#plus these are the same brand as my current boots and hopefully the feel will be similar

[blairamok]

i started a goal over on my ko-fi to help fund the inline skates that i want so that i can keep practicing over the summer while my rink is closed! the goal will cover the skates and any additional gear i need, such as knee pads and whatnot. so from now until the goal is met, any tips will go toward helping me live my ice skating fantasy ⛸️❄️ and any help is appreciated!

[sussex-nature-lover]

Friday 22nd May 2020

Introducing Newbies

As suspected a couple of days ago it seems we have a very close new neighbour. This view is out of a front bedroom window through the Wisteria.

Looking at this untidy tangle of twigs reminds me to record why we call Wood Pigeons ‘One Twig’ - much like all

Pheasants are known as ‘Travis’

♦ after the group who sang ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me’ and coined after watching them stand, absolutely bereft and sodden but not seeking shelter

House Sparrows are known as either Dirks or Hodders

♦ The first after an old neighbour and a very public ejection of bedding into the garden - which is a whole different Blog in itself and the second after a builder

Nuthatch known in our house as Wig Sellers

♦ Because (to us) their insistent call sounds like Wigs! Wigs! Wigs! and they seem like the type of characters who’d have a strong business ethic

Crows aka Rate My Baby

♦ A bit obscure, but do you ever get totally fed up with using a service or purchasing something and immediately you’re unremittingly hounded to give feedback or (5)star ratings on social media. Gaaah. Anyway, listening to Crows for any length of time gives you exactly that same feeling

Blue Tit ... The Li’l Uns

♦ No explanation necessary

After that diversion I’d better explain One Twig who is somewhere in there.

Our garden is a veritable Hyper Market for twigs. Any time of year, any variety, fill your boots. Two things we’re not short of here (in these straightened times) are Twigs and Ants. You want either, our garden is most definitely Where. It’s. At make no mistake...unless you’re a nest building Wood Pigeon that is.

I kid you not, we watch the exhausting process of Wood Pigeons departing our garden for a short while, only to return with one solitary twig per journey, in order to construct their nests amongst the trees and shrubs of said confines.

We can’t really work it out and seriously doubt it’s a quality control issue. 

There is a very strong suspicion that the subject of future Nest Watch news has bestowed her patronage on next door’s much less well equipped Twig Shop and this is the result.

Introducing ‘Daisy Waldron’ as she will be known - after the character in the children’s animated TV series Pigeon Street.

The old lady who is a next-door neighbour to Rose and feeds the pigeons on her window sill. 

There’s the tenuous connection.

Daisy seems quite comfy there. Hopefully we won’t be experiencing high winds any time soon as that Wisteria can and does take a battering.

My only other experiences of Wood Pigeon nests are the time there was a nest in the Wisteria outside a different bedroom and I opened the curtains one day to be directly confronted with two massive nestlings at eye level and from times our younger daughter’s cats have holidayed with us.

Mr B (Not his name, just what we call him...it stands for Mr Brave in the same way you’d call a Labrador ‘Spot’ or a Butterfly ‘Tiger’) is a massive character inside a teeny little black cat who’s never seemed to age beyond the kitten stage and is often up to no good.

There was the time he careered through the open kitchen doors and ran around the whole house - the house which, may I say, was proudly sporting brand new pale beige carpet throughout. He was running and yowling like a Banshee. It sounded like OWLS OWLS OWLS OWLS. He was also dripping wet and covered in green pond slime. Well, he was covered when he first came in, you can imagine how that panned out. So that’s one Mr B story - how Owls picked him up and dropped him in the pond*

The other two stories are about him being lost for hours. One time we eventually discovered him hidden and nestled down inside the bottom folds of a duvet that was mostly draped over the banisters to air. The second time he was even harder to find, but turned up eventually asleep in an empty Pigeon’s nest inside a massive shrub by the back gate. It’s a mystery how he found it, but he’d made himself very comfortable indeed. Actually it’s also a total mystery how we managed to locate him at all.

There are a few more stories about the cats’ vacation escapades, no doubt I’ll be able to fit them in sooner or later.

*NOTE it would seem that as the pond was covered in green at the time, he mistook it for a surface to walk on, however, the pond is not all that deep and has several steps in the levels all around the edges, plus a very shallow ‘beach’ area covered in pebbles. This is always a good idea for wildlife safety.  Currently the pond is out of commission as we started to drain it last year with the intention of refurbing and re-landscaping the area, but that project has been furloughed for now.

Ne’r cast a clout ‘til May be oot

Click Here

Hedgerow Watch: so pretty Hawthorn

From a company called Plews Garden Design

Crataegus monogyna can support more than 300 insects! The caterpillars of the Hawthorn moth obviously enjoy munching on its leaves, but they are joined by nearly a dozen more. May blossom is rich in nectar and pollen; so is a treat for bees, butterflies and many pollinating insects. Also, if you have them in your wildlife garden, dormice delight in eating the flowers.

When it comes to the season of autumn, haw berries provide a nutritious take-away snack for many migrating birds. British native birds and small mammals also eat the red berries.

NEST BOX WATCH:

House Sparrow nest seems to be trundling along at a pace

The ranks of the Sharks and the Jets (mixed flock of Crows, Rooks and Jackdaw) have been swelled by numerous demanding giant babies

The Starlings are back with a vengeance, also with large and demanding babies.

♦ As I type this the noise has completely died down and all I can hear is the song of a Blackbird and a little bit of background accompaniment from various woodland birds. Bliss for as long as it lasts.

All the usual caveats apply about errors with spellings or grammar and outside links not being affiliated with this Blog.

[thedenimdentist]

Parkhurst: Unboxing & First Impressions

Introduction

Parkhurst is a small boot company owned by Andrew Svisco in Buffalo, New York. Consisting of just eight boot makers, Parkhurst aims to produce a line of dress casual boots using primarily US-based materials and leathers. Their boots are designed to unite a sleek and refined aesthetic with a rugged, long-lasting construction, all at a price point more reasonable for most non-boot enthusiasts.

What I Ordered

First off I just want to thank Andrew for gifting me a pair of his boots to test out. Andrew reached out to me via Instagram back in November 2019 about sending me a pair of his boots to test. At that point, I had seen some of his boots on social media, but didn’t know too much. After browsing his Instagram and website, his Allen boot in Spruce Kudu leather really caught my eye. The texture and character of kudu leather had always intrigued me, and the green color was unlike anything else in my collection. The boot was out of stock for quite a while, but he was finally able to get me a pair in February 2020.

Based on the Parkhurst website, this boot comes with the following specifications:

The Allen - Spruce Kudu

Construction – Goodyear welted

Upper – Genuine Kudu leather tanned by CF Stead

Insole – Vegetable tanned leather

Hardware – 7 eyelets

Laces – Flat waxed

Welt – Vegetable tanned leather

Midsole – Vegetable tanned leather

Sole/Heel - Dainite Rubber

Shipping & Packaging

My boots were shipped out from New York on 2/20/2020 (Thursday) and arrived here in the Bay Area on 2/24/2020 (Monday). The boots arrived in a single brown box, which opened up directly to the boots. 

