SheerGeek

Tights News Roundup January 2012

2012-01-09T19:12:00.001Z

It has been a long time since I last posted a blog entry (My life in tights part 4 was posted in May 2011) - my goodness, where did the time go? Back then, during the spring of 2011, I was telling you about my emboldened approach to wearing tights more and more openly. This has continued and as I will discuss later in this post, I am moving on to the next milestone in my journey to become a man that wears tights with pride and without fear of shame or rejection.

However, my main reason for writing this blog posting is to provide a news roundup of all of the major events that have taken place in the world of men's hosiery over the last few months.

Sadly, there have been a couple of bad news stories: Firstly, the wonderful resource that was Geraden's blog has closed. Whist it had had been relatively inactive for a while, there was a wealth of well written and inspiring material on the subject of men's tights to be found within it's pages. Unfortunately, the blog provider (blog-city) had decided to withdraw it's blogging service and so the end of 2011 also saw the end of the blog. Thankfully, the web archive service has a copy of much of the blog and at the time of writing has 66 pages archived going back to April 2004. They are available to view at: http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http://geraden.blog-city.com

The second piece of bad news concerns the withdrawal from the men's tights market of the French hosiery manufacturer Gerbe. Steve Katz, the owner and founder of Comfilon ActivSkin announced Gerbe's decision a few weeks ago on LAUF. I guess the global financial woes have made for difficult trading conditions in such a niche market, especially for a manufacturer that sells such a premium product. I wrote a review of the Gerbe Men Satin 20 tights back in March 2009 and had commented how they were possibly my favourite men's tights. That comment still holds true, so I am very sorry to see them withdraw from this arena. I believe that several of the on-line retailers have stock remaining, so if you want to try these tights before they disappear for good, now is the time.

Fortunately, Steve Katz has suggested on the LAUF forum that Comfilon will look into the possibility of making a Gerbe-style range of men's tights in the USA. It is too early to say if these tights will ever make it into production, however I sincerely hope that they do. Speaking of Comfilon, they now have an updated website. The new site has a cleaner, fresher appearance and is much easier to navigate. Check it out at http://www.comfilon.com - Other news regarding Comfilon is that a new product concept has been mooted by Steve Katz on the LAUF forum: a pair of men's tights with a trunk section to accommodate the male appendage, similar I guess to the Doyeah trunk tights. Steve was asking for feedback from potential customers as to whether there would be demand for such a product. Personally, I have no interest in wearing these tights as they strike me as being nothing more than a novelty product more suited to an adult store. What do you think?

Whilst we said "Farewell" to Geraden, we said "Hello" to a new blog from a London based blogger. The "Hosiery For Men" blog started in August 2011 with a mission to "...track new developments, discuss trends as well as review products, both tights made specifically for men but also women's tights...". It is great to see another man blogging about men's tights, especially one from the UK and I wish the new blog every success.

Two hosiery manufacturers have entered the men's tights market in the last few months: Firstly, Ufash from Austria have produced a range of unisex tights ranging from 20 denier sheers to 100 denier opaques. Reviews of the 20 denier sheer tights, the 40 denier semi-opaque tights as well as the 100 denier opaque tights are available on the Hosiery For Men blog.

The second manufacturer to enter the men's tights market is Adrian hosiery from Poland. They have introduced a dedicated line of men's tights that include 20 denier sheers, 60 denier semi-opaques and 100 denier opaque tights. The 20 denier and 100 denier options are available in both footed and footless varieties. The most interesting of the range however is a style called "Grating" which has an Argyle style pattern. Again, reviews of several of these new tights are available on the Hosiery For Men blog. I hope to publish my own reviews and thoughts about these tights here in the near future.

Speaking of my own plans, I have two resolutions for 2012: The first resolution is to maintain this blog on a more regular basis. I had let the rate of blog postings slip woefully in 2011 and for that I apologise. So my plan for this year and beyond is to post at least one blog entry per month. I have a very big plan for the blog that I hope to reveal in the coming months, so stay tuned for the announcement. My second resolution is undoubtedly my most challenging. It is to reveal to my family the fact that I am a man that wears tights. If you have read the "My life in tights" series of blog postings (see parts one, two, three and four), you will know that this is the one area of my life that I need to address more than any other. The sooner that it is done, the sooner I can remove the worry of it and get on with my life. When the right moment presents itself I will tell all and in doing so will relieve myself of the tortuous burden of secrecy and shame.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

My Life In Tights - Part 4

2011-05-17T17:45:00.001+01:00

Those of you who have followed my blog for some time will know that I have some personal unfinished business with regard to wearing tights. For years I have battled with the mental demons that have taunted and tortured me; I have always felt compelled to keep my wearing a secret, though have desperately longed to be free to wear what I like openly and without fear.

As I explained in the earlier installments of the "My life in tights" series (see parts one, two and three for more details), I have never found the courage to admit publicly that I am a man that wears tights. Perhaps my reluctance stems from being caught and scolded as a child, but I have always felt guilty about wearing tights; it is as if I am convinced that I am subconsciously doing something wrong. Of course, deep down I know that I am not actually doing anything wrong; I am merely wearing a garment that has been specifically manufactured for men (the only tights that I own are ones that have been manufactured for men). Even so, I have always felt that I should keep quiet about my wearing. Doing so, however, only cements the notion that I am guilty of something heinous.

Since writing the last blog post I have been building the confidence and inner strength needed to break away from these destructive thoughts. Over the past few months I have taken baby steps towards my goal of wearing tights openly. I began this process late last year by wearing opaque tights under my work clothes. As you know, I work in the wonderful world of I.T. What you may not know is that I share an office with fifty or so colleagues in a building where there are roughly three hundred employees. Wearing tights under my trousers is nothing new for me; I have done so for many years. The difference now however was that I made no effort to conceal the fact that I was wearing tights; I wore the tights without socks on top. I began by wearing the most sock-like tights that I own; Gerbe's Winter tights. These are extremely thick tights that look much like woolen socks - just the job for the frosty and snow-filled winter days that we were encountering here in the UK at the time. When the weather warmed up a little, I moved on to more traditional nylon/lycra(spandex) opaque tights such as the Gerbe Drain Up 40 men's tights, Doyeah 0858 tights and Gerbe Men Opaque 70 tights. Of these, the Drain Up tights and the Doyeah are the thinnest in appearance and thus the most conspicuous.

