Milwaukee is gearing up to launch quite a few new personal safety products, including disposable respirators, safety glasses, hard hats, hi-viz vests with oodles of pockets, hearing protection, and new impact-resistant and cut-resistant gloves.
There are very many brands and styles of safety gear on the market, but Milwaukee boldly believes they can do it better. They say:
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Milwaukee intends to disrupt the personal safety market with solutions designed for the challenges users face and offer new features they’ve demanded for years.
For hard hats, that means a new BOLT attachment system for accessories.
For safety glasses, Milwaukee is equipping their top model with fog-free military-impact lenses and a removeable gasket.
The new Milwaukee respirators are said to offer increases comfort and fit, with soft adjustable straps. The valved respirator has a tight-sealing gasket for even better fitment.
New hearing protection products include ear plugs and reusable corded ear plugs. that offer “all day comfort.”
Milwaukee is also expanding their work gloves with new impact demolition gloves with enhanced palm and rear fingertip protection, hi-viz polyurethane-dipped cut-resistant gloves in ANSI cut levels 2, 3, 4, and a new goatskin leather glove with reinforced palm.
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Full List of New Milwaukee PPE Products
Except where noted differently, all of these new products are launching in October 2019.
Milwaukee Hard Hats
- Vented Hard Hat – Type 1, Class C
- Front Brim 48-73-1000—$19.99
- Front Brim (Small Logo) 48-73-1001—$19.99
- Full Brim 48-73-1010—$24.99
- Full Brim (Small Logo) 48-73-1011—$24.99
- Hard Hat – Type 1, Class E
- Front Brim 48-73-1020—$19.99
- Front Brim (Small Logo) 48-73-1021—$19.99
- Full Brim 48-73-1030—$24.99
- Full Brim (Small Logo) 48-73-1031—$24.99
Milwaukee Safety Glasses
- Safety Glasses ($9.99)
- Clear 48-73-2000
- Tinted 48-73-2005
- High Performance Safety Glasses ($19.99)
- Clear 48-73-2020
- Tinted 48-73-2025
- High Performance Safety Glasses with Gasket
- Clear 48-73-2040—$29.99
- Polarized 48-73-2045—$39.99
Milwaukee High Visibility Safety Vests
- High Visibility Yellow Safety Vest ($19.99)
- S/M 48-73-5021
- L/XL 48-73-5022
- XXL/XXXL 48-73-5023
- High Visibility Orange Safety Vest ($19.99)
- S/M 48-73-5031
- L/XL 48-73-5032
- XXL/XXXL 48-73-5033
- High Visibility Yellow Performance Safety Vest ($39.99)
- S/M 48-73-5041
- L/XL 48-73-5042
- XXL/XXXL 48-73-5043
- High Visibility Orange Performance Safety Vest ($39.99)
- S/M 48-73-5051
- L/XL 48-73-5052
- XXL/XXXL 48-73-5053
Milwaukee Disposable Respirators
- N95 Valved Respirator 48-73-4011—$3.99
- N95 Valved Respirator with Gasket 48-73-4001—$5.99
Milwaukee Hearing Protection
- Foam Ear Plugs (10 Pairs) 48-73-3001—$3.99
- Foam Ear Plugs (100 Pairs) 48-73-3005—$19.99
- Reusable Corded Ear Plugs (3 Pairs) 48-73-3151—$5.49
Milwaukee Work Gloves Expansion
- High Visibility Cut Level 2 Polyurethane Dipped ($7.99)
- S: 48-73-8920
- M: 48-73-8921
- L: 48-73-8922
- XL: 48-73-8923
- XXL: 48-73-8924
- High Visibility Cut Level 3 Polyurethane Dipped ($8.90)
- S: 48-73-8930
- M: 48-73-8931
- L: 48-73-8932
- XL: 48-73-8933
- XXL: 48-73-8934
- High Visibility Cut Level 4 Polyurethane Dipped ($10.99)
- S: 48-73-8940
- M: 48-73-8941
- L: 48-73-8942
- XL: 48-73-8943
- XXL: 48-73-8944
- Goatskin Leather Gloves ($19.99)
- S: 48-73-0010
- M: 48-73-0011
- L: 48-73-0012
- XL: 48-73-0013
- XXL: 48-73-0014
- Impact Demolition Gloves ($29.99) – Available Now
- S: 48-22-8750
- M: 48-22-8751
- L: 48-22-8752
- XL: 48-22-8753
- XXL: 48-22-8754
Tool Lanyards
- 10lb. 6’ Extended Reach Locking Tool Lanyard 48-22-8812—$27.99
- 15lb. Extended Reach Locking Tool Lanyard 48-22-8816—$28.99
- 15lb. 6’ Extended Reach Locking Tool Lanyard 48-22-8817—$32.99
Discussion
We were introduced to the new Milwaukee safety gear at NPS19, and I’m interested in taking a closer look at some of the new products in the months to come.
