Red KapMen's Shop Coat

The Red Kap Men's shop coat is still my favorite in comparison to other offerings on the market. I've been buying the Red Kap shop coats for close to 20 years now. I still have my original and it still is in good condition. The old coat is a size or two too small now (my fault not Red Kap's lol). I've been wearing these shop coats daily for the past several years and intermittently prior to that in an active industrial production / engineering laboratory setting. On examining the latest purchase, I was relieved to find that the fabric weight and cut hasn't changed after all these years. If you bought one in the past, you know what to expect from the current product. For those that haven't worn one of these before, this isn't a lab coat, it's a shop coat. The material is much thicker. If you hold it up to the light, it's practically opaque, whereas a lab coat is more translucent. Night and day difference. My lab is 68F (20C) and I stay comfortable when wearing a long sleeve shirt/t-undershirt combo underneath the shop coat. Another aspect of the shop coat that I like is the cut. It is 'fit' on the shoulders/torso without restricting mobility. The bottom has enough of a bell shape that I never notice any pulling of the material between my butt and the chair when I frequently transition from standing to sitting throughout the day. The slash openings are also sized and positioned well. I can get to my front, rear and cargo pockets on my pants without a problem, even when sitting. I take maybe a size large in gloves, and have no issue getting my bare hands through the opening. I haven't tried it with gloves. I wear the shop coat to keep my clothes clean and well, my gloves aren't clean so I take them off first. The pockets on the shop coat are generously sized and located in just the right spot. I carry tools in them occasionally and they haven't broken through the bottoms of the pockets. The pen divider on the left breast pocket can handle regular pens and well as something with a larger diameter like a fine point sharpie permanent marker. The upper pocket depths are deep enough that I don't often have loose objects fall out when I bend over to pick something up. The right breast pocket is also wide enough to handle a modern smart phone in a heave duty case. The collar of the coat doesn't curl up in odd ways. It holds its shape well. The arm lengths feel right. The snap closures on the front of the coat do their jobs year after year and only gave me a problem when I tried fitting too much body into too small of a shop coat. That's a personal problem though, no fault of the snaps. :-) The stitching throughout matches the durability of the material. I've snagged the slash opening pretty hard on several occasions and didn't pop any stiches. Snagging the slash openings is something to be aware of with any shop or lab coat, so it just comes with the territory and I can't knock points off for that. I'd rather have the openings than not have them. They are set far enough to the back that this is not regular issue at all. To sum it up, this is the best shop coat I've used. I will continue to trust ordering this tested and well thought out design.

In the meatpacking establishments I have worked at, a blue butcher coat is required for wear outside/in the barn (while white is required indoors). So, I purchased this Red Kap blue ("Navy", on Amazon) butcher coat as a spare, in case the contracted uniform company is late in their deliveries.This blue (Navy) coat is completely satisfactory:65% polyester/35% cotton, easy to machine wash.Four outer pockets.A note about sizing: these are not labelled in the traditional "S/M/L/XL/XXL/XXXL" fashion. Instead, there are multiple two-digit numbers. As someone who is 5 feet nine inches in height, who needs a little extra space since this coat will be worn over a freezer vest, the size 48 that I ordered comes closest to an "XL", my desired size. If you are, say 5"11 or taller, a size 50 or 52 would come closer to an XXL, and a 54 or 56 to an XXXL.

bought Size 54 Charcoal, me weight 286lbs 6'0". Yeah it says shop coat or whatever but I bought the Charcoal nice and big to wear in cool/cold weather out in public on the streets and subways. The unlined fabric is heavy and hangs well. The charcoal looks like a coat and does not command attention yet provides a distinctive yet simple old fashioned look that allows you to pair it with any hat in your collection - in my case tophats, bowlers, fedoras, caps, etc. I must have 70 hats. This coat will go with any of them. I got it nice and roomy so I can wear sweaters, vests, thermal underwear. So its lack of insulation is its advantage making it being flexible to wear 3 season climate wise. If I dont have many clothes on it just hangs baggier but still well cuz of the heavier stock texture of weave in the fabric - you'll look like the guy on the cover of Tull's Aqualung. Buy it in charcoal if for the street.

Hubby is a woodworker. this helps but he wishes it had a zipper not snaps. Some of the sawdust still creeps in the gaps. Made well and washes up nice…

Very Comportable & Easy Fit

I really love it. Plan to get more.

I ordered this as a shop coat to prevent some of those accidental stains on good clothes. I find a med. size a little tight so I ordered a 42" instead of a 38". I am 5' 10" and 170 pounds. The jacket fit a little loose in the shoulders, chest and waist, just as I hoped it would. That allows me to wear it over winter cloths. I see no problem with the material or construction but time will tell. I do wish it closed with velcro instead of snaps.

I ordered 3 of them. The 38 and 40 came no where close to fitting the individuals they were intended for. I have measured people for years for fitting jackets and coats and these were three sizes too small. The arms were sized for an individual with no biceps or triceps. The 56 I ordered fit the individual well.