Joe Boxer- Cotton Lycra Boxer Brief

Joe Boxer is well known among the generic brands… for what I’m not sure. I haven’t been impressed with their brand and this pair of underwear is no exception.

The material is a blend of 90% cotton and 10% lycra. It makes for an extremely warm, pair of underwear. The fabric is abnormally thick and very bulky when worn under shorts or pants.

The fit is very uncomfortable. It’s made to “sit tight,” which it does… very tight. I found the combination of bulkiness and tightness to restrict some movement. The waist is also on the small side and the legs creep up making an already bulky pair of underwear even bulkier.

Support is ok, but the construction of the fly is incredibly uncomfortable. Its not a traditional fly, but a pouch. The seam on the inside is in an awkward place making for constant contact with ones junk. The fly design itself isn’t very secure. Let’s just say you don’t want to go running in these.

Ride-up is also an issue. You’ll either be adjusting your front or your back in these.

As far as generics go, they’re a bit pricey too.

Overall extremely disappointing. One pair to be avoided.

Calvin Klein - Body Trunk & Boxer Brief

These two products are very similar, so I will include both in the same review.

Calvin Klein is known for quality designer clothes and underwear. These come close to upholding that reputation.

The material is 100% cotton. It is a very comfortable material, not the softest I have ever worn, but certainly a good product.

The fit on these is rather disappointing. Let’s begin with the trunks. They are indeed low rise trunks. They’re a bit skimpier that a normal low rise trunk normally is. The legs are surprisingly short. So much so that they sit just below the cheek, much like a brief would.  They’re advertised as a “body defining fitted trunk,” and indeed they are. They tend to be on the tight side all around. Going a size up might solve that issue.

The boxer briefs fit similarly, but they have traditional length in the legs. As seems to be typical of CK brand boxer briefs, the legs are too tight and tend to creep up throughout the day, resulting in a bulky bunch-up under the pants.

Ride-up is minimal, but still there from time to time.

While these are some of the more comfortable CK’s I’ve worn, I have since replaced them and can’t really give them a good recommendation.

Calvin Klein Tech Cool Boxer Brief

Calvin Klein, one of the big names of designer clothes and designer underwear. Expectations are always high when dealing with Calvin Klein products. Unfortunately, this one falls short.

Material are a blend of 89% cotton and 11% elastane (aka spandex). Ck’s website advertises a 90/10 blend. Perhaps the product has changed slightly since I purchased mine. With such a high percent of spandex, they don’t feel like traditional cotton underwear. They are very soft for sure, but don’t feel like cotton. They are advertised as being constructed with “nano technology for cool skin”, but unless this cool skin is a result of perfuse sweating, I wouldn’t buy into their claim. As with all spandex blends, these don’t breathe very well, leaving the wearer more prone to break out in a sweat.

The high spandex content makes for a great look, but for a terrible fit. The legs are way too tight. To the point of being uncomfortable. I can only assume they did this to prevent the legs from creeping up throughout the day, but it really just results in a terrible bunching under the pants that is difficult to adjust discreetly.

The waist is also on the tight side. The only redeeming factor is that at least they are low-rise.

You want support? Well, you got it. The contoured pouch will give you all the support you could ever want… and even the support you don’t. It’s a bit on the tight side, but even more irritating is a thick seam that runs through the middle of the pouch making prolonged wear uncomfortable.

Ride-up on these is mild, but still annoying. If you’re not adjusting your junk, you’ll be adjusting your seat. It’s really a no-win situation.

While this underwear looks great, it fails every aspect of comfort and functionality. If you value aesthetics over comfort and functionality, go for it! You’ll be the proud owner of the best looking piece of junk on the market.

Starter Trunk Briefs

Starter is about as generic as brands get. This is actually a Walmart brand. Before you simply write these off, I’m going to suggest that they are worth looking into.

The material is a blend of 98% cotton and 2% spandex. Since this is a Walmart brand, don’t expect the softest cotton blend you’ve ever worn, but I personally don’t take issue with the softness of this underwear. It’s actually perfectly comfortable.

