Equmen - A Review

Performance underwear has long been a staple in the men's underwear world, but recently there has been a push towards making performance wear also stylish.  These new ideas for men's performance underwear are represented by the Equmen collection.  Specially designed with a precision fit to give you the ultimate in support and performance, Equmen helps keep you comfortable while working out or just hanging at the office.  Equmen is most noted for their core precision undershirts that help support your core and reduce back pain and stress.  Today, however, I will be reviewing their precision brief (I tried a blue one). 

These things fit like a glove.  These low-rise briefs are streamlined and well fitted.  There are no extra seams or stitches, they've taken the brief back to the basics in terms of construction.  Upon first glance, the fabric looks as though it's not going to be very comfortable.  It has a very sexy sheen, but it looks thick and artificial.  But don't let that fool you, this fabric is soft and stretchy.  It is a blend of nylon, micropolyester, and spandex.  It breathes well and has wicking performance to keep you dry all day long now matter how hard you're working.  The rear has a special vent to help keep you dry where you tend to sweat the most (right in the lower back above your crack). The fabric here has a slightly different stitch, but you won't notice it unless you're looking for it.  The fabric is design to stretch and pull in a way that works with your anatomy to keep everything optimally supported and in place.  The contoured pouch is double layered and has a seam down the middle and two on the sides.  It expands well when needed, but holds everything in place as well. 

These briefs are very basic looking, but there is a sophisticated style about them.  They aren't just your everyday, boring briefs.  They come in blue, black, gray, and white.  There is a line of accent color on the waistband (the blue ones have a white band).  There is no writing on the waist, instead it is kept plain and simple - sophisticated.  Centered, in the back of the waistband is a logo patch that is very sexy and stylish peeking above your pants. As I already noted, the fabric has a slight sheen to it that makes these things not just your average briefs. 

I have had these for quite some time now, and have worn them many times.  In fact, they're one of my go-to pairs, especially on hot days or when I know I'm going to be doing some physical activity.  I like them because they keep me dry and comfy, and they're just easy - effortless style.  That being said, I've washed them many times and they are holding up beautifully.  There is only slight pilling starting to happen on the waistband after almost a year of wear, so that's pretty good. And they should be too, because these things run in a little high at $50 a pair.  But that being said, these are performance underwear, which usually runs a little more than regular undies.  These are good quality undies that will hold up well under pressure - and we all need a pair like that sometimes.  So if you're willing to pay a little more for performance wear that's gonna hold up well and last, these are the pair for you.  They also make trunks and long trunks if you prefer those styles instead.  Personally I like my legs to be a little more free when working out that's why I opt for these briefs. 

MY RATING:
Overall, I give the Equmen Briefs a total score of 8 based on the following criteria:
FIT -- 10 (out of 10) - Stripped down to the basics.  Well fitted and low-rise. 
COMFORT -- 9 (out of 10) - Surprisingly comfortable fabric.  Keeps you dry with wicking performance. 
STYLE -- 8 (out of 10) - Basic and sophisticated. 
QUALITY -- 9 (out of 10) - Holds up great after a long time, only slight pilling on waistband. 
VALUE -- 6 (out of 10) - Expensive but good quality. 

**********8

Review: Under Performance

I was out at the Sports Authority a couple of days ago because some jerk stole my iPhone armband holder and my weightlifting gloves at the Y. Despite the general annoyance of having to drive to one of those big box stores and then clear cutting my way through those circular racks of Cubs and White Sox fan gear, I was in a pretty good mood. Spring has arrived in the CHI and after enduring months of freezing temps, the sun was shining and the skies were clear.

Having found replacement gloves (but no iPhone armband), I made my way to the register. En route, my eye caught the Under Armour display, and more importantly, the picked through boxes of the M series sports briefs.

I had heard through the underwear grapevine that these were coming down the pike a couple of months ago. Periodic checks at my local Dick’s Sporting Goods store yielded nada. It was only when I saw them at Sports Authority did I realize that Dick’s probably didn’t carry them, but luckily for me, I had checked elsewhere.

