Good Jeans

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kennethsime
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Good Jeans

#1

Post by kennethsime »

I'm not a denim snob, and I definitely don't know anything about raw or selvedge denim, but I wear jeans at least 5 days per week and I like a good pair.

My favorite jeans of all time have been the Prana Axioms, which were recently discontinued. They looked good, had a gusseted crotch, stretched a lot, and were still made with a heavy enough denim that they lasted about two years before I had to cut them into shorts. While the $80 price tag was steep, I got a deal on them most of the time and they were only $40 or so. The stretch and mobility is important, as I like to be able to wear my jeans at work during the week and climbing on the weekend. I think I still have two pair, but I've outgrown the waist.

Maybe 6 months ago, I ordered a pair of Carhartt jeans for $20 from Sierra and have been wearing those most days. They don't look quite as good, and the crotch isn't gusseted, but the stretch is there and the denim is a bit heavier so they should last longer. They also have triple-stitched seams, so that's nice. 6 months of daily wear and they're looking pretty good so far.

A company called Bulletprufe has been advertising to me on Facebook for years, claiming to make pants which are "10x stronger than regular denim." The high price tag ($120) has turned me off in the past, but they recently had a 40% off sale so I decided to give them a try. I've been wearing them about a week now and am pretty pleased overall. The denim is a bit lighter than my Carhartt's, but have a high-denier "ballistic nylon" blended in which should help with durability. They stretch better than the Carhartt's too, but still no gusseted crotch. They do have triple-stitched seams. Curiously, they don't offer any traditional "denim" colors - just solids. I think this is because the fabric is not actually denim.

So far, I've worn my Bulletprufe jeans:
- At home, working from the couch
- At work, including light construction
- Walking the dog
- Hiking 5 miles through 6-12 inches of snow in the Sierra Nevada
- To the beer garden afterwards

Overall, I'm pretty happy with them, but I don't think they're quite perfect. I'd prefer a gusseted crotch, and I'd prefer real denim. Maybe an 8/10 if they last two years or more. I definitely don't think they're worth 3-4x the price of my Carhartt jeans.

What are you favorite jeans? What features do you look for?
I'm happiest with Micarta and Tool Steel.

Top four in rotation: K390 + GCM PM2, ZCarta Shaman, Crucarta PM2, K390 + GCM Straight Spine Stretch.
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Re: Good Jeans

#2

Post by MacLaren »

Levi's. I look for comfort and looks. I've always preferred a good pair of Levi's.
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Re: Good Jeans

#3

Post by Manixguy@1994 »

Levi’s 501 shrink to fit , button fly. My all time favorite jeans , wear like iron . Note : found directions ordering .
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Re: Good Jeans

#4

Post by Doc Dan »

Carhartt are nice, but I still prefer Levi's. However, I usually buy Wranglers from Walmart. Its hard to beat the price for a long wearing jean like those.
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Evil D
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Re: Good Jeans

#5

Post by Evil D »

I go for fit more than how long they last, because I work in a stupid uniform so a single pair of jeans gets worn 2 days a week at best and will last me forever.

I'm usually a Levi's guy. I wore 527's for at least a decade until they changed the cut and now they're totally different jeans. I wanna say I'm wearing Levi's 559's right now.

I also got a pair of plain old Wrangler boot cut jeans a while back and I must say I was shocked at how comfortable they were, and they're less than half the price of Levi's.
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Re: Good Jeans

#6

Post by dsvirsky »

If you want a gusseted crotch, check out Duluth Trading Company Ballroom Jeans.
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Re: Good Jeans

#7

Post by Ankerson »

I wear Wranglers Bootcut/relaxed fit. They last a long time and are comfortable.

I used to wear Levi's until around 25 years ago.
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Re: Good Jeans

#8

Post by aicolainen »

I don't have a favorite model, but I'm quite specific in my preferences, so I've found a store that's usually able to deliver what I'm looking for, at a price point that's quite reasonable.
I would prefer if their lineup stayed the same, so I didn't have to browse through all their models every time I need to replace a pair, but a little bit of change is probably healthy and it's not totally unlikely that my body changes slightly over time as well.
Fit, style and material (color, stretch, weight/thickness) is more important to me than durability, so pant shopping is one of the few things I still prefer to do in a physical store.