It should be noted that these boots did not arrive with a standard shoe box to keep and look all cute on your closet shelf. I don’t see this as too big of a deal. The boots seemed to be adequately protected, as the single brown box was built fairly sturdy, with each boot was stored within an individual plastic bag, divided by a barrier piece of card stock. 

The boots arrived with two sets of brown skinny, flat, waxed laces--the first set already laced on the boots, and the second set at the bottom of the box.

Sizing & Fit

As I stated in my Onderhoud review, my feet are very tricky when it comes to sizing (see previous review for details). Below I’ve listed my sizes for all the other boot brands I own.

Thursdays - 10.5

Onderhoud - 44E

Red Wing, Iron Ranger - 9.5EE

Truman Boot Company - 11EE

Viberg (1035 last) - 10.5

For these Parkhurst boots, I decided to go with a size 11 (in a D width, as it’s the only width they offer). After a few wears, I’ve concluded that a Parkhurst size 11 is about the same as a Thursday 10.5D, and just a hair smaller than my Truman 11EE. Not gonna lie, the Parkhursts are pretty narrow on me. I can’t say if the Parkhurst 11D is a similar width to the Truman 11D (as I only own 1EE), but they are definitely more narrow than my 10.5D Thursdays. I don’t blame Parkhurst for the lack of width options, as they are still a fairly small business, but hopefully they’ll be able to add more as they continue to grow. So while the narrower last does pinch some on my bunions, it also creates a really nice almond toe shape when viewed from above (which I will discuss later).

Pattern & Design

Andrew aimed to create a sleek and handsome boot that would be acceptable both out on the trail and at the office. This is his Allen boot design, and in my opinion he hit this one out of the park. The plain toe, the counter and heel stay, and the stitching details along the eyelets all come together to create a very simple and clean pattern. I’m also very pleased that this boot came with all seven eyelets, as I prefer eyelets over speed hooks. 

Like all of Parkhurst’s boots, the Allen boot comes with a 360 degree storm welt. The welt leather is imprinted with a fudging wheel, which creates the ridges in the welt leather perpendicular to the welt stitch. Traditionally, fudging wheels were used by bespoke shoemakers to mark out where the stitches would fall on the welt. However, these are merely decorative, as the welt stitches don’t appear to follow the individual ridges (see photo). While this fudging wheel pattern is fairly common on more dress boots, this is the first time I’ve seen it in person. It definitely creates a unique aesthetic--a little busier and eye-catching than the stitchdown and GYW boots I’m used to--but it’s growing on me.

One thing I really appreciate about these boots is the fact that the insole, welt, and midsole are all made from vegtan leathers. They also come with leather-stacked heels, and are finished with very cleanly stitched Dainite soles. While I tend to prefer half soles, I actually really like the simple, low profile aesthetic of Dainite soles. I’ve heard some people complain that Dainite soles lack traction in outdoor, wet, and rainy conditions, but I’ve never had any issues. I live in a Bay Area suburb, and these Dainite soles grip the sidewalk just fine.

If there were one thing about the pattern I would change, it would be the addition of gusseted tongue. The standard tongue these boots come with (similar to my Thursday boots) tend to collapse when my foot isn’t inside. Nothing wrong with a standard tongue, but I just personally prefer the gusseted tongue, as it makes sliding my foot in a lot easier. Plus, gusseted tongues also improve the boots’ ability to keep out water, dust, and dirt...for those of you who have a more outdoorsy lifestyle than me.

Toe Shape & Last

If you follow my Instagram, you can probably tell that I prefer everything to be slim: slim fit shirts, slim fit denim, slim low profile boots. These Parkhursts are now probably the slimmest boots in my collection. Thursday Boots also designs their boots to be sleek and slim, but I actually prefer the toe shape of these Parkhursts more. 

Here is a side-by-side comparison with my President boots by Thursday. And while I do prefer the Parkhurst toe shape more, I should mention that my Thursdays are currently far more comfortable. However, my Thursdays are nicely broken in and have stretched around my bunions, while I’ve only worn these Parkhursts a couple days. I’m hoping these will stretch with wear to accommodate my bunions, but only time will tell. 

Here, you can see that the Parkhurst last is actually pretty similar to that of my Onderhouds (which I absolutely adore). If you look closely, you can see where Rizky added some extra give on my custom last to accommodate the bunions on the outsides of my feet. 

The Leather: Spruce Kudu

This is my first time seeing kudu leather in person, and it did not disappoint. The leather is soft and supple, with a good weight to it. As for the color and texture, I’ll let these photos speak for themselves:

Something I really like about Parkhurst is their vegetable tanned leather options. They currently offer this Allen boot in Natural Dublin, and their Delaware boot in Color 8 Dublin, both of which look amazing. I’m a sucker for beautiful vegtanned leathers. (I blame @almostvintagestyle.)

Craftsmanship & Finishing

Overall, the construction of the Allen boot is pretty good. They have a decent weight to them, which I like. Put a gun to my head, I’d say they’re just a hair lighter than my Trumans if I hold them in either hand, but pretty comparable. Under close inspection, I didn’t see any loose stitches or flaws in construction that would cause me to doubt the structural integrity of the boot and their ability to withstand a beating.

(Before I describe these boots in any more detail, I just confirmed with Andrew that my pair is actually a production sample, which he says are about 90% up to what goes out to consumers. Prior to shipping, Andrew warned me that he ran short on leather lining while making my pair, so one toe box is lined with tan leather while the other is in beige. He assured me that this would never happen on boots made for paying customers, and I didn’t mind as you can’t even see the lining in the toe box anyway. I cannot say whether or not any of the other following critiques would have been prevented had these boots not been production samples, but just keep that in mind.)

With regards to the stitching, I really like the stitching pattern used on the Allen boot. The stitching along the eyelets and the neck of the boot, the 1-2 offset triple stitching along the quarter, and the double stitching on the counter all look tight without any loose stitches. There are a few places where the placement/alignment of the stitching isn’t quite perfect or symmetrical.

For example, here are the backstays of both the boots. The horizontal stitches aren’t perfectly parallel on the left, making that leather strip look a little longer than the one on the right. Is this a big deal? Does it compromise the overall aesthetic or durability of the boots? Absolutely not. I just thought it was worth noting.

Another thing I did notice when first unboxing the boots was that the left boot wasn’t quite balanced when placing them on the ground. It appears as though the left heel placement isn’t perfectly level, so the boot rocks to the left and doesn’t stand sturdy and upright. If I’m sitting and am not placing any weight on my left foot, the left boot does rock if I shake my leg back and forth (but who does that, really?). However, when standing and walking, I can’t feel any difference in my gait or balance. So it doesn’t bother me really, and it may correct itself over time with wear. (It is already less noticeable after a few wears, which is a great sign.)

(Here you can see the left boot is tilted slightly to the left.)

A third little variation between the left and right boots is the visibility of the heel counter. In both the photos above, you can see that the border of the right counter is much more defined and prominent than the left. Unlike with the heel rocking, I can’t feel any difference when on foot, and I highly doubt this has any effect on boot durability. 

The last thing I really noticed was that the welts aren’t exactly aligned on either of the boots. Functionally I don’t see any need for concern--everything seems to be stitched down tight and securely, so I doubt these will be falling apart anytime soon (or ever). And because of these welt joints are in a very discrete location on the boot, they’re barely noticeable. (Also, I want to point out that imperfect welt joints are quite common. I’ve seen similar discrepancies on many other brands of boots, regardless of their price.)

