Uniqlo needs no introduction. If you haven’t read our review of their “custom” shirts, we suggest you give it a skim and join the thousands of others that have. Bottom line, every dapper, cost conscious man’s wardrobe should include at least one item from Uniqlo. It could be boxers, socks, tees, sweats, sweater, or all of the above. Uniqlo is an always affordable, yet stylish and comfortable, solid quality, fast-fashion retailer. I love them. You will too if you haven’t tried them yet. So, of course, I checked out all of their recent sales, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and random flash sales. Here’s a brief review of the items I picked up.

(Please note that I am 6’1 tall, 190 lbs and I usually wear a size M and a 34/30 pant.)

The Good

Ultra Light Down Seamless Parka: The point of an “ultra light” parka is for it to be super lightweight, yet still warm. This coat definitely meets those expectations. It is incredibly lightweight, and pretty warm as well. The fit on this is really great, with the expected usual Uniqlo (somewhat) slim fit. Further, this was marked down to $59.90 from the usual $79.90 so it is a pretty solid value. For most, this will make a great “in-between” coat for when it’s not too cold and for when it’s not too warm. Personally, I will not keep this item. I have a hard time spending more than $50 on a coat that I will wear only a couple times a year. But that’s totally my personal eccentricity. This is a solid coat at this price. (This also comes in more conservative colors than the light gray one in the picture, so don’t judge the book solely by the cover!)

Heattech Extra Warm Turtleneck T-shirt vs. Regular Heattech Turtleneck: Like the title suggests, Uniqlo sells two different “Heattech” turtleneck t-shirts, and only one of them is “extra warm.” The regular turtleneck was listed for $9.90 and the extra warm one was $19.90. I tried both and, although they both look and fit exactly the same, there is a huge difference between the two in terms of quality and comfort. As you can see in the picture, the t-shirt is a true slim-fit and I love the fit. It is very comfortable and warm and it is exactly what I’d expect from Uniqlo. Will this last for more than one season? Yes to the extra warm one, but no to the regular one. The regular turtleneck is not super high quality fabric and it is very thin and stretchy. The extra warm one, on the other hand, has a fairly thick interior lining that makes all the difference. It looks great, feels great, and fits great. Can I ask for more? For $19.90, I’m going to keep this! If you are looking for a turtleneck, definitely go for the extra warm Heattech one. It’s great value for this price.

Ultra Warm Down Coat: This coat usually retails for $149.90, so when it went on sale for just $99.90, I had to give it a swing. This coat has a great fit. It’s not 100% slim fit, but it’s pretty darn close. It’s definitely more slim than a regular fit item. It’s very comfortable and fairly warm. The coat itself is a bit too bulky for my liking, but if that doesn’t bother you then I otherwise don’t have any major complaints with this. The only reason this coat is not in the “The Great” category is because of its regular price. For $149.90 it’s pretty expensive, especially considering that it is not super warm. If you can get it on sale like I did, then it’s definitely a great value buy. But otherwise, it’s just a “decent” deal.

The Bad

Only two items fall into the truly “bad” category: the “Heattech” stretch slim-fit flat front dress pants and the “Blocktech” slim-fit chino flat front pants. Why? Well, they are BOTH not slim-fit. Come on Uniqlo! You can do better than this.

Heattech Stretch Slim-Fit Flat Front Pants: The fit is not at all “slim-fit”, and it is baggy as hell in the legs and seat of the pant. Look at how much room there is in the back of the pant in the picture! It’s really not a great fit. This was the most disappointing item for me, since the Heattech technology, plus the stretch, makes these pants so freaking comfortable for dress pants. But they really messed up the fit on this one, which is very unlike Uniqlo (with pants at least). This is clearly a regular fit, not a slim fit. And the price was even just $29.90, instead of the usual $49.90! Oh well.

Blocktech Slim-Fit Chino Flat-Front Pants: These pants were a little bit tighter fit than the Heattech, but they are still definitely not “slim-fit.” Forget the J Crew 484, this doesn’t even have the fit of typical Uniqlo slim fit sportswear or loungewear. This fit falls somewhere between slim and regular. Also, honestly, I don’t love the Blocktech technology on chino pants. It’s way more bulky than the Heattech technology, and has a bit of a weird feeling on my leg. All in all, I’m not a fan of these pants.

Both of these pants will be heading back to Uniqlo, and if you are slim-fit wearer, then stay away this season. If you are looking for super comfortable slim fit dress pants, then definitely give these Gap pants a try.

The Great

There were two absolutely great items from this Uniqlo haul, and they are both in the sportswear category.

Dry Stretch Pants: These pants are so freaking comfortable, and so goddamn well-fitting for sportswear that I literally wash them every other day, so that I can wear them as much as possible. I have never, ever had a pair of sportswear pants that were this comfortable and yet super well-fitted. For $19.90, this a no-brainer “GREAT” buy. As you know, even if you typically like super slim fit clothing, you still want just a bit more room in your slim fit sportswear pants for obvious reasons. This pant treads that line perfectly, without completely sacrificing the “slim fit” at the altar. This pant makes we want to exercise more! Next time someone asks me how they can motivate themselves to exercise more I will tell them to buy these pants. I’m not the only one who loves these pants. One purchaser said, “I have three pairs of these pants and they are the softest and most amazing pants ever to be made, and they can be worn for literally anything and everything.” I agree. Get 3 pairs of these. (I bought a pair of these for my lady love, and she LOVED them too. Just an idea for you men out there looking for a solid holiday gift.)

Blocktech Fleece Pants: These pants are similar in comfort and fit to the dry stretch pants, but the Blocktech pants are stiffer, warmer, and a bit more slim fitted. These are still super comfortable pants, and considering that I got them for $19.90, I will put them in the “great” category. Also, although they are currently priced at $29.90, these go on sale all the time (occasionally they have a blockbuster offer for as low as $3.90). I think these pants fit better into the “sportswear” category than the dry stretch ones above, since the dry stretch is more “loungewear” than sportswear. But either way, these pants are both fantastically comfortable and a really great value. In terms of fit, there are a bunch of people that suggest going up one size since it’s a bit tighter than usual. Personally, I felt that the pants fit perfectly. But it’s definitely just a tad tighter than usual, so I wouldn’t quite call it true to size.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that you will always find something really great at Uniqlo without breaking the bank. They don’t have an awesome variety, nor do they have the most consistent fit throughout all of their stuff. But if you are willing to try on a bunch of different items, you will eventually find something you love at a really great price. For me, it’s their sportswear and a solid extra warm turtleneck. For you? Well, give it a swing and let us know!