Product Reviews

I’m going to preface this post by saying I never thought I’d be reviewing a pair of pants from Lululemon. With that said, a few weeks ago a friend had mentioned that he loved his few pairs of ABC Classic (Anti Ball Crushing, more on that later) Pants. I took a look at them, and found a pair  on sale for $80. I figured I’d give them a try.

First impressions

Pulling these pants out of the package, they felt very comfy and stretchy to the touch. I originally thought, based on the website pictures, that these would be something I could wear to work on a very casual Friday. But putting them on for the first time, I quickly changed my tune on that thought.

They have much more of an athletic look to them (think golf pants). While the fit was very good, these didn’t belong in the office. But what they did end up being great for was traveling. I recently went on a vacation, and wore these through the airports and such.

Travel days can be very long, and your clothes should be accommodating to all of the moving around you’ll do. These ABC Pants were perfect for that, and I love how functional the pants were.

Functionality

One of the things I like the most about these pants are the pockets. The change pocket was oversized, and fit my iPhone X very snug and comfortable in there, leaving the two front main pockets available for anything else. Even though I regularly use that change pocket on all my other 5-pocket pants (for chapstick), they generally aren’t too functional, because who carries change anymore?

There is also a hidden zippered back pocket inside the normal back pocket, which can also fit a phone or passport when traveling. This is a nice touch.

The Anti Ball Crushing “engineering” just seems like a marketing gimmick. I’ve never had ball crushing issues with my pants, especially athletic pants. So don’t get suckered in by that. Any pants with good stretch should be accommodating for your man parts.

The Fit

These fit pretty well. It’s a slimmer fit, but far enough from skinny to stay comfortable. They’re 34″ in length which is perfect for my height (6’2″), but if needed you can slightly cuff them which would look good also.

One thing I don’t love about the fit is how the material seems to bunch at certain spots.

How to Wear them

I struggled with what tops to wear with these pants. Visually, they have a bit of a shine to them, and really lend themselves to an athletic look, despite how they appear on the website. T-shirts would be a safe bet for these pants, but whatever top you wear, lean more towards activewear, and you can’t go wrong.

Don’t think you can pair these with button downs or sweaters. It will not look good.

For the Dads

If you’re an active dad, going to birthday parties or sporting events, these pants are worth your attention. As a dad, I’m always on the lookout for clothes that will fit my on-the-go nature with the kids, and when sports starts back up, I’ll be in these pants a lot.

These pants will also challenge me to dress well with activewear. Normally I’m either dressed up nice, or in sweatpants and a tee. These in-between space is new to me, but I’m going to make it work. But don’t think these are pants you’ll wear and try to be the best dressed in the room. These aren’t that. Treat them as a step up from sweatpants.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really like these pants. But at their price point, it’s really tough to recommend them. Full price, they’re $128 and that’s a lot to pay for an activewear item. If you have money to burn and a need for these type of pants, give them a try.

But if you’re not wanting to shell out the money, I certainly recommend having pants like these, but at a cheaper price point.

Wallets are often an accessory that we pay the least attention to. An afterthought, if you will. But they shouldn’t be. They’re the gatekeepers to very important information; our identification, and our financial means. That means we should care about the wallet that it’s placed in.

Morgan Timmann, the owner and craftsman behind Full Grain Creations sent me the Lexington card wallet to review. I stumbled upon Morgan’s work through his Instagram account, and because I was extremely interested in the the details that he adds to his pieces. After reaching out to him, he graciously agreed to let me review a wallet.

First Impressions

With clothing, cars, people, or food, first impressions are everything. Wallets are no different, especially if you care about quality. My first impression of the Lexington ranks amongst the highest with any other clothing item I’ve ever bought. This wallet is gorgeous. It’s very supple to the touch, and the exact type of unique details I look for in an accessory.

The beautiful details of the Lexington.

Functionality

I’m of the mindset that normal bi-fold wallets are overkill on a day-to-day basis. You shouldn’t need to carry that much stuff in your pocket. I carry 5 cards including my drivers license. This is why card cases are so attractive, and this Lexington is no different.

The Lexington with my cards inserted.

Most card cases that you see have slots on both sides, with a center slot for cash. This Lexington only has slots on one side with a center slot. At first, before having this in hand, I wasn’t sure how I’d like this. But after adding in my cards to try it out, I realized that based on this particular design, it saves me fractions of seconds of having to make the decision of; which side is the card I’m trying to use on. Small detail, but that’s good design.

Backside of the Lexington

The Lexington is also slimmer than my current No. 3 wallet from Ezra Arthur. This means it’ll sit more flat in my pocket, which is a huge win. The less I feel the wallet in my pocket, the better.

Side-by-side of my Ezra Arthur and the Lexington

The Details

The star of the show with the Lexington is the stitching. There’s a multi-colored hand-stitching around the wallet that is absolutely perfect. I’ve never before seen this type of stitching, and was very impressed.

You won’t find this tri-color stitching anywhere else.

“Each wallet is meticulously hand sewn using red, white and blue French linen thread. The French thread, from Sajou, is not only of supreme quality, but allows me to pay homage to the county that helped contribute to the success of the American Revolution, from which the wallet derives it’s name.” – Morgan Timmann

As mentioned from my first impression, the leather is super soft to the touch. And one of the cool things about using this sort of high quality leather, is that over time it will develop a great looking patina, which mean it’ll age gracefully and look better down the road. You can’t say that about many clothing items you buy.

