Mechanic Pants

[Wamsutta]

You guys that are professional mechanics who are forced to wear the pants that come in on the uniform truck, have you ever had any problems with the pants in terms of comfort?

 

[CJM8515]

usually they are fine after a few washes. the cintas and unifirst pants I wore were a bit softer and didnt hold up as well as the dickies. dickies were harder until i basically washed them every day for a week.

 

[Ruger_556]

No More comfortable than jeans are anyway...

 

[WhiffySpark]

The pants didn't bother me as much as the button up shirts. I ended up wearing company t shirts. We had red lmao or something from ace cleaners. Cintas was a little better quality

 

[Tim C]

Once they're washed a few times so they aren't as starchy they're fine by me, as posted above. I find them much more comfortable than jeans to the point I will throw on a pair for lounging around on the weekends doing odd jobs around the house. Also as said above, I can't stand the button up polyester shirts. They don't flex at all and can restrict movement when you're half under a dash reaching with your arms above your head. And the shirts are hotter too. We finally ganged up on my boss who provides uniforms a few years back and got him to let us order tee shirts with the company logo. Only downside is we have to wash those ourselves.

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[Wamsutta]

Here's the problem I have with company provided pants:

- Too tight in the legs
- Too tight in the seat
- Too tight across the pelvic area

And the worst of all:

- Too short in the rise

The rise is the distance from the bottom of the crotch seam to the top of the waist band. The longer the rise, the more room you have for your testicles. Most of the time, I feel like I'm getting sawed in half lengthwise on a band saw.

 

[Mikeske]

Years ago when I was laid off from a airline went to work at automotive shop as a brake -front end mechanic. The boss gets the uniform truck driver to get me some uniforms, I tell him my size 36 X 38 and the guy comes with a set of uniforms the next week. I come in with my beat up old blue jeans and bought the whole set in to the boss. He goes whats the matter, I show him the clown delivered 29 X 30, those for me would never fit when you are 6'6" tall, yeah I am skinny but my junk would not even fit in those things.

So the next week the guy comes in and we get the order in and he delivered 40 X 38's I did not even take them from the guy just sent them back right away.

Finally after three weeks I get the correct set and they fit ok but a hair loose, fine I keep them as it allow me to squat without getting my stuff caught.

 

[CJM8515]

Years ago when I was laid off from a airline went to work at automotive shop as a brake -front end mechanic. The boss gets the uniform truck driver to get me some uniforms, I tell him my size 36 X 38 and the guy comes with a set of uniforms the next week. I come in with my beat up old blue jeans and bought the whole set in to the boss. He goes whats the matter, I show him the clown delivered 29 X 30, those for me would never fit when you are 6'6" tall, yeah I am skinny but my junk would not even fit in those things.

So the next week the guy comes in and we get the order in and he delivered 40 X 38's I did not even take them from the guy just sent them back right away.

Finally after three weeks I get the correct set and they fit ok but a hair loose, fine I keep them as it allow me to squat without getting my stuff caught.

Sounds like an idiot driver. Been there done that. When we sent the stuff in to wash the guy didnt return stuff every week or so. Nope 1 pair of pants one week, 3 another, a shirt here or there. We told the idiot to just stop coming and we would wash our own stuff!

 

[Tonyuk]

We don't have a 'uniform truck' over here but work provide polo shirts, jackets boots and trousers. The boots don't fit me well so i buy my own, they only require ankle support and no rigger boots so i buy a brand named Haix, made in Germany and the best quality boots i've ever bought;

 

[Roobaix]

I wear Dickies every day. They're a little stiff at first but they break in well and last a really long time. Significantly better than the Carhartt pants I was wearing before, and they seem to be holding up better than the Cintas pants the other guys got...

 

[Mikeske]

Sounds like an idiot driver. Been there done that. When we sent the stuff in to wash the guy didnt return stuff every week or so. Nope 1 pair of pants one week, 3 another, a shirt here or there. We told the idiot to just stop coming and we would wash our own stuff!

I would never allow my wife or son near my work cloths, I never figured it out why I was the way I was until years later and the class action lawsuits.

 

[CJM8515]

I would never allow my wife or son near my work cloths, I never figured it out why I was the way I was until years later and the class action lawsuits.

