I have a jean...(The Ultimate Jean Thread For Beginners) - ask questions here.

Originally Posted by whatever123

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005s. i havent seen a decent pair of those in a while.

the 007s are becoming to common of late.

Common amongst the board perhaps - still super unique in the real world.

Don't be slammin' my babies.

Any suggestions for cheap 9 oz or lighter denim?

Originally Posted by BuffaloWang

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Hiya everyone! I'm new to the forums and denims too basically. Before I used to just hit it off with any Levi's that fit and good to go.

Still in HS and prob will continue to grow so want some cheaper raw selvedges. They don't even need to be selvedge, something that looks nice and works well with all shoes (basketball, low's, mid's, high's, almost everything).

Dunno the format to post to help you guys help me, but let me know.
Budget around $100? Too low?

The two best brands that I can think of for raw selvage in your price range are Gap and Unbranded. Between the two, if you want heavier denim, go with Unbranded. If you want better overall construction quality, go with Gap.

Originally Posted by Nopike343

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At 12 oz the Sugar Cane 2009 is a good choice for the warmer weather. They are a good fitting slim cut jean. I have a pair and would suggest going TTS on them. I would get them before the NS.

Good deal if you order off Rakuten.
http://search.borderless.rakuten.com...ne+type+2+2009

Hey, thanks for the link!
Never heard of Rakuten?!?!

Just took a quick look at the site....guess I am ordering these from Japan directly?
Price looks good when compared w/ SelfEdge... almost too good to be true.

Will have to search the boards for info on this....do you have direct experience ordering from here?

Originally Posted by Astronaut888

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Hey, thanks for the link! Never heard of Rakuten?!?! Just took a quick look at the site....guess I am ordering these from Japan directly? Price looks good when compared w/ SelfEdge... almost too good to be true. Will have to search the boards for info on this....do you have direct experience ordering from here?
Yes, when you order from Rakuten, you are ordering directly from Japan. The price for Sugar Canes directly from Japan is much better than from retailers here, because Toyo (Sugar Cane's parent company) charges a lot more for their export market than they do domestically. I have ordered from Rakuten at least 20 times, and I can say that it is very reliable in terms of them getting you the correct ordered product in a reasonable amount of time (1-2 weeks). The one thing that is restrictive about them is that their stores generally do not accept returns or exchanges for international orders, so make sure you get your sizing right.

Originally Posted by commodorewheeler

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Yes, when you order from Rakuten, you are ordering directly from Japan. The price for Sugar Canes directly from Japan is much better than from retailers here, because Toyo (Sugar Cane's parent company) charges a lot more for their export market than they do domestically. I have ordered from Rakuten at least 20 times, and I can say that it is very reliable in terms of them getting you the correct ordered product in a reasonable amount of time (1-2 weeks). The one thing that is restrictive about them is that their stores generally do not accept returns or exchanges for international orders, so make sure you get your sizing right.
Thanks for the response. Seems the SC2009 is the same as offered on the SelfEdge site For half the price, shipping included. Dunno why I wouldn't order from Rakuten, aside from return - which is a biggie.....but for half the price! I may be willing to risk it. Also, I'm tempted to order from Rakuten just b/c reading the Japanese to English description of the product is freaking priceless.....my head hurts from trying to figure out what the hell they are talking about!

Originally Posted by Astronaut888

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Hey, thanks for the link!
Never heard of Rakuten?!?!

Just took a quick look at the site....guess I am ordering these from Japan directly?
Price looks good when compared w/ SelfEdge... almost too good to be true.

Will have to search the boards for info on this....do you have direct experience ordering from here?

Yes direct from Japan. I've ordered from two different stores and the service is excellent. They will ship by post office EMS in a couple of days after your payment clears. If you order this weekend you may have them by next Saturday. I even did a exchange with one store but postage is expensive.

Good deal if you order off Rakuten. http://search.borderless.rakuten.com...ne+type+2+2009

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This is amazing - I can't believe I've never heard of this site. The Strike Golds I've been looking at on SE are almost $100 less on Rakuten. So, this place is legit? No catch? Just make sure your sizing is right = saving money?

Originally Posted by El Argentino

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This is amazing - I can't believe I've never heard of this site. The Strike Golds I've been looking at on SE are almost $100 less on Rakuten. So, this place is legit? No catch? Just make sure your sizing is right = saving money?

I just went for some SC2009s from Rakuten
I'll keep you posted on my experience......fingers crossed.
Ordered my Seiko from Japan w/ not problems.....so.......we'll see!

Japanese companies are know for their quaility and great customer service. Think Toyota or Honda. They process your order quickly and the communication is prompt. Sometimes a language issue but the can be worked around without too many problems.

Originally Posted by El Argentino

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This is amazing - I can't believe I've never heard of this site. The Strike Golds I've been looking at on SE are almost $100 less on Rakuten. So, this place is legit? No catch? Just make sure your sizing is right = saving money?

Rakuten is legit, there only two catches. One is fairly obvious, and that is that you will have to pay higher shipping costs than buying domestically, because the product is being shipped overseas to you. Plus there are usually currency conversion charges imposed by your CC or PayPal (PayPal is sneaky about how they do it, they give you worse-than-market exchange rates).

The other is that sometimes you will have to pay import duties on what you order from there. According to US customs law, shipments in excess of $200 containing textile-based products are subject to customs fees up to 16% of the declared value of the item. In most cases, you will not be charged these duties, because most Rakuten stores use EMS to ship, and for some reason, EMS shipments never seem to incur duties (this is a good thing for us consumers). However, if the Rakuten store you are dealing with does not use EMS, then you are likely to incur duties if the package you are ordering is worth over $200, unless you can convince the Rakuten store you are dealing with to lower the declared value of the package on the customs form.

Originally Posted by El Argentino

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Common amongst the board perhaps - still super unique in the real world. Don't be slammin' my babies.
nope, never. in fact, i have a pair of 007s although i never wear them. i just miss seeing evo pics of the 005 denim ... it looks so cool after a year or wear. edit: i am selling my fullcount-1108s size 33 for cheapo! they will be up on b/s in a few ...

On Rakuten, does anyone know why the Strike Gold slim straight and slim tapered fits measure significantly larger (almost 10cm in the waist) than the straight/relaxed equivalents in the same measured waist size? Am I missing some information from the googletranslate read?

For reference:

2101
2103
2105
2109

Originally Posted by El Argentino

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On Rakuten, does anyone know why the Strike Gold slim straight and slim tapered fits measure significantly larger (almost 10cm in the waist) than the straight/relaxed equivalents in the same measured waist size? Am I missing some information from the googletranslate read?

For reference:

2101
2103
2105
2109

It could be that the slimmer cuts have a lower rise, so the jeans sit lower on the hips and have to have a larger waist measurement to fit properly within a certain tag size. It could also be that the measurements are just wrong, I've seen that happen on Rakuten sites a fair amount.

So, more or less, if I narrow down what size I should be via SelfEdge's measurements, it should translate across and I can buy the corresponding size from Japan expecting the same thing? Or will there be "japanese sizing" vs. "american sizing"?