Dickies vs Ben Davis, Work and Outdoor Wear: A Comparison

Dickies vs Ben Davis, Work and Outdoor Wear: A Comparison

If you have been looking for durable, high-quality working clothes, you probably have come across two of the world’s most popular workwear brands – Dickies and Ben Davis.

Dickies and Ben Davis are both American workwear companies with headquarters in the U.S. but with wide markets in various countries in Europe and Asia.

In our post today, we explore the two work apparel brands to see how they have come up over the years, their strengths, some of their best products, and a comparison of which brand outranks the other.

Contents:

1. Dickies

Dickies has grown over time since the early 1920s to become one of the world’s largest workwear manufacturers. They produce high-quality working garments that are easy-to-wash, versatile in design, quick-to-dry, and highly durable.

Read also: Dickies vs Carhartt, Work and Outdoor Wear: A Comparison

History of the Brand

Dickies Official Website
Dickies Official Website

The history of the Dickies workwear company dates back to 1922 when cousins E.E. “Colonel” Dickie and C.N. Williamson and Williamson’s father teamed up and bought the U.S. Overall Company that the cousins had started with some friends in Texas in 1918.

The trio bought the company on a one-third-basis each. Upon the purchase, the three renamed the company to the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company.

The company became an international company in the late 1950s when it expanded its market reach to the Middle Eastern and European markets. The brand was introduced to the Middle Eastern oil fields market by Texas oilmen passionate about the Dickies brand.

Having started as a bib overall company, Williamson-Dickie has grown to become the largest workwear company in the world. The company now produces work shirts, denim jeans, chore coats, and women’s workwear.

Besides the U.S. market, Dickies working clothes are sold worldwide in Europe, Russia, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, Chile, Australia, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Ireland, Poland, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan.

The company’s division in Europe, Williamson-Dickie Europe Ltd, is based in Westfield, Somerset in the UK and deals with the brand’s streetwear and workwear production in the Middle East and Europe.

Dickies prides itself as a maker of high-quality, durable, and comfortable workwear spanning over many years of dedicated production.

Don’t miss: 9 Quality Brands like Dickies for Work and Outdoor Wear

The Evolution of Denim Workwear: The Dickies Denim Story

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Materials and Manufacturing

Like other clothing companies before the 1960s, Dickies made its clothes using only cotton. In the 1960s, clothing companies started using a cotton/polyester blend to make more durable fabrics. (Learn more: Polyester vs Cotton: Differences and Comparison)

It was in the 1960s that Dickies also shifted to using a 65/35 polyester/cotton blend to make one of its all-time best workwear lines, the 874 Work Pant.

When combined with the Dickies Work Shirt, the 874 Work Pant forms the complete head-to-toe “Dickies Suit/Uniform.” The Work Pant and Work Shirt are available in various colors such as black, tan, camo, blue, white, brown, green, and grey.

The Work Shirt and Work Pant also come in various styles. The shirt comes in either Button Down or Pockets style. The fabric for both cloth pieces may be denim, twill, polyester blend, or poplin.

Dickies also uses other fabric types such as Duck/Canvas in its Duck Clothing, Dickie Coveralls, and Bib Overalls. The company uses cotton in Bib Overalls and Dickie Coveralls.

Dickies’ clothing technologies include Temp-IQ, Repel Pro, DuraTech, Flex, Industrial Wash, Water Repellent, Water Resistant, Moisture Wicking, Stain Resistant, and Wrinkle Resistant.

The Flex fabrication ensures optimum comfort and mobility, while DuraTech ensures durability, and Repel Pro finish ensures water and oil stay away.

The Temp-IQ is a responsive technology that allows the clothing to control your body temperature by either warming (Warming Temp-IQ) or cooling (Cooling Temp-IQ), as needed.

Dickies “Industrial Wash” garments are industrial laundry-friendly and made to withstand more than 50 industrial laundry cycles.

The Water Repellent technology features a special finish on garments that guards against wet weather by making water bead up on the garment’s surface and roll off instead of absorbing into the material.

The Moisture-Wicking technology ensures the garment moves moisture away from your body to keep you dry all the time. The Stain Resistant technology features a finish that prevents stains from setting in and becoming permanent.

Dickies’ garments with Wrinkle Resistant technology feature a fabric that is chemically processed to hold its shape and resist wrinkles, which helps reduce your ironing time and keeps wrinkles away throughout the day.

You might also like: 9 American Jacket Brands for Winter and Outdoor Activities

Temp-iQ Cooling Tee - Arborist and Construction - 15

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Dickies Popular Designs

Here are two popular Dickies garments that we think you’ll love as much as we do!

Dickies Men’s Original 874 Work Pant

Dickies Mens Original 874 Work Pant
Image Source: dickies.com

The Dickies Men’s Original 874 Work Pant is a bestseller. The pants are available in various sizes and they come in an assortment of colors such as black, navy, khaki, dark brown, silver, steel gray, etc.

These pants are made with a 65/35 polyester/cotton blend for enhanced durability. They are machine wash-friendly and feature wrinkle- and stain-resistant technology.