Something I found bizarre is that they come in odd color combinations. I’m not a huge fan of loud colors in underwear, so I found it kind of disappointing that all I could find were black/grey/red or black/grey/green combos. I know the classic black/grey/white combos do exist (see picture) but it seems to be hit or miss if you try and find these in stock in the store.

The fit was surprisingly comfortable. This is by no means a form-fitting pair of underwear, which I found to be refreshing. It offers a nice, relaxed fit, yet provides appropriate support. The legs retain their shape pretty well. At the end of the day, you may start to notice some looseness, but I’ve experienced worse with designer underwear.

The waistband is the only real draw-back. There isn’t any comfort lining on it, so at times it can be slightly irritating. For those that prefer the low-rise fit (I am one of those people), these actually sit in a comfortable place on the hip

The sizing is also something to take into consideration. I personally found that going a size down offered better support, but also resulted in a slightly tighter fit in the waist as well… although, it’s not as big of an issue as you might think it would be. Having said that, the size that I would normally wear felt comfortable and was perfectly wearable. At this point it’s just personal preference.

I actually don’t have many negative comments about this product. If you want a functional, comfortable pair of underwear that will get you through the day, I’d recommend these. For those of you who wouldn’t be caught dead in something so pedestrian, keep these around for everyday use and save those uncomfortable name brands for cruising the bars and hot club dates. Either way, you’ll find these in my rotation.

Logo Waistband Boxer Shorts – Hugo Boss

If you read my previous review of Boss brand underwear, this will be a little different. Hugo Boss is a German fashion brand specializing in high-end men’s and women’s clothing. Given that it’s a European brand, there seems to be some discrepancy in the terminology. Apparently, what the Europeans are calling boxer shorts, Americans call either boxer briefs or trunks. Like the last pair of Boss “boxers” I reviewed, these look and fit more like the American trunk.

The material is a blend of 6% Elastane (aka spandex) and 94% Cotton. This makes for an athletic, body-hugging fit. The material feels very soft against the skin. My only gripe with this kind of blend is that it doesn’t breathe very well, which can lead to some sweaty discomfort.

These have a true low rise waist and the waist itself seems to run a bit on the small side. There is a bit of a lining on the inside of the waistband which provides minimal comfort as there is still some irritation from the band itself. As with the Fashion boxers, these have an annoying tag sewn into the band that I had to remove before wearing.  

The legs retain their shape fairly well, although by the end of the day, you’ll start to notice some stretching.

Support is actually good. Sometimes too good. Sometimes I won’t notice at all, others I will have to constantly make adjustments.

The ride-up on these is moderate, but enough to be a constant nuisance.  This is due to the body-hugging fit.

Over all these are quite a bit better than Boss’ Fashion boxers. The designers were certainly more fashion conscious when designing these than their so-called “fashion boxers.” They’re still a bit basic, but appealing to the eye. If it weren’t for the constant need to alleviate the ride-up, I’d consider making these a part of my regular rotation. If ride-up isn’t a factor you care about, then they might be worth checking out, although you won’t catch me in them.

Hugo Boss Fashion Boxer Short

Hugo Boss is one of the names in designer clothes. The Boss brand is far from generic. In fact, you’ll pay a pretty price for the right to wear the brand. For the price, one would expect nothing but the finest quality, but expectations haven’t been met.

First of all, the label is very misleading. These underwear aren’t true boxer shorts. They’re actually boxer briefs… and even that designation is a bit of a stretch because the leg length is closer to that of a trunk.

The material is 100% cotton. Very soft and amazingly comfortable. This is actually the best part of this product.

The fit and over-all wearability of these underwear is abysmal. The legs don’t retain their shape at all. After maybe an hour or so, they begin to stretch, so much so that I’m beginning to see how one might want to consider this a boxer short. The waist isn’t much better. It constantly slides down.

The ride-up on this is outrageous. Someone, in their infinite wisdom, designed a seam that runs the full length of the seat… perfectly positioned over the crack of the ass, making a wedgie unavoidable.

Another curious WTF design flaw is a tag sewn into the waistband. There is a rather large, and very uncomfortable tag with care instructions that I simply had to cut out in order to even attempt to wear them. This was either someone’s idea of a sick joke, or an unbelievable oversight in the stages of design and development.

