Black Level high-gloss shorts with zipper in size M: review

Black Level high-gloss shorts with a zipper, in brief

Black Level high-gloss shorts with a zipper are short, tight vinyl shorts for men in a glossy black PVC finish, with an underlaid metal zipper at the front, two side pockets, and belt loops on the waistband. The manufacturer is German Orion, which sells them under the name Vinyl Pants to resellers and Pants aus Lack mit unterlegtem Front-Reißverschluss to consumers. This review covers size M, with item number 28904611712 and EAN 4024144158584.

The specification is clear where it matters. Orion publishes a complete material declaration — 94 percent polyester and 6 percent elastane with a polyurethane coating — a weight of 330 grams, package dimensions of 29 × 18.5 × 4.5 centimeters, country of origin China, and a recommended consumer price of 45.95 euros. The manufacturer also publishes a size chart for men’s clothing with chest, waist, and hip measurements in centimeters. For this market, the M size is sold by ORION.

What sets the shorts apart from the other Black Level garments in the same review is the elastane. According to Orion, the brand’s vinyl dress, mini skirt, and vinyl trousers for women are made of 100 percent polyester with a polyurethane coating, without elastane. These shorts are the only garment in the series where the manufacturer explicitly declares a stretch fiber and describes the material as four-way stretch. That affects both how the size chart should be read and how the price holds up against the alternatives. There are also a couple of discrepancies in how stores present the product, and one store likely sells an earlier version of the garment.

What kind of shorts are these?

Orion’s Swedish product text, which the manufacturer itself publishes on the wholesale site, describes them as "classic, black pants from Black Level of elastic 4-way-stretch PVC for a body-hugging fit", with pockets on the sides and a metal zipper in front. The English version uses the words "4-way stretchy vinyl", "tight-fitting" and "padded zip". The garment is labeled "for men" and "with zipper" in Orion’s properties list, and according to the consumer page, the delivery contents are a PVC pant—no accessories.

The word "pants" refers here, as the manufacturer’s images show, to short shorts in a boxer style and not to long pants. The manufacturer’s product images on an invisible mannequin show a short, straight leg length, a marked waistband with two loops at the front and two at the back, a diagonal pocket slit on each side, and a zipper in the middle at the front that runs from the waistband down to the crotch. The back view shows a center seam and a smooth back panel without pockets.

The stores describe the garment in their own words. One store calls them "high-gloss boxershorts" with a snug fit and "a waistband with loops". Another writes about "shiny vinyl shorts" with a padded zipper, another about "short, body-hugging vinyl pants" with belt loops, and another about "black vinyl pants" — under the product name Black Vinyl Kalsonger. None of them, and neither does Orion, states leg length or inside leg length in centimeters.

Size M and what the EAN number determines

The shorts come in five sizes from the manufacturer: S, M, L, XL, and 2XL. Each size has its own article number and its own EAN. Orion’s variant table links S to 28904611702 and 4024144158577, M to 28904611712 and 4024144158584, L to 4024144158591, XL to 4024144158607, and 2XL to 4024144158614. The second-to-last digit of the article number increases with the size, from 0 for S to 4 for 2XL.

In the EU/EEA market, the product is sold by ORION. Two other stores link the Medium variant to article number 28904611712 and EAN 4024144158584. A third store publishes the same EAN on its Medium page, under its own article number, OR1837-1. Taken together, the product data point to the manufacturer’s M.

One store sells size M with the same EAN in its product flow, but lists article number 28904611711 — with a 1 instead of a 2 in the last position. The number is not in Orion’s current variant table. The store’s product images come from Orion’s image archive for article 28904611701, and the manufacturer’s image of that article shows a similar garment with the same material but with the zipper shifted to one side and a different pocket placement. The packaging in those images also has a different model image. This suggests that the store lists an earlier edition of the same shorts. The size is the same, but which edition is actually sent cannot be determined from the store’s page.

In the EU/EEA market, ORION sells the product. The stores’ size lists also differ. One store offers Small through XL, another offers S through XXL, while another offers only Medium, Large, and XLarge. One store also indicated that XL was not available.

