Blaklader Painters Trousers, Overalls, Shorts - the range reviewed
Blaklader Painters Pants and more - what’s special about this collection?
Like all painters workwear collections, the Blaklader painters range is - if you pardon the pun - exactly what it says on the tin: A range of clothing for painters, decorators and plasterers.
However, we've certainly heard on the grapevine from painters 'in the know' that that is where the similarities end. Unlike most other painters workwear which is simple, relatively featureless and of throwaway quality, Blaklader painters trousers and painters clothing is feature rich, especially designed range.
The collection includes fabric technologies normally used in other craftsman professions - but strangely lacking in the painting world. Blaklader painters clothes include thoughtful touches that make the working day easier for painters, decorators and plasterers. All of the pockets are specially designed with spaces to hold your brushes, putty and painting knives. Areas which suffer from extra wear are reinforced with Cordura for extra protection and use stretch fabric to offer freedom of movement while allowing a slim and more modern look. Those places that can get hot and sweaty whilst working hard - such as behind the knees -benefit from mesh ventilation to keep the wearer cool and comfortable. All seams are triple-stitched and come with a lifetime guarantee, a sign of just how confident Blaklader are in the quality of their products.
The range includes a large range of different trousers, as you’d expect from a company famous for their workwear trousers, but the range actually extends beyond this. The full collection of painters’ clothing from Blaklader includes trousers, shorts, pirate trousers, overalls and gloves. They come in specialist fits for men and women in a large range of sizes and leg lengths. Painters workwear is traditionally white, and Blaklader's range has a number of white/grey and white/black combinations. If looking for other colours then their craftsman trouser range may also be of interest.
That's the word on the street anyway - feedback we've had from customers who love Blaklader painters trousers. We wanted to put this to a wider test though so we asked our gurus to review the collection themselves. We asked them to test out the products and let us know some additional feedback that we’ve received from painters, decorators and plasterers who have purchased the products from us. Here’s what they thought…
Blaklader 1079 4-way-stretch Painters trousers. (Blaklader X1900 Painters Pants)
We gave a team of painters the flagship Blaklader 1079 Painters Trousers to try.
After a few initial gags about how they looked like something out of Star Wars, the team were entertained to hear that some people do actually refer to these as Stormtrooper painters pants due to the iconic black and white design. The slim-fit cut adds to that sense of sci-fi style. But they don’t just have a distinctive look, they’re comfortable too. The team liked how lightweight the specialist polyamide material is. In fact, they’re so comfortable somebody said that it feels like you’re painting in your PJs ...but with many more functional details and a much more professional look. Thank god as I think customers could be asking some searching questions otherwise!
Here are the details that our team liked the most:
- The fabric is brushed on the inside to make it super soft next to the skin.
- The four-way stretch allows for a good range of movement so the product moves with you when you’re climbing ladders or crouching down under cupboards.
- The pockets are designed to hold everything you need whilst working - specially designed for paintbrushes, putty and painting knives.
- The mesh ventilation at the back of the knees, which one of our team said stopped them from breaking a sweat even when painting an industrial kitchen where there was poor natural ventilation.
But our gurus suggest that it’s not just what you can see that makes these trousers special. The seams are all triple-stitched as standard and come with a lifetime guarantee like all other Blaklader workwear products. The kneepad pockets are also reinforced with Cordura to strengthen those hard-working areas whilst still being flexible thanks to the stretch - a great combo.
While we had a team of guys testing out these trousers, it's great to see that there is are specialist Blaklader painters trousers designed for the female form. Blakalder have a huge range dedicated to ensuring high quality workwear for women. The Blaklader 7179 is the exact women’s version of these trousers.
OUR VERDICT: A cut above when it comes to painters trousers. Built on Blaklader’s best-selling X1900 trousers with thoughtful touches that are perfect for painters, decorators and plasterers.
You can also read more about the Blaklader X1900 range in our full review
Blaklader 1910 Painters Trousers
Although some of our team loved the lightweight polyamide fabric used in the 1079 four-way stretch Blaklader Painters Trousers, one of the team prefer the feel of cotton fabric. He preferred the Blaklader 1910 Painters Pants. These are modern and comfortable painters trousers with all the quality and functionality we’ve come to expect from Blaklader.
