I decided to buy a pair of clodhopper boots to avoid wrecking my feet
while doing DIY. Since nobody seems to sell size 14+ in shops (except
Brantano who only seem to have garish rigger boots) I ended-up buying
online, then noticed the webshop also sold Snickers worktrousers and as
P&P was already paid, decided to add a pair to the order.

Here starts the fun of deciphering the difference between the eighteen
different types, numerous colours, accessory bundles and idiosyncratic
sizing numbers, I'd heard tales of their sizes being a bit off, and the
cut being somewhat wierd.

I normally take a 46 waist (get your chortles in now), 31 leg, so I
settled on some black, 47 waist, 32 leg, 3314 trousers with 9115
kneepads and a freebie belt (expecting that to be too small and end-up
in the bin or the back of a drawer).

Eventually they arrived (having spent a extra day resting in Preston
thanks to DPD couriers who were gracious enough to send a text saying
so) and were duly tried on.

They feel quite true to size, being an inch or so loose and long on me,
not a problem with a belt (which turned out to be elasticated so
actually useful) overall quite "roomy" which is good for bending and
stretching, the material is smooth rather than stiff and scratchy and
seems to stand up to rough handling.

There are far more pockets than I know what to do with, the big "pouchy"
front ones are useful fo slinging a handful of screws or a stanley knife
into, I'm sure I'll find a use for some of the others over time,
certainly my (glass cased Nexus4) phone is not going anywhere near my
trousers when I'm doing DIY, but at least none of them feel to be in the
way.

The kneepads are designed for comfort only, not for protection, they'll
save your knees from a gritty lumps of concrete, but not somewhere
sprinkled in felt tacks.

The biggest problem is the *positioning* of the kneepads, the pockets
they fit into have a couple of stitches at the bottom to allow you to
either have them fully inserted, or an inch up from the bottom of the
pocket, but I must have out-of proportion Femurs and Tibs/Fibs, because
the adjustment ends up being a choice between 3" too low or 4" too low
(and I do mean with the waist actually fitting round my waist, not slung
under my gut).

So this leads to a "hitching-up" of the bottom half of the trouser legs
whenever kneeling down and needing to use the pads, which rather spoils
the usefulness. Apparently my right knee cap should be on the outside
of my leg, rather than at the front of my leg, as this pad ends up
twisted round to the side.

Overall impression ... a bit pricey but good apart from the kneepad
issue, they may be available cheaper elsewhere, but only in sizes
suitable for Adam and his apprentices, not us fat gits!

Andy Burns wrote:

The biggest problem is the *positioning* of the kneepads, the pockets
they fit into have a couple of stitches at the bottom to allow you to
either have them fully inserted, or an inch up from the bottom of the
pocket, but I must have out-of proportion Femurs and Tibs/Fibs, because
the adjustment ends up being a choice between 3" too low or 4" too low
(and I do mean with the waist actually fitting round my waist, not slung
under my gut).

My Scruffs have the same problem. Below the knee to start with and, when
worn with overalls they end up actually round my ankle (partially the
leg being pulled down and partly the pads working their way out of the
pocket.)

I'd put it down to being a short leg (28" probably) and them simply
designing for a normal (1/4 mile) leg and lopping material off the
bottom rather than moving the pocket.

--
Scott

Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

Hi Andy
Thanks for the review. They seem to be on sale at Screwfix at the moment, £49.99, I was going to buy a pair last time Adam mentioned this but missed the offer.

Cheers
Jon N

jkn wrote:
Hi Andy
Thanks for the review. They seem to be on sale at Screwfix at the
moment, £49.99, I was going to buy a pair last time Adam mentioned
this but missed the offer.

Cheers
Jon N

Thanks for that. I need a new pair. There is nothing wrong with the ones I
have, it's just an extra pair makes organising washing them easier
(especially as I will soon be working away again).

--
Adam

On Friday 27 September 2013 00:08 Andy Burns wrote in uk.d-i-y:

I decided to buy a pair of clodhopper boots to avoid wrecking my feet
while doing DIY. Since nobody seems to sell size 14+ in shops (except
Brantano who only seem to have garish rigger boots) I ended-up buying
online, then noticed the webshop also sold Snickers worktrousers and as
P&P was already paid, decided to add a pair to the order.