Dickies Women’s Eisenhower Insulated Jacket

Dickies Womens Eisenhower Insulated Jacket
Image Source: dickies.com

Made of a 65/35 polyester/cotton blend, the Dickies Women’s Eisenhower Insulated Jacket is machine washable and features Dickies’ Water Resistant technology, quilted-nylon lining, and slash front pockets. The jacket is available in sizes X-Large, Large, Medium, and Small.

Dickies Workwear FAQs

Let’s take a quick look at some common questions people ask about Dickies workwear and outdoor wear.

Are Dickies Working Clothes Worth the Money?

Dickies promotes its work apparel as durable, tough, high-quality, and comfortable. Given the brand’s many technologies that eliminate wrinkling, soaking, and staining, you can rest assured that you are getting great value for your money, especially because they are reasonably priced.

Where Are Dickies Work Clothes Made?

Dickies workwear and outdoor wear are made in the U.S., Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, China and other Asian countries, and the Middle East.

2. Ben Davis

Ben Davis is an American workwear company that manufactures shirts, pants, vests, jackets, sweatshirts, baseball caps, beanies, coveralls, aprons, shopcoats, and overalls.

The Ben Davis brand is widely known for its workwear, including aprons, coveralls, shopcoats, and overalls. The company also makes various accessories like belts, suspender buttons, etc.

One notable thing about the Ben Davis workwear company is its unmistakable iconic logo that features a smiling yellow and black gorilla against a red background with the name Ben Davis written in yellow against a black background below the gorilla.

History of the Brand

Ben Davis Official Website
Ben Davis Official Website

As an American work apparel brand, Ben Davis was founded in 1935 by Ben Davis and his father, Simon Davis.

The Davis family has been in the garment manufacturing industry in the U.S. since the mid-1800s with key players such as Jacob Davis.

Jacob Davis, Benjamin Franklin Davis’s grandfather, helped create the Levi’s Jeans in 1871 in partnership with his fabric supplier, Levi Strauss. He is credited as the inventor of modern jeans with his rivets reinforcement on duck and denim work pants.

Jacob Davis died in 1908, and his rivet patent became public in the same year.

Born on 20th February 1914, Ben Davis founded the company at age 21 in San Francisco, California, where the company is headquartered to this day.

Ben Davis is also widely known for its iconic slogan, “Plenty Tough”, which has evolved over the years from “Union Made Plenty Enough” to “USA Made Plenty Tough” to “Est. 1935 Plenty Tough”.

Iconic logo on Ben Davis website
Iconic logo on Ben Davis website

Materials and Manufacturing

Ben Davis’s work clothing line makes its workwear and outdoor wear using polyester/cotton blend. The company also uses blended twill fabric, Duck Canvas, and 100% cotton on some of its shirts.

Ben Davis also makes accessories like leather belts and metal suspender buttons.

Ben Davis Popular Designs

Here are two popular Ben Davis garments you might want to check out.

Ben Davis Brown Duck Carpenter Overalls

Ben Davis Brown Duck Carpenter Overalls
Image Source: bendavis.com

The Ben Davis Brown Duck Carpenter Overalls are durable and robust and feature a tool pouch, reinforced stress points, adjustable shoulder straps, and comfortable knee pads.

The Carpenter Overalls are also available in Natural Duck color and various waist and length sizes.

Ben Davis 100% Cotton Original Ben’s Pants

Ben Davis 100 Cotton Original Bens Pants
Image Source: bendavis.com

The Ben Davis 100% Cotton Original Ben’s Pants are the number one Ben Davis work pant. They are made of 100% cotton and fit true to size.

According to customers’ online reviews, the pants are comfortable, well-fitting, and durable.

Ben Davis Workwear FAQs

Check out the questions below that people often ask about Ben Davis workwear.

Does Ben Davis Fit True to Size?

According to Ben Davis, the company’s clothes fit true to size.

Are Ben Davis Working Clothes Worth the Money?

Ben Davis working clothes are definitely worth the money. The polyester/cotton blend results in longer-lasting garments that will hold their value through years of use.

Where Are Ben Davis Work Clothes Made?

For the longest time, Ben Davies Clothes were made exclusively in the U.S. Today, only some garments are made in the country, while others are sourced outside in places like China.

3. Which Brand is Better?

man wearing work clothes

When it comes to deciding which brand is better between Dickies and Ben Davis, our vote goes to Dickies.

Since its inception and throughout the years, Dickies has created a greater selection of workwear lines compared to Ben Davies, which has fewer products to offer.

Additionally, Dickies fairs better when it comes to color and versatility in design. Ben Davis has much more limited color options for most of its garments. Some Ben Davis customers have requested that the company produce items in more colors to give them a wider selection.

Having said that, in our opinion both brands are excellent and the final decision will depend on your particular case and specific workwear needs.

3 Comments

  1. Dickies are easy to come by in stores like Walmart farm and home target Ben Davis u have to order Ben Davis are more baggy and relaxed Dickies are more for Illinois and Ben Davis are more for California

      • Haha, right?… you’ll see plenty of both in Cali, but especially Dickies. Honestly, you’ll see more 501’s then Ben Davis too

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