PRODUCT REVIEW: Ben Davis Heavyweight Hooded Sweatshirts

Short story: Great product. Features a heavyweight, cotton-rich fabric, roomy fit, good details in the cuffs, pocket, and hood. Definitely worth the money.

Long Story: Ben Davis has been known for creating quality clothing for over 80 years. And in the last few weeks, they have added another home run to their collection: the Ben Davis heavyweight hooded sweatshirt. There are some things that seem so basic (like a hoodie) and so ubiquitous that you can find them anywhere from anyone, but we think that Ben Davis did a really good job on this one. The first thing that you notice when you pick it up is the weight of the actual garment. It is made of 12-ounce, 80/20 cotton & poly. Due to the high cotton content, it feels heavy in your hand, but not too heavy when you are wearing it. We think that the high cotton content helps it keep its shape and lets it hang really nicely when you have it on. The other features that we noticed are the quality of the rib-knit cuffs and bottom, and the oversized kangaroo pocket, which all factor into making this a really great sweatshirt.

When it comes to sizing, we feel that Ben Davis stuck to their workwear roots and cut the fabric on the larger side. I wear an XL in just about all of my “regular fit” tees and sweats, but the Ben Davis XL was definitely roomy in the body and the shoulders. Even after a full washing and drying, there was some shrinkage, but not a huge amount. One other thing that you notice is that above the seam, around the neck, there is an extra inch of stitched fabric. It does make the opening of the neck a little small, but once you have the sweatshirt on, that extra inch of fabric provides good coverage of your neck.  

Overall, this is a great sweatshirt that blends the comfort and feel of an everyday cotton hoodie with heavier-duty work aspect that you can use on the job. We are glad to have added it to our growing assortment of Ben Davis products, and we hope that you get your hands on one soon to test it out for yourself.

Adam, Dave's New York

PS: Do you own any Ben Davis products? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!