me, is a departure; we haven’t done a lot of shirts. While I think shirts are very much in the scope of the site, we have not requested nor have many companies sent shirts for review.

If your town was like Atlanta this spring then it wasn’t the traditional spring you are used to. One day would be hot while the next day would be freezing.  It has been crazy!  Therefore, on one of the cold days, I decided to wear the shirt under a long sleeve shirt just to see how well it worked. I will say that despite my initial doubts, it really did keep me warm. I have worn spandex type shirts before and I felt like it sucked the heat right out of me.

This shirt not only looked good but felt good as well. I was a little worried with me being so tall that the shirt would ride up but it held its place well. Being 6’4”, it can be hard to find shirts to stay in place.  If you like to wear compression shirts for working out, I would definitely check this one out.  You can wear it with an over shirt or just wear it by itself, if you are that bold.

This isn’t something we normally review and we at UNB would love your feed back if you want to see more reviews like these!

What I liked:

• The shirt kept me very warm!
• It kept its place and didn’t ride up
• Form fitting felt great all day

What I didn’t like

• Have grey and would love to have different colors
• I wouldn’t recommend wearing it in the summer

These were furnished for review by New Balance.

I think people like to be startled; you know, like when you peel back the paper of a can of biscuit dough and wince as you anticipate the “pop!”  Come on, you know you like that.  Relieved of its pressure, the dough bulged and squeezes partially out of the can. Well, that’s sort of how I felt when I wore the New Balance Sport Brief.  Not the “pop!”, but the emerging dough.

In the world of compression shorts and underwear, there are two types of gear: those that make room for your boys and those that just wanna squash ’em flat.  The NB Sport Brief was the latter.  My boy parts were compressed and bulging out of these briefs in a way that would have impressed Pillsbury. Compression shorts really ought to provide some sort of contour pouch.  It might work for sports bras to compress everything down to maintain control, but men’s parts are different and need lift and cradling.  I was adjusting these undies all day.

I wore them twice, once to work (a sedentary office job), and then to the gym a few days later, thinking that the second wearing might offer some reprieve–perhaps the front stretched out a bit from the previous wearing?  No dice.  Again, a contour pouch would improve this underwear 100%.  They look great, the waistband is firm and stays in place and doesn’t roll (even during kickboxing), and the flat piping around the leg holes was very comfortable.  The material is very lightweight and allowed my body heat to escape nicely.

What I did like

• Waistband
• Material

What I didn’t like:

• No pouch

These were furnished by New Balance for review

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

This pair was furnished for review by New Balance

The New Balance Total Fit Lifestyle Trunk 3 is the perfect trunk for guys who jog or run a lot, or who have a job that requires a great deal of heat and sweating to complete.  They are made from a soft 87% polyester and 13% Elasthane blend, and are lightweight and maneuverable.  Built with a contoured Total-Fit closed fly (no fly, no pouch), these trunks have Lightning Dry moisture control, which means you can stay dry and feel cool.  The trunks include multi-panel construction for an advanced, comfortable fit and breathability.  In addition to the previous features, these trunks also have anti-odor and anti-microbial features.

Features:

• 3″ Inseam
• Square-cut trunk
• Lightweight
• Articulated grip around leg, groin, and rear
• 4-panel construction for advanced fit and breathability
• Contoured New Balance Total-Fit Closed Fly
• Moisture & odor control
• Locker hook and center panel in back

I decided that with all the features that these trunks have, I would wear them to the gym and see what happened.  After a few miles on the elliptical machine, I checked for moisture on my body and was surprised to find none.  Apparently, these trunks do what they are said to do.  I found this to be the best feature of these trunks and, as with most trunks, I experienced zero chafing and things stayed in place during my workout.   I do not mind the lack of a pouch because I like tight underwear while working out, but some guys might not like this particular feature.

Overall, the fit was great and true to size: large before and after washing and drying.  The fabric was soft and conforming, but not stretchy.  The style was fairly average, but I did like the steel gray color.  Although I really enjoyed this pair of trunks, there were a couple of negatives associated with them.  First, the price is $28 for the one pair of trunks.  After a few web searches, I was able to find them for $16.99 +shipping from a website.  Second, some guys will not like the lack of a pouch.

PROS

• Fit
• Style
• Design
• Fabric

CONS

• Price
• Lack of Pouch

These were provide for review by New Balance.