Are you a chainsaw owner or user that puts safety at the forefront every time you use one?
Then you know just how important it is to have the right safety equipment when using a chainsaw. Thick gloves, chainsaw boots and safety goggles are essential pieces of equipment any time you are sawing up wood with a chainsaw. One important piece of equipment that many chainsaw users often overlook is chaps.
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The best chainsaw chaps can help protect your legs and upper thighs from flying wood chips, saw nicks and the occasional bumps from logs that go along with using a chainsaw.
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**Below, you'll find more detailed reviews, but you can also click links above to check current prices and read customer's reviews on Amazon.
There is absolutely no doubt about it, chainsaws are one of the most powerful tools you will ever use. They are also among the most dangerous power tools to operate also.
Chainsaws feature powerful gas motors that turn their cutting chains at several hundred revolutions per minute. These chains also feature razor sharp cutting teeth on them. Even the slightest nick in an unprotected area can cause a severe laceration or worse.
Chainsaw chaps are not armored pieces of pants that are cumbersome like many people think. They are actually fairly comfortable to wear. It is a protective piece of equipment that provides you protection in two ways.
The outer layers on chainsaw chaps are made using slippery material. This is to give a chainsaw less opportunity to grab hold of the fiber in the material and dig in and start cutting toward your flesh. It will help to repel a slight nick by a chainsaw.
If the hit to your leg with a chainsaw blade is strong enough to start digging into the material that is when a pair of chainsaw chaps uses its second line of defense. This is strong ballistic fibers (usually made of Kevlar) that are woven into the pants.
Their purpose is twofold. They can help to repel the chainsaw cutting blades and once unraveled they will also quickly jam up the chainsaws sprocket so the chain will stop spinning.
This video will show you exactly why you should wear chainsaw chaps to protect your legs when using a chainsaw:
They are an excellent piece of safety equipment when you are out in the field sawing up logs or trees. It is an article of protective clothing that is highly recommended to be worn by both professional and amateur chainsaw users.
Chainsaw chaps are only designed to cover the front and side parts of your legs. This makes them more comfortable to wear than their cousins the full chainsaw pant. They are also very easy to put on and take off too. Most of the time chainsaw chaps are held in place by securing them on you with a series of buckles and straps.
Here is a demonstration video that shows how to put your chainsaw chaps on correctly.
It is very critical that they are put on right and fastened securely. If you don’t put them on correctly they may not protect you like they were designed to.
Surprisingly there are a lot of different types and quality of chainsaw chaps in the protective gear marketplace. As with any product you will find some that are of high quality and some that maybe are not as good of quality as you would have liked.
You certainly want to get a pair of protective chainsaw chaps that will help keep your legs as safe as possible from chainsaw accidents.
Here are some of the key characteristics of chainsaw chaps that you need to pay close attention to when buying a pair of these chainsaw protective clothing:
Just like there are different model chainsaws there are chainsaw chaps that offer different levels of protection too. As a general rule the bigger and more powerful the chainsaw is that you are using, the more protection you will need from your chainsaw chaps.
Look for a pair of protective chaps that meet OSHA, ASTM or other reputable governing body safety requirements. These are not easy certifications to get and they will give you confidence that your chainsaw chaps will do their job if necessary.
Many chainsaw chaps are designed to fit all different sizes of users. Since they are not the same as a full set of pants they are usually made to be somewhat adjustable. With that being said you still want to get a pair that fits fairly well before you start adjusting them.
You want the adjustments on a pair of chainsaw chaps to fine tune the fit not be what makes them fit. The more adjustable the buckles and straps are on a pair of chainsaw chaps the better.
The best chainsaw chaps are made of lightweight and flexible material. This makes them as comfortable as possible when wearing them so you can work easily for long periods of time. You want your chainsaw chaps to be as unrestrictive as possible when you are running a chainsaw.
Running a chainsaw is hard work that usually requires you to take frequent breaks to regain your strength and concentration. If your break is long enough you will probably want to get out of your chaps for a little bit.
