My preferred type of underwear for pretty much my entire life has been the mid-rise brief, and for many years now my go-to brand has been the Hanes tagless mid-rise briefs. Unfortunately, over at least the last two purchases of the Hanes briefs I had noticed a dramatic decrease in quality and have been looking for an alternative for some time. I've been curious about brands such as Duluth Trading and Tommy John and so forth, but I'm sorry folks - as much as I want comfortable underwear there is NO WAY you're going to see me paying 30 bucks or more for a pair! So I did rather extensive research before my purchase and would like to share with you some of what I discovered.

It seems that The Thing today with most of the "designer" underwear manufacturers is Micromodal fabric. You'll see varying qualities of Micromodal offered by different manufacturers - 40s, 80s, Micromodal Air and such, but they're simply variations on the same thing: Micromodal is a synthetic fabric produced from the chips of beechwood trees and comprises 90 to 95 percent of most of these underwear brands with the rest being Spandex. Now normally I think of a "synthetic" fabric as being something like polyester or nylon produced from derivatives of petroleum products so I'm not sure why something made essentially from trees is called "synthetic", but there it is. Micromodal is supposed to be smoother, lighter and stronger than cotton and much better at moisture wicking - that is to say staying dry to your skin. It's often described in terms of being silky, but I think that's a bit inaccurate: to me, silky implies a cool, smooth sensation where, while very smooth, Micromodal seems to be to be temperature neutral rather than cool. This is a good thing and I think it is why so many people describe these as feeling like you're not wearing any underwear at all. In sensory terms, it essentially disappears against your skin, resulting in the feeling of having support without substance. And that is a very good thing.

My research on the fabric convinced me that it was worth trying, so I began searching for underwear that used Micromodal but didn't cost a fortune...and that's how I discovered the David Archy products here on Amazon. Where most brands are asking about 30 bucks a pair, Amazon has these right now at four pair for $17.99. That's more like it. I have usually worn my Hanes in a size 32-34 because, while my waist is actually closer to 36, I prefer my underwear a bit on the snug side. But having seen reviews that said the David Archy briefs tend to run a bit small, I ordered the Large (36-38) size. I just got them two days ago, so this is a preliminary review based on initial impressions, but I promise to come back and update with my findings after multiple wearings and washings with my observations on longer term comfort, stretching, sagging, colorfastness and so forth. The briefs seem to be very well constructed. They are extremely light weight except for the waistband which is comfortably wide and substantial. The back is seamless and the front is flyless - which I am completely used to and is fine with me. Trying them on, I find they are very smooth and - as I said earlier - not exactly "silky" but rather temperature neutral so that it really does feel like you're wearing nothing at all, except that the Family Jewels are supported comfortably in place. There is no sensation of cutting or friction in the crotch area or movement against the skin as you sit, stand, walk, crouch, bend, etc. They're just...there. Very, very nice. My wife says they look good on me and her opinion is the ONLY one that matters in that department.

Right out of the box, first time on, they fit absolutely perfectly...and that is my primary concern at this point. If, after several wearings and washings they wind up stretching or sagging at all, they will be a bit too loose for my taste - and that's why I promise to come back and report what happens after a period of use. In fact, I'm going to order a size smaller even before I have the chance to fully evaluate these just in case - because even if they do sag or stretch a bit after some wear they are comfortable enough that I'd be willing to take a smaller size through a break-in period to get them in the long run to fit and feel the way they do right now. Of course, there's still the issue of durability to address and I'll report on that as well. But for now, absolutely five stars for these underwear. They seem to be everything they promise to be and compared to pretty much everything else on the market the price point is outstanding!

One last note - and this one is a bit of a spoiler. Even if these had been terrible underwear I would have given them four stars for one reason alone. They come with a double, easily removable tag on the waistband: one tag has the washing and care instructions. The other tag has the size and fabric composition...and this note at the top of the tag: "Tear it off along the line. Or give it to your mother. She knows how to do it." I love it - absolutely love it. This is my kind of company - one not only with a sense of humor, but a clear understanding of their target audience...men. And whether we will admit it or not, every guy alive knows deep down that when it comes to some things (and underwear is definitely one of those things) mom still knows best.

UPDATE: Four months and many washings and wearings later these underwear still rate 5 stars. My second order, as promised, was for the mediums rather than the large and, while the difference is minimal, the mediums I think are a tiny bit more snug which is what I prefer - so my third order was for mediums - as will be all future orders. But it really is a very small difference - so much so that I couldn't tell you which size I'm wearing right now. They are holding up perfectly; no sag, no perceptible wear. Most comfortable underwear I have ever owned.

I'm AFAB but nonbinary & i don't like most of what gets passed off as women's underwear. My AMAB partner wears these and I tried their on to check fit, and i ordered my own right away. These fit really nice, they're very comfy, soft, and stretchy and cover everything they should. The only complaint I have is that the waistband is kind of too snug compared to the fit of the underwear, which causes some bulging in my waist and belly area that I don't love. But ordering a size up might help, i don't know, it might make the rest too baggy. Just a somewhat minor detail.

I have searched long and hard for decent briefs. I keep coming back to David Archy. The fabric is awesome, the fit is supportive and the elastic waistband will outlive the service life of these. I've tried to buy other brands but none fit and last as well as these. I prefer the modal fabric but I've enjoyed every version I've bought of these briefs. They are expensive (in my opinion) but deserving of the $$$

Comfort noticed right away. There is room in the front for your parts, which major brands do not do well (Hanes, F of the L). The waist elastic is a bit strong but works well at keeping things where they belong. I commute 2+hrs/day and find other brands to bunch up and move around, these do not. Worth a shot if your looking for soming inexpensive and keeping your parts comfortable.

My husband loves the feel and comfort of these and fits snug without leaving indents on the skin