Here starts the fun of deciphering the difference between the eighteen
different types, numerous colours, accessory bundles and idiosyncratic
sizing numbers, I'd heard tales of their sizes being a bit off, and the
cut being somewhat wierd.

I normally take a 46 waist (get your chortles in now), 31 leg, so I
settled on some black, 47 waist, 32 leg, 3314 trousers with 9115
kneepads and a freebie belt (expecting that to be too small and end-up
in the bin or the back of a drawer).

Eventually they arrived (having spent a extra day resting in Preston
thanks to DPD couriers who were gracious enough to send a text saying
so) and were duly tried on.

They feel quite true to size, being an inch or so loose and long on me,
not a problem with a belt (which turned out to be elasticated so
actually useful) overall quite "roomy" which is good for bending and
stretching, the material is smooth rather than stiff and scratchy and
seems to stand up to rough handling.

There are far more pockets than I know what to do with, the big "pouchy"
front ones are useful fo slinging a handful of screws or a stanley knife
into, I'm sure I'll find a use for some of the others over time,
certainly my (glass cased Nexus4) phone is not going anywhere near my
trousers when I'm doing DIY, but at least none of them feel to be in the
way.

Check those pockets before washing - once I ended up with some nice sharp
screws in the washing machine!

The kneepads are designed for comfort only, not for protection, they'll
save your knees from a gritty lumps of concrete, but not somewhere
sprinkled in felt tacks.

Bit like the Dickies - still a boon though - and you can still don proper
keepads when called for.

The biggest problem is the *positioning* of the kneepads, the pockets
they fit into have a couple of stitches at the bottom to allow you to
either have them fully inserted, or an inch up from the bottom of the
pocket, but I must have out-of proportion Femurs and Tibs/Fibs, because
the adjustment ends up being a choice between 3" too low or 4" too low
(and I do mean with the waist actually fitting round my waist, not slung
under my gut).

The Dickies are a bit off too...

So this leads to a "hitching-up" of the bottom half of the trouser legs
whenever kneeling down and needing to use the pads, which rather spoils
the usefulness. Apparently my right knee cap should be on the outside
of my leg, rather than at the front of my leg, as this pad ends up
twisted round to the side.

Overall impression ... a bit pricey but good apart from the kneepad
issue, they may be available cheaper elsewhere, but only in sizes
suitable for Adam and his apprentices, not us fat gits!
--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

In article , Andy
Burns writes

There are far more pockets than I know what to do with, the big "pouchy"
front ones are useful fo slinging a handful of screws or a stanley knife
into, I'm sure I'll find a use for some of the others over time,
certainly my (glass cased Nexus4) phone is not going anywhere near my
trousers when I'm doing DIY, but at least none of them feel to be in the
way.

Thanks for the review

Any pie pockets ;-?

--
fred
it's a ba-na-na . . . .

Andy Burns wrote:
Overall impression ... a bit pricey but good apart from the kneepad
issue, they may be available cheaper elsewhere, but only in sizes
suitable for Adam and his apprentices, not us fat gits!

Your definition of overpriced may change. I wear mine for at least 50 hours
a week, and they last at least twice as long as any other brand I have
tried. Add to that the pocket system (a time saving device) and they are
actually quite cheap.

The knee pads sit about an inch below my knee when stood up but end up over
my knee when I bend down.

--
Adam

On 27/09/2013 18:41, ARW wrote:
Andy Burns wrote:
Overall impression ... a bit pricey but good apart from the kneepad
issue, they may be available cheaper elsewhere, but only in sizes
suitable for Adam and his apprentices, not us fat gits!

Your definition of overpriced may change. I wear mine for at least 50 hours
a week, and they last at least twice as long as any other brand I have
tried. Add to that the pocket system (a time saving device) and they are
actually quite cheap.

The knee pads sit about an inch below my knee when stood up but end up over
my knee when I bend down.

+1
They are as close to perfect as I can find. Wouldn't buy anything else.

--
yendor
If it's not broken, let's fix it till it is.