According to the manufacturer’s website:

Sportin’ Waves is a maintenance line that provides natural sheen, moisture and hold and for short, brushable hairstyles. The line consists of 2 products that offer 2 levels of hold – a regular gel pomade with Wavetrol III and a maximum hold pomade. With Sportin’ Waves, hair remains soft, neat and moisturized without the greasy build-up.

I bought Sportin’ Waves at a Target in South New Jersey a couple months back and have been using it consistently since then, so I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the strengths and weaknesses of this pomade.

In terms of cost, Sportin’ Waves is on the cheaper end of the spectrum, I believe I paid around 4 dollars for it.  So it’s very affordable.  I typically use it once per day, shortly after I’ve gotten out of the shower, so my hair is still damp at the time of application.  I’ll use a fair amount to ensure full coverage.  Waves combs easy when damp.

Consistency/texture:  When Sportin’ Waves dries, it has a moderate sheen and a flexible, waxy and soft texture, not hard and dry.  The product has a very slight tendency of making straight hair wavy, which can add a nice effect.

Recombability: Because of the petroleum base, this product recombs and resets pretty well.  I’ll typically reactivate it with a little warm water.

Hold properties:  The product hold is fair for my type of hairstyle, sometimes when I’m active and sweaty, or in heavier wind conditions it will mess up my hair and I’ll have to recomb.

Ease of washing out: Again, because of the petroleum base, this product is a little difficult to get out with just regular shampooing.  It’s not nearly as difficult as say Murray’s or Dax, but it may take a few shampoos.  I usually just shampoo once and have a little bit of product still in my hair when I get out of the shower.  Working in and washing out some olive oil prior to a shampoo helps.

Drawbacks:  I’ve found that this product builds up and dries out on my combs, so sometimes when I first go to comb my hair after application, I’ll get some flaky gunks of product that I’ll have to get out.  Also, the tendency towards a weaker hold can be a little problematic.  Sometimes Sportin’ Waves makes my forehead oily, but any petroleum based product with my skin’s tendency towards being oily causes this.

Scent:  Pleasant, masculine, not overpowering.

Overall:  A pretty decent pomade, especially for the price.  I’d definitely purchase it again, just be sure to scrub your comb clean frequently.