In this article I review the Helly Hansen Workwear Oxford 4X work pants. Let’s check them out below.
Disclosure: Helly Hansen provided these pants at no cost to me for review. However as always, Tool Craze is never paid or swayed to give a positive review and as always are my unbiased thoughts and opinions. Tool Craze is an Amazon Associate. If you purchase through a link on this site, we may get a share of the sale.
Helly Hansen Workwear Oxford 4X Construction Pants Review
Front
Now before we continue with this review, lets get one thing straight, I’m not a professional reviewer nor do I claim to be. Most of the stuff I review are power tools. I myself don’t work in the trades but I have some past experience in construction. I’m also not an expert on clothing so if you’re expecting a detailed analysis of these pants, you’ve come to the wrong place. I’m also not fluent in high end clothing so keep that in mind. I will however do my best to review these based on my limited point of view.
These pants come in a variety of colorways and I opted for the 989 Ebony/Black version. This model is primarily dark gray with black panels and a few highlighter green accents to make them both fun and give them a splash of hi-vis. Though not enough to qualify as hi-vis clothing as they’re not meant for that.
These pants are for the construction trades with durability, storage, and fit in mind. You can tell because a lot of thought went into their design and construction.
These Oxford 4X pants also come in two versions. A “Work” version and a “Construction” version. Both are very similar with the main difference being the attached storage pouches that hang from both sides just below the belt loops.
Storage Pouches
As you can see in the pics, I have the “Construction” version of the Oxford 4X pant and they have the storage pouches on each side. One thing to note is that these are built in and are not removable.
Above is a closer look at the hanging storage pouch (right side). Both are very similar on each side with a large upper pocket and lower pocket section that’s divided by stitching. The right side’s lower pocket has three divisions while the left side has two. There’s also a strap that’s stitched onto the lower pocket exterior and provides three loops to hang tools from.
These storage pouches remind me of a tool belt but instead are built in. Being built in has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Built in helps because it’s always there and you don’t have to remember to put on a tool belt. They also provide additional storage for extra tools to have within reach. This helps free up the hands for the task at hand and lessen the amount of bags you need to carry around. Also perfect for carrying small parts like nails and screws.
Continued
The disadvantages are that when not needed they do add bulk and can’t be removed. They also add heat as you’re moving around. I suppose this can be both good when it’s cold and bad when it’s already hot.
The storage pouches are made up of durable yet lightweight canvas type material. Two layers are a bit stiffer, while the bottom outer is of a similar thickness but softer. The straps material is similar to seatbelt fabric but more textured.
Above is a picture to show the storage pouch flaps pulled up to expose the hand pockets.
Access to the hand pockets is within reach once you move the side pouches to the side. Can get a bit awkward, especially if the storage pouches are loaded with tools.
Upper Leg Storage
And below the storage pouches are more built in pockets on the side of the upper leg. Above we can see the right side additional pocket storage. The top opening features a pocket that runs the length of the pouch, this I believe is the ruler pocket as it can hold long objects. With a smaller outer pocket below and a strap loop for added hanging of tools. There’s also a button, though I’m not sure what this is for. I’m going to assume it’s a spare button for the one found above the fly zipper.
The left side storage below the pouch contains a cargo pans style pocket with velcro’d flap and two exterior pocket sections. Both built in leg storage have similar fabrics to the outer storage pouches with durable lightweight canvas style fabric. Only the right side black section has stiffer canvas material while everything else is noticeably softer but about the same thickness.
Features Continued:
Helly Hansen says these pants feature reflective details. The only reflective detail I could find was just the logo shown above. The green accent pieces aren’t a reflective material though are bright and easy to spot. I wouldn’t buy these if I needed hi-visibility but then again, these pants don’t claim to be high visibility.
The rear has a cool looking wide belt loop made up of a flexy plastic style material and bright high lighter green color.
Knee Section
A lot of attention and design went into the knee sections. The front knee sections feature that stiffer durable canvas-like fabric. Makes sense to sturdy up the knee fabric. Though the knee fabric doesn’t stretch, it articulates rather well. That section of fabric is over sized to allow room for movement and articulation.
On the sides of the knee section is a compartment with zipper.
