Levi's - Wranglers and other jeans

[Engine 21]

I know I'm getting older and change is inevitable. However, most (if not all) clothing is made outside the United States but the biggest change I have noticed is how flimsy the jeans have become from all the manufacturers including Levi - Strauss, Wranglers etc. The material is thin when they are new even before they are worn and then it gets worse from there. The kicker is the kids that buy this garbage and the manufacturers already put holes and rips in the and sell them for a higher price if they have rips or holes then the ones that don't.

I'm from another generation, but when I was a kid when you got a new pair of Levi's - they were stiff and material was thick. You actually had to break them in and they lasted quite awhile - now they don't look like they will make it a month - less if they have pre - destroyed them at the factory. I understand "Lucky Brand" jeans are made in the USA but don't know about the quality or price.

Change is not always a good thing - but it's inevitable and sometimes it goes full circle. Rant over - carry on....

 

[LazyKB]

From what I have seen of Lucky Brand jeans they are flimsy and expensive. Looks like they are made more for fashion then function. I found a discount store that sells irregulars for 9-12 bucks, Wrangler, Levi, Lee and lesser known brands. Only trouble is finding my size.

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

Wranglers are really the only ones that work for me. Levi's are strange; they all seem to have a low waist, at least on me.

 

[Deputy Dawg Gone]

You might try Lee jeans. I have had the best luck with them. I buy from a VF Outlet store in Branson, and they are about $20 a pop. Still same old jeans that I have worn for past 40+ years.

 

[max]

If you do a search you will find we had this discussion once before. It also started with our bodies aging, flimsy material, etc. I have bought Wranglers and then paid to have them tailored and get a good fit that way. NO gun person should ever wear Levis. They are very anti 2nd Amendment, Boy Scouts and a lot of other what I consider to be decent and American institutions. A friend recommended these:

http://www.grandriverclothing.com/home-1

 

[Arik]

I buy work jeans at walmart. Whatever. ..so long as they fit and are cheap. I work around chemicals, thinners, oil, battery acid, sharp objects....etc..etc. they last about a year.no complaints.

My going out jeans are more expensive but not thick material. Kinda what you described minus the holes. I haven't bought none work related jeans since about 08 or 09

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Old TexMex]

What dog gone says. Lee blue jeans seem to be the same, and theyfit my diminishing butt.
I hate buying levis, but they make he only cargo shorts that fit me.

 

[arjay]

I've been wearing Levi's and wranglers for 40-50 years and haven't noticed any difference

 

[diamonback68]

I've been wearing Levi's and wranglers for 40-50 years and haven't noticed any difference

I agree. They are about the same, but I don't think they put as much "sizing" in them to give people that "stiff new" feeling like they used to. It eventually washes out to give you that "broke in" feel.
I mostly a Wrangler type guy from Walmart, last long enough for me. The Wrangler Rodeo style from Tractor Supply are little bit different denim, but fit like a glove and last too.

 

[shouldazagged]

Last pair of Wranglers I bought were mis-marked as to length and I need to have them shortened, but they seem to be as good quality as ever. I like the brand.

Actually my favorite jeans presently are a pair of Dickies. Good fit, good fabric, good price.

 

[artemis]

I wear only Carhartt B01 pants which are both union made and made in the USA.

Make sure they are the 'Men's Double-Front Work Dungaree and B01'.

 

[gregintenn]

You might want to try a pair of Diamond Gusset jeans. They're made right here in Tennessee.

 

[finesse_r]

As a boy I wore Levis at $3.98 each. I have not worn Levis in a very long time and the last price I saw on them was $34.00 each. Ouch. Sorry to hear they have gone down in quality as well as way, way up in price.

These days I wear Wranglers that I pay about $10.00 to 12.00 each for and I buy a few pair when they go on sale. They are not as good as the old Levis, but I am not as good as I used to be 50 years ago either.

I no longer worry about looking cool, I just want to cover my wrinkles and sags to protect those I come in contact with. I also like cargo shorts and in Texas that is often more comfortable than jeans.

 

[Tom Beavert]

I wear a lot of Carhartt, they last.
tb

Please don't buy Levis........
Thanks

 

[doublesharp]

I'm a Carhartt fan. Pockets deep enough for a j-frame and 7 sturdy belt loops. I usually buy B18 style and have ordered from Dungarees.net a few times. Carhartt B18 jeans seem to run true to size, they are 15 oz sturdy material and the zippers aren't cheapies.

Carhartt Jeans for Men at Dungarees Carhart Store

 

[labworm]

Another vote for LEE jeans.

 

[TAROMAN]

Prison Blues Jeans
"Made on the inside to wear on the outside"
There's no doubt where THESE come from!
Very heavy duty jeans.

 

[Farmer17]

I remember growing up trying to break in a new pair of Levi's which took at least a year before they were comfortable, and they did last a little longer but they were pretty expensive even way back then. I once was washing a load in the dorms in college at Okla. State and walked away from the washer and someone stole the whole load which was soaking wet! I wore Levi 501s and 505s mostly and I knew I could grab my size off the rack and they would fit perfectly. But now my body is changing for the worse and I have to waste a bunch of time trying different jeans on till I find some that fit, but I usually don't pay over 20 bucks. I think I paid more than that for Levis back in the 1980s.

 

[kozmic]

Double LL's from LL Bean. Might cost a buck or two more but built like a tank and fit like a glove. With only one or two exceptions, the only jeans I've worn for darn-near 30 years and still made the same!

They're so good I don't even know who comes in second place!

 

[walkin jack]

When I started wearing Levis (1959) I was a freshman in high school and they were great. Back then they didn't have all the silly numbers and they were straight leg, button fly, shrink to fit jeans. They didn't come in all the fruity colors or already worn out looking they were BLUE JEANS for cryin' out loud!!! They were darn near bullet proof. If you look for that style today it's called the 501. They are hard to find these days.

My parents thought I was nuts because of the way I did them when I got a new pair.
1. wash them in the hottest water possible
2. dry them on the clothes line in the sun
3. Repeat steps one and 2
4. Repeat step one.
5. Put them on while they are still wet and let them dry on you. They were a shrink to fit jeans you would expect to lose about an inch in the waist and maybe 1 1/2 inch in the inseam.

A lot of trouble for sure but no other bluejeans I've ever found in my life fit me as well as the old Levis. Today these 505 are about as good as I can do.

When I started school on the first day of my senior year I had 3 brand new pair. I wore them all year and all through my military years and for several years after I got out. I finally had to get new ones because the old ones no longer fit me around the waist. But they still had their shape and no holes or tears.

I eventually had to stop getting the 501s because of the button fly. My arthritic hands were having problems and I went to the 505 jeans. Preshrunk, straight cut but they have the zipper fly. They aren't a patch compared to the original American made Levis and only last about 3 years before they lose their shape and just don't look nice anymore.

I still wear my levis but I don't love 'em like I used to. They are just the closest I can get to the old 501s

Life goes on....