I've been searching for the last year or so for good shorts with either velcro or buttons on the back pockets. I like carrying my big wad of cash in my back pocket so I want to make sure the roll of 20s don't fall out when I sit down somewhere. I've been buying Docker brand shorts for many years, but they no longer make their dress shorts with secure back pockets. This being Arizona where most of the year it's luke warm to hot weather you really need a bunch of shorts to wear near year-round.
So I thought I'd try these Amazon branded ones, and bought a size 32 with a 9" inseam in the cheapest color they had just so I could try them out (color teal for around $13). This way if I didn't like them even after breaking them in and washing them it wouldn't be a great financial loss.
Packaging is easy and generic: inside a simple plastic bag and a small tag. No stickers, nothing else to have to remove. Just take out of the bag and remove the simple, generic, barcode tag.
I noticed that the stitching was solid with sturdy thread, unlike a lot of other brands that cost twice as much and yet seem to scrimp on the thread. These feel very well made. The buttons are solidly stitched on as well and should last a long time without falling out. Zipper runs up and down very well also.
When I first put them on I thought the inseam might not be the short 9" that I prefer because it felt like it was a tad too long and was rubbing the back of my thighs, which really annoys me, hence my desire to always buy shorts with the shortest inseam. Well, I almost returned them at this point, but thought, "what the heck, for $13 I'll wear them some more and give them a try". Well, after a couple of hours of wearing them and walking around all over the place the hem softened up enough that it no longer bugs me by rubbing against the back of my thighs. So that's definitely a plus for me!
I started to give these a one star downgrade for the only nit I have against these shorts: the front pockets seem to be about 1/2" to 1" shorter than I prefer. I would prefer to have the pockets be just a little bit deeper, in which case I'd give them a solid five stars. But because of this, I'll give them 4.51 stars and just round up for the overall very good quality and really good price. They're not quite Docker's quality, but they come close. The only difference, besides the pockets being a little bit shallower, is that while the cloth material is pretty thick (compared to many other brands I've bought over the years), it's still a fraction of a mill less heavy cloth than Docker's.
So buy them if you want to try out something different that's nearly as good as top end brands, but costs a third of the price. But if you carry a big wallet in your front pocket then maybe not. But my Samsung Galaxy S21 does fit well in my front pocket along with my smallish wallet. I just wouldn't recommend carrying two big items in the same front pocket.
PS I'm going to buy a few more of these to replace my worn out Docker's
Amazon Essentials Men's Classic-Fit 9" Short
4.4 | 34,866 ratings
Price: 11.2
Last update: 08-31-2024
Top reviews from the United States
Jose Hernandez
Spot-on fit and very good quality for the price
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2021
Frost
Perfect purchase
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2024Steve Capling
These run small.
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2024Aaron Van Curen
Nice Fabric
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2024
Curtis Hoffmeister
Good shorts for a great price
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2024A. Romeo
Allow for shrinkage
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2024
LesTroisChats
Great fit and colour range.
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2024Mac3rk
Moderate quality
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2024