They say the clothes make the man. On the jobsite, our workwear reviews aim to reveal which work clothing is most comfortable, durable, and well-equipped. Our reviews cover everything from safety glasses, work boots, workwear, and clothing. We also tackle hearing protection, Bluetooth-equipped hearing products and other safety equipment for the job site. Workwear Reviews & Safety Equipment for Tradesmen When we review Blaklader Bantam Utility Pocket Pants or Dickies Performance workwear, comfort leads the way. Durability must quickly follow, however, and we also look for features. If carpenters pants, does the hammer loop come well-stitched and reinforced? When we look at products like Radians safety glasses, do they match manufacturer claims? How comfortable do they feel? We also tend to drop them to see how easily they break or scratch. Other workwear reviews include products like Redbacks knee pads or other PPE safety equipment. One of our favorite workwear categories includes work boots. Look for in-depth reviews of many of the top brands as well.
This might be the second brightest light you ever see that isn’t a laser or the sun… Coast just announced its latest HP-series flashlight, the HP314. This new professional-grade flashlight isn’t for the faint-hearted, however as it uses 4 D-cell batteries and puts out an astounding 1132 lumens. For perspective, that’s considerably more than most […]
At the Milwaukee New Tool event, Cole Conrad, tasked with growing the company’s heated jacket business, demoed the newest product. We reviewed the original M12 Heated Jacket remember requesting a black version two years ago, and Milwaukee came through – and then some. The new models include a black jacket and the new High Visibility model. New features include woven fleece into the lining of the jacket to make them naturally warmer – even before adding the M12-generated heat source. The front icon has also been changed to include a hand icon that provides separately zoned heat to the pockets. This is independent from the core heating zones. In this way, the pockets and core can be independently set to high or low heat.
I don’t know about you, but it seems like every project I get myself into extends until dusk. That’s precisely when the sun starts going down and it gradually becomes harder and harder to see what’s going on, particularly when I’m outdoors. Maxxeon’s new WorkStar 2000 Technician’s Floodlight may sound like an infomercial product name gone terribly wrong, but the Cree LED-based light itself is incredibly “spot on”. Yes, pun intended, darn it! This tool aims to add a ton of versatility to the worklight category, taking into account such popular features as a long run-time, versatile beam placement, and ample brightness. With the included belt clip and dual rare earth magnets, the 2000 can also be placed just about anywhere to keep you in the spotlight… literally.
The Gyros 58-21836 Magnalite Pocket Pro Cordless Work Light is a great work light for repair professionals, autos mechanics and for use at home thanks to its magnetic base and bright light output.
While not all jobs allow for shorts on the job site, if you are so lucky as to be able to wear them in hot weather, we would suggest checking out the Blaklader Bantam Shorts with Utility Pockets for sure. There are plenty of work shorts to choose from, yet few offer the features, pockets and comfort that Blaklader does. Since I live in the southeastern United States and it is in the middle of July, the timing was perfect for the arrival of the Blaklader Bantam Shorts. I immediately put them on and what jumped out at me was that, after a few minutes, I realized that they were as comfortable as one of my work t-shirts that had been washed hundreds of times – and these came right out of the box! Just like the full pants version with their outside utility pockets, these shorts also include them and they are just the right size and in the right location so that they quickly become second nature to use. There are some pockets behind the utility pockets that also allow them to be tucked away when not needed. It is hard to find faults with the Bantam Shorts since they have pockets in the right places and details that make life on the job easier
We reviewed the Milwaukee M12 Heated Jacket earlier this year and found it to be an exceptionally warm, extremely durable and comfortable jacket that withstood a lot of our outdoor testing. The jacket can be purchased as a kit, or as a separate SKU for those who already have a set of M12 batteries and a charger. While we loved the jacket, we thought it would be nice to see Milwaukee offer it in something other than their trademark Red color. Now they do. And it’s camo!
There are plenty of work pants to choose from and some brands have a very long history and faithful following but they often lack innovation. The Blaklader Bantam Utility Pocket Pants are here to challenge what work pants are all about. With pockets in the right places and details that make life on the job easier, we really could not find any faults. Right out of the box they fit comfortable and did not require multiple wash cycles to get them pliable. While they might not win fashion shows with the outside utility pockets, most guys that actually have to work for a living won’t care. These utility pockets are just the right size and in the right location that they quickly become second nature to utilize them. Just in case you are slightly fashion conscious, there are pockets behind the utility pockets that allow them to be tucked away when not needed. If you ask us, we think that these just might just be the best work pants ever.
To say pocket and floodlight together sounds a little bit like a misnomer but the guys over at Maxxeon pulled it off with their new WorkStar 220 Pocket Floodlight. This little flash light is hardly bigger then a pen but features a Cree LED that puts out 120 lumens. With the included pocket clip you can put it in your shirt front pocket and you can almost forget it is there until you need it because it only weighs an ounce. With no hot spots or shadows, the light beam has a 1:1 ratio – meaning that for every foot you are a way from an object, the diameter of the beam grows by one foot. Step 20 feet away and you are lighting up an entire room with this baby.
The new Milwaukee 58-38-2011 M12 Cordless Heated Jacket Kit features a water and wind resistant outer soft shell and there are sewn-in carbon fiber heating zones that will ensure that you stay comfortably warm in cold weather. The heat can stay on continuously for up to 6 hours and power for the heating zones comes from a M12 Red Lithium battery that fits inside a small pocket that is located out of the way. This jacket looks great and was comfortable to wear all day long, both on and off the job site. a great addition to the M12 line of tools. It is also demonstrated to us that it is very versatile in a variety of weather conditions thanks to the three built in heating zones and its overall wind and water resistant properties.
We wonder if Jake Wadsworth also invented the Reese’s Peanut Butter cup, because the combination of ear and eye protection available in the Combo Glasses makes so much sense, we’re surprised it hasn’t been tried before. With a product like this you’d expect there to be some debilitating compromise in either the wearability of the glasses, or the usability of the ear plugs. After much testing and use, we’d have to say that the Combo Glasses come through smelling pretty clean on both counts. On top of that, the glasses are usable in any combination of modes: eye-only, ear-only, or in combination.
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