Price Point

Parkhurst’s entire collection of boots range between $298-$328 (with these Spruce Kudu boots being $328). That puts Parkhurst right in between Thursday Boots (around $200) and Truman (between $400-600), and less than half the price of a Viberg boot (usually north of $700). In my opinion, the build quality and materials put into these Parkhursts are definitely worth their cost. For instance, the fact that Parkhurst offers some vegetable tanned boot options below $300 is awesome. Plus, they even use vegetable tanned leather for their insoles, welts, and midsoles. I feel like it’s not uncommon for smaller boot companies to sacrifice material quality in some of these areas in order to cut costs, but Parkhurst does not. 

On the whole, I am pretty impressed by the quality of these Parkhurst boots. As far as I can tell, most (if not all) of these “imperfections” are merely cosmetic, with the largest issue being the unbalanced left boot. However, I doubt any of these will have any effect on the structural integrity or longevity of the boots. Andrew and his team built a solid boot, and while perfection is always something we should be working toward, the little handmade variations I mentioned are fairly acceptable--especially for their $300 price point.

To quote @flamepanda11, “Handmade is to achieve higher standards, not ‘hand-made defects are inevitable.’” I agree with this 100%. Being “handmade” is no excuse to be sloppy. However, I also believe that “you get what you pay for.” Are Parkhurst boots perfect? No; but for a $300 American-made, vegetable tanned boot, is it fair to expect perfection? 

Conclusion

The Allen boot in Spruce Kudu is definitely a unique boot in my collection. I really like the simple pattern and sleek aesthetic, and the construction quality seems close to that of Truman for $100-200 less. Are they the cleanest boot on the market? No. But are they structurally sound and built to last? As far as I can tell right now, yes. And priced at just around the $300 mark, I believe that these boots by Parkhurst are definitely fairly priced for what they offer, and are worth looking into.

If you’d like to learn more about Parkhurst, you can follow Andrew on Instagram @wearparkhurst, or visit the online store here. Andrew is always super busy (which is to be expected when running a small business), but is a super nice guy and is very easy to talk to. He’s very transparent with what’s going on behind the scenes, so don’t hesitate to hit him up with any questions. 

---

I plan on writing an update review on these Parkhursts after I put more wear on them. Same for my Onderhouds. So please stay tuned for that. Anyway, hopefully this review was informative and helpful. I try to stay as objective as possible, supporting as much as I can with photographic evidence. DM me via Instagram (@thedenimdentist) with any feedback or questions you may have regarding Parkhurst, Onderhoud, or anything else denim/boots related. 

[altitude-times]

Les Chèvres de Montagne

Yo Kelsey! Merci d’avoir accepté de participer à cette interview. I’ve been following Les Chèvres de Montagne for quite some time on Instagram and honestly, I love seeing girls encouraging girls to get out there and beyond their comfort zone. It’s super inspiring. Since when are you part of the group? How did you come to know the group? You mentioned you have a friend who’s a founder?

Hey Noémie, thanks for the interest in Les Chèvres de Montagne! I am thrilled to get to answer some questions for you and hopefully inspire you or other ladies to get out and be a part of the community. I've been a part of Les Chevres de Montagne for the last few summers with this summer being my third year coaching the mountain bike program in Les Estries. I was very fortunate when I first arrived in Quebec because the majority of the ladies I knew were also lovers of the outdoors. Coming from BC, this was heaven-sent! Pascale was a good friend of mine and one of the founders of the group so as the things expanded, we all did our part to be involved. There is a core group of ladies in Les Estries, and a lot of them are a part of Les Chevres in some way whether it be as a coach, nutritionist, chiropractor, event coordinator and more! The gist of the group was to create a community for women who loved the outdoors and wanted to participate in activities with other ladies. Whether you're a veteran at the sport you love or you simply want to try something new, the events are catered to be enjoyed by ladies of all skill levels, and that's what's so amazing about it. Plus! You meet so many new friends that you're never alone for your weekend adventures. I was stoked when I was first asked to help with the coaching. There's nothing more rewarding than watching the progression of the ladies over the few weeks you have with them.

According to you, how does going out between girls change the dynamics? Personally, I'm delighted to see girls playing in the mud instead of making Youtube videos about contouring. Sludge is a different kind of skin foundation. (ahah!)

The vibe is really special at all of the events. All the girls are encouraging each other and if they haven't signed up with a friend or two, they certainly leave with two or more new friends. Since I started with Les Chevres de Montagne, the number of ladies in my lady crew I can reach out to for weekend adventures has quadrupled, and that's something really cool. Everyone shares a common passion for the outdoors, and I agree, seeing this many ladies stoked on having fun outside rain or shine is pretty damn cool if you ask me.

What sports do you personally prefer? I guess it’s probably cycling, am I right?

Hahah you are correct! I come from a mountain bike background having raced downhill for six years before retiring at 18 due to too many head injuries. Since then, I spent three years coaching in Whistler Bike Park and a month in the Yukon coaching Army Cadets for the Federal Government. It's been a wild ride, but I couldn't see my life without mountain biking in it, so I love riding for fun nowadays and coaching on the side. Aside from that, I grew up skiing but recently switched over to snowboarding, I enjoy hiking and camping (if you can call it a sport) and try my best at fishing on the weekends.

Can you tell us a bit about an anecdote, something funny that happened or something truly memorable?

Because the majority of the girls participating are French, it's always a bit of a joke that I coach in English because they get an English lesson at the same time. For their entertainment, I'll throw in some phrases in French or attempt to explain my teaching anecdotes in French which always creates a few laughs. As for anecdotes, the cowboy gorilla stance which I learned from one of my coaches still gets people giggling. It sounds silly, but it really works! I've been using it with the kids I have coached as well as adults. That, and the chicken-wing, Superman. Another golden one I took from my time learning with the fantastic instructors at Endless Biking in North Vancouver.

What’s the longest trip you’ve experienced with them? A weekend? A few days? What was the biggest challenge?

For the past two summers that I have coached with Les Chevres de Montagne, we do a weekend at Vallees Bras du Nord, so I generally will arrive the Friday night and stay until Sunday. There are some epic multi-day adventures such as a survival camp over the winter and multi-day hikes, but so far that's the longest event I've done with the group. The biggest challenge, hmm that's tough. I think the biggest challenge for a weekend of coaching like that is just reserving enough energy to get through the weekend. After a long week at work, the drive there, a weekend of coaching and then the trip back, it can be a lot, but hey, it's hard to turn down an epic weekend of riding with such a fun group of women. Last year, we got to choose one of the two days to coach and had a free day to ride. This was fantastic because how often do you get your full lady crew out together to shred some new trail?!  Another tough challenge is having to head home after having so much fun of course!

You mentioned that you were involved as a mountain bike teacher. Can you tell us more about that?

You betcha! So the first year I coached, I was the head coach and the one I organizing the lesson plan for the beginner group, the intermediate group as well as my group of advanced riders. My second year, last summer, I coached the beginners. Both seasons were a blast, but personally, I kind of enjoyed the beginners a bit more because you got to watch the ladies confidence absolutely flourish over the six weeks. That's not to say the advanced riders didn't as well, but it was just such an enlightening feeling to watch the new riders' faces light up when they tackled a new trail they were so fearful of before. This is probably the best part of coaching, watching someone realize their potential and then turn into an absolute shredder. Everyone starts somewhere, and it's so refreshing to get to be a part of that process.

