Customer Reviews

Levi's Men's 501 Big & Tall Jean, Rigid STF, 48x30

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

If you're looking for the old-fashioned style Levi 501 jeans like the ones you bought in the 1970's or 80's, that are made of heavy denim and you bought them oversize and washed them hot to shrink them to size, at least one of the ones listed on this page is the right one: the Color: Rigid STF (at the moment it is the color at the far left).

It took many hours of searching and researching (researching blue jeans!) at several online stores and non-store websites to determine whether equivalents to my old ones were even made anymore, and if so, which ones they were. Levi calls countless styles Classic or Classic Fit, and countless others Original, and the 501 number was apparently successful, so they call a lot of them 501, too, to the point where these adjectives and style number have no meaning anymore. Classic and Original probably just mean they're Levi-Strauss, and 501 is meant to catch your eye. Maybe they hope you'll make lots of mistakes and have to buy lots of jeans while hoping to find the right ones. If it sounds like I'm joking about that, I'm not.

So it was with some relief that I got these, saw that they're the right style, shrank them down, and they're fine. There is even an improvement over the old ones: the button-fly holes are now are reinforced with stitching, which they didn't used to be. Mine say Made in Haiti; quality seems just fine. The denim is heavy-weight.

If you're looking for the type of old-fashioned plain style jeans that I described, the keywords to look for are: Rigid, Indigo, Shrink-To-Fit/STF, Straight Leg, Button-Fly, Rivets, and 501 (even though it can mean almost anything). When you're looking at an item description, the more of these keywords are omitted, the more suspicious you can be that you may be looking at an "impostor", possibly even an impostor style made by Levi itself.

Shop carefully. It wasn't an accident that I ended up with the ones I set out to buy. It took more than a day of traversing the Levi-Strauss style minefield.

These are still made from the original indigo-dyed rigid denim manufactured Cone mills in North Carolina, and are of good quality. The trick with these is to buy a bigger size then you ordinarily would, as they shrink considerably. Especially if you want to be able to roll up the cuffs, you need to buy either 2 or 4 inches longer in the inseam, i.e. if you normally wear a 32, by a thirty-four or 36, because it will shrink almost 3 inches after a couple of washes. If you want to wear them over boots, definitely go up 4 inches. I have found that the waist shrinks about an inch and half, so if you normally buy a 36, buy 38. The other thing is that if you want to avoid whitish streaking down the leg, turn them inside out when you wash them. To avoid spotting from the starch used in new shrink-to-fit fabric, wash then in hot water the first few time. Basically they will shrink through the first three washes and and pretty much stay where they are. After that, when you get them to the color you want, wash them as infrequently as possible and they will get a nice natural fading, which will look much better than any of the "hand finished" jeans they charge so much for nowadays. It will always look better if you do it yourself through natural wear.

I have found that these shrink a bit less than what Levi's says. In the waist, they shrink about an inch as opposed to the tho inches that Levi's says. The leg shrinks about 2 3/4 inches, rather than 4. So don't buy them too oversized, unless you are going to be washing many times in hot water and a hot drier. Since most people like these dark nowadays, that is unlikely. Also, these are very well made. While much negative commentary concerning Levi Strauss's move away from domestic manufacturing has focused on the button-fly 501s, the bigger problem I have seen is with the old 1970's standby, the 505, which has a zipper as opposed to button fly. The variability on sizing and sew quality with the 505s means you really have to try them on to see how they fit. The 501 are much easier to buy online or by mail order because the sizing is much less critical on the waist, which is the so-called "anti-fit" waist, meaning there is no curve to the rise (the distance between the crotch and the top of the waist), because the original 501s were merely cut down bib overalls which were made to hang, rather than be fitted to the waist. The biggest problem I have noted on the 505's is the variability in size in the thigh area, meaning that some fit baggy and some seem rather tight, even though they are theoretically the same size of a label. The 501s are pretty safe as far as sizing.

I am 6 foot 3.5 inches tall and weigh 175 lbs and am fit in lean swimmer/mountain climber manner....not much body fat. My waist is actually 33.25 with an inseam of just a hair over 36 inches as measured by tape means and my wife's cold fingers, brrrrr, watch where you adjusting!

These 34Wx38L Shrink to fit 501 button-fly Levi's were run once through cold water and line dried and are just like the old rough and skin-unfriendly cotton Levi's I've always bought for the last 35 yrs (well, maybe they are 1/2 oz lighter weight cotton than in the late '70s).

Washed once and line dried, they now fit perfectly, and are stiff and cranky to wear. When I wash them in 3-4 weeks, depending on how sweaty I get while wearing them, cold water and line dry again (inside-out to preserve dye) is the plan. I figure it will take some months before they feel softer when freshly dried.