Throughout this time I felt sure that I would be lampooned for wearing tights. Even so, I knew that it was something that I must do. No longer could I stand the torment of not being able to wear tights openly. "I am who I am and I do what I do" I told myself. If anyone had mentioned the tights to me I was going to say that they were tights made for men and that I was man enough to wear them. Much to my amazement, however, no-one noticed. I made no conscious effort to hide my ankles; for example whilst sitting in a group I would cross my legs in such a manner that my one ankle was atop the opposite leg's knee, or push my legs out in front of me when sat casually. Only once did I suspect that my tights had caught someone's attention as I had noticed that a female colleague was staring at my ankle. However, at the time we were in the process of solving a complex technical issue and I am sure that she was in deep thought rather than transfixed by my hosiery. Nothing was said at the time, nor has anything been mentioned since.

This period of wearing in front of my colleagues emboldened me further and I started to wear my tights in more and more conspicuous ways. For a long time I have kept an old pair of jeans that I am particularly fond of. They had always been very comfortable, however old-age had finally gotten the better of them and they had frayed and split at the knee. I was loathe to part with them, and so I kept them, however they seldom got worn. Well, it dawned upon me that this would be an excellent way to wear tights in a masculine way without concealing the fact. I balanced the torn jeans by tearing a new hole in the opposite leg to the existing hole. The new hole was slightly higher than the original; roughly mid thigh. I started by wearing skin-tone sheer tights underneath the ripped jeans when out and about running errands and doing my grocery shopping. Of course skin-tone sheer tights under ripped jeans are almost impossible to detect and absolutely no-one looked or commented about what I was wearing. Clearly, if I wanted to make a statement about men wearing tights in a masculine way and help progress the cause further then I would have to wear tights that were more noticeable. So I decided to revert back to the black opaques that I had been wearing beneath my work clothes. These tights would surely not go unnoticed.

Well, amazingly, they were largely unnoticed. I live and work in a major city where the main shopping centre is always busy. I chose this as the best place to visit whilst wearing my new outfit. I must have walked at least a couple of miles as I set about through the shopping district and back home in a large circular route that I had specifically chosen for maximum exposure. I cannot say that nobody looked, but I can say that roughly 95% of the people that I passed simply did not notice. Of the remaining 5%, I would say that the vast majority of these were female and not one looked disapproving or shocked. Most smiled at me, which is always nice, one or two looked at me, looked at the tights peeking through the holes in my jeans and then back at me. Of the few men that noticed, all simply looked at me, then looked away and carried on with their own business. I found the prospect of embarking on the outing terrifying at first. I nearly backed out of going through with it several times and had to force myself out of the front door. However, once outside I became less nervous and with each passing step more confident. By the time I reached home I was totally at ease with the whole experience. More over, I was very happy. I had shown the world that I was wearing tights and the world either didn't notice, didn't care or was happy for me.

This experience led to me venturing out more and more whilst wearing tights under my ripped jeans. As the year moved from winter to spring and the weather duly warmed up I moved away from the winter opaque tights and began wearing sheer tights again. Unlike the first time that I wore tights under ripped jeans I didn't wear skin-tone sheers and opted instead for either navy or black. Curiously, these garnered more of a response from passers by, particularly younger women. Most still smiled at me, however I noticed on a couple of occasions that one or two looked shocked, though not disapprovingly so.

Over the Easter break the weather here in the UK was unseasonably warm, with temperatures near to summer highs. For the most part I tend not to wear tights in the warmer weather, however I had been longing to wear tights under shorts whilst out and about. To me, this was the ultimate way for a man to wear tights. Not hiding them beneath trousers or merely poking out through holes in ripped jeans, but clearly on display for the world to see. I had read many accounts by members of LAUF of their outings in tights and shorts with no negative reactions. I simply had to try and duly bought myself a pair of knee length denim shorts and paired them with a red t-shirt. Beneath the shorts I wore the sheerest and stealthiest pair of tights that I owned; a pair of 6 denier L4M 410 Mk2 unisex sheer tights in a skin-tone from tights-for-men.com. The outfit was finished off with a pair of navy converse trainers. Looking closely in the mirror, I found it hard to tell that I was wearing tights, however looking straight down at my legs there was no doubt about it. I wrestled with the idea before finally stealing myself for the job.

I had to take some rubbish to the communal bins that are located across the car-park behind my apartment block. From there I planned to head in to town in order to go to the bank and get some food. As soon as I was outside I looked down at my legs; they were shining in the bright sunlight and were much more noticeable than when I was looking at them in the diffused light of my apartment. I dumped the rubbish in the bin and turned to go back inside as my fragile confidence had taken a huge blow. To me, the tights were simply too shiny and obvious to continue. My plans for retreat were scuppered, however, as at that moment I heard "Excuse me" called out from nearby. I spun round to discover a man aged about ten years my senior walking towards me. There was no escape from this situation. Here I was, standing in the middle of a car park, wearing tights and shorts in broad daylight. My legs were in full view. My mind was racing and I was mentally berating myself. What on earth had I been I thinking of? All of the doubts that I had prior to leaving the apartment seemed to have been validated. The only thing I could do was to to engage the man in conversation and be as confident and as proud as I could be: "Can I help?", I asked. "Yes please", replied the man. "Do you happen to know who owns that car parked over there?" he inquired whilst pointing to an old blue sports car that was parked about twenty five yards away. "I am looking to buy one of those and wondered if the owner might like to sell", he continued. "Sorry", I replied, "I don't know who it belongs to". We continued to chat for a few more moments before going our separate ways. Not once did the man look at my legs or make any comment about what I was wearing. In that simple conversation all of my doubts were swept away and the confidence that had previously been waning was restored to full strength. I strode proudly and purposefully into town. I was going to the city centre as a man wearing tights and I didn't care who knew it.

I walked through the main shopping region, this time the town was very busy as the local schools were all on holiday for the Easter break and thus the town was awash with teenagers as well as the regular business people and shoppers. I walked amongst them conscious of the fact that my legs were in full view. I strode through the streets barely believing that I had finally plucked up the courage to wear tights so openly. I headed to the bank where I had to queue for approximately ten minutes to be seen by a cashier. The man that was stood behind me had a very good view of my legs, though didn't seem to notice. Finally my turn to be served came. I approached the counter and realised as I did so that the queue of people behind me would have an unimpeded view of my legs. As I was being served by the cashier, I kept an ear trained on the people behind me, yet no-one said anything. As I turned to leave I scanned the faces of those in the queue - not one of them was looking at me in an unusual manner. Maybe they didn't notice or maybe they simply didn't care. Either way it seems that they were happy to accept me just the way that I was.