Support is almost non-existent, and only gets worse as the legs stretch and waist slips. I’m convinced no one actually tried wearing this product before releasing it for sale.

These were clearly designed for those who shop for name brands without any regard for comfort or functionality. Even then this product falls short. If appearance is all you’re after, there are much more flattering options out there. These underwear fail on all accounts and should be avoided at all costs.

Jockey Modern Classic Trunk – 3 pack (the perfect trunk)

I discovered these a couple years ago in my quest for the perfect pair of underwear. These were what I was searching for, or so I thought. It turns out that this style has been discontinued, but I come across some online from time to time. Although spotting a pair of these for sale anywhere these days has become as rare as spotting the Loch Ness Monster, they can be found, so I thought I’d give a review.

These trunks are (or were) only available in 3 packs. The ones I encountered were basic. They came in black, grey or white. The packs either contained one color, or sometimes you could find them packaged with one of each color. No fancy patterns, just solid colors.

The material is 100% cotton. They’re somewhat thin, but by no means cheaply made. In fact, they’re super soft and comfortable. All three colors are made of the same material.

They aren’t advertised as such, but they’re low rise.

The waist and legs are true to size and stay put, even after being worn all day. The legs even retain their shape overnight, which some may find surprising, as the legs of trunks and boxer briefs tend to stretch overnight, compromising support. The waistband is lined with a layer of thin, soft cotton, making extended wear very comfortable.

There is no contoured pouch or fly, but the support is surprisingly good. I’d say perfect in fact. Not too lose and not too tight. You can go out for a run and feel secure knowing that your manhood is going to stay comfortably in place.

This is by far the best pair of underwear I have ever owned and I highly recommend them to anyone seeking the holy grail of underwear. If trunks are what you’re seeking, you may still be able to find this rare gem. Keep your eye out; they’re worth owning if you can find them!

American Eagle Low Rise & AthleticTrunks

AE’s trunks come in two styles, Low Rise and Athletic. The only real difference between the two is the length of the legs. The Low Rise trunks are true trunks, while the Athletic trunks could be considered boxer briefs. A pleasant surprise however with the Athletic trunks is that they are actually low rise which tends to offer more support than your more spacious traditional boxer brief.

These trunks come in a variety of colors and patterns, from the basics: black, white and grey, to the less standard: bright frog, lime volt, replay purple, cross orange, etc.

The material is a blend of 96% cotton and 4% spandex. It should be noted that they advertise 100% cotton in certain colors (mostly the more unusual colors), but this is simply false advertising. According to customer service (and my personal attempts to order their advertised 100% cotton trunks) they offer no such product. Everything is the cotton/spandex blend. This blending of materials results in a fabric that doesn’t breathe very well, leaving sweaty nether regions. It also causes a slight ride-up, which isn’t as severe as some other brands, thus making it only a minor nuisance. The spandex creates what they advertise as an “Athletic fit” which simply means a tighter fit, which I personally think was unnecessary given the sweaty side effect. In terms of actual materials, all colors appear to be the same with the exception of the Grey trunks, which they call “Black Jaspe.” These are noticeably softer than the other colors, thus making them all around more comfortable.

Other than the issues I have with their choice of a blended material, these are solid underwear. The fit is  rather good. There is just the right amount of support. The contoured pouch is surprisingly comfortable with a seam that remains unobtrusive and barely noticeable. There isn’t much room for your junk to wander, which is a feature that I personally appreciate. Simply put, it stays in place. The support isn’t too tight either.

 The legs retain their shape after wearing them all day and both the legs and waist fit just right. the legs on the Athletic style are longer, but actually stay in place pretty well. There is a bit of creeping up the legs as you sit and stand, but I have yet to experience the bunching that I have with other brands of boxer briefs.

I am very picky when it comes to underwear. Considering we spend all day in them, how can you afford not to be? I have yet to devise a rating system for this blog, but If I can recommend them, then they are underwear that I would personally wear (and probably do). As for the AE trunks, I highly recommend them. Despite the issues with the material, they’re solid underwear and a surprisingly good product. I’m not one for trendy brands and never considered AE to be quality clothing, but they have impressed me with their trunk underwear. If you’re picky about what you wear underneath, give them a try. You might be surprised. 

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