There is one big question I cannot answer yet: Can Milwaukee offer better PPE products their first time around compared to very experienced high-volume brands such as 3M?
For disposable respirators, I buy 3M’s vented masks that are packaged in a folded and space-saving design. Will Milwaukee’s really fit me any better?
Can Milwaukee make better-fitting or more comfortable earplugs than Howard Leight, 3M, Peltor (a 3M brand), or Radians?
This all remains to be seen. I’ve taken somewhat of a liking to Milwaukee work gloves, and bought a pair of insulated cut-resistant gloves last week. I must not be the only one, because they’re expanding the line even further, something they probably wouldn’t do if their gloves were not selling well.
Milwaukee’s strong Home Depot partnership will likely help make these tools highly successful. When I want specific personal safety gear, I often have to order it online, from Amazon or industrial suppliers. If Milwaukee’s respirators or hearing protection compare well against my current favored products, Home Depot availability is going to be a big bonus.
I do wish Milwaukee would come out with safety goggles, since I can’t exactly fit close-fitting safety glasses over my prescription glasses. Maybe we’ll see safety goggles in their next PPE product expansion next year.
Which of these new Milwaukee safety products would you want to learn more about? Do you plan to try any of them?
schill
I’d definitely be interested in the vests (pockets look good) but I don’t see any mention of them being flame resistant so that would rule them out for most of the places I need to use one.
Kilroy
For dust masks, I’m not a fan of the cheap disposable foam ones at all. It’s always a big challenge to get a decent fit on those, and they fog up my glasses like crazy… For my face at least, I consider them little better than a placebo.
I swear by my GVS Elipse dust mask. P100 filters (replacements available at $12, but with a bit of vacuuming the filters last a LONG time, and don’t provide much resistance during breathing), comfortable enough to wear all day, lower face only with minimal bulk (works with safety glasses), made in the UK, and $25 shipped.
My only real complaint with the GVS Elipse is that the moisture that builds up in them tends to drip down my chin and onto my smock or workpiece, but that’s fixed easily enough by wiping them out once or twice an hour with a dry rag or paper towel, and to me the dripping serves as a reminder that it’s time to take a quick break and make sure that I’m still being as safe as I can with my power tools.
The What?
Impact demolition gloves? What does that mean? Can they stop a hammer blow? Are they made out of metal or hard plastic or something? What kind of impact are they resistant to? And those masks are just plain disposable dust masks. They are not respirators. They are merely filters with some elastic straps on the back. Big difference. Respirators are adjustable and are made out of rubber and hard plastic and have 2 filter cartridges and they aren’t disposable. What I don’t get is why Milwaukee has to encroach on 3m’s game and the other brands that have been making safety gear a whole lot longer than Milwaukee. If you ask me Milwaukee ain’t got no business in the safety gear market. Ain’t none of that shit worth any more than what Walmart sells it for. All they’re doing is copying what everyone else already did. There’s nothing innovative about Milwaukee safety gear. It just costs more than everyone else cuz of their brand name which doesn’t mean a gd thing. 4
Jared McBeth
Seems like you’re looking for something to be upset about.
– Many other companies sell impact gloves. If by stopping a hammer blow you mean place your finger down on an anvil and strike it like driving a nail – I expect you will be disappointed in any of the offerings on the market. However, if you slip while trying to loosen a tight bolt and bash your knuckles on something hard – a little protection can be a big help.
– 3M also calls their N95 dust masks “particulate respirators”.
Stuart
I’d expect for demo gloves to offer greater abrasion resistance and more padding for use with reciprocating saws.
These are NIOSH-approved N95 disposable respirators. You can call them dust masks if you’d like, but you’re wrong in saying that’s what they’re supposed to be called.
Here’s an image search for “disposable respirator”: https://www.google.com/search?q=disposable+respirator&tbm=isch
Lionel
Inclined to agree with Jared; either intentionally or unintentionally are looking for issues when none exist. TTI Industries knows there is a market for cheap safety gear and if this reads Milwaukee, there will always be individuals out there that will buy it merely for that fact.