From the bank I headed to the nearby McDonalds restaurant as it was lunch time. The restaurant was teeming with hungry shoppers so I again had to queue for several minutes, during which time I was surrounded by mainly young people who would have had ample opportunity to view my legs. Again, I did not notice anybody giving me unusual looks; nobody was pointing and staring; nobody was laughing or giving me disapproving looks. All of previous fears were slayed. I was elated. It seems that the members of LAUF that have shared their "non event" stories were right; no-one seems to notice or care and the demons really are just in our heads.

When I had finished in the restaurant, I walked slowly back to my home. I savoured the experience and was smiling all the way. Finally, I had slayed a demon and had removed one of the major doubts and anxieties in my life. To slay the last demon I need to confront the biggest fear of all: I must reveal to my family that I am man that wears tights. That is a task that fully intend to tackle; hopefully sooner rather than later.

Tights Plus You - New Men's Tights Blog

2010-11-20T12:06:00.000Z

Whilst recently reading the forum messages on LAUF, I learned of a new men's tights blog called "Tights + You". It seems that the blog has been active since August 2010.

The blog is written by a man from Los Angeles who seems to have the same goal as myself, namely to promote tights as a socially acceptable item of unisex clothing and to remove the stigma and misconceptions that surround the topic.

Features of the blog include tights reviews, tights giveaways, polls, comments and opinions as well as solicitations for user feedback. All of this is of course written from a man's point of view and makes for a fascinating and enjoyable read. The blog author also operates a Twitter account.

As I well know, it is not easy to run and maintain a blog dedicated to such a niche subject, however this new blog appears to have made a fabulous start and I wish it every success. Check out the blog at: http://tightsplusyou.blogspot.com/

Men's Tights News Roundup

2010-08-27T18:32:00.000+01:00

There has been a little news in the world of men's tights and pantyhose recently so I thought that I would do a round-up post.

Sadly, the first piece of news is not good. The excellent community resource that is Geraden's blog will not be with us for much longer as Geraden has announced that his blog will close in April 2011. It seems that this is an enforced closure due to the fact that blog provider (blog-city) is ceasing their blog services. Whilst Geraden's blog has not had much new content added in recent months, the site contains a fabulous wealth of material that anyone with an interest in men's tights or men's pantyhose will benefit from. As such, I hope that the blog can find a new home with another content provider.

On a brighter note, it has been reported that Shapings.com will soon be stocking the range of Comfort4Men men's support hosiery that I blogged about recently. The on-line retailer already carries a wide range of tights and pantyhose for men and with the arrival of these new tights from Germany, Shapings.com will carry one of the most comprehensive ranges available. As I have commented before, Shapings.com have a superb history of producing fabulous product photography to support their inventory and consequently I am looking forward to seeing what Shapings produces for these tights.

Sticking with retailers, tights-for-men.com (a.k.a. legwear4men.com) have opened a sister website, called First4Legwear, to cater to the ladies hosiery market. This site will initially stock a wide selection of tights from the ladies range from Czech manufacturer ELA as well as tights from Doyeah, E G Smith and EasyTherm Australia. In addition to these, the 'Unisex' styles from the Legwear4Men range will be available through the new site. I wish the new website every success!

I have recently become aware of another men's tights/pantyhose blog, this one operated by Eugene Wong. Those who have been interested in this subject over the years will know that Eugene has long been an advocate of men's hosiery . He has been active on Flickr and MySpace as well as contributing to LAUF, E-Mancipate and several other blogs. It is good to see him open up a blog to continue his good work promoting tights and pantyhose as a socially acceptable fashion option for men.

Finally, my own SheerGeek blog is celebrating it's second birthday. The last two years seem to have flown by! Over this time I have released 50 blog posts relating to men's tights, men's pantyhose and my own personal experiences; an average of one post every couple of weeks or so. Not a bad statistic for a small website that caters for a very small niche. I have mentioned several times in the past that I have some big plans in the pipe line for this site, so hopefully I will be able to implement them before the site celebrates it's third birthday! All I need is more time...

Review: Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening Sheer Tights

2010-08-13T17:56:00.001+01:00

This is a review of Doyeah's 0838 Sheer Tights. As with all of the tights reviews here on Sheer Geek, this review adheres to this blog's tights review criteria.

I first became aware of Doyeah's range of men's tights late in 2008 through reading a forum posting on LAUF. It was not long thereafter that the on-line retailer tights-for-men.com began to stock these 10 denier sheer tights and as such I duly ordered a pair of one-size (free-size as the manufacturer calls them) tights in beige.

Read the review below to discover what I thought of them.

Finish & Composition

Doyeah 0838 Packaging

Finish

The Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights are packaged in a way that defies their modest price; a large flat cardboard outer sleeve is protected by a cellophane outer wrapper. Inside, the tights are are folded around a central card strip.

The reverse of the outer card wrapping has the Doyeah logo printed at the top with a cut-out window through which the tights can be viewed. Printed centrally is a photograph of a model wearing the tights (rear view). Beneath this is a short description of the tights followed by three graphics that depict the main features of these tights, namely: Sheer toe, Front panel and Rear panel. Lastly, at the bottom of the rear packaging is a reference to the manufacturer's website and a breakdown of the composition (see below) as well as four care symbols.

The front of the card packaging is dominated by a larger version of the photograph that is depicted on the reverse of the packaging. Printed over this is the brand name displayed in large lettering at the top. In the upper left corner is the size (free-size) and the size range that these tights are designed to fit. The front of the packaging also has a small window at the top which runs from front to back through which the tights can be viewed. To the right of this is the model number of these tights. Printed at the base of the front packaging is the name of these tights.

Upon opening the package, I was pleasantly surprised by the care and attention to detail that had evidently gone into wrapping and packaging these tights. These tights look like a quality product that should cost much more and accordingly my first impressions were extremely favourable.

Finish: 10 points

Composition

The Doyeah 0383 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights are made from 86% nylon, 12% elastane and 2% cotton. The composition of these tights gives them a silky feel whilst the elastane content ensures that these tights have plenty of stretch and flexibility.

Composition: 10 points

Durability, Fit & Sizing

Durability

I have worn these tights extensively over the course of many months. Throughout this time the tights have withstood very tough handling as they are one of my "everyday" pairs of tights. There is only one run in these tights; this is located in the front of the male comfort panel (see below for how this occurred). The seams and joins do not display any signs of fatigue.

Once washed, the tights retain their shape very well and over the course of many cycles of wearing and washing, the colour has not faded.