Also highly visible is Full Grain Creations stamped logo. If there’s one gripe I have with this product, it’s the size of the logo. But my personal preference for any clothing item/accessory is either no logo, or very small logo. But this is by no means a deal killer for me, and helps that it’s a good looking logo overall!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, I love this Lexington wallet. And if aesthetics and craftsmanship matter to you, you would also love this highly. In case it wasn’t obvious, I highly recommend it. The pricing of the Lexington isn’t cheap, at $125. Yet when you compare it to the pricing of a luxury brand, it would be considered cheap with much much more care and attention placed on it. I’d choose the Lexington every time. Full Grain Creations does offer a lesser priced alternative, which is the Saratoga wallet, at $60. While it will have the same high quality leather, you miss out on the unique tri-colored stitching.

I can say with confidence that I will be ordering a wallet from Full Grain Creations very soon. Head over to the website and check out the different leather goods offered, and order one yourself! If not only to have a great item, but to support great craftsmanship. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Rings are one accessory that you don’t typically think about. Myself included, until recently. I noticed a coworker of mine sometimes had different color rings on, and I finally decided to ask about it. I was introduced to Qalo, which stands for quality, athletics, love, and outdoors. It was started by two guys whose traditional wedding rings didn’t work for their active lifestyles.

I wear my tungsten wedding band everyday. And I love it. But everyday I get home from work, I take it off because it’s heavy. This is one of the few situations where I’d like to have something extremely lightweight and durable. Other times include running a quick errand, going fishing, hitting the gym, or any other activity where I’d like to be wearing a ring, but not my nice one.

Enter Qalo. They make medical grade silicon rings, mainly wedding rings. They come in all different types of styles and colors, and are perfect to throw on when you’re doing active things and don’t want to worry about losing or damaging your current wedding band. But don’t think you have to be married to have one. These are for everyone that would be into a different style of ring.

What I Like About Them

Aside from the fact that they’re super lightweight, they’re a fun accessory to match up with an outfit. But these are accessories that you’re going to dress way down, and not when you’re suiting up.

Since there are so many colors to choose from, you’ll be hard pressed to find a color that doesn’t match some of your outfits. Or you can just go neutral with gray or black to cover the range.

They also make pretty good gift ideas. Once my wife saw me wearing one, she commented that she also wanted one. Overall, I would highly recommend these rings for the style, durability, and comfort. So head on over to Qalo’s site and take your pick.

In today’s age, where clothing in general has gotten much more slimmer and form fitting, your wallet should also follow suit. Let’s face it, there’s no real reason you should be carrying a huge bulky wallet.

Keirin Cut Jeans, the makers of athletic cut jeans, are diving into the leather accessories business, starting with wallets. They’ve sent me a few different leather wallets, but one of them stands out much more than the others, and that’s their super slim wallet. While empty, it feels like the thickness of about 4 credit cards. So adding in your own few cards won’t bulk it up too much more.

What’s nice about this kind of slim wallet is that you hardly even notice it in your front pocket. And yes you should be carrying your wallet in your front pocket…your back will thank you later in life.

But I highly recommend this product. It’s super lightweight, tasteful logo which keeps the overall look simple, and will look better with age. It may not be available for pre-order yet, but should be in the near future.

Transitioning to a Slim Wallet

Need some help transitioning to a slim wallet? Here’s what to do. Only carry your essential cards. Got pictures in your wallet? Get rid of them because you have a smartphone to store pics. Membership cards? Put them in a separate wallet and leave it in the glove compartment of your car. And you can do the same with extra cards and such. Pick your most important few credit/debit cards, your drivers license/ID, and free yourself of bulk. Trust me, you will not miss it, and wished you had done it sooner.

For the longest time, I wasn’t a big zip-up hoodie wearer. I generally preferred the non-zip options. So I never really built up a collection of them. But ever since trying on Flint and Tinder’s 10-Year hoodie, I’m starting to change my tune about them.

Hoodies are everywhere, and you would be hard-pressed to find a brand that doesn’t make one. But most of them just don’t look good. They’re either very thin, or overly bulky. Previous ones that I’ve tried just didn’t seem to fit me right. I have a slim build, so I don’t like when hoodies flail around in the back and don’t fit my frame the way I need it to.

First Impressions

When I put on this 10-Year hoodie, it fit me like a glove. One thing that came come mind when first putting it on was that it felt built to last. The last time I had that feeling when trying on an item was American Giant’s sweatshirts.

“The 10-Year Hoodie is built to last and backed for 10 years with free mending should you manage to put a hurtin’ on it” – Flint and Tinder

Pricing & Quality

The $89 price tag might cause some to pause. But you won’t understand it’s worth until you try it on. It’s a great piece to have in your wardrobe, because it doubles as a good outerwear piece for cooler weather, or just to throw on over a t-shirt and lounging around.

My favorite feature is the inside pocket made for phones. And it’s very firm so you don’t feel like your phone will fall out. That’s a feature that you don’t generally see on zip-up hoodies.

Final Verdict

Overall, I highly recommend this product and certianly worth the price tag if you’re into zip-up hoodies. And it helps that Flint and Tinder backs this for 10 years. So buy one, and give it the best you have. Chances are it’ll hold up and you won’t regret paying the $89 for it.

And don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles and layering. It’s once piece that will stick around while other parts of your wardrobe changes. So let it shift along with your other clothes.