Underwear Guy Review: 2Xist Carbon No Show Brief
Designer/Manufacturer: 2Xist
Website: www.2xist.com
Price:$14.00

2007 could have been termed the year of exotic fabrics for men’s underwear given the broad variety of new blends that came to the market. No longer limited to simple cotton and lycra, we saw new fabrics like soy, bamboo and silver thanks to C-In2, 2xist, JM and Pulse as well as a very old material reintroduced for the 00’s: hemp by Go Softwear. One of the more unusual fabrics to be introduced in 2007 was the 58% polyester, 42% polyester infused with bamboo charcoal 2Xist Carbon line. Available in the traditional 2xist cuts of a brief, trunk and the signature no show brief, the Carbon line was manufactured in basic colors of white and black as well as army green, brick red, light blue and silver tones. These no show briefs I purchased were in the silver color and size medium. The carbon fabric has a smooth and soft feel to it which is nice to touch and a fairly heavy weight and thickness which lends a feeling of durability. According to the marketing material the carbon infusion lends an antimicrobial and anti-fungal property to the fabric which I haven't personally verified but I assume has some basis in fact. For my review I'll just concern myself to the actual fit and finish which is more easily measurable. Much like the CK silver line of underwear the 2Xist carbon briefs have a striking metallic silver waistband. At 1 ½” tall, the 2Xist waistband is smaller than the CK Steel line. There is a single, large 2Xist logo deboss-woven on the front of the brief but otherwise it’s completely smooth all the way around. The wash/care tag on the inside back of the brief is nicely accomplished as a 1 ¾” x 1 ¼” tag sewn flat with a small side-tag attached on the right. Although it’s a relatively large label tag you don’t notice it while wearing since it’s a slick synthetic material. The overall fit of this brief is true-to-size with these mediums working out OK for the stated 32-33” range. The fabric-covered leg bands are very wide at almost ½” but they are soft and comfortable for all-day wear. At the sides of the brief the cut narrows to about 2 ½” (in addition to the waistband) and offers a full-coverage back. The dual-layer front pouch design seems a bit flat which normally wouldn't be too much of an issue since the fabric could stretch to accommodate your shape. There are problems with the pouch fit in this case however due to the use of the carbon fabric blend which has a very limited amount of stretch and as a result, it’s not all that flattering to your shape up front and unfortunately not all that comfortable either. I realize it sounds like a minor issue but for 2Xist this is really not up to their usual fit standards and I ended up not liking this brief despite all the other good elements.

The Grades:

Fit:	B-	I’m a little surprised at the fit issues here since 2Xist is normally very good but I didn’t like the front pouch design and as a result have to give a middle-of-the-road score.
Design:	A-/B+	These are basic briefs with most of the design coming from the waistband and the fabric itself. What is here does work well and gives a strong masculine “look” to the overall line.
Material:	B	I’m not sure about any of the other supposed benefits of the carbon blend but as far as wearing it for every day underwear, it feels nice to the touch but its lack of stretch is a real problem.
Construction:	A+	I found these briefs to be expertly sewn with very good seams, excellent cuts on the pattern and not one stray thread.
Overall Grade:	B-	If you like metallic waistbands definitely try out the CK Steel line instead, no pouch problems there and a very nice fabric blend to boot.
Would I buy another pair? No, this brief wasn’t a nightmare as it works as regular underwear but for a premium-level designer I was really underwhelmed by the fit so I think I’ll pass on any future Carbon purchases.

Wear Recommendations:

All-day Wear	Loungewear	Athletic	Sleepwear	Office Wear	Special Occasion	Bedroom Wear

Where To Buy:
There are several online stores stocking the Carbon line including: MensUnderwearStore.com: Product Page, FreshPair.com: Product Page, Skiviez.com: Product Page, HisRoom.com: Product Page, MaleBasics.com: Product Page, InternationalJock.com: Product Page, Malestrom.com: Product Page and UniversalGear.com: Product Page.