This is so you can add optional knee pad inserts.
This is the first time I’ve tried out pants with knee pad inserts and it’s awesome! Loved that you could have built in knee protection without fussing with regular knee pads. I personally dislike the discomfort you get from knee pad straps digging into the back of your knee. You don’t have to worry about that with these pants as there are no straps to beat up the back of your knee.
One thing to keep in mind, is that these pants don’t come with knee pad inserts. These must be purchased separately.
And here’s what the pants look like with the knee pad inserts installed above.
Rear Pockets
Above we see the rear butt pockets. These feature their lightweight stretchy fabric. Though I’m sure this stretch soft fabric can withstand some jobsite abuse, it’s not the same tough canvas like material found on the other pockets. I’d play it safe with my wallet and some paperwork. The interesting design of these pockets is that the bottom extends and flaps outward. A different but interesting design.
Leg Extensions
The bottom of the pants are shown above. This section also houses another feature in which they added extra material so you have the option to extend the leg length by 5 centimeters. You do this by removing the stitching holding it in place.
Final Thoughts, Positives
So what are my overall thoughts? I like them and most notably liked the use of mixed fabrics throughout. They used tough fabrics to reinforce critical areas that are subject to more wear like the knee area, tool storage pockets, etc. Yet they used comfortable stretchy and soft fabric everywhere else. The stretchy fabric made these very comfortable to wear and move around in. And even though the knees use stiff tough fabric, they are designed to articulate well and I can confirm with my experience with them.
They are feature rich with tons of storage. If you use tool belts often, these pants are for you. If you work on your knees occasionally, these pants are for you. However I say occasionally because if you work on your knees a lot for instance a flooring installer, then it would make more sense to use dedicated knee pads. For improved comfort and durability of course.
Negatives
What about the negatives? My experience with these pants is mostly positive. However there are some niggles – all minor and of personal taste. I live in sunny and hot southern California. Most of the year we deal with weather in the 90’s (F). With Summer frequently seeing triple digit weather (F). I did get a bit hot with these pants during the heat, especially around the storage pouch pockets and also around the knee area (to a lessor extent since they have extra material to hold the inserts). But then again, I’m used to wearing shorts most of the time.
The storage pouches are great but I would like to see an option to remove them when not needed.
I would like to see more reflective accents on these for night time safety.
The knee pad insert zippers felt a bit stiff.
Continued
Also, these pant’s care instructions say not to tumble dry. I don’t know about you but I’m not a fan of hanging clothes and prefer to dry my clothes in a dryer. After washing these pants, I did throw them in a tumble dryer and they survived thus far, so that’s good.
I noticed that some of the reflective material on the Helly Hansen logo section is starting to peel and come off. Not a big deal as reflective material has a habit of peeling off on all my other clothing.
What about the fit? I ordered the size 32/30 and the fit was spot on. I’m short so the pants legs were long but that’s a me problem. I have a hard time finding pants that aren’t too long and most of my pants need to be tailored anyway. Again this is a me problem though I personally would like to see Helly Hansen pants options for the short crowd by having lengths less than 30, like 28 and 29 for example. But most clothing brands neglect these sizes anyway so it’s just a way of life for us short folks. The waist fits me good which is what matters more for me as the length can always be tailored, but again would be nice if there were options for us that are height challenged.
Summary
As a summary, these are a great pair of construction pants. I enjoyed how comfortable they were thanks to the stretchy and articulated sections. They offer a mix of fabric that’s comfortable where you need it, and durable where it matters. Tons of onboard tool storage (what’s a tool belt?) and has the added functionality of knee pad inserts (get your own). Not for Southern California summer heat and don’t tumble dry.
These have an MSRP of $140 USD and $170 CAD, though I found them for significantly less at the time of writing.
Free 2 day shipping – Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
DISCLOSURE:
Tool Craze does not sell this product or any product on the Tool Craze website. We do not handle the sale of any item in any way. Please refer to the About section for more info.
You may also like:
Milwaukee Expands Hand Tool Lineup with New Multi Bit Screwdriver
Ryobi Introduces Several New Storage Products Including Stowaway Wall Mounted Workbench
Leave a Comment