Jeans are my go-to pants pretty much 7 days a week, though I usually change to work-, outdoor pants or similar before taking on harder or more strenuous tasks, and I find they tend to last acceptably long.
As I usually don't wear them for activities that produce a lot of sweat, I don't need to wash them very often and I believe this makes them last a good while longer.
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Re: Good Jeans

#9

Post by MacLaren »

Oh! I will say that I always liked those Lee carpenter jeans too back in the day too.
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Re: Good Jeans

#10

Post by JRinFL »

I’ve mostly given up on jeans as it is just too hot and humid here, but the few times I do wear them they are from a company in Georgia that makes them in the US from US cotton.

Levi’s corporate has gone all leftist politically if that matters to you. The others all shifted production out of the US and raised prices, so no to them as well.

Edited to add:
This is the US brand I choose https://www.gusset.com/
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Re: Good Jeans

#11

Post by olywa »

Dang, y'all are particular. 501s when I was younger but I've just been buying Kirkland jeans from Costco for the last 30 years. They fit, they work, they're cheap (like me) and they last.
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kennethsime
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Re: Good Jeans

#12

Post by kennethsime »

I wore Levis 511s and 514s for years, but abandoned them when the crotch wore out on quite a few pairs around the same time. Something about commuting by bicycle and climbing in them frequently - it's probably been nearly 10 years since I've owned a pair.

Based on your feedback, I ordered a pair of stretchy 514s in my old favorite denim color. At $30, the price is hard to beat. We'll see how they hold up.

I haven't worn Wranglers since I was a kid. I wonder if they make jeans with stretch these days?
JRinFL wrote:
Thu Nov 25, 2021 8:21 am
I’ve mostly given up on jeans as it is just too hot and humid here, but the few times I do wear them they are from a company in Georgia that makes them in the US from US cotton.

Edited to add:
This is the US brand I choose https://www.gusset.com/
Those Gusset jeans look really nice, JR: thanks for the link! I might try some of those.

I was watching some YouTube videos done by a denim snob and he recommended Brave Star, which makes jeans in LA from American and Japanese denim. Similar price point, and I like the made in America stuff. They don't do gussets though, and they don't do stretch, and the price is high, so I find it really hard to spend that much when it's really just a date night jean.
I'm happiest with Micarta and Tool Steel.

Top four in rotation: K390 + GCM PM2, ZCarta Shaman, Crucarta PM2, K390 + GCM Straight Spine Stretch.
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Re: Good Jeans

#13

Post by SpyderNut »

I’ve been on the hunt for the “perfect” pair of jeans for years now. I wear jeans on a daily basis, so I try to find something that is comfortable and looks decent. I guess you can say I am picky when it comes to jeans.
I’ve recently tried Levi’s, Silver, and Lucky. Levi 501’s are okay, but I find the seat area tends to stretch out and get baggy (which seems to be an issue on most of the Levi’s I’ve worn). I have the 559 and 527 and a few more that I can’t remember. Also, the button fly on the 501 is cool, but it is not nearly as efficient as the zip fly. Silver jeans are very comfortable and seem to hold their shape very well. However, they recently changed their patterns and the jeans no longer seem to fit the same way as they used to. So now I’m going to give Lucky jeans a try and see how they do.
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Re: Good Jeans

#14

Post by SpyderNut »

kennethsime wrote:
Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:41 am
I wore Levis 511s and 514s for years, but abandoned them when the crotch wore out on quite a few pairs around the same time. Something about commuting by bicycle and climbing in them frequently - it's probably been nearly 10 years since I've owned a pair.

Based on your feedback, I ordered a pair of stretchy 514s in my old favorite denim color. At $30, the price is hard to beat. We'll see how they hold up.

I haven't worn Wranglers since I was a kid. I wonder if they make jeans with stretch these days?
JRinFL wrote:
Thu Nov 25, 2021 8:21 am
I’ve mostly given up on jeans as it is just too hot and humid here, but the few times I do wear them they are from a company in Georgia that makes them in the US from US cotton.

Edited to add:
This is the US brand I choose https://www.gusset.com/
Those Gusset jeans look really nice, JR: thanks for the link! I might try some of those.

