5 of the best Blaklader Work Trousers reviewed

Blaklader Workwear Trousers - A closer look

We all know that one of the most important items of workwear are the trousers that you wear. They need to be durable, comfortable, give excellent freedom-of-movement, and able to carry tools and supplies. For over 60 years, Blaklader has been providing premium workwear that is as functional as it is versatile. They offer a huge selection to suit any number of professions, climates, and sizes, all created to the same level of detailed quality by using clever design and fabric technologies.

 

Naturally, given their history, Blaklader work trousers are among the best in the industry with trousers designed and crafted with numerous specific professions in mind. There is an enormous Blaklader trousers collection to choose from, but to give you a quick taste, we’ll be going over what our guru’s think are among the best 5 trousers Blaklader Workwear has to offer.

Blaklader Craftsmen Trousers - 1555

First up in this workwear trousers list we have the Blaklader 1555 Craftsman trousers. These versatile and comfortable work pants include a multitude of easily accessible pockets which probably fit everything you could ever need for the task at hand. These include a phone pocket, two back pockets with bellows, as well as a reinforced ruler pocket, knife holder and pen pocket and a strap for a hammer to be attached. 

The knee pockets have been reinforced with CORDURA stretch fabric to ensure they will be durable enough to protect against any scuffing or tears, as may be the case when kneeling down frequently. The stretch fabric makes kneeling more comfortable and natural feeling and kneepads are kept in the right place to protect your knees.

In addition, the back pockets are also CORDURA reinforced. Most of the pockets on this particular pair are double stitched at the bottom, meaning that they can hold up to 5KG, which is especially useful in either carrying heavier objects in them, or carrying more of other items, like screws and nails, than you could do otherwise.

Blaklader designed the 1555 trousers specifically for professions like carpenters, plumbers, electricians and gardeners, hands on roles, but ones that need flexibility in movement to work effectively. 

In terms of fit, the 1555 trousers are slightly narrower than the bestselling Blaklader 1530 pants, these fit more like jeans and allow for a nice range of stretch for comfort.

Our view is that, for the price point, you are getting tremendous value here, as you are still getting Blaklader’s signature quality fabrication for a price significantly lower than some of their other Blaklader pants. For example, at this price Blaklader still add lots of neat extra touches such as angling the corners of holster pockets so that screws and other small items don’t stuck in the corners. This is certainly a detail that would be overlooked by some other manufacturers at this price point. 

Blaklader Stretch Trousers - 1496

Another good option for the light craftsmen out there, is the Blaklader 1496 workwear trousers. Lightweight but functional, these work trousers have stretch panels on the calves and inner thighs for optimal fit and comfort. There is the option of whether to have nail pockets or not, so you can make this choice depending on what your working day requires.. However, despite being lightweight, these Blaklader workwear trousers contain ripstop fabric to prevent any rips you get from spreading further. They are certainly not lightweight in durability.

We at Workwear Guru’s believe these trousers would also be well-suited to drivers, warehouse workers and mechanics because of the unencumbered feeling of wearing these trousers. It does not need all the features of other, similar alternatives to fulfil this purpose. That is not to say the 1496 work pants aren’t very functional. They include some additional thoughtful details like discrete reflective details for improved visibility, pre-bent knees and top loaded knee pads (which are easier to load than bottom loaded ones and have been secured thoroughly through strong Velcro.)

Blaklader Painters Trousers - 1096

One of the best sellers in the Blaklader Painters range, the Blaklader 1096 Painter’s trousers are flexible, stylish, and lightweight. Whilst being hard-wearing in every way a painter, decorator or tile layer would need, the 1096 trousers have the freedom of movement, which is naturally a necessity of such jobs, needing to stretch for all kinds of awkward spaces. To further aid in this department, these trousers include stretch panels around the crotch, knee, and calf.

Similarly, to the 1496 work trousers above, these smart Painter’s trousers incorporate lightweight ripstop into their material, meaning this also has good tear resistance to keep up with the frequent reaching and bending involved with these job roles. CORDURA stretch fabric is used on both the inside and outside of the pocket to make the pockets easily accessible but also super strong.