During my years of racing, I worked with numerous different coaches who all had their different ways of coaching. Everyone learns a bit differently so having those different techniques to work with is always great.

How do you plan your food for these occasions? Any delicious recipe you’d like to share?

We have our lovely Emilie who is the nutritionist for Les Chèvres de Montagne and plans the meals. Everything is taken care of for the participants for all meals from morning to after dinner snack (we make some mean s' mores cones!). We generally go for simple, hands-on meals where everyone can more or less serve themselves family style. This also depends on the size of the group but last year, we had amazing tacos that of course had the group stoke leve very high! Emilie is great at creating vegetarian-friendly menus with gluten-free options as well. As for the best recipe, I would say the energy balls. These are great and super easy to make even at home. At the beginning of the mountain bike days for the Vallées-Bras-du-Nord camp, there is a spread of jars with everything from dried apricots and cranberries to almond slices and honey and oats and pumpkin seeds and more. You simply mix your preferred ingredients in a bowl, add some honey and apple sauce for texture and stick and voila! You've got an energy ball to snack on later in the day. A lot of recipes can actually be found on the Les Chèvres de blog here → Yummy recipes!

What are your personal favorites gear-wise? It can be accessories, boots, jackets, backpacks, hydration systems, whatever.

I am currently in LOVE with my new Giro Cartelle MIPS helmet! I had a hard time finding a new helmet because I was just in between the small and medium for POC but this Giro fits like a glove. It's comfortable for long rides (my last helmet had an awkward pressure point in the middle of my forehead) and looks great. The best part is that it is equipped with MIPS® which reduces rotational forces. This is important for me with my past head injuries so I am happy to have a helmet that I feel safe wearing. Ooft, there is so much great gear on the market these days! I try to look away so that I can keep my credit card from screaming at me but hydration-wise, the hip packs are becoming incredibly popular! Not everyone is keen on wearing a hydration pack (although they can double as back protection as some brands will integrate spinal protection in the design) so the hip pack is the next best thing. I'll be wearing a CamelBak RePack™ LR 4 this season which I am excited to try out and I know that Osprey's Seral Lumbar Pack has been receiving raving reviews. For all the latest in mountain bike gear, stories and utter radness, check out Pinkbike.com. This is the epicentre of the Mountain bike world and a great source of knowledge, entertainment and of course, used bike goodies to purchase.

What did you learn from the group? What are your challenges for the year?

One of the biggest things I have learned from Les Chèvres de Montagne is that there are A LOT of badass ladies here in Quebec who absolutely slay on the trails, the slopes, and the crags! When I first started mountain biking, it was very much a men's sport although the times are changing (a lot) and it's amazing. The number of ladies that turn up for the mountain bike events and other events for that matter is impressive and inspiring. I'm proud and feel honored to be a part of such an amazing community of fierce women who are turning the tables in the outdoor world and also showing how accessible these adventures can be.

Anything else you’d like to share?

For all the ladies (sorry fellas, Les Chèvres de Montagne is for ladies only). Don't be shy! If there's an activity you're interested in but don't have a car or are not sure if you will be good, just do it! There are often many girls travelling from Montreal for events so finding someone to carpool with isn't a problem AND I can guarantee you're going to have a wicked time if you go.

[shortsrifle7-blog]

Best Workout Leggings for Women

The best workout leggings for women all in one place! We set off to find the best workout leggings, and tested all of these doing yoga, HIIT, running, and everything in between. Read on for our top 3 best workout leggings + honorable mentions.

Best Workout Leggings Video Review

“What workout leggings do you recommend?” is a question we get from our readers all the time, so last year, we decided to turn it into a blog post —> and try on a bajillion pairs of leggings to find the very best. Well, we’re back for round 2! We set off on an adventure this summer to find the best workout leggings on the market after asking YOU which brands we should try. We hit up some of the most popular, top of the line athleisure stores (such as Lululemon and Athleta) as well as budget-friendly stores (such as Target and Gap) and many of your recommended online brands (such as Outdoor Voices and Ptula) to hunt down a variety of amazing leggings perfect for all types of bodies and activities. We tried on over 20 pairs of workout leggings each, did various workouts in our top 10, and then narrowed it down to our top 3, which we’ve been wearing on the regular since this summer.

Before we jump right in, we wanted to give you the low down of how we chose our favorites for this year’s Best Workout Leggings post. We’ve worked out, traveled, lounged, and everything in between in each of these pairs of leggings. And things we took into consideration include:

fabric

quality

fit

price

versatility

stretch

wear and tear

other (ie: do they give you a camel toe? Or get super see-through when you squat?)

Since we each have different body types (and likes and dislikes when it comes to workout leggings), there are a few different styles of workout leggings that we wound up loving, but overall, it came down to 3 clear brand winners. Athleta, Lululemon and Ptula.

The best workout leggings for women all in one place! We set off to find the best workout leggings, and tested all of these doing yoga, HIIT, running, and everything in between. Read on for our top 3 best workout leggings + honorable mentions.

Athleta

Salutation Stash Pocket

Talk about the softest pants I’ve ever put on my body! Athleta is one of my favorite athleisure brands and I absolutely adore their workout leggings. If I had to choose a favorite from Athleta, it would be the Salutation Stach Pocket Pant. I’ve been doing more yoga lately and I specifically like this pant for yoga because they’re moveable and breathable all at the same time. I love the high-rise fit and have I mentioned how soft they are? It doesn’t even feel like I’m wearing pants! The pock detailing is also clutch for more of an athleisure-wear because you can stick your phone right in there. -Lee // 5’8″

Savasana Macrame

I’ve been a long time fan of the Salutation tight with Lee and have them in multiple colors and lengths, but recently fell in love with the Savasana tight. They are my absolute favorite workout leggings for yoga. They move with you so well through a yoga flow. Don’t ride up or down, and are incredibly buttery soft. And I love love love the fun little macrame pattern on the back (thinking I’ll need to add the macrame sports bra to my collection, too). One thing worth noting is that I don’t loveee these for running. They feel a little too soft and slide around on my waist so much that I find myself tugging at them throughout the entire run. But if you’re looking for a perfect pair of workout leggings for yoga or bopping around town, the Savasana is your gal! -Emily // 5’8″

Elation

These high wasted workout leggings are one of my absolute favorite workout pants AND go-to athleisure pants. They are sturdy pants that are made with a thicker fabric, so they are great for outdoor running when its a bit chilly or for those of you who like to be held in nice and tight. They also look great with boots or tennis shoes.

