Portwest vs Helly Hansen: Which Workwear Brand Should You Buy?
If you've spent any time comparing workwear online, you've probably ended up looking at the same two names: Portwest and Helly Hansen. They're the brands site managers ask about most when they phone us, and our own website search logs say the same thing. Both make serious kit that passes the same EN standards. But they come at the job from completely different directions, and the right choice depends on what your team actually does. This guide compares them properly, so you can spend your budget where it counts.
Two brands, two very different histories
Helly Hansen goes back to 1877, when Norwegian sea captain Helly Juell Hansen started making waterproof clothing for sailors from linseed oil-soaked linen in Moss, Norway. The company is still Norwegian-owned and run from Oslo, and that maritime DNA runs through everything it makes. Its Helly Tech membrane, a waterproof and breathable system, is genuinely excellent. If you work on or near the water, or outdoors in proper Scottish weather, HH gear has a reputation that's been earned over nearly 150 years.
Portwest is younger but no less established. Charles Hughes founded it in 1904 as a small drapery shop in Westport, County Mayo, and the family still runs it, now the third generation. Today Portwest is one of Europe's largest PPE manufacturers, selling in more than 130 countries. Where Helly Hansen started with sailors, Portwest started with workers. The whole catalogue is built around standards compliance: hi-vis to EN ISO 20471, flame resistant clothing to EN ISO 11612, gloves to EN 388, harnesses to EN 361.
What Helly Hansen does best
Let's be fair to HH first. The quality is not in question. Its workwear range, including the well-known Oxford and Manchester jackets, is well cut, tough and comfortable. The Helly Tech waterproofing sheds water the way you'd expect from a brand that built its name keeping fishermen dry. For marine environments, offshore work, or high-exposure outdoor roles, Helly Hansen is a legitimate choice, and plenty of people in those industries won't wear anything else.
That's the catch, though: the price. HH sits firmly in the premium bracket. You pay noticeably more for the same EN certification than you would for comparable Portwest kit. For a business kitting out a workforce, that premium is hard to justify when both garments meet the same standard. There's also availability to think about. HH workwear in the UK can have patchy stock, and when you need a full team kitted out this week rather than next month, long lead times become a real problem.
What Portwest does best
Portwest's strength is range and value. The catalogue covers every corner of the PPE market, and we stock the lot. At the budget end, a Portwest hi-vis vest is £5.25 ex VAT and a hi-vis bomber jacket is £37.80. The PW3 range sits a step up, aimed at people who live in their trousers: PW3 hi-vis trousers at £71.30, the PW3 hi-vis soft shell jacket at £82.70, with stretch panels and reinforced knees. Then there's Bizweld, the flame resistant range, with coveralls from £71.20 certified to EN ISO 11612, which covers welding, hot work and utility maintenance.
That breadth matters more than it sounds. You can kit an entire site from one supplier and one account: hi-vis, waterproofs, FR, gloves, harnesses, footwear, all the same brand, all certified, all in stock. When the HSE inspector asks to see certification, you've got one folder, not six. And because we hold the range in stock, we can embroider your logo onto Portwest garments and have them back to you in days, not weeks.
The honest comparison
For most construction, engineering and industrial work, Portwest wins. Same standards, better prices, deeper stock, and a range that covers the whole site. Helly Hansen wins a narrower argument: marine and high-exposure outdoor work, where its heritage and Helly Tech membrane genuinely pay off and the premium is a fair trade for the reputation.
Here's a useful way to think about it. If your team works on a building site, a Portwest setup gives you everything you need and change left over. If they work on a boat, or offshore, HH deserves a serious look. Picture a groundworks crew of twenty in full hi-vis from one supplier, all in stock, all the same shade of orange. That's the Portwest argument in one sentence. Helly Hansen's argument is the harbour master who has worn their gear for fifteen years and won't switch.
The practical takeaway
At Colbrook we stock the full Portwest range, from the £5.25 hi-vis vest up to the PW3 and Bizweld lines, and we can source Helly Hansen on request for the roles where it's the right call. If you're not sure which brand suits your workforce, call us on +44(0)1236 755544 and we'll talk it through. Or browse the ranges yourself: the full workwear section and the hi-vis category are good places to start.
REF: portwest-vs-helly-hansen-workwear-comparison
