Review: Hanes Comfort Flex Fit® String Bikinis
I kept going back and forth about giving these Hanes Comfort Flex Fit® string bikinis a try. I figured they’d have too much coverage for my preference, but decided to add them to a curbside pickup order one day. Having someone have to grab them off the shelf for me also drove my purchase a bit. It possibly exposed at least one person to the string bikini style for men. I do wonder if it was a male or female shopper that pulled them off the rack and what they thought. Another motive for giving the Hanes string bikini a whirl was a couple guys in my forums seem to think they are decent and they are reviewed well online at Wal-Mart and Hanes. I figured an underwear blog needs to review them and I’m probably the only one that will go for budget pairs. Plus was interested in how they compare to the Life by Jockey I used to wear somewhat regularly many years ago.
So here I am reviewing a budget pair of string bikinis I got from Walmart. For about $16, I got 6 pairs in 5 different solid colors. Nothing crazy with the colors and all fine with me to wear. Overall they look pretty much the same as the Life by Jockey string bikinis. Now I probably should have sized down on the Hanes like I did the Life for a better comparison for fit, but I forgot I did that. The real difference between the two brands is the fabric. The Life by Jockey are 100% cotton while the Hanes are 57% cotton, 38% modal, and 5% spandex. At the time of writing the Hanes are a little cheaper and you get one more pair than the Life by Jockey.
Let’s look at some more details on the Hanes String bikinis. They have the narrow sides like a string bikini should have. They measure in at about a ½”. The pouch is a flat design, which is the same as the Life string bikinis. Rear coverage is full back. These are machine wash cool and tumble dry low, but says to not use fabric softener. The box says they offer sizes from small (28″-30″ or 70cm-75cm) to 3XL (48″-50″ or 120cm-125cm). The string bikini is made in Vietnam.
Overall I find these a comfortable basic string bikini. As I figured before I made the purchase, the back is more coverage than I like. The pouch coverage is fine and has plenty of room even with it being a flat front pouch. A center seam contour pouch would make it better for me and make it a step for sure above the Life by Jockey one. I mentioned I sized down in the Life brand to give a better fit in rear and pouch support. I think that probably is what I should have done with these too, since I do normally like a bit of a snug fit. Seems like the bikini has a little extra fabric in the rear than it needs. I’d say the fabric blend of the Hanes bikini is a better option than the Life’s 100% cotton. Support is fine for every day wear. Not a pair I would wear exercising or sports.
Now I’m going to give these one thong up. Not because I think guys into bikinis already and have found some of the online brands should get them. I’m looking at them as a budget option especially for guys just trying the style out. Many guys I have talked to have started with bikinis from Kmart, which got us hooked. So these would be a good starting point into skimpier styles from the norm. It’s good that they can be stumbled upon in a store and get someone interested in wanting to try them. I’ve read reviews of this string bikinis where women buy their guys them. Then with reservations at first about trying them ended up liking them. Also reviews from guys deciding to take a chance on them and really ending up liking them too. So my approval of them are for guys that find them interesting. For the price you’re not going to be out much money if you end up not liking them. Really they’re better than other underwear styles and options available in most local stores like Walmart.
| Support Rating: | 4.0 | |
| Overall Comfort: | 5.0 | |
| Recommendation: | One thong up |
Pros: Comfortable, Available is sizes small to 3XL
Cons: Too much rear coverage for me
Ways to Support The Bottom Drawer by Shopping
If anyone wants additional positive reviews, check the Bikini Reviews on the Forum.
The photo shows there is a fair bit of rear panel, judging by the fold of the rear panel and the shortness of the string sides.
However, that said, for anyone wanting to try a string bikini these seem a good product to try. As you say, not much lost if not found to comfortable or desired. Have these been available for some time, or is it perhaps a line being introduced for Christmas sales.
Thanks for pointing out where to look in the forums. Here is the link to the discussion in the forums. First I heard of them is from JustSomeDude71 post there at the end of March. Looking at reviews on Hanes and Walmart they appear to have been available around end of November in 2019.
We’ve discussed the inconsistency in sizing which can occur within the same style, so that one item feels great and another of the same style not so. I think it was SM_Thongguy who said he had experienced this “feature” in one of the brands in his thong collection series, and it is common in Kiniki products. How do these Hanes vary in fit by colour.
I haven’t worn all the pairs, but the ones I have worn seem to be consistent to me. Maybe someone that has worn them more regular can chime in with their experience with consistency.
Its nice to see that major store selling them! I think the are are great starting point to wearing bikinis and nice available option when your in need , you can at least find these on the shelf . Though it would be nice to see hanes and life brands come up with a thong style off from these bikinis and have walmart , other chain stores stock them!