Durability: 8 points

Fit & Sizing

Sadly, the Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights are available in one size only. I am 1.8 metres tall (5'11" in old money) and weigh approximately 81 kilograms (12 and a half stone or 175 pounds), so according to the size guide I fall within the target size range for these tights which is as follows: hip: 85-110cm; height: 150-185cm.

For a man of my dimensions it is apparent that these tights are at full stretch and that they certainly would not fit anyone taller or larger than me. The tights stay up reasonably well, though some slippage does occur and as such I find myself pulling these tights up occasionally through the day.

Fit & Sizing: 3 points

Colour Range & Design Features

Are these tights matt?

Colour Range

When the Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights were launched, they were available in two basic colours: black and beige. Sadly this has been reduced to just one colour, namely beige.

This is disappointing as not everyone's skin tone is going to match the beige colour, whilst some men may prefer to wear black.

The Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights are sold as being matt in appearance, however as can be seen from the manufacturer's photograph to the left, they are not truly matt and have a very obvious glossy sheen to them.

Colour Range: 1 point.

Design Features

The Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights have an impressive feature set for tights at this price point, including:

Fly opening
Front and rear male comfort panel
Sheer leg
Flat seams
Sheer toes
Sheer to waist (not including male comfort panel)

To summarise, these tights have a more extensive feature set than some men's tights that cost much more.

Design Features: 7 points

Comfort, Softness & Wearability

The male comfort panel is too narrow

Comfort

These tights have a silky feel to them and feel pleasant against the skin. Unfortunately, I found the male comfort panel to be too narrow for my liking; the seams are located too close together and this leads to another problem; the fly opening is virtually unusable.

Not only is this feature too narrow, but the inner opening and the outer opening are spaced too far apart with the inner opening located too low down within the front panel. All of this leads the wearer to have to manipulate and cajole the male member into uncomfortable positions in order to gain access. The first time that I attempted this with these tights lead directly to the run that I mentioned in the durability section above. Ever since, I have disregarded the fly opening and have resorted to simply pulling the waist band down when in need of access.

The above problems, coupled with the less than generous sizing, means that these tights are certainly not the most comfortable that I have ever worn. This is a shame as the feature set promised so much more.

Comfort: 4 points

Softness & Wearability

The Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights are silky smooth rather than particularly soft. As you may expect of tights that fall into this weight range, they are not overly clingy, even though they are practically at full stretch on me.

Putting these tights on is a straight forward process as they weigh next-to-nothing and are not too tight. The lack of boarding or reciprocated heels does occasionally lead to one of the legs being incorrectly oriented, however. Despite my reservations about the practicality and comfort of the male panel, I have been happy to wear these tights all day long on many occasions. I have worn them with a wide variety of outfits: beneath shorts; beneath three quarter length trousers and beneath full length trousers and jeans. The tights were adequate and functional in all instances and glided extremely well under trousers.

Softness & Wearability: 6 points

Pricing & Value For Money

Pricing

As of the time of writing, the Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights cost:

U.K: £6.49 (tights-for-men.com)
China: ¥28 (doyeah.com)
Europe: €7.49 (tinamikela.com)

As you can see, these tights are very reasonably priced, especially considering the feature set. As such these fall squarely into the everyday wear category

Pricing: 8 points

Value For Money

No other manufacturer offers the range of features on their tights at this price point. Couple this with the durability of these tights and there is no doubting that these tights are excellent value for money.

Value For Money: 9 points

Conclusion

Buying men's tights at this price point is really a no-brainer. Gone has the argument that men's tights are too expensive. These tights are no more expensive than a typical mid-range pair of branded ladies tights. Consequently, these tights are one of the pairs that I wear most often as they are a great pair of everyday tights.

They are good quality, durable and well made tights that offer plenty of features for the money. Unfortunately, these tights are curiously only offered in one size and further disappointment is provided by the badly designed male comfort panel and fly opening.

As noted above, I would have liked to have seen a range of colours available other than simply beige. There is a limited use for these tights for those men that have a skin tone to match the beige colour and are looking to wear these tights stealthily as these tights have a noticeable sheen to them, which I am certain would be even more noticeable in sunlight.

Overall, I am left baffled by some of the decisions made by the manufacturer: The packaging easily rivals that of tights that cost many times more, yet the contents are only available in one size and one colour; the seams have been manufactured flat (at more expense), yet the design of the male comfort panel and fly opening leaves much to be desired.

Thus, I cannot help but conclude that the manufacturer would have been better spending less on the packaging and a bit more on the product. It would be appreciated if these tights were offered in a range of sizes and more colours. I would also like to see Doyeah address the issues that I have mentioned regarding the male comfort panel and fly opening. If doing so means increasing the cost slightly, then so be it; I would happily pay 10 - 20% more if these issues were rectified; after all, the durability of the product and quality of the seams and materials used are all first class.

Would I buy these tights again? Possibly, though with the recent introduction of men's sheer tights from other manufacturers such as TIM Legwear, ELA and tights-for-men.com's own brand L4M, all at a similar price point, there are now several options to choose from. As such it will be a long while before I purchase these tights again.

Sheer Geek's Doyeah 0838 Cool Men Opening 10 Tights review score: 66 points.

New Men's Tights - Comfort4Men

2010-06-06T11:31:00.003+01:00

I received a newsletter from E-Mancipate.net today that contained information about a new line of men's support tights from Germany. The tights are manufactured under the brand name "Comfort4Men".

There are four styles of tights available; two styles at 70 denier weight and two at 140 denier weight, with each weight available in both high waist and low waist versions; the high waist version having a 5cm higher rise in the body section. The 70 denier styles have a 12-15 mmHg support factor (medium support), whilst the 140 denier tights have 18-20 mmHg support factor (strong).

The tights are available in three colours, namely black, anthracite and haut (akin to beige) and feature flat seams and a reinforced body as well as a male comfort panel. From the photographs it appears that these tights sport a fly opening (though I can find no mention of it in the text of the manufacturer's website).

Other feature of these tights include reinforced heels and toes as well as gradual support in the leg section.

The manufacturer's website has more information as well as a link to the on-line shop from which these tights can be purchased. Prices range from €36.95 for the low waist 70 denier tights to €39.95 for the high waist 140 denier tights.

Check out the manufacturer' website (in German) at http://www.comfort4men.eu for more information.

