Beware, some of the first (and oldest) reviews of these jeans are out of date...Levi has changed the denim since they were posted....

I purchased the 501 rigid indigo STF from Zappos (which is owned by Amazon) about two years ago, but I do not use Zappos since they were hacked so I am posting the review here.

I wore the STF's in the 70's and 80's...loved them but got away from wearing jeans. Then I had a hankering for these and ordered a pair. I was shocked at how different the fabric felt: very flimsy and cheap compared to the old versions.

I did some research (even called Levi) and discovered that about ten years ago Levi downgraded the weight of their jeans from 14.5 oz/yard to 12.5 oz. Why did they do this? For the same reason food companies keep shrinking the amount of product in their packaging.

For one, the thin fabric costs less. Then thinner fabric is easier and quicker to sew. And of course, the jeans will wear out faster and then the customer must buy a new pair.

The old heavy weight fabric was great and I lament the loss. BTW, almost all brands of jeans (even so called designer jeans) are made with 12.5 oz now.

Also, the fit of the STF seems to be different...I suspect Levi has changed them to fit an expanding American male physique.

The good news is that I found a replacement jean. It is called the Unbranded Brand. It is made with beautiful Japanese heavyweight 14.5 oz selvedge denim and is just like the fabric Levi used to use. They are about $80/pair and very much worth it. Out of respect for Amazon I won't say what online store they are sold at, but run a search and you can find it.

I wish there was some way to pressure Levi to go back to heavyweight fabric, but they are probably so much more profitable by using flimsy denim. Very sad...Levi used to be known for their durability and quality.