These work out leggings ride high and stay put. I am 5′ 3”, and I’ve got wide hips. Generally, when I try on yoga pants they are too long. So long that it looks like I am wearing leg warmers over my pants. The Elation pant in 7/8 rocks because they hit me right at the ankle. I also appreciate that these elation workout leggings are a true high rise pant that holds everything in when I am in a forward fold. -Linley // 5’3″

Wunder Under Hi-Rise

Not only do Lululemon’s Hi-Rise Wunder Under Pants come in ridiculously fun patterns and colors, but they go high enough on my hips and waist where I am comfortable no matter if I’m doing crunches or sitting in half pigeon. And they don’t fall down when you’re on a run BOOYA. They are breathable and come in multiple lengths (Lee prefers the 21″ length and I prefer the 7/8s). Lee and I both have multiple pairs of these and wear them to workout, run, and throughout the day with boots or tennies. While these are the highest priced pant on our list, we’re firm believers that they are worth every penny. Keep your eyes peeled for sales at Lululemon, sometimes you score big and find a pair of Wunder Under’s on sale! -Emily // 5’8″

Hi, it’s Lee! I couldn’t not say something about the Wunder Under Hi-Rise pant because they are the workout leggings that I compare every other workout leggings to. Time and time again I go back to Lululemon for their Wunder Under Hi-Rise (both the pants and crop) and am never disappointed. I love that there is no seam down the leg, the high-rise fit fits my long torso perfectly and I promise you once you try these on, you’ll ask yourself why you own anything else.-Lee // 5’8″

Align Pant

Lululemon is always a favorite here on Team Fit Foodie. They know what they’re doing when it comes to workout leggings. I do also love the Hi-Rise Wunder Unders. They are reliable and so comfortable. However, this year I found my new favorite Lululemon workout legging–> THE ALIGN PANT. If you can imagine a workout pant that is silky smooth like butter, but structured enough that it holds in all your lady-bits just right, the Align pant is exactly that!

I love wearing the Align to yoga or during high-intensity workouts. The Align Pant is also a high waisted workout legging (let’s be real, I don’t wear anything else anymore) and is incredibly breathable and they hit me in just the right place! -Linley // 5’3″

Alainah Allure

Yay P’tula! P’tula is a newer brand that the team found due to this research and I’m so glad we did! Emily and I both love the Alainah Allure crop/pant. I’ve done both yoga and strength training in these pants and I do have to say…they remind me of my all-time favorite pant from Lululemon, the Wunder Under Hi-Rise. I am a big fan of soft fabric, but also fabric that is thick enough to hold everything in. The high-rise fit is perfect and the color selection is on point! Lastly, the price point is totally there! At $65, I’d say these pants are for sure more affordable than other big name brands.

Desa’ree II Swift

The Desa’ree II workout legging is the first pair of crop pants that I have LOVED. I never dilly dally with workout crop pants. I am an all (long pant) or nothing (shorts) kind of girl when it comes to workout leggings. Because I am on the shorter side, I always feel strange in crop pants. I feel like they cut the little length I have in my legs in half. When I wear crop workout pants it usually looks like I bought pants that don’t fit me.

I love the Desa’ree workout leggings because they hit me exactly where a crop should fit me. The fabric is thin, breathable, very stretchy. When I first received my Ptula pants, they looked like they were made for a 5-year old. They looked so small. Low and behold they stretched out and fit me perfectly! -Linley // 5’3″

Other Workout Leggings We Love 

Beyond Yoga

If you are a yogi, you MUST check out Beyond Yoga! They high-waist leggings are my all-time favorite. I love how soft their fabric is and TBH, most of the time I wear these just lounging around!

Crane & Lion

A new one for us this year, Crane & Lion came highly recommended by Lindsey Blomgren of Nourish Move Love. We tried the 7/8 tights, and loved them for cycling class — they were thinner, breathable, but didn’t ride up and give the camel toe look (ain’t nobody need that).

JoyLab

This Target line of leggings is new to our list this year, and came highly recommended by all of you. We tried the high rise seamless leggings, and would recommend these for athleisure (or a brisk fall or winter walk!), but they were a little too thick and warm for anything high intensity.

Zella

This Nordstrom brand has been one of our faves for a long time. They come in so many fun styles and colors, and are always a great price point. While they didn’t make our top 3 this year, you’ll still find us wearing Zella leggings for yoga, HIIT and athleisure.

Nike

We’re big fans of Nike’s high waisted leggings (ESPECIALLY the Nike Sculpt Lux) for all things high impact. We run in these tights and do HIIT workouts in these tights. They stay up and don’t give that dreaded camel toe effect.

Senita

Senita also came highly recommended by all of you. We love the playful patterns that Senita currently offers, and love that they’re true high rise workout leggings, but don’t pinch in weird places and give that muffin top feeling.

Outdoor Voices

We LOVE Outdoor Voices sports bras, and their coordinating leggings are just as amazing. Plus, this brand continues to feature a wide variety of body shapes and sizes to model their clothing, AND never retouches their photos. Cheers to you, Outdoor Voices!

GapFit

GapFit came in as one of our favorite brands of workout leggings last year, and this year was no different. The GFast High Rise workout leggings are SO breathable and I feel like i can do anything in these – yoga, circuit training, coffee shop sitting, and everything in between. They also look great with tennis shoes OR boots.

So there you have it, my friends! Hopefully, we helped you hunt down some new amazing workout leggings without the hassle of having to try them on all. Let us know in the comments below which pair are your favorites. And if we didn’t cover the brand you <3 in this post, let us know what we should try next year!

Disclaimer: some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase an item through one of these links, we will get a monetary kickback. Some of the brands in this post provided us product, but we were not compensated.

Source: https://fitfoodiefinds.com/best-workout-leggings-price-ranges/

[brianculmo]

My Hardboot Splitboard Setup

After a lot of research and pondering I decided to switch to a hardboot splitboard setup last April. Unfortunately there has turned out to be very little information on the subject, and diving into this whole hardboot world has proven to be quite the experience in tinkering and problem solving. I try to be an intentional as possible with my gear purchases and decisions, and building out my current setup has been exactly that. I realize that there is so little information out there regarding all this stuff, I figured I would share some of my thoughts on how I ended up with the setup I have now.

The obvious first question was why hardboots? This is a complicated answer and the reasons are many. My personal reasons are as follows:

- Uphill efficiency, significantly less weight swinging on feet each step

- Walk mode comfort while skinning, longer strides

- Lateral stability on the uphill for sidehilling and skinning confidence

- General weight saving

- Speed of transitions

- Crampon compatibility, mountaineering ability

- Lack of suitable suitable/appealing soft boot options

- Downhill sacrifice vs uphill sacrifice

- Never extremely impressed with downhill comfort of normal split bindings

Once I decided on hardbooting was the way to go, it has been a very long road to actually getting to a point where I can see the advantage. Things have finally come together after months of research, modding, setting up, testing, more modding and more adjusting. Here is my setup as it is now:

My Current setup includes:

-Arc’teryx Procline Boots (lite version, the non carbon ones)

- Spark R & D tech toes

- Spark R & D canted pucks

- Spark R & D Dyno DH bindings

- Jones Hovercraft 156cm

-Jones Pro Skins

- Phantom Heel risers

- Phantom Hercules Hooks

The Board/skins:

This is the least unique part of the setup. It’s simply a rad board that rips and is playful. The skins work great and didn't need to be trimmed at all. Jones has a nice proprietary tail clip/hook for the skins which is really simple to use and is lighter than a lot of other ski tail clip options out there. The only complaint I would have is that the skins don’t grip quite as much on really steep stuff compared to other High traction skins that I have used.