Edit 22 June 2010: Manufacturer's website is now also available in English: http://comfort4men.com/

Changes at SheerGeek

2010-03-28T11:30:00.001+01:00

It has been a while since I last posted anything here on the blog. This has been for a number of reasons; firstly, I have been working a couple of hundred miles away from home for the past several weeks and have consequently had little time to dedicate to the blog. Secondly, there has been very little news in the world of men's tights to report, though I was delighted to note that E-MANcipate is now back on-line.

In other news, Steve Katz of Comfilon has put out an appeal to those men who wear Gerbe tights and pantyhose for feedback on the products as he is due to meet a representative from the company in April. To contribute to the discussion and for more details, see Steve's forum entry on LAUF.

Finally, during this "slow news" period I decided to spruce up the look and feel of the blog by implementing a new design and layout. I hope you like it. There are other changes in the pipe-line, so stay tuned for more information.

A Sheer Geek Exclusive: Charnos Mantyhose!

2010-02-04T17:42:00.009Z

Here is some breaking news! Charnos, the UK based hosiery manufacturer, has disclosed to me that they are actively testing the mantyhose or men's tights market.

I gleaned this information from a Twitter conversation that was initiated when Charnos tweeted the following:

"Tweet us your height and what size hosiery you usually wear (S,M,L,XL)".

I responded that as a man I wore men's tights in size large. I then asked the question:

"When can we expect to see you entering this growing market?".

I today have received a reply from Charnos:

"We actually are testing the mantyhose market as we tweet! One of our tights testing team is a male: http://bit.ly/8HZsDP :)"

I cannot begin to tell you how happy this makes me. I have liked Charnos hosiery for a long time, though ever since I discovered men's tights I have not purchased any ladies hosiery, including those from Charnos. When I used to wear ladies tights, however, Charnos were one of my favourite brands. They produce superb quality tights at prices that don't break the bank, typically in the £5 to £8 range (see the UK tights website for up-to-date pricing).

Follow my Twitter feed here: http://twitter.com/sheergeek - follow Charnos here: http://twitter.com/CharnosHosiery - the Charnos Hosiery website features all of the styles that they presently produce and can be viewed here: http://www.charnoshosiery.co.uk

Let's hope that the "Mantyhose" trials are a success for Charnos and that we will soon be able to welcome them and support them as a manufacturer of tights for men.

Tim Legwear: New Men's Tights From Bulgaria

2010-01-15T17:25:00.010Z

Reading LAUF recently I learned of a hosiery manufacturer based in Bulgaria that I had not heard of before. The most interesting part of this discovery is that the manufacturer, Tim Legwear, has started to develop a range of tights for men.

Well, it turns out that there are several styles available (including both footed tights and footless tights), all with a male comfort panel, in a range of denier weights from 20 denier to 90 denier. Chan Kraemer of e-mancipate.net has spoken to the manufacturer and has posted an informative article on his website about these new tights.

The manufacturer's own website would seemingly indicate that these tights are going to be available in quite wide range of colours and even extra "seasonal" colours. As of the time of writing there is no pricing information available.

Check out the manufacturer's website and the e-mancipate.net article for more information.

New Men's Tights Retailer

2010-01-07T20:03:00.009Z

A new on-line retailer of men's tights has launched: Tinamikela.com is based in Greece and supplies both ladies and men's tights.

According to e-mancipate.net, the person behind the venture is Greek hosiery enterpreneur Michalis who is quoted as saying: "the whole idea of this on-line shop started when I realised that I had a hard time finding these products in Greece. At one point it was getting annoying when I was going into pantyhose/tights shops asking for men's hosiery and they were giving me strange looks telling me that they hadn't even heard about it. Well that got me thinking. So here we are now, importing these products for anyone who enjoys wearing tights and leggings for men, and also wants to support this industry."

The shop serves both the local Greek community and the EU countries. Michalis operates the shop from two locations: the main office is in Athens which provides easier and faster distribution to mainland Greece, whilst there is also an office on the island of Santorini (Thira) from where the company distributes products to Crete, Cyprus and southern islands.

The on-line store currently sells ladies and gents pantyhose, tights and related items from Doyeah and Aries, with more stock from more manufacturers arriving soon.

Good luck to Tinamikela.com!

E-Mancipate.net - New Website

2010-01-03T00:23:00.010Z

The owner of e-mancipate.net has updated the website of the same name. The site is one of the major advocates and evangelists of the men's legwear fashion trend.

The website is now much easier to navigate and has links to articles and photo-shoots that have been produced to help promote tights for men and pantyhose for men (often referred to nowadays as "mantyhose"), including several images from a recent photo shoot of the new Emilio Cavallini unisex tights. The site also provides all the latest "mantyhose" news and features.

Utilising a common template throughout, the site boasts a clean, masculine and professional look and feel. The navigation bar navigation bar at the top of the page provides links to the most popular features of the site, namely: Fashion For Men, Mantyhose Articles, Buy Mantyhose, Mantyhose Brands and Mantyhose Forum. I notice that the forum is not yet active, however, I am sure that this will change once word gets out.

Overall, these changes constitute a major update to the site, and a welcome one at that. Personally, I did not like the previous version of the site as I found it to be too fussy and difficult to navigate. However, the 2010 version of e-mancipate.net looks like a winner!

Check out the updated website and be sure to sign up to the e-mancipate.net newsletter.

Season's Greetings

2009-12-24T10:15:00.010Z

As we get ready to celebrate the festive season and to say goodbye to 2009, I thought that it would be a good opportunity to pass on the greetings of the season.

I realise that the Sheer Geek blog has been quiet for several weeks; I have been inundated with work and so unfortunately the volume and rate of blog postings has sadly suffered. The good news is that I have a stack of part-written blog posts that I intend to finalise over the holiday period. There are also a few ideas and changes that I have planned for the blog that I will share with you in the near future. Please stay tuned!

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the many readers of Sheer Geek, for your feedback and input throughout the last twelve months. Without you this blog would not exist.

To close, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope that you enjoy a prosperous, peaceful, healthy and happy New Year.

New Men's Tights From The Czech Republic

2009-10-04T19:24:00.019+01:00

Czech hosiery manufacturer ELA has released a range of tights for men.

Three styles of men's tights have been released and all three are available in two colours, namely black and tan/beige.

The first style in the range is called Adam. These tights are described as cosy and warm opaque men’s tights featuring front gusset. Comprising of 70% nylon and 30% elastane, they are listed as being 64 denier and are priced at 75 Czech Koruna each (approx £2.70 or $4.30).

The second style in the range is called David. Described by the manufacturer as cosy men’s tights featuring front gusset, these tights weigh in at 20 denier. These tights have a 97% nylon and 3% elastane composition and are priced at 32 Czech Koruna per pair (£1.15 or $1.85).