As someone who discovered his first string bikini at Kmart in the mid 90s, I am glad to see at least one big box store continue to carry this type of underwear in the store. Other big box stores may offer limited variety online, but few carry them in the store. I was lucky enough to buy some Life strings before Walmart switched to the Hanes so it may be a little while before I purchase these. However, I like how these aren’t 100% cotton (unlike Life) which can make things hot down there, though Life’s strings are fairly thin so it isn’t typically too bad. I think these would be a great starting point for the guy wanting to try something new without breaking the bank. On a side note, I was shopping online and discovered American Eagle also sells men’s briefs (online only); these aren’t bikinis but they also aren’t granddad’s huge white briefs either. For a retailer more geared to the younger generation to offer their own brand of briefs is awesome. Obliviously more men would wear briefs (or skimpier) if they were more readily available.
Good find! The old Hanes String Briefs were about my favorite ‘mainstream’ (Hanes/Jockey/Fruit) underwear. I like the Life by Jockey too, though I don’t get why you can’t buy them from Jockey.com. I’ll try these out next.
Thanks
I bought a pack of these bikinis about a month ago while looking for replacements of my Life by Jockey bikinis. I like them overall and agree that the material is more comfortable than cotton. I did downsize to medium which seems help the seat and makes the pouch more supportive. The only bad thing is that the strings tend to dig into my hips a little bit with the mediums, but not painful or anything. There is some variation in size with color. These are fun, sexy, and comfortable string bikinis to wear. I’d recommend these over the Life Jockey brand. I hope Walmart will continue to sell these. They also have regular Hanes bikini briefs in a 5 pak. I wish we could see a return to more mens bikini briefs and even a thong or two sold at the big stores. The fact that they stock these on shelves proves that there are quite a few men interested in bikini underwear. Walmart does their research before placing products out there.
Don’t know if any of you noticed, jockey.com has the elance string bikini for sale again. Not the jockey life that is discussed above and sold at WM. Not sure what the difference between the jockey life and what jockey.com sells is. $19.50 for 3, the only have all black or all white for color selection. The jockey life come in assorted colors and are cheaper. Also, the Hanes reviewed above are sold at target.
Someone on the forum pointed out Walmart wasn’t carrying the Life string bikini in stores. Could be heading that way online too. I wonder if they are really any different than the Life ones. Look the same design and still 100% cotton unless maybe a heavier cotton. Thanks for the update Target carries them too, so more exposure for string bikinis in person.
All of the Walmart stores in my area stopped carrying them in-store last year, now all you can find in-stores are boxer briefs and Y-front briefs. Now I can only order my skimpies online.
Yes, and I bought two 3 packs of the Elance string bikinis last year. At first, they offered them in black or white only and in a 3 pack or 6. Then they came out with a few patterns and variations of blue, they since discontinues the colors and patters and are back to offering only black or white as your choice and 3-packs only. They also stopped offering it in 2X, which was the size I wear in that particular string bikini.
Walmart only has the small Jockey Life in stock. Either it’s a COVID supply/demand thing or they will be discontinuing the product when the smalls are gone. I recently bought the new Jockey Elance String Bikini mentioned. Definitely more expensive and as mentioned, only black and white. Unfortunately, I have not tried them on as they need to be washed first (I am old school, LOL).
Got a pack of the Hanes strings to try today. I have the Jockey version, and frankly, hated them. I was a huge fan of the older Hanes string bikini underwear, with the wider band, they were my go-to for years but most I have left are falling apart.
So, the new Hanes. Well, yeah, better than the Jockeys, which were brutal. The material primarily is better, the addition of lycra and modal did the trick. However, there are still some design flaws. First, the thin string. Funny, I really love that on a woman, but for a guy, we have a little payload to support, so that waist band needs to be snugger to hold up the front well. And that means it cuts in. Mine leave a mark, as did the Jockeys (even worse) and that’s with them on-size. I also like them snugger, but if I sized down on these the waist band would be too tight. I found the front to be fairly roomy, and the rear to be on the edge of excessive. I can go way less wide on the rear. On these, and on the Jockeys, the rear panel curves around to the front. My preference would be for that panel to remain in the back from the front view.
For me, these would have to have less material in the back, wider waist band, and then they’d be about right. Inexpensive enough, but the tiny string cuts in too much, so that will limit my wearing these too often. I also prefer a narrower front with bit of contour for more of a cradling effect. Flat fronts are ok if there’s plenty of stretch. These have stretch, just barely enough. For color, could ditch the gray and one of the blacks and put in something else. Like green. What’s up with green? Nobody makes green in anything! I had to special order a green bikini and green thong to get green. Geez. Anyway, my comments would put my review of the new Hanes string bikini underwear at about a 3.5 star. Better than fair, moving toward good, but not there yet.
The fabric quality is definitely much better. Jockey Life had such threadbare cotton fabric, that you could almost see through it! Jockey Life and Jockey Elance both have a service life of about 5 months before holes begin to wear through the fabric. the thing I hated most about this bikini is that there is just too much material in the seat. Heck, even Kim Kardashian’s ass would be hidden under this string bikini!
I bought a pack of these string bikinis when they first rolled out in Wal Mart stores. I loved them at first, but after a few weeks of wear, my love affair ended. These are huge and baggy, especially in the seat, just too much fabric. While they look nice in the front, the back of this string bikini is just huge and baggy! I would be interested to see a thong offered in this string style.