The Boots:

Upon first thinking about hardboots, I tried find as much info as possible about splitboard hardboots online; there was not much out there. I quickly realized my boot options were narrowed down to the Dynafit TLT6 and the Arc’Teryx Procline. The TLT6 has been a go to boot for boarders for a long time now, although pretty significant mods were needed to make them work better. I was able to go try on both the TLT6s and the Proclines, and my decision was pretty easy as soon as I tried both boots on. The Proclines felt significantly better in every way compared to the TLT6. The Proclines felt lighter, there was a much more free feeling walk mode, and the flexing seemed to be more beneficial to snowboarding. The boots split cuff works really well for snowboarding, with far less material above the ankle compared to the TLT6. Even out of the box, the boots felt in the range of being able to ride with. I knew mods would probably be necessary, but I wanted to ride in them to get an idea of the extent of mod needed. I thought about the carbon version of the Proclines, but they apparently weren't actually any lighter than the normal version. Plus the carbon version was apparently stiffer than the plastic version, and stiffness is the opposite of what I needed for snowboarding. Plus, saving a couple hundred dollars wasn't bad either. I also went with the “Lite” liner over the “support” liner. The Lite liner is thinner and less stiff than the support liner. Again stiffness is less important for snowboarding, so it was better to go with the lighter, more flexible, less stiff option.

I only had one serious concern with the Proclines, and it is a well established issue. The toe bail on the Proclines is very small and less than ideal for purchase with a splitboard binding. The general shape of the toe and its low profile has also been known to cause problems with certain bindings. There are some solutions out there to remedy this concern. I reached out to Phantom Splitboard bindings about the ability for Proclines to fit in their system, and they said it was possible with an extended set screw.

The Bindings:

Everyone in the hardboot splitboard world points to Phantoms as the go to choice. I was really interested in their system and did a lot of research on it. The shape of their toe bail connector was still suspect for me with the shape of the toe on the Procline boot. They assured me it would work, but from pictures and posts I saw, you would have to set the front angle quite high to accommodate the lack of purchase on the front. The security and confidence of that connection is super important, as it would be very bad if that failed. One more negative of the Phantom system is the inability to add a cant to the setup. Having a canted stance is something that was important to me with hardboots. With already limited flex, especially laterally, the ability to have a canted stance would really help with comfort and board control.

Enter the Spark R&D Dyno DH binding:

I was able to find some information on the 2019 Spark Dyno DH binding and the improvements and possibility made it a real contender for me personally. Spark had created a toe connector out of metal that was lower profile and fit the shape of the Procline much better than that of the Phantom. No odd set screw rigging was necessary. The Sparks are also compatible with their canted pucks. The bindings just slide in and click in just like the Tesla T1 binding system that I was previously riding. They are easy to transition and seem to clear snow well. Although every single ounce isn't super important to me and I am not sure on exact weight, but I remember reading somewhere that the Spark bindings are actually slightly lighter than the Phantom setup. There is certainly not a weight disadvantage in the Spark system. The setup for these bindings was also a process. The amount of adjustments to accommodate different sole lengths are a lot, but the instructions do make it pretty clear as to what you need to do. I was unfortunately right between 2 recommended lengths, so I had to do a mix of adjustments to get my boot to fit. Once they are dialed the bindings are solid, just don’t expect to rip right out the box.

Spark R&D Tech Toe:

It was rad to see Spark manufacture in house a splitboard specific tech toe. This is another step towards hardboots becoming more accepted in the splitboarding world. The quality of construction is great and it is nice to not have to use an adaptor plate in order to use a dynafit tech toe. This is truly the best option on the market for boarders as evidenced with Phantom partnering with Spark to make a co-branded version. I have the Spark version because the anodized blue looks cool and matched the Dynos and no other reason.

Phantom Hercules Hooks:

These hooks are super simple and really low profile. Having a static hook option is really appealing after dealing with other options flapping around and working to varying levels of success out in the field. I am all about the elimination of moving parts if possible, and Phantom came up with a bomber setup that just works. These things are super light and crank down the board great. The setup on these was quite a process of dialing in though. It took a lot to get the right tension for keeping the board tight vs being able to actually get the board apart. Once its dialed it is great and you don’t have to worry about it at all out in the field.

Phantom Heel risers:

These machined pieces are exactly what you want in a heel riser. They are well built, and solidly constructed out of metal. I can easily rise both levels with a pole. These things just work. The one wish I have with these is a simpler/ better solution for split skiing. They currently recommend looping a voile strap around the riser and your foot. While that would work, it does not seem like the kind of elegant solution that I have come to expect from Phantom. Hopefully Phantom or Spark can figure out something better there.

Boot mods:

I rode in the boots once completely stock and made some clear conclusions. They are great on the uphill. The walk more in the Proclines is leaps and bounds better than any snowboard boot out there and most ski boots really. The lateral stability while edging finally gave the splitboard the same stability that skiers take for granted and splitboarders yearn for. I left all the buckles loose on the way up which helped with more flexibility. On the downhill the boots performed better than expected with no mods at all. It was clear that the forward lean was way to severe for any comfortable riding. I ride my resort board with 0 forward lean, so the angle of the ski boots was aggressive on the calves and quads. The lateral stability was acceptable and the boots just rode like a really responsive soft boot.

I had to do a lot of thinking and staring at the boots in order to figure out how to decrease the forward lean as well as accommodate for forward flex. The Proclines have specific system for locking the boots in ski mode and adjusting the angle of this adjustment by even just a few degrees was going to make all the difference. The boot needed to flex backwards a few degrees while still being able to flex to a forward position about equal to where it sits stock.

Warning: doing any of these mods will void the warranty of your boots. None of this is approved by the manufacturer. This is what I did to my boots, but most people will find a solution that works for them. I just want to provide more info for people who want to get an idea of what can be done to mod the Proclines.

To achieve this I had to make a few adjustments:

1. Cut off/ grind down the rectangle on the inner cuff that sits inside the hole for the outer cuff when in ski mode.

2. Sand/grind down the top of the outer cuff on the top of the back. As the boot flexes backwards this part hits the strap/ plastic area above it, thus stopping the boot from flexing further back. I grinded down this area as much as I could before running into other functional hardware.

3. Dremel out the outer cuff hole to a larger size. Specifically the bottom edge of the rectangle shaped hole on both the left and right side. I took about a 1/4 inch of material off here.

4. Sand the lip down of the inside cuff on the side to allow the outer cuff to slide over it.

5. Drill out a larger hole for the wire to go through on the metal switch. This allows the spot where the boot stops going back to be further. This could be done by replacing the entire wire with a piece of paracord and lengthening it compared to the length of the wire. I did not want to go through that process and a piece of paracord would have much more flex in it (which might be better for flex, although I am not convinced). I might eventually go to a paracord for this piece, but for now this setup is working. I took maybe an 1/8 of an inch off of the hole. This might seem like a small amount, but it makes all the difference in allowing the boot to articulate further back.

6. Drill a hole on the top edge of where the old rectangle used to be on the inner cuff. I put a #8 bolt through the hole with about ⅜” sticking out the outside. I put a lock washer on the inside and a lock nut plus one regular nut on the outside. The space above the bolt will be the forward flex amount, and the space below the bolt will be the max the boot will be able to flex back. I found that I have to really weight the boot backwards in order to get close to the max backwards lean. I put a bolt on each of the inside and outside holes. I tried just one bolt on the outside and it actually provided a lot more lateral flex by doing so. I think it was actually too much lateral flex even, as it felt some control might have been sacrificed there as well as risk of the split cuff failing due to too much flex in a way it is not intended to flex at all.

