Wrangler is Better than Levi's

[Peter1]

From an old guy perspective it’s just not the ‘60’s any more. Jeans were consistent and well made here in the US. Now they are made in the Middle East, Asia (not China), Latin America. I was a wrangler and Levi’s kid, whatever my mother would buy, then strictly Levi’s (HS and college and beyond). Consistency went out the window years ago. I can remember trying on many pairs to get one that fit well enough. Later in the early 2000’s (2010 or so) I noticed Lee Premium and Modern. Lee’s did fit me better than Levi’s by this time, they are all imported but those Lee’s just seemed to fit my small butt better. I don’t wear them often but COVID made the Lee’s and my Khakis a staple when I go out of the house, easy to wash and i really don’t care if I am in jeans these days. If I ever need a new pair of jeans I will look at Wrangler again but if I maintain my weight I probably have enough till I die. But all said, Levi’s or Lee’s are both inconsistent in fit from one pair to the next and patience is needed. WeRE they like this when I was young? Maybe, but I probably never really looked. $100 for jeans is obscene for me, $50 as well, but my local shop that carried hundreds of pairs of jeans has since left and I am too picky to want to try mail order again. I found Lee mail order (direct from Lee) to be very inconsistent as well. Most of today’s jeans and I believe khakis as well are made for the liking of young boys, not guys of my age even though I am still slim. I will stick with what is in my closet.

Jeans are like a lot of products. Overall mass market quality is down but prices are low bc of globalization. But you can get better quality/fabric/style than ever if you are willing to pay for traditional processes, fair wages and an artisan mindset.

 

[BB11]

More than willing to pay for a good product where people earn a fair wage.

 

[Peter1]

More than willing to pay for a good product where people earn a fair wage.

You say that but complain that 50 bucks is too much for a pair of jeans?

 

[apd90700]

Bought some Levi 511's the other day. Seem to be decent. I'd recommend they increase the rise by .5-1" but that was more personal taste. Did see some Wranglers and they also looked good, but didn't try those on as it was a different store and I'd already picked up the 511's since they fit me well, and were in the wash/color I wanted -- whereas the Wranglers were lighter wash in appearance, but that was just what the store had in stock. Might pick some Wranglers up here if everyone's saying they're the better brand. To me it all comes down to fit, color, materials, in that order. I like my denim with a mix of cotton, elastane and maybe throw some other synthetic in there in small quantity like polyester, rayon, etc.

 

[DrapeCut]

I thought the OP was a troll. And we SWD guys shouldn't rise to the bait. "Nice jeans" is a trigger word for us, it's how the CM guys "own" SWD, as in, "why in the heck would you pay (clutches pearls) $100 for a pair of ... jeans?"

re Wranglers: Wranchers are kinda hip right now, just fits into that category of crap products like PBR that have their day in the sun for some unknown reason. Wait it out.

Not a troll. I realize that Wrangler and Levi's aren't the best made jeans. I'm comparing two staple brands' most famous products. I actually like poly leisure type slacks. Smarter than denim, but very low maintenance. I realize they're not everyone's cup of tea...

 

[BB11]

Peter quoted me then had a comment “

More than willing to pay for a good product where people earn a fair wage.

You say that but complain that 50 bucks is too much for a pair of jeans?”

Peter, calm down, it is too much for the garbage they try to sell us where they pay workers pennies per hour. You really need to ask a question before you jump all over a person,

 

[Shirtmaven]

I sold thounds of jeans in the 60s and 70s in my family's Army surplus store I. PHILADELPHIA.
LEVIS and Lee were the same price. Fit was different.
Lee was a fuller fit in seat and thigh. I always knew when U Penn was in session. Large assed Jewish girls came in for Lee jeans.
Wrangler was less expensive by at least $1.. they were $11.99 instead of $12.99. This may have been in 1972

 

[Andy57]

This unapologetic blind devotion to a brand is ridiculous. Like any entity offering a product/service, Levi's should have to work for your patronage. The 501's mystique is no longer relevant when the modern standard 501 has little in common with the versions that made the brand ubiquitous in the 20th century. Levi's is riding on marketing hype and you're eating it up. Heritage over substance!

How rude. My purchasing process and the decisions I make with my own money are none of your business.

 

[dieworkwear]

Peter, calm down, it is too much for the garbage they try to sell us where they pay workers pennies per hour. You really need to ask a question before you jump all over a person,

There are still jeans being made in the United States and cut from high-quality denim. In fact, many companies are trying to replicate the jeans that were available in the 1960s. But these are the $200 jeans that people here dismiss as being "frou frou" and for "denimheads."

 

[Peter1]

Peter quoted me then had a comment “

You say that but complain that 50 bucks is too much for a pair of jeans?”

Peter, calm down, it is too much for the garbage they try to sell us where they pay workers pennies per hour. You really need to ask a question before you jump all over a person,

I agree 100 percent. So here's my question: What would you consider a fair price in 2021for jeans cut and sewn by workers earning a living wage that also fit well, look good and use quality materials?

 

[Clouseau]

I sold thounds of jeans in the 60s and 70s in my family's Army surplus store I. PHILADELPHIA.
LEVIS and Lee were the same price. Fit was different.
Lee was a fuller fit in seat and thigh. I always knew when U Penn was in session. Large asked Jewish girls came in for Lee jeans.
Wrangler was less expensive by at least $1.. they were $11.99 instead of $12.99. This may have been in 1972

I loved surplus and that’s where I used to buy my MiUSA stf 501s, at a very reasonable price, while they were still available. It was good stuff, I loved the smell of the piles of jeans in those stores.
Sadly most of them disappeared, and if you want something approaching those surplus that sold the real thing, you have now to go to trendy stores selling expensive repros...
Speaking of what I am sure that all the people working for « high end » Japanese brands making good denim in Japan have decent salary...

 

[DrapeCut]

How rude. My purchasing process and the decisions I make with my own money are none of your business.

Lol, that's not a rude post. Your Levi's "purchasing process" became the forum's business when you injected it into this public discussion.

 

[pendragon]

Don't know which is better, but Levi's are worn by Democrats, Wranglers are worn by Republicans.

 

[BB11]

I sold thounds of jeans in the 60s and 70s in my family's Army surplus store I. PHILADELPHIA.
LEVIS and Lee were the same price. Fit was different.
Lee was a fuller fit in seat and thigh. I always knew when U Penn was in session.
Wrangler was less expensive by at least $1.. they were $11.99 instead of $12.99. This may have been in 1972

I remember $8 as were Converse All Stars at the Army and Navy.

 

[dieworkwear]

Lol, that's not a rude post. Your Levi's "purchasing process" became the forum's business when you injected it into this public discussion.

I think Andy stated pretty clearly that this is just what works for him, and it's not something he recommends for others. I think it's fine for someone to find that a particular jean and/ or method of shopping works for them.

As I mentioned earlier, I buy mainline Levi's for family members. I can't imagine putting them into raw denim, selvedge jeans, and asking them to pay attention to how they clean their jeans. I think mainline is fine and it works well for people who don't have a strong interest in denim. If you're a CM-type guy and don't care about how jeans fade, then you may also even be better off with something simple like this.