I was watching some YouTube videos done by a denim snob and he recommended Brave Star, which makes jeans in LA from American and Japanese denim. Similar price point, and I like the made in America stuff. They don't do gussets though, and they don't do stretch, and the price is high, so I find it really hard to spend that much when it's really just a date night jean.
Yes, in fact Wrangler does offer some models in stretch denim. I have one pair I wear to work that are reasonably-priced and comfortable. I think it’s called the “1947 vintage,” or something like that. I’ll have to look. They are a slim fit, though, which kinda makes me look like a hipster—and I’m definitely not a hipster, haha!
:spyder: -Michael

"...as I said before, 'the edge is a wondrous thing', [but] in all of it's qualities, it is still a ghost." - sal
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Re: Good Jeans

#15

Post by JD Spydo »

I've always had great luck wearing Carhartt Jeans and they've been my favs for everyday wear for quite some time. But I will wear other brands of jeans as long as they have that side/utility pocket. I actually use those side pockets not only for one of my Spyders but I also use them for a wide variety of work items like flashlights and various other tools I carry on a typical work day.

However in the past 5 years or so I now mostly work wearing bib overalls>>and my favorite brands of bib overalls are Carhartt, Round House (USA made) and Liberty. I find those 3 brands to be the most comfortable to work in and all of those are very durable as well. Now there is a German brand of work clothes I've recently fallen in love with and they also make work jeans too>> they are the Blakladder company. Their vests are awesome.
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Re: Good Jeans

#16

Post by benben »

Used to only wear 501 button fly jeans, they really suck now, they’ve changed so much they don’t even look, or resemble at all the 501’s I’ve worn for decades!

And I just have a really hard time spending any of my hard earned money on the Levi’s company brand now!
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Re: Good Jeans

#17

Post by Pokey »

Levi 505's fit me well. A close second would be the 501's. The 501's have more shallow pockets with narrower pocket opening, though.
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Re: Good Jeans

#18

Post by Sharp Guy »

Levis 505s almost exclusively for me. I have others but rarely wear them
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Re: Good Jeans

#19

Post by Airlsee »

I don't know how I missed this one, but I love my Bulletprufe's I've been wearing them for a little over a year, and have the slim's in Navy, Black, Gray & Olive.

They are durable and comfortable, your post described them well. For everyday jeans they are very hard to beat.

As for high-end denim, Raleigh Denim Workshop makes my favorite jeans, but they are extremely pricey.

I've got many well fitting Levi's and have had Duluth's that lasted a long time, but Bulletprufes are my favorite work/everyday pants. Highly recommend them, and I'm interested in getting a pair of their waxed tin-cloth's in the adventure fit.

ETA: I don't really ever a bike in them, so I'll be interested to hear how they hold up.
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Re: Good Jeans

#20

Post by kennethsime »

Airlsee wrote:
Thu Nov 25, 2021 7:20 pm
I don't know how I missed this one, but I love my Bulletprufe's I've been wearing them for a little over a year, and have the slim's in Navy, Black, Gray & Olive.

They are durable and comfortable, your post described them well. For everyday jeans they are very hard to beat.

As for high-end denim, Raleigh Denim Workshop makes my favorite jeans, but they are extremely pricey.

I've got many well fitting Levi's and have had Duluth's that lasted a long time, but Bulletprufes are my favorite work/everyday pants. Highly recommend them, and I'm interested in getting a pair of their waxed tin-cloth's in the adventure fit.

ETA: I don't really ever a bike in them, so I'll be interested to hear how they hold up.
Nice to hear they've been holding up for you. I grabbed two pairs of the adventure fit, one in olive and one in whiskey (which is basically Carhartt brown). I used to wear skinny jeans, but between my calves, my thighs, and my waning vanity, they're just not worth it anymore. I will say I'm pretty darn stoked that I can slide these guys up over my calves with relative ease - that's a rare trait in pants for me. If these hold up I'll pick up some in black and maybe that tobacco brown.

The tin cloth pants do look pretty cool - I bet you could DIY this if you wanted to with some Otter Wax.
I'm happiest with Micarta and Tool Steel.

Top four in rotation: K390 + GCM PM2, ZCarta Shaman, Crucarta PM2, K390 + GCM Straight Spine Stretch.
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