As my boots are now I would say that the minimum forward lean is probably about 1 or 2 degrees, not the 0 I have at the resort, but well within the comfortable range for riding. This is probably compared to at least 3 or 4 degrees as the boot is stock. The flex amounts much better replicated a soft boot and high back. I think I would still like to be a little bit further back for the lean, but I can continue that evolution after some more testing. As mentioned before the lateral flex of the boot is quite good out of the box. This mod actually helps a little bit with lateral flex too. The amount of room the bolt has on the left and right side determines the amount of lateral flex. I didn’t dremel out the holes to the left or right at all, but the bolt is smaller than the stock rectangle, so there is a natural play in there which helps with lateral flex.

As with any new ski boot it definitely helped to break the boots in a bit and get the liners heat molded. The fit is getting more dialed now, and I can start to use the buckles more often on the up and down to lock down the fit a bit more without causing significant pain.

There are still some more upgrades and adjustments to be made with the setup, but for now this thing rips and I feel more confident than ever to get to new zones safer and more efficiently. I hope this information is useful to somebody out there.

[gta-5-cheats]

Samsung Galaxy A8+ Review

New Post has been published on http://secondcovers.com/samsung-galaxy-a8-review/

Samsung Galaxy A8+ Review

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Nearly a year after the first smartphones with 18:9 screens debuted at MWC 2017, nearly every manufacturer has jumped on board. This kind of design started out as a novelty, quickly became trend, and is now pretty much a mainstay of smartphone design. It isn’t any surprise, since this is the first time in a very long time that phones have looked any different, and people do feel like they’re getting something better and more modern. Phones with 16:9 screens, (and heaven forbid, actual buttons on the front) do now seem old-fashioned.

Samsung gained an early lead with its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus (Review) at the beginning of last year (though it went with 18.5:9 which it calls “Infinity Display”) and then released the Galaxy Note 8 (Review) six months later, but didn’t seem think the rest of its range deserved the update. Meanwhile, its competitors were clambering over themselves to make sure they didn’t fall behind the curve. Over this past year, we’ve seen dozens of new 18:9 phones launching across the price spectrum. The most notable example of that is OnePlus rushing to replace its barely five-month-old OnePlus 5 (Review) with the 5T (Review), just to make sure it didn’t cede even the slightest ground to its competitors.

That makes today’s review subject all the more interesting – the new Galaxy A8+ (2018) is Samsung’s first non-flagship phone to be graced with an Infinity Display, and it’s priced to go right up against the OnePlus 5T. Is Samsung too late to the party, or has it been worth the wait? We’re about to find out.

Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) look and feel

As its name suggests, this is one large phone. Samsung hasn’t launched the smaller Galaxy A8 (2018) in India, which is a pity, because the A8+ (2018) can be a bit of a handful. It’s relatively thick and heavy at 8.3mm and 191g. That weight also feels unbalanced, especially when typing, which requires you to hold the phone from close to the bottom. It will stick out of many pockets and generally make itself felt wherever you try to stash it.

Samsung has listed two colour options for this phone, black and gold. We had a black unit for review and with the removal of buttons from the front face, it looks really plain and monolithic. The front and back are both shiny glass, though only the back curves around the matte black metal frame. While some might like this look, others will prefer the gold version which has a black front face and camera module providing a bit of visual relief.

The front face is broken only by the earpiece and dual front cameras right near the upper edge. When the phone is on, Samsung’s Always-On Display readout is splashed across the screen, taking advantage of the sAMOLED panel’s ability to selectively light up pixels without consuming a lot of power. By default, there’s a large clock, the date, the battery level, and four icons representing your most recent notifications. You can choose different clock styles and hide other information, or only enable the Always-On Display between hours of your choosing.

The power button is on the right, and the phone’s single mono speaker is positioned right above it – an unusual position, but one that Samsung has been using on multiple models of late. On the left, there’s a volume rocker and a tray for the primary Nano-SIM. The second Nano-SIM as well as a microSD card fit in another tray that slides into the top. There’s also a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm audio socket on the bottom. An advantage of the all-black look is that the antenna lines are barely visible.

The primary camera is in the upper middle of the rear, with a single-LED flash to the side and small, rectangular fingerprint sensor right below it. Unusually for phones these days, the camera doesn’t protrude at all. There’s a surprisingly subtle Samsung logo lower down, and some barely visible regulatory text at the bottom.

One feature that we’re always happy to have is weatherproofing, and the Galaxy A8+ (2018) is certified IP68 for water and dust resistance. The SIM trays are flanged with rubber to prevent ingress. However, there’s no mention of whether the glass is reinforced, which is concerning.

Samsung’s Galaxy A-series phones are meant to be more affordable versions of the current reigning S-series flagships, in this case the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. The Galaxy A8+ (2018) inherits many of their design cues, but it doesn’t look quite as slick or refined. It’s a bit too bulky and awkward to handle, and in fact it more closely resembles last year’s oversized Galaxy C9 Pro (Review). In fact, with its pricing and specifications, it serves the same market. In terms of look and feel alone, it doesn’t really stand out compared to the competing OnePlus 5T or Honor View 10 (Review) either.

Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) specifications and software

Samsung usually plays it conservatively with specs outside its flagship tier, but with this launch, it’s hoping to take on upstarts like OnePlus and Honor. The Galaxy A+ (2018) uses Samsung’s brand new Exynos 7885 SoC, which has two high-speed 2.2Ghz ARM Cortex-A73 cores and six supplementary 1.6GHz Cortex-A53 cores, plus an integrated ARM Mali-G71 GPU. There’s 6GB of RAM, and the only Samsung phones to ship with so much before now have been the Galaxy Note 8 and the aforementioned Galaxy C9 Pro.

You get 64GB of storage, of which about 51GB is available to users. MicroSD card support goes up to 256GB. Because of Samsung’s unique 18.5:9 aspect ratio, the screen resolution is 1080×2220, giving you a tiny bit more height than the 1080×2160 that you get at 18:9. It measures 6 inches diagonally but the corners are rounded for aesthetic purposes, so you lose a little screen space.

The Galaxy A8+ (2018) also features dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5, NFC, GPS, and 4G with VoLTE. There’s a rich complement of sensors, including a barometer and gyroscope in addition to the standard ambient light and proximity sensors. The battery comes in at 3500mAh which is the least we’d expect for a phone this large. Fast charging is supported, but not wireless charging.

This phone and its smaller siblings are Samsung’s first to feature dual front cameras. There’s one with a 16-megapixel sensor and another with an 8-megapixel sensor, and both have F/1.9 apertures. The rear camera is a 16-megapixel unit with an f/1.7 aperture. While most companies boast upfront about how a second camera is different in terms of its lens or sensor’s capabilities, we had to dig through Samsung’s documentation to discover that the second lens is intended to deliver better low-light performance. Surprisingly, video recording tops out at 1920×1080. There’s also no optical image stabilisation for any of the cameras.