Material: 94 percent polyester, 6 percent elastane, and PU coating

The material declaration is the most important information for PVC garments, because the words "vinyl", "PVC" and "wetlook" and "latex" are used interchangeably in retail, even though they describe different materials. Orion states 94 percent polyester and 6 percent elastane on both the wholesaler side and the consumer side, with a coating of polyurethane. Across the four store listings, the same percentages are reproduced, but in two of them — "spandex" is used instead of elastane.

Spandex or elastane — is it the same thing?

Yes, in practice. Spandex is the name for the fiber it has in North America, elastane is the name it has in Europe. The EU’s textile labeling regulation requires that a textile product is labeled with the name and weight percentage for all fiber types included in descending order, and the regulation’s fiber list uses the name elastane. The word spandex does not occur in it. Orion’s own Swedish text says elastane; “spandex” is therefore a translation of the same information, not another material.

The coating is stated separately, as an addition to the fiber declaration. The manufacturer does not publish how large a share of the garment’s total weight is made up by polyurethane.

What do vinyl, PVC, and wetlook mean specifically for these shorts?

What can be established from the declaration is that the shorts are a stretch textile base of polyester and elastane with a surface layer of polyurethane, often abbreviated PU. It is the coating that provides the high-gloss surface. Orion calls the product "Vinyl Pants" in English and "Pants aus Lack" in German, but the material declaration mentions neither PVC nor vinyl chloride. "Vinyl" and "PVC" here are names for the appearance, not the plastic — based on the manufacturer’s declaration, it is a PU-coated stretch textile.

In its specification box, the product listing states the material "Wetlook", while the store’s own product text describes glossy vinyl with a PU coating. In retail, the word wetlook is often used for thinner glossy fabrics with elastane, like Cottelli Collection Wetlook Mini Skirt, where Orion lists 92 percent polyester and 8 percent elastane and a weight of 112 grams in size XS. The shorts are actually closer to that description than the brand’s own vinyl garments for women, because they contain elastane — but they weigh 330 grams and have a coating that gives the PVC surface. Latex, finally, is natural rubber and a completely different material; it does not occur in the shorts’ declaration.

Do the shorts contain PVC or phthalates?

The question is relevant because blank plastic in a clothing form is often PVC. The Swedish Chemicals Agency (Kemikalieinspektionen) states that phthalates are used as plasticizers primarily in plastic, that almost all use of phthalates in goods applies to softening PVC, and that phthalates are most often not chemically bound to the plastic and therefore can relatively easily leach out.

According to Orion’s material declaration, the coating is polyurethane, not PVC, and thereby the part of the phthalate issue that involves softened PVC is ruled out for this garment. However, the manufacturer does not publish any declaration of added substances in the coating, or any certificate stating that the garment is free from phthalates, and neither do any of the stores. The Swedish Chemicals Agency points out that plastic usually contains additives that make the material soft, flame-retardant, colored, or durable. What can be said with a source is therefore that the base material is not PVC—not what the coating contains otherwise.

Should someone who is allergic to latex be worried?

Not according to the material declaration, which only lists polyester, elastane, and polyurethane. It’s worth mentioning because Orion’s customer information—the PDF that goes with the item number—contains a section stating that the product is made of natural rubber latex that can cause allergies. The same document also has care sections for vinyl, latex, and leather one after another; it is a shared information sheet for several material types, not a statement that the shorts contain latex. Elastane is, despite the similarity in name, a synthetic fiber, not natural rubber. The material declaration on the product page applies to the individual garment, and it contains no latex.

Weight and packaging: 330 grams in a box measuring 29 × 18.5 × 4.5 centimeters

Orion states the weight as 330 grams for the M variant and the packaging dimensions as 29 × 18.5 × 4.5 centimeters. It is not clear whether the weight applies to the garment alone or including the packaging. The listings show completely different figures: One store lists 220 grams and another lists 80 grams, in both cases as the same weight for all sizes. The difference between 80 and 330 grams is too large to be rounding. The manufacturer’s information applies, and the discrepancy primarily shows that the stores’ weight fields are not product data.

As a comparison, Orion lists 343 grams for the Black Level mini skirt in size XL, 360 grams for the Black Level Vinyl Dress in XS, and 475 grams for the Black Level Vinyl Trousers in S. So a pair of short shorts in M weighs about the same as an entire mini skirt—reasonable considering the waistband, the pockets, and the underlaid zipper underneath.

