# Chef jackets



## rdm_magic

I'm looking for some new chef jackets. I want to get about 7 of them matching, but I'm not sure what to get. What do you guys wear, or what can you endorse/recommend against getting?


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## stevenStefano

I wear these Le Chef jackets. They're pricey but they're very good quality and I only buy Le Chef jackets, my last ones lasted about 2 years which is much longer than any other brand I've tried. I only have 2 sets of clothes and wash them all the time. A while ago I looked at Clement Design/ from France, their jackets look amazing but they told me to go through their UK reseller and to be honest he sounded like a total chancer and I decided against it


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## CoqaVin

Kng.com


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## rdm_magic

Those le chef ones look pretty good. I've been looking at the chef works ones along with Bragard and Oliver Harvey ones. Does anyone who uses Egyptian cotton ones know how they compare to poly cotton blends?


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## ecchef

I've used Chef Wear & Chef Revival jackets for everyday use and they've lasted me for years, even with commercial laundering.


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## labor of love

maybe its just my build, but all the chef wear jackets ive owned have fit real tight in the shoulder area. but usually i only buy the cheapo 3star line. maybe the 4star and 5star lines have more comfortable cuts.


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## ChuckTheButcher

I wear the cheap single breasted, shorted sleeved "dish washer" jackets from chef wear. They are way cheaper and more comfortable then the double breasted chefs jackets. What ever you get I would suggest getting a high cotton content.


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## stevenStefano

I think with a lot of jackets, the more expensive ones are fancier material with better stitching and all that but it makes them kinda heavy and I hate that


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## marc4pt0

I get the Egyptian cotton from both Chef Works and Bragard. Bragard uses extra long stand Egyptian cotton which is finer than CW's. Now it seems that CW has changed some of their Egyptian cotton to "Premium" cotton which I'm a little unclear on.
Chef Works changed their sizing a couple years back and they fit a lot better. Bragard is more tailored fitting and a little more finer in details, but chef works is catching up (EHCR).
I prefer the Egyptian cotton because it feels and breaths so much better than regular cotton or poly. Poly is much more stain resistant than the others though, but requires more time to "break in" to get it feeling more comfortable.
I justify spending the extra $$ for the nicer jackets knowing I'm still spending far less then if I were buying suits for work. And again, spend these kind of hours in hot kitchens it's well worth the extra comfort. IMHO


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## labor of love

ChuckTheButcher said:


> I wear the cheap single breasted, shorted sleeved "dish washer" jackets from chef wear. They are way cheaper and more comfortable then the double breasted chefs jackets. What ever you get I would suggest getting a high cotton content.


i have the same button up cook shirts but from chefworks. i love them. theyre super roomy, they have a nice "clean" look plus theyre very inexpensive. they feel more breatheable than traditional chef coats.my local restaurant supply store carries a regular version for only $8.50 and the same but with a ventilated back for $11.00. great deals.


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## Chefget

I'll second Chefworks, they fit me much better than Chefwear (though I like Chefwear pants better...), reasonably priced. I use the 100% cotton (poly is unnecessary torture), cloth buttons, and a button on the inside to keep the flap up. I've worn this particular jacket for about 15 years (they were being shipped from Australia then!)

http://www.chefworks.com/?page=shop...allcoats&PHPSESSID=cko5els5n86tk46c5ept214la6

I received a free 'Premium cotton' coat a while back (due to a slight shipping delay)...save it as a DR coat...it's really nice!

Great customer service from Chefworks also

-Michael


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## stevenStefano

Is it worth getting a 100% cotton jacket over a lighter one with Coolmax panels? I am also curious about 100% cotton jackets now


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## ohbewon

Short sleeve Chef Works with the mesh back. They're about $18.90 at restaurant depot. They're light, don't wrinkle, and they breathe well on the line.


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## Dusty

The best jacket I've ever owned was an Egyptian cotton jacket from Bragard, perfect cut and fit, breathes well, looks darty. It was probably expensive though, I can't remember the details (I may have repressed the memory).


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## jgraeff

Chef works is the best I've bought for jackets- high quality and last a while. 

I use to buy chef wear but the quality control drives me nuts, I only wear medium, I have 10 pairs of ultimate pants that all fit differently... I prefer the cargo ones and found they are consistent. Jacket qc is just as bad had the same 80$ coat returned 3 times before giving up. 

I have signature jackets from chef works vas there amazing. Run a tad big so I order a small and fit perfectly. 

I have used happy chef and some are great some are not - hit or miss. 

Will try some mentioned here as I'm looking for some need clothes as well, curry just ruins them all..


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## Gravy Power

You guys ever worked in a kitchen where you can go jacket off? Love those kitchens :lol2:


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## labor of love

+1 to chef wear pants. i just purchased two pairs of their traditional pants. they fit entirely different. but, i feel i have more room in the crotch and thigh areas so i can comfortably bend down with my knees the whole shift.


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## panda

trying to find a balance. want light weight material with a vented back (cheap stuff) but with a tailored cut fit that only the premium ones have. i don't like the heavy material that premium jackets use but they fit so much better. why cant i have comfortable material AND a nice fit?


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## labor of love

why doesnt Under Armour just make chef coats?