Huh. explain

 

[WhiffySpark]

We had a uniform service and I still washed mine. I got tired of getting one pair of pants back

 

[davethorik]

Cintas was a joke. They could never do anything right. I remember at an old employer, i tore a quarter sized hole by the hem of the shirt. I attached a repair tag and when i got it back...there was an iron on patch 1/2" away from the hole, not covering it at all. And the time i got a shirt snagged on something and the seam under my left arm let go all the way down. Put a repair tag on it and they went ahead and charged me $30 for a new shirt. The snaps on the pants also fall off when they're about 2 months old...thank god for belts. I did like the cargo pants but they seemed baggy.

Im glad i wash my own clothes now. If theyre really dirty i take them down to the laundromat. Less idiots, more happy.

 

[dsimatt]

I have to wear a size larger work pants than my jeans so when they get done shrinking they still are comfortable, most guys at the shop are the same way.

 

[Mikeske]

Huh. explain

Heavy metals associated with the brake linings, asbestos that is used in the linings and ground off on the wheels and front ends of cars. I was concerned to the exposure of this to my son and my wife. I was also exposed to MEK, MPK and aviation related chemicals that were also known to cause various cancers.

 

[CJM8515]

Heavy metals associated with the brake linings, asbestos that is used in the linings and ground off on the wheels and front ends of cars. I was concerned to the exposure of this to my son and my wife. I was also exposed to MEK, MPK and aviation related chemicals that were also known to cause various cancers.

Ah ok makes sense

 

[Tim C]

I have to wear a size larger work pants than my jeans so when they get done shrinking they still are comfortable, most guys at the shop are the same way.

This has been my experience too

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[rjvjeepster]

Walmart sells Dickies, are those the same quality as normal Dickies? I don't have a job that requires them at all but thinking it could be good enough for the weekend warrior wrenching I do once I ruin the rest of my "****** clothes" I currently use for working.

 

[davethorik]

Walmart sells Dickies, are those the same quality as normal Dickies? I don't have a job that requires them at all but thinking it could be good enough for the weekend warrior wrenching I do once I ruin the rest of my "****** clothes" I currently use for working.

Yes but get the double knee pants that have the 5th pocket. Their shorts also have the 5th pocket.

 

[rt dak]

The Cintas cargo pants are MUCH more comfortable and roomier than their regular pants. They're cut completely different. I have pretty big thighs so it's hard for me to find pants that fit comfortably. I like them so much I bought some in a different color than my work pants to wear on the weekends.

http://shop.cintas.com/store/site/Apparel/Bottoms/Pants-%26-Slacks/Cargo-Pants/p/00027033?searchText=:name-asc:gender:male&plpcategoryCode=Bottoms

 

[JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN]

Dickies always worked well for me. On the Aircraft Carrier we use Red Kap pants and they are much nicer than Dickies IMO, they can be found on Amazon for under $20.

 

[Jp267]

I have one of the full craftsman mechanic jump suits. Looks silly but keeps me fairly clean warm and is comfortable.

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[Jp267]

This has been my experience too

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Mine too. They don't seem to fudge sizing like Old Navy!

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[Codejack]

Heavy metals associated with the brake linings, asbestos that is used in the linings and ground off on the wheels and front ends of cars. I was concerned to the exposure of this to my son and my wife. I was also exposed to MEK, MPK and aviation related chemicals that were also known to cause various cancers.

Ah ok makes sense

Not really....

I mean, asbestos from brakes and clutches is a concern, but you should know where all the heavy metals in the car are and if you got any on your clothes (e.g. motor oil).

"Aviation chemicals" might be a little different, but MEK and MPK are not examples of especially harmful chemicals; don't huff them for 8 hours a day, and you should be fine.

 

[Al Borland]

Not really....

I mean, asbestos from brakes and clutches is a concern, but you should know where all the heavy metals in the car are and if you got any on your clothes (e.g. motor oil).

"Aviation chemicals" might be a little different, but MEK and MPK are not examples of especially harmful chemicals; don't huff them for 8 hours a day, and you should be fine.

Umm, NO. Just NO. It's not just ***** and Gutter Boy huffing chemicals that have problems.
They don't have to be "especially harmful" to do damage. Chronic exposure, even small doses over a long period will cause problems.
Children are still growing, systems still developing, and no reason to expose them.
As far as Asbestos, my buddy's dad was a research chemist, and used asbestos to wrap beakers and such for experiments. He's fine at going on 90. His wife died 20 years ago from Mesothelioma, from doing his laundry.

