So you’re getting ready for a big event, and you need a tux. I don’t envy you.
Not for the big event part, that part’s great.
It’s the preparation that’s frustrating - especially when it includes renting a tux the old-fashioned way.
Here’s the way tuxedo rentals used to go:
Schedule an appointment to get fitted
Take off work to drive to the tux shop to get measured
Drive back down to the tux shop to try it all on once it comes in
Drive BACK to the tux shop yet again to return it after the event
Oh, and if any of it doesn’t fit, that’s another trip you get to make.
But regardless of if you popped the question or you’re simply getting ready for your senior prom, there’s no way around getting a tux.
The good news is:
Luckily for you, and thanks to a few ambitious startups, now there’s a much better way to rent a tux.
Now you can pick a tux, submit your measurement, and go through the entire tuxedo rental process in your spare time from the comfort of your home. You just have to know which websites to use.
So here are 4 of the best places to rent a tux online without spending a fortune or driving all over the place to rent from a tux shop.
Note: To compare prices, I looked for a gray tux/suit with gray vest and pants to go with it. That’s what I wore for my wedding, so I’m curious to see how much better I could have done by renting online!
The Black Tux is an online tux and suit rental site, and it’s probably the second-largest of the 4 sites on this list based on Alexa traffic ranking alone (below Men’s Wearhouse of course).
With online tux rental websites, as you might imagine, you simply pick a look you want, put in your measurements, and they send you your tux. It’s presumably much simpler than the typical hassle associated with renting a tux from a local shop.
They have a pretty decent selection too, although I was disappointed to see they didn’t offer a gray tuxedo. They had gray suits, vests, and pants, but no tux in gray. To be fair, they did have tuxes in most other major colors, including black, blue, beige, and white.
Being that the main difference between a tux and suit is the satin lining and “ruffled-looking” shirt, going with a suit instead of a tux isn’t a big deal for me.
One thing I especially like about The Black Tux is that they offer complete outfits. Let’s face it, we’re guys, we forget things. The Black Tux takes that burden off our shoulders by offering complete outfits that come with practically everything you’ll need for the big day without you having to think about it.
I was able to find a complete outfit called “The Hemingway Outfit” that looked to be everything I would want. It comes with a gray coat, pants, vest, and necktie, as well as a white shirt, black cufflinks, white pocket squares, and brown shoes.
Total price: $195
Not too shabby. (And you can save even more on rentals from The Black Tux by checking for Dealspotr coupons before you purchase.)
*One downfall I see of The Black Tux is the lack of customization. They have most of the basic colors you might need, but if you’re looking for a customized look, they either don’t offer it or don’t make it easy to find on their site.
Menguin is another online tux and suit rental site, created to simplify the tuxedo rental process.
Right off the bat, I noticed two things: their website is to use, and they offer customized looks.
I was pleased to see they offered both gray tuxedos and suits, and the only option was to select a suit first, then select extras to go with your suit. In other words, the selection process was orderly so you’re not stuck grabbing all your items a la cart by using the main navigation of the site (like how The Black Tux’s site was structured).
After selecting a gray tux, I landed on a screen that had a manikin on the left and all of the items I needed to go with my tux on the right, like shirt, vest, cufflinks, etc. This is where you customize your look by selecting colors and styles for all of the items that go with the tux.
What’s really cool is as you add items on the right, the manikin is updated on the left, so you can see what it looks like as you add your customized items. It was kind of sluggish due to all the options, but hey, at least there’s a lot of options.
You would think all of that would end up costing a fortune, but when I finished customizing my tux, I was surprised by how inexpensive it was.
Total price: $205
Not bad for the level of customization and convenience you get with Menguin. (Oh, and you can save on rentals by using coupons from Menguin on Dealspotr before you purchase.)
*Menguin lost some cool points when I tried to go back and change the color of my shirt after adding it all to my cart. Maybe I missed something, but I couldn’t find where to simply change an item in my cart, so I had to start over completely. Not cool.
Generation Tux is another online tux and suit rental website, founded by none other than George Zimmer. You know, the guy from the Men’s Wearhouse commercials that used to say “You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.”
Anyways, George is running Generation Tux now, and he looks to be doing a decent job at it.
Right off the bat, I found a couple of gray tuxes as well as gray suits (+1 for selection). Once I selected a gray tux, I also noticed they offered custom looks (+1 for customization).
Similar to Menguin, they had a virtual dressing room where you select your items to go with the tux, and you can instantly see what it looks like on the manikin in the picture (although the vest was really tough to see because the coat was buttoned).
As far as customization goes, they seemed to have pretty much everything you could need and in plenty of colors and designs. After adding all of the items I wanted, I was pleasantly suprised to see the total.
Total price: $180
(Don’t forget to check Dealspotr for Generation Tux coupons before renting. It could save you a good bit of money.)
That included everything I had selected on the previous two websites - tux, shirt, vest, shoes, socks, cufflinks, and pocket square. Considering how easy it was to use and the fact that I could customize the colors and design how I wanted, I would say that’s a pretty good deal.
Lastly, no tux rental discussion would be complete without at least mentioning Men’s Wearhouse. They’re the largest company on this list, and primarily operate out of retail stores around the country.
I was actually surprised to see they offered an online tux rental option, and it was fairly easy to use as well.
However, when I picked my tux and entered my measurements (I used random numbers instead of actually taking my measurements), I got what looked like a special message telling me I had to get measured by a pro either at one of their stores or by a tailor. I’m guessing they didn’t like the random measurements I put in.
Anyways, the price was nothing to get exciting over, but to be fair it could just be a higher-end tux. I just picked a gray one that looked decent.
Total price: $244.98
And, as always, be sure to check Dealspotr for Men’s Wearhouse coupons before making your purchase. You’ll be glad you did when you save money on your tux!
Mike is a husband and father of 2 who studies the art of never paying full price for anything.