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## Miles

I'd much prefer a simple lightweight cook shirt, but I have to wear a "proper" coat. What I've found which best fits the bill is the vented back short sleeve double breasted coats from Uncommon Threads. The ones I wear have cloth covered buttons. The fabric is much lighter weight and they breathe a lot better than some of the heavier coats I've worn in the past, so I'm a lot more comfortable and happier. I've had mine for at least two to three years and they're hanging in there which isn't bad considering their fairly modest price. I haven't priced them recently, but they cost around $25 each. I generally presoak them in a highly concentrated oxy-bleach solution overnight or longer before laundering. I rinse starch into them in the rinse cycle and then iron. So far, I've been pretty satisfied with them.

http://www.uncommonthreadsstore.com/ARUBA-CHEF-COAT.18179.1496.1.htm?UMParent=0


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## labor of love

yep. i got 2 uncommon thread short sleeve chef coats w vented backs. theyre nice all around. mine were only $21.99 locally. one of my favorite features of that line is that there is plenty of neck room, so you can button your coat all the way up and still have a good amount of room around the neck area.


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## Miles

I didn't even think of that. You're right about the neck room. Very comfortable. I tried a couple of the tunic style vented back coats as well. Very roomy and comfortable to move in, but the fabric is quite heavy compared to the very light fabric they use in the vented back double breast coats so they're a lot warmer and not as comfortable from that standpoint.


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## marc4pt0

labor of love said:


> why doesnt Under Armour just make chef coats?



A guy who used to work for me, his fiancee worked at Under Armour. She used to drop this in the idea box all the time. He even mentioned it to the big wigs at their holiday party I believe.


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## Nmko

I use Prochef single breasted high cotton black snap clip jackets... got so sick of losing buttons and wearing heavy starched out ugly jackets... and in terms of neck room i just leave the last clip undone.


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## labor of love

I want to bump this thread.... Can anybody suggest a good breathable coat for under $40? Its insanely hot here in our Louisiana kitchens this time of the year and we also seem to have nonstop AC issues. Right now half of my coats are just too thick which has left me with a small rotation of cook shirts. In the past Ive used Chef Wear 3 star and 4 star coats, regular Uncommon Threads, 5 star fundamentals and Chef Works coats and theyre all too thick for my tastes.


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## CoqaVin

labor of love said:


> I want to bump this thread.... Can anybody suggest a good breathable coat for under $40? Its insanely hot here in our Louisiana kitchens this time of the year and we also seem to have nonstop AC issues. Right now half of my coats are just too thick which has left me with a small rotation of cook shirts. In the past Ive used Chef Wear 3 star and 4 star coats, regular Uncommon Threads, 5 star fundamentals and Chef Works coats and theyre all too thick for my tastes.



try happy chef's cook cool coats, they work good for me, with a under armour shirt underneath


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## labor of love

CoqaVin said:


> try happy chef's cook cool coats, they work good for me, with a under armour shirt underneath



thanks. I checked them out. So some cook cool coats are poly/cotton while others are 100% cotton, but all of the coats are described as having "fabric insets to wick away moisture". What is a fabric inset? They do look lightweight, the material appears to be thin and breathable which is all i really need so Ill probably get a couple of the more traditional looking short sleeves coats.


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## CoqaVin

I don't know what that means, I just know they are good because they are a lot thinner than your traditional coat


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## labor of love

great. thanks again for the recommendation.


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## kielasaurus

Anyone else use Culinaryclassics? Made in the US, can be completely custom. Have been really happy with the fit of the pants, and most jackets from them. One jacket was a little big though.


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## CoqaVin

never used them man, sorry, they look cool, but a little pricey, I guess b/c they are custom, I woudn't wear one like that working the line like a maniac


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## labor of love

CoqaVin said:


> never used them man, sorry, they look cool, but a little pricey, I guess b/c they are custom, I woudn't wear one like that working the line like a maniac



actually their line of non custom coats are very affordable. https://www.culinaryclassics.com/standard-chef-coats.htm


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## CoqaVin

didn't dig that deep on the website good find, a lot of different choices, I wonder how they are, what is a new Orleans coat?


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## ThEoRy

Currently wearing Bragard Magic Jackets in black. It's extremely light, vented, very mesh like and has magnetic buttons ftw!

[video=youtube;aOZJu9Km_o8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOZJu9Km_o8[/video]


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## CoqaVin

ThEoRy said:


> Currently wearing Bragard Magic Jackets in black. It's extremely light, vented, very mesh like and has magnetic buttons ftw!
> 
> [video=youtube;aOZJu9Km_o8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOZJu9Km_o8[/video]


 100 bucks?


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## ThEoRy

CoqaVin said:


> 100 bucks?



It's like $80 but my employers paid for 8 of them.


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## labor of love

I need to find employers with deeper pockets :idea2:


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## CoqaVin

labor of love said:


> I need to find employers with deeper pockets :idea2:



yea, I just need to find someone that cares enough about that kinda stuff, and will actually spend the money on stuff like this


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## panda

too bad under armour or nike/adidas doesnt make chef coats, i want the entire thing made of that breathable mesh material.


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## ThEoRy

That's what mine basically are. You can kind of see through the material. Not full on mesh but that would be dangerous anyway I feel.


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## panda

yeah but it's freaking $80!! 
i wear bragard also, but were a gift. there's no way i'd pay more than $30 for one.

this one looks promising 
http://www.happychefuniforms.com/800-347-0288/order.cfm?ProductID=4490


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## CoqaVin

panda said:


> yeah but it's freaking $80!!
> i wear bragard also, but were a gift. there's no way i'd pay more than $30 for one.
> 
> this one looks promising
> http://www.happychefuniforms.com/800-347-0288/order.cfm?ProductID=4490



they have it in short sleeves as well, if that is your thing


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