The packaging is a box with a model photo and a Black Level logo on the front, the word "Pants" at the top left, and a row with the sizes S to 2XL at the bottom with boxes to mark the size. Orion states 29 units per carton, customs tariff number 61130090, and China as the country of origin.

Fit and size guide: men’s size chart from the manufacturer

Orion publishes a size chart for men’s clothing with chest, waist, and hip measurements in centimeters, on both the wholesale side and the consumer side. For size M, the chart states EU size 48/50, chest circumference 94–101 centimeters, waist circumference 82–89 centimeters, and hip circumference 98–105 centimeters. For shorts, it’s the waist and hip that determine the size.

The full chart, as Orion publishes it for men’s clothing:

• S (44/46): chest 86–93, waist 74–81, hip 90–91 cm (see below)
• M (48/50): chest 94–101, waist 82–89, hip 98–105 cm
• L (52/54): chest 102–109, waist 90–99, hip 106–113 cm
• XL (56/58): chest 110–117, waist 100–109, hip 114–121 cm
• 2XL (60/62): chest 118–125, waist 110–119, hip 122–129 cm

The chart continues to 3XL, but that size isn’t available for these shorts. The hip measurement for S appears to be a typo by the manufacturer: Orion lists 90–91 centimeters on both the wholesale side and the consumer side, a range of a single centimeter when all the other sizes span seven or eight. Two other retailers reproduce the same chart in their size guides, with the hip measurement 90–97 centimeters for S, which fits the pattern. For M, which this review is about, all sources agree.

Another store’s size guide also has a column that the manufacturer’s chart on the product pages lacks: body length. For that, M corresponds to a length of 171–179 centimeters. That’s a store claim, and it’s used here only as a supplement. Other retailers do not publish any size chart at all.

How do you choose a size in vinyl shorts?

The chart is a general men’s size chart and is not a measurement of these shorts in particular. What’s missing are the garment’s own measurements: waist width when the garment lies flat, leg length, and inseam length. The manufacturer does not publish garment measurements, and neither do any of the stores. For shorts that the manufacturer calls tight and that are worn directly on the body, it’s primarily waist width and leg length that you want to know.

The material affects how the chart should be read. The declaration includes 6 percent elastane, and Orion describes the fabric as elastic both lengthwise and crosswise. That sets the shorts apart from Black Levels’ vinyl garments for women, which lack elastane. In practice, that means the shorts have more leeway than a garment made of pure PU-coated polyester with the same size label. At the same time, the manufacturer describes the fit as tight and close to the body, so the leeway is intended to be used to make the garment fit snugly—not to make it possible to pull on a too-small size. One store writes in its size guide that the shorts should fit snugly and that you can take into account how close-to-body fit you prefer; that’s the store’s advice, not the manufacturer’s.

The one that falls on the border between M and L in the waist measurement—so around 89–90 centimeters—has the sizing table as its only support. The waist band has no adjustment, and the belt loops are the only way to tighten the garment—with its own belt.

A zipper with backing at the front—what does that mean?

The closure, and the garment’s most prominent detail, is a metal zipper in the middle front that goes from the waist band down to the crotch. Orion describes it in German as "unterlegt" and in English as "padded", and the consumer side explains what that means: the zipper has a backing so that neither skin nor hair strands get pinched when it’s opened and closed. The manufacturer also writes that it can be opened quickly for both practical and erotic purposes—the product’s "direct access", which Orion’s Swedish text calls it.

The manufacturer’s images show the backing as a pleated edge on both sides of the zipper. Product listings describe the zipper as silver-colored. A zipper that sits in the crotch of a tight garment is the part that’s exposed to the most mechanical stress, and Orion’s customer information specifically asks that zippers and pockets be completely dry after washing.

Side pockets, belt loops, and no adjustment

The shorts have two side pockets, which both Orion and all the stores mention. Orion describes them in German as "Eingrifftaschen"—pockets for sticking your hand down into—and the consumer side writes that even small aids fit in them. The waist band has belt loops, which can be seen in the manufacturer’s images and which are also mentioned in retailer listings; the listings note that they make it possible to wear your own belt.