Speaking of pockets, there are, as with most Blaklader apparel, plenty on these trousers that make it a highly functional garment. These work pants have nail pockets, two knife pockets, a phone pocket and also features subtle reflective details to improve visibility. One of the side pockets has been slanted to allow for easy access to your brushes and scrapers. Clearly these Blaklader painters pants have been designed not just with the profession in mind, but actually for the workers who use them. If you are in any of the professionals listed here, we certainly recommend the 1096 painter’s trousers due to their flexibility and utility.

Blaklader X1900 Craftsmen 4-way-stretch trousers - 1998

If you are looking for the ultimate craftsmen trousers that doesn’t comprise in any area and will offer you the ideal amalgamation of comfort and function, we would strongly advise taking a look at the Blaklader 1998 work trousers from the X1900 range. These work pants have been designed for the most strenuous tasks with fantastic strength and durability - but with an incredible level of comfort, whilst not letting the wearer feel that same strain.

It wouldn’t be an excellent Blaklader garment without CORDURA and Blaklader use the top grade CORDURA 1000 in these work trousers. The 1998 work pants have plenty of practical CORDURA-reinforced pockets and tool holders. Among them are reinforced back pockets, inset pockets, leg pockets with Velcro closure, a further phone pocket made from mesh and expansive nail pockets. This reinforcement extends to the leg hem as well, with the backside of it being protected against wear. These trousers round out their workwear features by being water-repellent and including reflective detailing on the calves and leg pockets to increase your visibility while working.

Looking at the comfort aspect, these pants incorporate a full 4-way stretch fabric, which is both strong and stretchy, leading to plenty of flexibility in all directions. Stretch fabric is also applied to the outside of the knee pad pocket - although it is 2-way here to ensure the knee pad stays in perfect location when kneeling and moving around. A soft mesh material is used in the knee-bend, meaning good ventilation for the wearer. The inside of these Blaklader workwear trousers has been made from brushed fabric, which makes it far more comfortable than other leading brands. You may pay more for Blaklader products, but we believe it’s hard to argue with the superb quality and attention to detail that you get for that price.

A woman’s cut of these Blaklader trousers is also available, that being the 7198 Ladies Craftsman Trousers. All the best aspects of the 1998 trousers have been transferred to the 7198, so there is no losing out. If you preferred a more streamlined design, the Blaklader 1989 trousers offers the same benefits of the 1998 pants, but with the holsters and nail pockets removed, to be even more lightweight and have a cleaner, more polished look to you. 

You can learn more about the Blaklader X1900 range by reading our article here.

Blaklader Craftsmen Trousers - 1530

If you are in need of work trousers that simply do the job well and look the part, without all the fancy bells and whistles of some of the other Blaklader apparel, we highly recommend the classic Blaklader 1530 Craftsmen Trousers.

Featuring the same utility as most Blaklader trousers, the 1530’s come with bellowed front pockets, knee protection pockets, a ruler pocket with a knife holder and pen pocket, and nail pockets which can be tucked in the front bellowed pockets to get them out of the way if needed. In addition, there are two belt loops on the side to create a custom-sized hammer loop, and other areas to fit similar tools can be created by utilising the other belt loops at the back and front of the trousers.

Made from 100% cotton, these workwear pants are well insulated, so in the winter you retain body heat to keep yourself warm, but in summer its breathability keeps you cool. In addition, since cotton is naturally comfortable and can stretch with ease, it is an ideal material to use for workwear. Speaking of stretching, the 1530 work trousers have 3-needle stitching on both inner leg seams to ensure that whilst being stretched, the quality of the trousers isn’t compromised with a rip or tear. In fact, Blaklader have so much faith in their stitching that if there is any issue with the seams on your Blaklader clothing, they will either repair or replace the garment under their lifetime seam guarantee.

To sum up, Blaklader certainly have a pair of trousers for each job role, environment, and budget. Are you a bricklayer? Purchase something like the 1496 trousers that is still tough yet doesn’t include pockets you won’t need. A carpenter? What about the 1998 pants, that will provide you great freedom of movement but with plenty of areas to store your tools? Whatever you decide upon, here at Workwear Gurus, we stock every item on this list and even more Blaklader clothing in every size and colour available, so you have the full choice of items available to you.

We specialise in Worldwide shipping and deliver the full Blaklader range regularly to the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Europe and Worldwide!

If you are looking for an even wider range of worker trousers for all professions then look no further than our main trousers collection.