My nearly perfect wife has been known to classify me as picky. I would prefer to use the adjectives of discerning or particular. And when it came to finding the perfect shop apron to suite my particular and discerning needs and requirements, it was not an easy search. Had I just gone straight to Brownells, it would have saved me time and money as they make what I consider to be the perfect shop apron.
When I searched for the perfect apron my requirements were as follows; I wanted the apron to be long enough to go to my knee or just below as to cover my thighs while in a seated position; I wanted a very durable material which would protect but still needed to be washable; I wanted usable and well placed pockets; And most importantly to me since I suffer from neck injuries is I wanted the apron to hang from my shoulders and NOT my neck. I can tell you right now, the list of aprons out there which meet all of these requirement has to be a very short one.
I began my search as most do through a duckduckgo search. Most of the quality aprons I found were on sites similar to Etsy. There appeared to be some very nice aprons out there with some very common themes; A nice leather strap around the neck (would not pass my criteria) and a waxed canvas which although I am sure it nice, it was not easily washable. And my other complaint about the majority of the aprons I was finding, was it looked like I needed either a "man bun" on one side of the spectrum or I needed a "brodozer" on the opposite end. So either "Hipster", "kiss the chef" or cheesy camouflage aprons.
After basically giving up on finding what I was looking for I saw a friend from Instagram recommend an apron made by a company called Kitanica. At the time it got closer to any other apron I had seen. It wasn't waxed, was manufactured in the usa and appeared to be well made. After receiving it I really was not satisfied with a few things. The apron cost $65 ($78 after tax and shipping) so it was expensive (They are now listed at $95!! Maybe I should sell mine), it looped around the neck which really bothered me, and it was too short for my liking.
(Its dirty because this became my BBQ apron)
Here is the Kitanica apron.
The first thing I did was ask my wife to hack up the straps and modify them to cross over my shoulders as I couldn't stand having the strap wrap around my neck. This made it kind of tricky to put on as it was now sewed this way in an X pattern.
I am 6'1" and weigh about 160 pounds and this is where the Kitanica sits and how it fits.
Well all this has led up to what you came here for, THE BROWNELLS SHOP APRON!
To quote the Brownells Website:
"Made from the best grade, tightly woven, 2-ply yarn, all-cotton duck—the same stuff they make top quality, insulated coveralls from. Solvent- and oil-proof nylon thread used throughout. Everything heavily reinforced with seams rolled, double stitched and finished, all corners and stress points bar-tacked for strength. Machine washes and dries without edges curling or losing shape. Covers from shoulders to below the knees to keep dirt /crud off your clothes. Three pockets: a centered upper one with a sewn-in pencil slot and large lower ones on the left and right sides."
As you can see, the long version of this apron fits perfectly and falls just below my knee.
On the "O" ring version of the apron it has a nice loop sewn which aids in putting the apron on.
The apron has nice sized "O" rings on both the left and right side.
There is a nicely embroidered Brownells logo at the top of the apron and just below the logo is two small pockets.
Down on the thigh area of the apron is two larger pockets.
To put the apron on you put the loop portion over your head;
You take the straps and grab them from behind your back.
You then feed the straps through the "O" ring on each side.
You then pull down to get your desired apron height on your chest.
And lastly you tie the straps behind your back.
I LOVE this apron. It literally checks all of my boxes. It goes over the shoulders and fits superbly making it very comfortable if you need to wear it for long periods of time. The fabric is durable and comfortable. The length is perfect for me as it protects my legs while sitting, and to top it all off, I think it looks pretty dang good too! And to get all of this at less than $40 is an outstanding bargain! When I purchased this, I couldn't find any pictures or videos of the long version, and there was also no pictures or videos of how the "O" ring version worked, so I hope this helped some of you in some way. If nothing else, I hope I helped you find the perfect apron as I did.
If you want to buy this Brownells Apron you can find it at the link below;
I made a YouTube review of this apron and if you prefer to watch the video instead of read this review, you can find the video at the link below;
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