Samsung ships the Galaxy A8+ (2018) with Android 7.1.1 which is disappointing in 2018. The Samsung Experience skin on top is beginning to get as bloated as the company’s reviled TouchWiz UI from years past. At first boot, we were allowed to choose which Samsung apps we wanted installed. We were happy to ditch Samsung Email, Samsung Notes, and Samsung Internet Browser, but there was no way to know what exactly Samsung Connect and Samsung Members are. It’s also surprising that Samsung Voice Recorder and Samsung Pay are optional apps – these should be part of the phone’s core experience.

On the homescreen, there’s a giant My Galaxy widget showing off the phone’s various features and advertising services such as ordering a meal or taxi and paying bills. You need to sign up with your phone number, but when we tried it we didn’t receive the required one-time password by SMS for hours. Unfortunately, you have to register for My Galaxy if you want to be able to find a phone service centre and book an appointment, or chat with tech support.

Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant takes up a page to the left of the first homescreen and requires you to create a Samsung account which is a separate process. Interestingly, the Galaxy A8+ doesn’t get Bixby as a voice assistant – you only get reminders of your upcoming calendar appointments and panels for things like the weather and news. There’s no Bixby key on the side of the phone, and long-pressing the Home button brings up Google Assistant (or S-Voice if you choose) so Bixby as a feature isn’t the same as it has been advertised on Samsung’s flagships.

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There’s more bloat around every corner – Samsung has tried to transform even the humble Contacts app into a social network with sharable status updates and profile pictures. The Samsung Gallery creates “stories” and multiple apps want you to use a “customisation service” which collects your stored contacts and tries to determine which people you are closest to, for undefined reasons. Opera Max and a bunch of Microsoft apps are preinstalled whether you want them or not. The default system keyboard is customisable in many ways and supports transliteration into Hindi, Tamil and Telegu which could actually be useful.

In the Settings app, you’ll find options to manage the full-screen scaling for apps that can’t handle it natively, the on-screen Android navigation buttons, fingerprint sensor gestures, a one-handed mode, “Dual Messenger” apps (cloning apps to allow you to use multiple accounts), Samsung Cloud syncing, and split-screen multitasking.

Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) performance, cameras and battery life

The Galaxy A8+ (2018) has some powerful hardware and for the most part it runs without any problems. Large games load quickly, and the phone doesn’t get too warm at any point. However, there were tiny hiccups on rare occasions, when we felt the UI behave a little sluggishly or touch input didn’t seem to register. Hopefully, periodic software updates will iron these kinks out, because usage was otherwise perfectly fine.

Samsung’s new mid-range processor is fairly powerful, and delivered scores of 78,359 in AnTuTu, 5,192 in PCMark Work 2.0, and 1,525 and 4,349 respectively in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core runs. 3DMark’s Slingshot test gave us 1,069 points, and GFXBench’s T-rex test ran at 31fps. We can definitely see that this phone isn’t on the same level as the similarly priced OnePlus 5T and Honor View 10, but should still be able to handle most apps and games.

The Infinity Display doesn’t look quite as “infinite” on this phone as it does on Samsung’s flagships, because instead of glass curving around the sides of the phone, there are still distinct edges. Even so, it’s immersive and vibrant. Brightness isn’t a problem even outdoors, and all kinds of content look pretty crisp and enjoyable. The odd placement of the speaker turned out to be a good thing, because it’s hard to block when holding this phone in any orientation and it doesn’t get muffled with the phone lying on soft surfaces. Sound is loud and voices are clear, but music comes out a bit too harsh for our liking.

One feature of the Galaxy A8+ (2018) that Samsung is promoting heavily is face recognition. This isn’t the same as the iris recognition feature on Samsung’s top-end phones, but is much more like what you’d get with the OnePlus 5T. In our experience, it just didn’t work well, either failing completely or taking more than five seconds to unlock the phone every time we tried it. This was despite trying to enrol our faces multiple times to account for poor lighting or angles. There’s an option to make recognition quicker by reducing the security threshold, which we obviously do not recommend. It’s best to just forget that this feature is even there.

The camera app is a little bloated with stickers (some of which are live and animated with sound), filters, and Bixby Vision for object and place recognition. It isn’t immediately clear how you’re supposed to switch between the two front cameras – there’s a Live Focus mode shortcut right within the viewfinder which lets you take shots with background blur, and then there’s a Wide Selfie mode in the hidden menu that you have to swipe right to see. In both cases, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in the composition of frames when using the secondary camera. In Wide Selfie mode you still have to physically pan the phone from side to side, whereas other phones have a wide-angle lens that just gives you a wider frame.

This might be Samsung’s first phone with dual front cameras, but there really doesn’t seem to be anything that really takes advantage of the second sensor. Live Focus gave us some fairly decent-looking results, and the phone lets you adjust the degree of background blur from the gallery app long after taking a shot. As far as the promise of low-light performance goes, we couldn’t see much of a difference there either.

As for photos taken with the rear camera, results were a bit weak. If there was even lighting, the Galaxy A8+ (2018) managed well, though we would still have liked to see better handling of details and exposures. Objects at even a slight distance came out looking artificial, with noisy textures, rough edges, and overblown whites. At night, things took a drastic turn for the worse. If there wasn’t a lot of artificial light falling directly on a subject, the phone could barely pick out any details whatsoever. Even on the phone’s bright sAMOLED screen, it was clear that there was a ton of noise, and that you just couldn’t see things even if you were standing right in front of them. We weren’t expecting camera quality to be on par with that of the Galaxy S8, but this was totally disappointing.

Tap to see full-sized Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) photo samples

In another big surprise for a phone at this price level, video recording only goes up to 1080p with the rear as well as front cameras. You can choose the slightly wider custom resolution of 2224×1080, which at least doesn’t crop your frames in order to fill the screen, but Samsung wisely decided not to make this the default selection. There is digital stabilisation but not optical.

Battery life was good overall, and we were able to get through a full day of normal usage with about 15 percent left over. Our HD video loop battery test ran for 12 hours, 52 minutes which is not too bad for a phone with a screen this size to light up. We found that the phone charged up to 50 percent in slightly over half an hour, which is also good. Wireless charging isn’t supported, in case you were wondering.

Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) in pictures

Verdict

Samsung is at risk of becoming a slow, lumbering giant that cannot keep up with its nimble competitors. There’s no reason for it to have waited this long to release an updated premium-tier model, and the Galaxy A8+ (2018) is in a bit of an awkward position. It isn’t very convincing when seen next to the OnePlus 5T and Honor View 10, especially because of the features and capabilities that Samsung still reserves for its flagships.

We don’t know who the company is targeting with this phone, other than people who like large screens and blindly trust the Samsung brand. We don’t think the new Galaxy A8+ it’s strong enough to fend off the OnePlus 5T at exactly the same price. Camera quality is severely disappointing, and the half-hearted implementation of dual front cameras just leaves us confused. Despite its Infinity Display, the phone’s design doesn’t really scream for attention, and software bloat is another area of concern.

Samsung needs to figure out how to give its phones at this price level a strong identity and build on unique capabilities such as Samsung Pay, because the Galaxy A8+ (2018) definitely can’t compete on specifications and cost. Right now, the Galaxy S7 is more attractive and has a lower price. The Galaxy S8 is also soon to be replaced, which means it will become more affordable as well.

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