Lastly, the third style in the range is called Patrik Vital Activ. These tights feature flat seams and are rated at 40 denier. Comprising of 75% nylon and 25% Lycra, these tights are priced at just 80 Czech Koruna per pair (£2.90 or $4.60).

At this price point, this range of men's tights would seemingly be the cheapest presently available on the market.

I look forward to trying these tights in the near future and will post my thoughts about them in due course.

All three styles of tights within the ELA range of men's tights are available for purchase from the manufacturer's website.

Mantyhose In The Media - A Response

2009-09-29T15:56:00.010+01:00

Steve Newman, the marketing director of ActivSkin and author of the Nylon Gene blog, has published an article on Examiner.com to counter the wave of negative press that has recently been in circulation in the UK.

Several British national newspapers have run stories recently about the new range of men's legwear that retailer Selfridges have added to their menswear range. Even though the photos published to accompany the various articles would suggest that the legwear in question is actually more like loosely fitting leggings than either opaque or sheer tights, the newspapers have been quick to pour scorn on the idea of men wearing tights (or mantyhose as they insist on calling them) in any form. Headlines include "Would You Let Your Boyfriend Wear These?" (Daily Mail) and "Men In Tights Are An Abomination" (Daily Telegraph). The legwear from Selfridges costs an eye-watering £70 per pair. Contrast that to an average price of approximately £7 - £10 for a good quality pair of men's tights.

Of course, the real reason that these stories have been given such exposure here in the UK is because we are still deep in the "Silly Season" - the period when parliament is taking it's summer break and newspaper editors are desperate to fill the pages of their publications. Consequently, stories like "Men's Tights" are easy prey for lazy journalists looking to pad out their newspapers with stories that will whip up the general public into a state of indignation and horror. Similar stories appeared in August last year (see this Daily Mail article as an example).

The most recent publication to take up the story is the BBC On-Line Magazine which has today (September 29th) published a review of the new Selfridges legwear under the headline "What Sort Of Man Wears Mantyhose?". The article is accompanied by a video review where the author wears the new "Mantyhose" (and accompanying skirt!) and ventures out into the street to gauge public opinion. A few quotes from Steve Newman can be found at the end of the article.

Steve's article can be found here: http://bit.ly/JNhcg and is well worth reading.

Levee WoMan New Photos (New Packaging?)

2009-09-23T17:46:00.016+01:00

I have recently been perusing the men's hosiery section of the shapings.com website. For those of you who do not know, Shapings.com (based in Ontario, Canada) are a major retailer of hosiery products and offer a fantastic range of tights and pantyhose for men from various manufacturers. They supply their wares throughout North America and the rest of the World. Shapings.com go much further than a lot of hosiery resellers in that they produce unique photos to accompany the majority of the products that they sell.

On my most recent visit to their site I noticed that there were new photos to accompany the Levee WoMan range of unisex pantyhose and tights. I am uncertain if these photos are exclusive to Shapings.com or whether they are new product packaging photos from Levee. Either way these photos are HOT!

The styles with the new photos are: Perfect Skin (15 denier tights), Dimension (20 denier tights) and Sensation (40 denier tights).

Photos below are taken from the shapings.com website and depict a red-blooded man and woman enjoying themselves whilst wearing the unisex tights. Click photos for larger versions.

Lets hope that these photos help eradicate the stigma, misconceptions and bigotry that surrounds the men's hosiery movement.

I aim to try some of these tights in the next few weeks/months. As soon as I do, I will post a review here on SheerGeek.

Comfilon Price Increases

2009-09-19T16:29:00.005+01:00

Unfortunately, Comfilon have announced that they are having to raise their prices across their range of tights for men and pantyhose for men.

Writing on his Nylon Gene blog, Steve Newman the marketing director of Comfilon stated that due to increased supplier costs Comfilon are regrettably having to increase the prices of their goods: "...as of mid-October prices will go up pretty much across the board...".

Read the full article and explanation over at the Nylon Gene blog.

New Blog

2009-08-05T00:07:00.003+01:00

Here is a link to an interesting new blog: http://tightsformen.blogspot.com/

There are already a few entries posted about the author - a straight man that describes his life-long "hobby" of wearing tights in a non-fetish way.

I look forward to watching this blog develop.

Comfilon On TV

2009-07-24T13:56:00.008+01:00

Steve Newman, spokesman for ActivSkin Legwear for Men appeared on Daytime Columbus (WCMH-TV/NBC4) with host Gail Hogan. They discussed sports/recreational applications for support tights and pantyhose made exclusively for men. Steve said that ActivSkin believes that they are just as well suited for men as for women, because men are just as likely to have tired, achy legs or need additional warmth, as women--and ActivSkin provides a masculine alternative to fill the gap.

Check out the video below.

Great work Steve! Let's hope that this helps accelerate the acceptance in main stream society of men wearing tights or pantyhose.

Comfilon ActivSkin A549 Review

2009-07-17T19:34:00.004+01:00

This is a review of Comfilon's ActivSkin A549 tights. As with all of the tights reviews here on Sheer Geek, this review adheres to this blog's tights review criteria.

I first heard about these tights not long after Comfilon introduced them in the late 1990s. As such, these tights were part of a breakthrough in my own psyche; with the arrival of these tights, my own liking of wearing tights had been given a measure of credibility and respectability as sheer tights were no-longer an exclusive female item of clothing. I was therefore eager to try these tights as soon as possible.

Curiously, however, it was several years before I placed my very first order for men's tights with tights-for-men.com. The first item on the order list was a pair of Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights in beige. Below is my review of these tights.

Top Photo: comfilon.com

Finish & Composition

Finish

The Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights are packaged in a large flat cardboard outer sleeve. The contents are protected by a cellophane inner wrapper in which the tights are folded around a central card strip. The cellophane wrap is sealed with tape that proudly sports the message "Made In USA".

The front of the outer packaging has the brand name and three black-and-white photos depicting men in three scenarios, namely athletics, leisure and work. The top-right corner of the front of the packaging has a sticker applied that supplies specific details about the product within, namely the item style, size, colour, composition and country of manufacture.

The reverse of the outer wrapping depicts a man cycling and also has a printed size guide. Under the size guide are directions on how to put on the tights and an informative section on the care of the product. Below this is the warranty information. The reverse of the outer wrapping rounds out with copyright, trade mark and contact details for the company followed by the company logo.

