AQS Underwear Review: Is This The High Performer of Low Budget Men’s Undies?

I’m a boxer brief guy. If you’re a fan of the tighty whitie, you and I may never see eye to eye. The chasm is too wide, my dude.

But most of us are on the same page when it comes to one point in the men’s underwear ranking system: the price tag. I’ve tried many a low-budget underwear brand in my quest for the ultimate balancing act: high quality / low price. And I get that it can be hard.

I feel like we all want the same thing, right? It’s simple:

AQS Underwear: The Overview

Admit it: you’re scrolling down to the review section of your undies’ page, too.

There was a time when reviews we’re the awkward appendage on the page. Nobody was reading them unless they wanted to know how ‘the kids these days’ felt about said product. Now, we’re all checking the reviews, and a 1-star ranking is the kiss of death for any local business.

So let’s start here: AQS men’s boxer briefs—the kind I took for a test drive—have a whopping 168 5 star reviews on Amazon.

Here’s the rest of the tech specs:

The Experience

The First Impression

AQS aren’t a high-end brand, so I had to check my expectations when the packaging arrived. I ordered 2 of the 6-packs because I liked the color choices available, and they both arrived in pretty non-descript plastic bags.

Straight out of the bag, these things are super-soft. There seems to be enough stretch to keep my frank and beans firmly ensconced in their home-zone, while not enough that my back-end looks saggy or the waistband doesn’t sit right.

Colors

One of the packs I ordered featured my go-to neutrals (black, white, and grey) and the darks were solid and deep. Nothing looked patchy, and there was zero bleed in the white branding (bleed is way too common in low-end brands).

The other pack I ordered was the pastels set. Yes, I ordered pastels…what of it? The mint, lavender, pink, and green were really nice, but the yellow was too bold—definitely not the kind of buttery yellow I’d expected.

Value

Here’s the main selling point of the AQS line: they are totally wallet-friendly. On par with brands like Champion, Warriors and Scholars, Reebok, and AND1 price-wise, they allow you to pick up a whole new undie wardrobe for less than the price of one premium pair.

As a side by side comparison, I’d put them on par with AND1 for performance—although I might give AND1 the advantage for their mesh panels and improved moisture-wicking. Overall, Warriors and Scholars are worth springing a few extra bucks for if you want the best quality underwear at a solidly affordable price point.

Durability

You can’t talk about value for money without looking at how long your underwear are actually going to last. AQS men’s boxers last well.

6 months in, they are all retaining their shape well, with no puckering in the waistband, no pilling of the fabric, and no pulling around the flatlock seams. The pastel colors have faded a bit—which I’m happy about with the yellow pair—but the black has stayed pretty true.

Comfort

These AQS boxer briefs are wearable and comfortable through my 2-hour commute and a full work day, with a gym workout thrown in for good measure. The elasticated waistband feels durable, and didn’t roll down or twist around through any of my workouts.

As a guy with a wider thigh (is that even the word? Chunky is what I’m trying to avoid, FWIW) I could really appreciate that the thighs didn’t roll up and launch a synthetic attack on my junk.

Breathability

Air circulation was reasonable with these undies, but I can’t help thinking a strategically placed mesh panel—or some type of ventilation—could have taken them up a notch pretty quick.

Polyester is what happens when you don’t want to pay top dollar for your underwear, and polyester is definitely what you get with the AQS brand—even stretching to the gusset and pouch areas. With that in mind, polyester and spandex don’t absorb moisture, so your undies won’t feel wet or sweaty.

Moisture Wicking

I’d say moisture-wicking performance in these boxer briefs is about average. As I mentioned just now, they aren’t designed to draw moisture away from the skin—with polyester being water-resistant—so any moisture happening around your junk is likely to just hover there. Like a swamp. In your crotch.

The Pros; Cons

My Thoughts in (Boxer) Brief

References