These are made from 100% cotton for high comfort, providing excellent absorption properties to keep you cool no matter how hard you work. This can make a real difference when working in sweltering conditions - the fabric helps to wick away the heat and there's no doubt the strategically placed mesh at the back of the knees provides extra ventilation and cooling.
As always, our gurus love the special design features that are tailored to the needs of painters, plasterers and decorators. The knees are reinforced with Cordura stretch fabric for flexibility whilst protecting those hard-wearing areas from wear and tear. All the seams are triple-stitched and come with a lifetime guarantee. The team remarked how this bucks the trend of normal painters clothing which is throwaway and fairly basic - something we referred to at the start of this article.
Again, there is a specially designed equivalent pair for ladies - the Blaklader 7910 Painters Trousers for women
OUR VERDICT: If you prefer the feel of cotton to synthetic fabrics then these are the Blaklader Painters trousers for you.
Blaklader 1510 Painters trousers (Blaklader X1500 Painters pants)
It’s impossible to avoid getting paint on your clothing when you’re a professional painter or decorator but what everyone wants to avoid is that feeling of paint soaking through onto their skin - it’s uncomfortable, itchy and a pain to wash off at the end of the day.
Our gurus were intrigued to try the Blaklader 1510 Painters trousers. They are similar to other products in the range but use a heavier grade of 100% cotton whilst remaining lightweight. Specifically - an getting technical here - this Blaklader Painters Pants use 320g/m2 100% cotton so you can enjoy that cotton-fabric feel without fear of paint leaking through to your skin. This protection is thanks to the excellent absorption capacity it affords together with double-layering in key areas.
The range is clearly designed for painters, plasterers, decorators and brick layers, with special pockets for brushes, filler knives and spatulas.
They come in a straight-fit for added comfort and two different colour combos. White (obiovusly) with an accent of either dark or light grey on the pockets and reinforced knee pads.
The team also really liked the adjustable leg hem to protect the cuffs from dropping into spillages and secure with a drawstring at the right leg length.
OUR VERDICT: Great cotton-feel that prevents paint leaking through onto the skin. Not baggy and still a sleek design, but a pair of more classic straight fit painters trousers
Blaklader Painter Shorts 1088 (Blaklader X1900 Painter shorts)
We gave our team the Blaklader 1088 Painter Shorts. These are the short-version of the 1079 trousers, perfect for summer jobs - and those who work a lot indoors and therefore like to wear shorts all year round.
Although short in-length, the Blaklader Painters shorts are not short on detail. They are made from the highly breathable polyamide fabric with four-way stretch for ultimate flexibility. They also have all the thoughtful pockets that you need to keep everything in place whilst working hard.
OUR VERDICT: Technical fabric and thoughtful design touches in a short. Perfect for hot jobs and those who wear shorts all year round.
Blaklader 1512 Painters shorts (Blaklader X1500 shorts)
As with the trousers, some people like the technical advantages of synthetic fabrics but others prefer the cotton-fabric feel and a slightly less slim cut. That’s why Blaklader also have the 1512 Painters shorts. Made from 100% cotton and available in white with light grey or dark grey detailing.
OUR VERDICT: If you like cotton and wearing shorts then these could be the Blaklader shorts for you.
Blaklader 2611 Painters Bib Overalls
Blaklader have always been known to have a huge range of Bib and Brace overalls. Our team were happy to see them extend this to include Painters Bib Overalls.
The team first noticed how comfortable these were, thanks to the 100% cotton-fabric which feels great next to the skin and has a double-layer of cotton-twill in easily stained areas to prevent paint from soaking through the fabric and onto the skin. This helped to keep the team dry and warm when they were painting outside on a cold, crisp winter’s day.
These are a comfortable fit with an adjustable waistline. Most of the testers found them easy to wear but as they generally prefer conventional trousers they perhaps weren't the perfect audience to assess!
OUR VERDICT: These will keep you warm and dry on even the messiest of jobs.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: OUR OVERALL VERDICT ON THE BLAKLADER PAINTERS TROUSERS
While never the cheapest out there, The Blaklader Painters range has items at both the more modest and more expensive end of the market. The top end gear isn’t cheap but it is one of the best for premium performance wear. It's a fantastic option for quality items that lasts, and look good too.
Here at Workwear Gurus, we stock every item from the Blaklader Painters range - all sizes and colour variations - so you have the full choice of items available to you.
We specialise in worldwide shipping and deliver the full Blaklader painters pants range regularly to the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Europe and Worldwide