Anyone taking a look at the packaging of these tights would be in no doubt that these tights have been specifically made for men. A lot of thought has evidently gone into promoting and marketing these tights as a masculine item of clothing. Upon opening the package, I was pleased by the care and attention to detail that had evidently gone into wrapping and packaging these tights. These tights look like a quality product and accordingly my first impressions were very positive.

Finish: 10 points

Composition

The Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights are made from 87% nylon and 13% spandex (or elastane as it is more commonly called here in the UK). The nylon within these tights provides plenty of softness, whilst the spandex helps to keep the tights in place and ensures that they retain their shape.

Composition: 10 points

Durability, Fit & Sizing

Durability

I have worn these tights on many occasions and have not experienced any problems with the leg portion of the tights snagging or developing a run. Unfortunately, on one of the pairs of A549s that I own, I have had problems with the fly opening of the tights fraying. This may be due to the material coming into contact with the inside of the zipper of my jeans/trousers. However, I have not had this problem with other tights from other manufacturers. Other A549s that I own are beginning to show fatigue in this region also.

Once washed, the tights retain their shape perfectly and have not twisted. Over the course of many cycles of wearing and washing, the colour has not faded.

Overall, I believe that the leg portion of the Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights are as strong and robust as sheer tights can be. Whilst I have reservations about the stitching and material around the fly opening, the body section appears to be well made and durable.

Durability: 7 points

Fit & Sizing

The Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights are available in the following sizes: M, L and XL. I am 1.8 metres tall (5'11" in old money) and weigh approximately 81 kilograms (12 and a half stone or 175 pounds). According to the size guide, I fall into the size M category for the waist measurement, but fall squarely into the size L category for height and in-seam. After consulting with the proprietor of tights-for-men.com, I opted to purchase the tights in size L. This proved to be a wise decision as this size fits me perfectly. I think that I would have regretted buying these tights in size M.

Once on, the tights slip only marginally and need to be pulled up very infrequently.

Fit & Sizing: 8 points

Colour Range & Design Features

Colour Range

The Comfilon ActivSkin tights are available in three colours, namely Beige, Jet Black and Tan. Interestingly, these tights were once manufactured in five colours; the above mentioned three plus dark brown and off-black. It is a shame that the manufacturer was unable to support the wider colour range. Men come in a wide range of skin tones and it would therefore be good if the various manufacturers of men's tights were to supply tights in a wide range of skin matching colours.

If either of the beige or tan matches your skin-tone then these tights will provide a good measure of stealth as they are matt in appearance and are quite sheer. If worn under shorts or three quarter length trousers a casual observer would be unlikely to notice that tights are being worn.

Colour Range: 6 points.

Design Features

The Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights features include:

Convenient and practical fly opening
Front male comfort panel
Sheer leg and boxer brief
Reinforced toes
Centre rear seam.

In short, these tights have been engineered for men and have set the standard by which all other men's tights should be judged.

Design Features: 7 points

Comfort, Softness & Wearability

Comfort

As I alluded to in the composition section (see above), these tights are very soft and comfortable and require very little adjustment through the day. The comfort panel has been well designed and offers a good amount of support.

Comfort: 10 points

Softness & Wearability

The Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights feel very soft and sensuous and are a pleasure to wear.

I was happy to wear these tights all day long and have done so on numerous occasions. I have worn them with a variety of outfits: underneath shorts; underneath three quarter length trousers and underneath full length trousers. The tights were comfortable in all instances and glided well under trousers. The fly opening makes for easy access during comfort stops, though I have found that it can be prone to gaping open.

Softness & Wearability: 8 points

Pricing & Value For Money

Pricing

As of the time of writing, the Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights cost:

U.K: £11.69 (tights-for-men.com)
U.S: $13.99 (comfilon.com)
Australia: AU$19.99 (activskin.com.au)
China: ￥135.00 (comfimay.com)

Less than two years ago, tights-for-men.com were selling these tights at £8.99 per pair. Unfortunately, since then the world economy has taken a battering and the pound has weakened noticeably against the US dollar. Consequently, the cost of these tights has risen by 30% here in the UK.

Pricing: 6 points

Value For Money

These tights offer everything that I look for in a pair of tights for everyday use. Until the recent price increase I would have said that these tights were great value, particularly when compared with a good quality pair of branded ladies tights. However, the price increase here in the UK has meant that these tights are edging themselves away from the everyday tights category.

Ten years ago, if you wanted sheer men's tights with a fly opening then the Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights were pretty much your only option. Today, however, there are men's tights from other manufacturers that offer similar features at a lower price. In fairness, however, the Comfilon tights are manufactured in the USA and as such do not benefit from the low-cost work force that some of the other manufacturers utilise. Also, some of the cheaper men's tights are only available in one size. On balance I would argue that the Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights represent reasonable value for money.

Value For Money: 6 points

Conclusion

When I bought my first pair of Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights I was delighted with them right from the moment that I opened the packaging and tried them on. They were as soft and comfortable as any of the other sheer tights that I had ever tried on. Most importantly, however, these tights were made for men and had a body section that included a male comfort panel and fly opening. This made these tights extra-special in my view.

Ten years since their introduction, the Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights are still in active production, though their unique status as sheer men's tights with a fly has long since been eroded. Their place in the market must surely have been squeezed by both cheaper brands that offer one-size sheer men's tights (some with a fly opening) and more expensive sheer men's tights that offer a wider feature set (notably the Men Satin 20 tights from Gerbe). Comfilon itself has increased the range of their sheer tights, thus muscling in on the once-exclusive domain of these tights. From having little or no choice in the late '90s, men today can choose sheer tights from several manufacturers in differing styles and price ranges. Consequently, the Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights may not be the automatic choice that they once were.

Would I buy these tights again? Yes, and I have done so several times. The recent rise in price is disappointing, though understandable, and largely only affects those of us here in the UK. Whilst they may be getting a little too expensive to be everyday tights and even though I have minor doubts about the durability of the fly opening, I still look favourably upon them.

Sheer Geek's Comfilon ActivSkin A549 tights review score: 78 points.

More New Men's Tights At Legwear4Men

2009-07-03T11:00:00.013+01:00

Legwear4Men, the UK based retailer of men's hosiery has released two new styles of tights for men.

First is a range of luxurious Sheer To Waist men's tights that are low-waisted, have quite a high 'shine' to the fabric, and are described as being extremely comfortable. They have no visible reinforcement from the sandal toes all the way up to the very narrow waistband, which is designed to sit on the wearer's hips rather than waist, enabling the tights to be worn with low-waisted jeans or shorts, without revealing the waistband every time you bend over. These tights have a single conventional centre seam and cotton gusset, and are available in one size that is designed to fit hips 33" to 43" (85-110cm), height up to 6ft (1.85m), and inside leg up to 33" (83cm). Available colours include Black, Beige, Tan and Grey. These men's tights are priced at a very reasonable £6.99 per pair.