That is why it is great if you have a pair of chainsaw chaps that you can get in and out of easily. These will have quick release snaps and other features that will allow you to do this.
Here are some very good model chainsaw chaps that you should really consider buying if you are in the market for a new pair:
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These are really among the finest quality protective chainsaw chaps that you can buy. They have an excellent reputation among those who work professionally in the logging industry. Labonville was one of the first companies to widely distribute chainsaw chaps and their experience really shows in with the quality of these chaps.
They easily meet all the latest safety standards including those set by OSHA and they are considered to be a UL Class A fully certified product. A pair of chaps has to meet some pretty lofty safety standards to be able to meet these types of requirements.
They are a fully adjustable pair of protective chaps also. If you follow Labonville’s sizing guide you will be in good shape and receive a pair of chaps that can be fine-tuned for a custom fit. These are not the most stylish pair of chainsaw chaps but you can’t beat them when it comes to safety.
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Stihl is not only one of the biggest chainsaw manufacturers in the world but they are also one of the biggest producers of safety equipment for them too. It is a company that has an excellent reputation for quality and these protective chainsaw chaps certainly do nothing to hurt that reputation. Every aspect about them is well-designed to help keep you safe when operating a chainsaw.
This is a very rugged pair of protective chaps that are so durable that they can even be used by professional loggers. They cover a large area of your leg and have several different adjustments you can make on them to get them to fit right. Their Kevlar protective material does a great job of helping to prevent serious chainsaw accidents.
These chainsaw chaps have a handy deep cargo pocket built into them and they have a little style to them also. You will look good and even more importantly be well protected when wearing them.
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You are probably starting to see that you have some excellent choices in the types of chainsaw chaps that are available for purchase. Here is another quality pair that is made by the reputable protective clothing manufacturer Elvex. If you ever work with chainsaws this is the type of protective chap you want to help keep you safe.
These offer excellent fit and protection for those chainsaw users that wear them. The ballistic threaded material in them has been proven effective time and time again to help lessen the severity of chainsaw accidents.
This pair of chaps is also very lightweight and durable. They can be worn by both amateur and professional chainsaw users equally as well. It is a pair of chaps that features a convenient front zippered pocket and meets all APA Class A safety standards too.
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Husqvarna is another big chainsaw manufacturer that also does a good job making protective clothing to use with them. This is an impressive pair of chaps that offer great protection should your chainsaw come into contact with them.
The cut retardant material in them is designed to pull apart when a chainsaw chain hits them and immediately jam the sprocket to shut it down. These pants have been proven effective out in the field many times.
They are a stylish type of chainsaw chap too that can be fully adjusted to fit you properly when wearing them. These can be worn by novice or professional chainsaw users.
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Forester makes excellent safety gear for wearing when working with chainsaws and these chaps offer great protection. They are made of a cut resistant material that is both light in weight and durable.
They are constructed using tough Kevlar fiber that is designed to jam a chainsaw and stop its blades when it comes into contact with these chaps. These model champs meet all OSHA and ASTM requirements for safety. They are your best defense to help minimize leg injuries when using a chainsaw.
These chainsaw chaps from Forrester are a little different fit wise than some of the other chainsaw chaps we reviewed. They do not go all the way down to the boot and they are a little bit looser and more comfortable fitting. They also can be purchased in one of several different colors.
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In all fairness these are all very safe and well-made chainsaw chap products. Any one will help protect your legs when you are using a chainsaw.
There was one pair of chainsaw chaps that we really felt stood out above the rest though. Those chaps were the Labonville Full-Wrap Chainsaw Safety Chaps.
Not only do they offer you superior chainsaw protection when wearing them, but they also have a good adjustable fit to them and they cover a very large portion of both legs. These chainsaw chaps even look good when they are on you. So we highly recommend you strongly consider this model chainsaw chaps when you are looking to buy a new ones.
Hello, I’m Laura Bennett. I love nature especially when it comes to flowers and different kinds of plants. I started a very small garden behind my house and I named it Humid Garden. So, I created this blog to provide aspiring and inspiring thoughts about gardening for gardeners and anyone who has the intention of keeping a garden.