Personally I am way too old to be worrying about how other people spend their money or how multi billion dollar corporations market their products. That is a lost war and one I gave up on a long time ago.
Just be glad there is still somewhat of a competitive free market left to choose from with products.
Scott K
Totally agree that the idea of more competition is a good thing for the market and consumers. If Milwaukee “encroaches” on 3M it will force them to reconsider their pricing or be more innovative. Adapt or die.
David F.
Interested in the multi-pocket Hi-Viz vest, the corded ear protection, the impact gloves, and the goat skin gloves. I commute on a motorcycle year round, and work around commercial sites. Will be checking them out for sure.
Frank D
Rebranded slightly modified 3M products?
At least when it comes to masks and plugs.
Maybe a small tweak, a different color and logo.
Corey Moore
I can’t see this going anywhere. Without any insulting intention, they’re simply out of their depth here, in my eyes. For starters, the bulk of ppe sales is done at a company level, by safety department or purchasers or what have you. Ground level fandom of Milwaukee isn’t going to help them as individuals don’t really purchase this kind of stuff for themselves, professionally. To boot, what we as a company buy and supply with, comes from vendors competing with each other to offer the best pitch/value to earn that company business. Fastenal, hex-armor, 3m, Sala, etc, all take turns presenting product to our work force, hoping to garner interest interest, but then contract numbers and commitment period actually decide behind closed doors. My point in rambling all this out, is that with no record, and presumably no ability to start out the gate as the ppe equivalent of harbor freight in pricing (they seem to be shooting for high quality, which isn’t the typical mass purchase option anyway), I just sincerely can’t see this going anywhere for them. I’m sure a bunch of individual team red patrons will outfit themselves, but becoming a legitimate supplier in the industries doesn’t seem feasible.
MattF
While they may not initially take a big share of the large commercial job market, based on my experience there is plenty of money to be made from the small to medium crews that don’t have purchasing departments. There is enough money to made alone from the foreman who swing by Home Depot the morning of an on-site safety inspection and fill up a box to make their crew safe for that day. Happens all the time on the couple million and under suburban commercial field.
Corey Moore
I agree, but I just don’t see them undercutting the regular prices those folks are usually spending. I’d bet 85% of crews operating in that capacity are just trying to grab the cheapest bulk of the minimum they’re required to provide, and check the boxes that would otherwise risk a citation. Being super cool Milwaukee isn’t gonna outweigh penny pinching in smaller operations.
Logir
I came to echo that.
These prices are nuts. There’s no company buyer that would reasonably spend 3x (up to 10x looking at the glasses) the price on the same safety certs.
The stuff is all tested to and verified at the same benchmark and PPE is largely consumable.
This stuff is for retail imo.
Richard K.
What happened to the Cut Level 1 gloves? I bought some at my local HD and now only Level 3 are sold there. I didn’t see it in your post either?
Stuart
I saw them at HD the other day. I guess they’re not coming out with hi-viz versions?
Skfarmer
The guys that live and breath milwaukee red.? They will load up on this stuff no matter what the cost or quality. Put the name on it and it will sell.
Dewalt may be a little less guilty but they both do it.
fred
Some of the “Dewalt” brand PPE used to be made by Radians – maybe Milwaukee has contracted this line out too.
To each his own and if you want to be color-coordinated (e.g. Deawlt Yellow, Milwaukee Red or Makita Teal) that’s fine. But when we were buying PPE – I was just as happy as not have our crews walking around advertising for some third party. In the fabrication shop we most recently used Cintas for work clothes/PPE. Before them it was Aramark. Both provided work gear that was functional – usually not flashy.
My wife is sort of like minded. She appreciates fine handbags but since her initials are not LV – she says she’ll be damned to carry a bag emblazoned with those letters.
Frank D
I may be partial and loyal to a few brands, but prefer no visible logos.
I cover my tool stuff up in my van when on the road to lessen the likelihood of an opportunistic smash and grab. I don’t want to look like a brand mannequin, and it not like any of these brands are giving discounts because it is branded or are sponsoring me.
Logir
I came to echo that.
These prices are nuts. There’s no company buyer that would reasonably spend 3x (up to 10x looking at the glasses) the price on the same safety certs.
The stuff is all tested to and verified at the same benchmark and PPE is largely consumable.
This stuff is for retail imo.