Second is a style of high-gloss unisex dance/exercise tights, which will replace the Legwear Express D400's. These tights are 110 Denier, very shiny, and come in White and Beige. As with the sheer-to-waist tights, these are also one sized, to suit heights of 155-185cm (approx 5' 2" - 6' 0") and hips of approx 85 - 110cm (33" - 42"), they have a single centre seam without gusset (being designed for dance use, they dispense with the gusset which could be visible under a leotard) and are very comfortable and durable, as you would expect given their design requirements. These tights sell for a £5.99 per pair.

Both styles are available for immediate purchase from the Legwear4Men website.

Interstingly, the Legwear4Men blog states that there are more own-brand products due to be released in the near future. I will let you know more details as soon as I have them.

Emilio Cavallini Tights

2009-06-28T10:03:00.013+01:00

I'm a little late posting this blog entry as I have been away for a much-needed break. However, the good news is that the Italian hosiery manufacturer Emilio Cavallini has released a new range of unisex tights.

Emancipate, the on-line evangelist of men's legwear, is appealing for donations so that a professional photo shoot can be arranged to show off these new unisex tights. Read all about the proposed photo shoot at the e-mancipate website.

The photos below are from the manufacturers website.

New Mens Tights From Comfilon

2009-05-28T10:42:00.008+01:00

Comfilon have added two new styles of opaque tights to their Activskin range of tights for men; styles A866 and A876.

The first style, A866, is described as: "A worthy successor to the venerable best seller, A869, whose maker went out of business. Now, better than ever, for athletic activity, on-the-job health, or whenever you need full support, this new style has it! These tights for guys have an unobtrusive but functional fly and feature a sturdy stretch fabric with 20% spandex for good compression and excellent all-day support."

The second style, A876, offers the same features and construction as the A866 but is footless.

Both styles are available for purchase at comfilon.com.

Comfilon Activskin A569 Reductions

2009-05-22T13:21:00.004+01:00

Tights-For-Men, the UK based retailer of tights and pantyhose for men has announced a "Special End-of-Line Offer" for the now discontinued Comfilon Activskin A569 sheer tights. Whilst stocks last you can purchase these tights for £5.99GBP per pair, a saving of more than
1/3rd off the original price!

Sadly now discontinued due to the demise of this style's manufacturer, this popular style of men's support tights has 20% elastane in the fabric and graduated compression for excellent all-day support. The fabric is smooth, and glides extremely well under trousers. The comfortable control brief has additional elastane to firm up the abdomen, and the reinforced toes provide
added durability. The specially designed male-comfort front panel on this style has no fly opening. These are great for travel and sitting or standing for long periods of time.

The Comfilon Activskin A569 tights are 70 Denier tights that contain 80% nylon and 20% Lycra®.

Not all size/colour combinations are still available, so before ordering, please contact tights-for-men.com to check availability.

10 Years Of Comfilon

2009-05-14T09:56:00.008+01:00

Comfilon, the American manufacurers of the Activskin range of pantyhose and tights for men, are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

The Comfilon Logo, circa 1999

Having started out with just two styles of tights back in 1999 (both of which are still available - styles A549 and A849), the company has steadily grown to now offer a vast range of waist-high legwear, thigh-high legwear, loungewear and underwear for men.

The latest Comfilon Logo

To celebrate this milestone in their history, Comfilon are offering a 10% discount through out May to all customers that purchase via their website. To qualify you must purchase a minimum of 3 items and use the discount code TENPCT at checkout.

I remember my delight at first discovering Comfilon; it was further confirmation that as a man that wears tights/pantyhose, I was not alone. Not only that, but I could now purchase a product that was specifically made for men. It had a huge impact on my psyche regarding wearing tights.

So congratulations Comfilon; you have done us all proud. Here's wishing you a great celebratory year and hopefully many more to come.

Shave, Wax, Epilate, Other?

2009-05-09T15:32:00.006+01:00

Having read many blogs and forums about tights for men, it has become clear that the general consensus of opinion is that it is preferable to wear tights with hairless legs; the theory being that tights stay up better/longer and the feeling is more pleasurable. With that advice in mind, I first decided to shave my legs about 18 months ago.

I have quite hairy legs normally, so the first shaving was quite an arduous task. Eventually, however, I had smooth legs and could instantly see for myself that going hair-free was the best way forward; the tights do feel much softer and they really do stay up better.

Ever since that first shaving I have kept my legs hairless by shaving two or three times a week, a process that I have begrudgingly accepted as part of my regular body care regimen. The shaving process does however consume a significant amount of time during my week, whilst the benefits are relatively short lived. So I recently decided to try waxing as I had been led to believe that waxing produced longer lasting results - some claim up to a month. I purchased a pack of Veet For Men wax strips and having read the instructions I left my hair to grow for a few weeks. This is because the wax strips do not work on very short hairs (a minimum of 2mm according to the supplied leaflet). Once the hairs on my legs had reached roughly a centimetre in length, I set to work.

The first thing to note about waxing is that the wax strips have a curious odour to them. Not an unpleasant smell, but definitely a unique smell. I had expected the process of waxing to be quite painful, however whilst there is a sensation, the pain is minor at worst. The process left tiny red dots where the hair has been pulled out, but these disappeared within a day or two. Overall the process proved to be very time consuming - it took me over an hour to do just one leg. It is also a sticky and messy process. The Veet pack contains oil impregnated wipes to remove the sticky residue from your skin, though this in turn needs to be washed off. Disappointingly, waxing did not remove all of the hair. The remaining hairs were duly removed with a razor.

A week later and the hairs that had been cut with the razor really needed to be cut again, so I shaved my legs. A further week passed and I could see hair regrowing where it had been waxed away. This was disappointing, as I had expected to have a longer hairless period before having to either shave or wax again.

With the cost of a pack of wax strips running close to £6.00 here in the UK, I don't know that I will be bothering to do it again; the process is too messy and takes up too much time. Worst of all, in my case at least, the hair grows back too quickly to be economical. For the time being, it is back to shaving for me.

I may one day decide to buy an epilator, as I have read that some men find this process more beneficial than either waxing or shaving.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts and experiences. Do you wax, shave epilate or do you control your leg hair by some other means? What do you find works best?