If you're looking for modern cut plain old straight jeans, these are a safe bet. I purchased 2 pairs of the 505's and so far so good. The fit is definitely more modern than the older 505's, which is what I was looking for. They sit lower on the hips and the crotch is cut higher up than the old style 505's. For me they fit great. Also they have some sort of stretchy lycra or something built in so they are real comfy along the waist and throughout the @$$ and thigh. I had been wearing the 559 which I thought fit perfect and the 505's are pretty similar. The 505's are typically easier to find so I'm happy w/ the switch in style/cut. I can understand why someone that had been wearing 505's since the 1970's would be upset that they changed the cut. Once you find something that fits it's nice to just buy the same size and eliminate guess work. But the old 505's never fit right for me--sat too high on the waist...then if I hiked them down to where I normally wear jeans I'd have all this extra room in the crotch. The newer style sit lower on the waist and are more form fitting around the @$$ and crotch, but still comfy. I typically buy Levis and pay a bit more for them because the quality is better and they last several years. Hopefully these will as well.