Brflines modeling Under Armour.

So I said a silent prayer to Saint Selena as I dove into the racks of boxed Undearmour garments. You guys probably know that finding a medium in briefs at places like Macy’s, Sports Authority, or TJ Maxx is like finding satisfaction from a Matthew McConnaughey movie. It’s so very elusive. Luckily, Selena answered my prayers and I found a couple boxes of the M series sports briefs. I casually opened a couple of boxes and found that they had only black, so black it was. I was so excited to finally get my hands on one of these I actually pulled them out while I was stopped at a red light and looked at them. The guy in the car on my left thought it was hilarious when I noticed that he was watching me right before the light turned green.

When I got home, I was able to fully inspect the garment. My first impression is that it is very close to the CK Pro Mesh line from a couple of years ago, right down to the blue waistband. The material is very similar. It’s got that thin, synthetic, mesh feel to it. The waistband of the Under Armour garment is a little wider, at 1 ¼ inches than the CK pro mesh garments and the blue of the waistband is richer and more saturated. They fit true to size for a North American medium (~34”) with higher cut sides than most standard briefs, but a surprisingly full back. I really wanted to see how they performed at the gym, because this is essentially a piece of high performance gear.

So, this morning was my scheduled day to do cardio at the gym. I thought that It would be a good opportunity to put the m series brief through a series of vigorous activities to see how they matched up to my usual workout gear, low rise cotton briefs or bikinis. I did forty five minutes of step mastering, fifty prisoner squats, fifty lunges, and some yoga poses to cool down with the m series sports brief. The Under Armour brief was up to the task. I had heard that they had a tendency to ride up, but I find that all underwear do that when you’re doing squats or lots of cardio. They stayed dry, which was nice and they stayed put for most of the time. What I didn’t get was any added benefit (other than the dryness) of wearing a $20 high performance brief. Maybe I’ll feel different when it’s warm enough to start running outside again.

Anyway, I’m hesitant to give all of you a strong recommendation to get these, just because I don’t think that the price/benefit ration favors the benefit side. For those of you who want to try out the Under Armour M series brief, they’re available at UnderArmour.com. Hisroom also has them.

BRFLINE’S RATING
Overall, I’ve given the Under Armour M Series Brief a 6.0 based on the following (special) criteria:

LOOK -- 5 (out of 10) – They look like a re-hash of the CK pro mesh line
FEEL -- 6 (out of 10) – They were comfortable enough for the gym, but I can’t imagine wearing them all day
PERFORMANCE -- 8 (out of 10) – Stayed put and stayed dry
VALUE -- 5 (out of 10) – Not enough benefit to justify the $20 price point

Basic Briefs

Where I live its not that easy to find great designer underwear, to say the least, I'm pretty much limited to my local Macy's store. So the other day I was shopping for just some basic briefs and me being the athletic type I wanted some athletic briefs. When I mean basic I wanted just no-frills, simple stuff, so I was pretty excited to find the 3100 Essentials collection from 2(x)ist. These are as basic as it gets, yet retain the high quality we have all come to love from 2(x)ist.

While shopping I picked up a 3-pack of black Fly Front Briefs, and a pair of black Sports Briefs. The Fly Fronts were $19.00 and the Sports were $10.00. The sports pair are made of 100% cotton, and are pretty dang comfortable. I'm a big fan of athletic briefs because they allow a great range of movement that you don't get with regular briefs. You all know I love my jocks so the athletics are a great alternative to those, when I run in a jock I find that my shorts like to get stuck up my crack, so the full-back on these do great. Now the basic fly fronts aren't my first from 2(x)ist, I got some a couple years ago, and they've held up like you wouldn't believe. Often times I find briefs stretch out pretty quick, but these have held their shape very nicely, and they hold my boys even nicer.

If you're in need of some underwear but don't wanna drop the dough, check these out and check their prices out.