 

[mbshop]

My supplier did a great job. We required no starch and that is what we got. If there were mistakes it was taken care of in days. If a uniform got to dirty they were replaced. Best of all, he always left extra rags, no charge.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Only jeans I have found that last at all for me are Riggs brand.
Any other brand I'll blow the crotch out of right away.

 

[crewchief888]

we currently have cintas for our uniforms..

they've been repeatedly (we've used them in the past) the worst uniform company to deal with...
send something in for repair? maybe see it again in 2 or 3 weeks.
my uniforms come back looking like they havent been cleaned, still oil stained
it's like pulling teeth to even get the driver to pick up the empty hangers.

we get 2 tshirts (per year) with the company logo on them, once they get stained with oil or diesel fuel they get tossed in the trash.
i dont want my oily/greasy clothes in the same washing machine with the wifes clothes..

a change order was put in 9 months ago with them for hi-viz pants/shirts for all drivers and field mechanics... i still dont have mine
95% of the time when i get out of my truck i'm required to have hi-viz.
several places also require FRC.
i have to provide my own hi-viz, FRC, rain gear, and extreme cold weather gear...
that stuff gets cleaned a couple times a year with degreaser and hot water pressure washer....i wont even bring it in the house...

 

[JohnDeere1]

I wear dickies pants and tops they hold up years for me.

 

[Mikeske]

Not really....

I mean, asbestos from brakes and clutches is a concern, but you should know where all the heavy metals in the car are and if you got any on your clothes (e.g. motor oil).

"Aviation chemicals" might be a little different, but MEK and MPK are not examples of especially harmful chemicals; don't huff them for 8 hours a day, and you should be fine.

Have you ever read a MSDS on MEK or MPK, I have. Exposure to these chemicals can and do cause cancers and liver damage. For that matter even Isophoyl alcohol contains upwards to 2% MEK. I was in aviation for over 40 years and when I was not working aviation due to layoffs I work in the automotive repair and the chemical and airborne dust can and does cause cancers. I lost several of my friends due to liver and stomach cancers almost always from long term exposures to these chemicals.

I always made sure my work cloths were completely separated and cleaned away from the rest of the family.

 

[rick carpenter]

Here's a thumbs up for Wrangler cargo pants. I don't use the pockets by the knees though as I don't like anything banging my knees when walking or squatting. I like the light enough fabric and the loose cut. They are far and away better than jeans, which tend to give me the rash-that-makes-men-not-walk!

 

[SantaAna12]

Umm, NO. Just NO. It's not just ***** and Gutter Boy huffing chemicals that have problems.
They don't have to be "especially harmful" to do damage. Chronic exposure, even small doses over a long period will cause problems.
Children are still growing, systems still developing, and no reason to expose them.
As far as Asbestos, my buddy's dad was a research chemist, and used asbestos to wrap beakers and such for experiments. He's fine at going on 90. His wife died 20 years ago from Mesothelioma, from doing his laundry.

Thanks Al.

Some things I don't joke about, as that was how I was taught.

To each his own.

These days I work around the water. I do not comment on or joke about those that wear a pfd more often, or drive the boat slower than most.

Just my two cents.

 

[gtr1999]

I wore Dickies for many years and are good work clothes but recently switched over to some Red Kap cargos and really like them much better then Dickies. Now I am getting older, 58, and fatter then I was a few years ago too so I found the Red Kaps feel better, for me. I like the cargo pants because I stopped wearing a wallet in my back pockets years ago.

 

[ed_v]

I like RedKap PT20 pants. I order them from here. I have about 10 pairs that I have worn in rotation for about the last 3 years. After only 1 or 2 washes they are very comfortable to wear. I order them from here:

https://www.automotiveworkwear.com/RedKap/PT20/work-pants.html


Ed

 

[Milton Shaw]

I broke out from the soap they used and didn't get it rinsed out all the way. I would let them wash and get the grease and oil out and then I would rewash at home in a free and clear soap that didn't break me out. Yes a little more work but my soap would not cut the grease and oil or I would have washed them myself. The shirts didn't bother me as I always wore an under shirt.

 

[Seppala]

At times at work I had to wear the blue collar uniform that came off the uniform truck. The uniform was made with a 50/50 cotton polyester fabric that irritated my skin. My employer was resistant to issuing an all cotton uniform. Once I made it clear that as a blacksmith I work with fire and flame the numbskulls issued me an all cotton uniform just like our weldors wore.