There are no drawstrings, no buckles, and no elastic that is listed. The manufacturer indicates no lining and no inner-pant section. The package contents are a lack pant. So the shorts can’t be adjusted—apart from using your own belt in the belt loops, the size has to match from the start.

Washing and care: hand wash, lint-free cloth, and hanger

The care instructions are the manufacturer’s own and more detailed than usual. The consumer side states gentle hand washing with a mild detergent. Orion’s customer information for the item number, published as a PDF, goes further and has its own section for vinyl.

How do you wash patent leather clothes?

According to Orion’s customer information, the product should be cleaned before first use. Vinyl garments are cleaned by hand after each use in clear, lukewarm water with a mild detergent. After washing, the garment is rubbed dry with a soft, lint-free cloth. Larger garments are laid out on a towel to dry, with the inside first and then the outside, and zippers, details, and pockets must be completely dry. Only garments in the same color should be washed together.

Orion’s material guide adds two things about the coating itself: polyurethane can be damaged by strong cleaning agents and massage oil, and the coating can wear down if it’s cleaned too aggressively. That’s a reason to stick to mild detergent and a soft cloth.

What isn’t stated is just as important. The manufacturer does not specify a wash temperature in degrees and does not say anything about machine washing, tumble drying, ironing, or dry cleaning. In adult’s fact box, it says hand washing only and that the garment must not be ironed — a store claim that matches the manufacturer’s only advice. The wording "lukewarm water" is the closest thing there is to a temperature.

Storage: hanger, cotton bag, and no plastic bags

Orion states that the product should be stored clean, cool, and dry, without direct sunlight and high air humidity. It should be stored separately and not together with products made of other materials, to avoid chemical reactions. It should also not be stored with garments in other colors or in dark plastic bags, because it can give discoloration — instead, a cotton garment bag is recommended, or a soft cloth or tissue paper between the garments.

The manufacturer also writes that vinyl clothing has a tendency to wrinkle, and that the garment should therefore be hung on a hanger after cleaning. For shorts that would otherwise often be folded up and shoved in a drawer, it’s concrete advice: a clothes clip on the waistband on a trouser hanger works, a pile of other garments does not.

Durability: what determines the lifespan

The manufacturer publishes no expected lifespan and no manufacturer warranty. What can be concluded from the customer information and the material guide is which factors Orion itself highlights: sunlight, humidity, contact with other materials and colors, creases, moisture in the zipper and pockets, strong cleaning agents, massage oil, and hard cleaning. All point to the fact that it’s the outer layer that is the sensitive part of the garment, not the polyester base.

Orion’s material guide also makes a comparison in the other direction: latex clothing lacks textile reinforcement and therefore breaks more easily than vinyl clothing. The textile base is what makes PU-coated garments more resistant to tearing than latex. There’s also an environmental aspect. Kemikalieinspektionen states that less than 10 percent of plastic is materially recycled today, and a garment of polyester, elastane, and polyurethane consists entirely of plastic. Lifespan is therefore the sustainability factor the buyer themselves can influence, and it is largely determined by washing and storage.

Black Level high-gloss shorts compared with the alternatives

There is no other men’s garment among the vinyl garments included in the same overview, so the comparisons are made against Black Level’s own vinyl garments for women in PU-coated polyester and against a wetlook skirt from the sister brand Cottelli Collection. All of them are from Orion, and the specifications below come from Orion’s wholesaler pages.

Against Black Level Miniskirt in vinyl

Black Level Miniskirt in vinyl is made of 100 percent polyester with a polyurethane coating, without elastane, and Orion lists 343 grams for size XL.

The shorts have roughly the same weight and the same type of coating as the miniskirt. The price relationship follows the manufacturer’s: the shorts have a lower recommended price. The material difference is the elastane, which the shorts have and the skirt does not.

Against Black Level vinyl dress with flared skirt

Black Level vinyl dress with flared skirt is also 100 percent polyester with a polyurethane coating, weighs 360 grams in XS according to Orion. The shorts are also the only one of the two garments that declares stretch. The dress, on the other hand, has a zipper at the back for putting it on; the shorts’ zipper is at the front and has a completely different function.

Against Black Level Vinyl Trousers

Black Level Vinyl Trousers are long vinyl trousers for women in the same PU-coated polyester without elastane. Orion lists 475 grams in size S. The trousers are a larger garment and not an option for someone looking for men’s shorts.

Against Cottelli Collection Wetlook Mini Skirt

Cottelli Collection Wetlook Mini Skirt is made of 92 percent polyester and 8 percent elastane according to Orion, weighs 112 grams in size XS.

Here is the material comparison, the interesting part. Both garments contain elastane, but the wetlook skirt has no declared coating and weighs a third of the shorts. So the shorts combine the stretch from a wetlook fabric with the coating from a vinyl garment. Wetlook here is a glossy stretch textile; vinyl is a coated textile with a thicker surface.

See the shops above for current prices.

In this market, the shorts with EAN 4024144158584 are sold by ORION.

We have price data for this market. So we can’t explain the pricing differences between stores here.

Shipping affects what you actually pay.

When the stores contradict each other

The review of the four store pages found six discrepancies versus the manufacturer’s data. Most are cosmetic, but one of them concerns which version of the garment you get.

The article number. One store lists 28904611711 and shows images of Orion’s previous article 28904611701, while the manufacturer’s current M has 28904611712. EAN and size are the same, as are the material and the description. Anyone who wants to be sure to get the version that the manufacturer today shows on its pages has three stores with the correct article numbers to choose from.

The weight. One listing states 330 grams, another lists 220 grams, and another lists 80 grams. The manufacturer’s information applies.

The fiber name. Some listings use spandex, while other listings use elastane. It’s the same fiber under two names, and the EU regulation’s name for it is elastane.

The material field. The specifications box states “Wetlook” as the material, while the store’s own text states polyester, spandex, and a polyurethane coating. The declaration in the text is the one that matches the manufacturer.

Wrong variant in the fact box. On the Medium page, the specifications box shows item number 28904611702 and EAN 4024144158577—the details for the Small variant. The heading above and the store’s product data list the correct 28904611712 for Medium, so it is the fact box that shows the wrong size.

The hip measurement for S. One listing states 90–91 centimeters, while other listings list 90–97. Here it is probably the manufacturer that has written it incorrectly, but it does not affect size M.

Who are the shorts for—and who are they not for?

They’re for you who want patent leather shorts for men with a clearly declared material. 94 percent polyester and 6 percent elastane with a polyurethane coating is a complete declaration, confirmed by the manufacturer on two pages and by all four stores, and it answers the question about PVC.

They’re for you who want stretch in a patent leather garment. The elastane distinguishes the shorts from Black Levels vinyl garments for women, and Orion describes the material as elastic in both the lengthwise and crosswise directions. They’re also for you who want the zipper to function as a feature: it is lined so it doesn’t pinch your skin or hair strands, and the manufacturer describes it explicitly as direct access.

They’re not for you who need to know the leg length or garment measurements before you order—that information isn’t available. They’re not for you who want to be able to adjust the waist, because the only way is with your own belt. And they’re not for you who want a garment that can be machine washed: the manufacturer’s only washing instruction is hand washing, followed by drying with a lint-free cloth and storage on a hanger.

Complaints, right of withdrawal, and the hygiene exception

Orion does not state any manufacturer’s warranty for the shorts, and that’s normal for clothing. What applies are your statutory rights. Under EU rules, the seller is liable for defects that exist at delivery and appear within at least 2 years (the legal guarantee). Normal wear and tear is not a defect, however.

For distance purchases, consumers generally have a fourteen-day right of withdrawal in the EU/EEA. Under EU rules, sealed goods that are not suitable for return for health or hygiene reasons are exempt from the right of withdrawal once unsealed. The shorts are worn directly against the body and have a zipper in the crotch; whether your specific order is covered by the exception depends on how the item is sealed and on the store’s terms. Orion’s customer information urges you to always wear underwear when trying on the manufacturer’s clothes, and in this context it is a practical reason to follow the advice.

Read the store’s return terms before you order, especially since the garment has no adjustment options and the size has to be right. If you have questions about what applies in your case, check the store’s terms.