They will get softer with time and last a long time while fitting me, and this is why I keep buying 501 Levi's. The heavy weight cotton is what makes the difference, the heavier the cotton, the stiffer the jeans and more uncomfortable they are until, that one day when they feel great, fit perfectly, and have the look you wore into them; individuality doesn't come easy.

By the way, Levi's 514s are what I wear when I want to looked a little "dressed up"...the lighter weight fabric drapes a little nicer and doesn't shrink on me (cold water, line dry) which is why I buy 33Wx36L 514s.

Lastly, the designation Levi's gives there different sub-genres of 501's are important to note. Some 501's use much lighter weight cotton fabric. Rigid and Shrink-to-Fit go great together and make for a much more classic, long wearing, hard working jean.

USA made 501's were SO MUCH BETTER made than these imports from Mexico.
The USA made 501's had a stronger softer fabric and were standard in size.
A few years ago when Levi's were American made, these 501's would have
had the "red tab" removed and been sold as seconds or irregulars. The patch pockets were not placed correctly/evenly. There were loose threds in the crotch seam, belt loops, and elsewhere. And they were not true to size in length. Despite their short comings, Levi's still makes better jeans than most. Most if not all Levi's are imported now and they fall short of the USA made jeans of the past. ONE EXCEPTION HOWEVER-Levi's marked "Made in Egypt" are true to size and very well made; even the fabric seems to better quality.

Amazon is great, but I would recommend buying Levi's in person in a store in order to examine the jeans for defects in manufacture. Stay away from
Levi's made in Mexico; they are not true to size and have mistakes in the stitching. If you see a pair of Levi's in your size made in EGYPT, BUY THEM !

Typically, it's very hard to find jeans that fit an active person with a small waist and developed hips and legs and look and feel good. Relaxed and loose fit jeans just look sloppy, no matter how you wear them. These jeans fit well and look good. They are a straight fit, but since they form to your own body, there is nothing better unless you can get a pair of custom made Levis. However, at this price point why would you even bother.

The button fly is great. I thought that it would take some time to get used to, but I prefer a button fly to zippers now.

These take a bit more work to break in than the already distressed jeans, but it's worth it. Every mark and amount of wear that's put into these jeans will be all yours.

I discovered these jeans about three months ago at a Levi's store and now I swear by them. The STF are great in every color that they come in even if they aren't made in the USA anymore.

Thank you so very much Amazon for selling Levi 501's with a long inseam! I have hunted everywhere for at least a 36" inseam and finally found it with you! I'm tall and thin, and used to be able to find shrink to fit 28/38, but not anymore. I'm so thrilled to find preshrunk 501's with a 36 inch inseam. You folks have made my year! Thanks for not forgetting us tall, skinny people (we do exist)!!! :o) You will have my jean business for life. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Ive worn 501 jeans since the late 60's when they were the "valueline" of jeans what else could we afford when there were several sons in the house? In fact my crazy brother used to split the seams on the leg so that mom could sew in extra fabric for some wild looking bell-bottoms!

For me they are still the value line and let me tell you why I am short with even shorter legs we are talking a 28' inseam which really hurts as it is impossible to find this inseam. Next time you get a chance ask how much it costs to take up an inseam, believe me it is expensive, if you can find someone even willing to do denim as it is a tough job. 501 jeans are made with a 31' inseam and the rule is you add 3 inches. 31-28=3 Perfect for me no trips to the tailor, no extra expense.

Everyone in their reviews keeps throwing out crazy ideas on washing. This is what I do when I first buy them I wash them with cold water then I throw them in the dryer regular heat and dry them till they are dry. From then on I wash them cold and hang them to dry. As big as a hassle it is to get pants the right length I am taking no chances, also drying clothing wears it out a lot quicker.

As far as the buttons being a hassle yeah at first they are a bit stiff but after a couple of washes even a clumsy fool like me can manipulate the buttons with ease. So please buy a lot of these jeans so they will stay in business even better if the length is 31.

Now if someone can provide me a solution for my expanding waist but thats the price I guess I have to pay for being married to a great cook.

I bought 2 pairs of 501 STF black 33x36. These are the first shrink-to-fit 501's I've bought since I was a kid, so wasn't sure what to expect. I haven't worn them yet; only briefly tried them on before and after the first wash. My plan is to wash them 2 or 3 times before wearing.

Washing - I marked one pair by trimming corners off the label; those will be my dress jeans that I will always wash inside out - and hope to rarely (if ever) have to wash them. The other pair I will wear several times a week and expect to have to wash them a lot (and I won't turn them inside out to wash as I want the washed look on these). I ride horses daily and they'll get filled with dirt and sweat quickly. It will be interesting to see how the wear compares over the years.

Size - I normally wear 32x32 (non STF), which fit on me a bit short and a bit tight. So I ordered 33x36 as per the Levis guidelines. I tried them on un-washed, and indeed they were large on the waist and very long. I washed them in warm water, heavy-duty wash with regular soil settings on my washer, and then dried on hot. Tried them on again and they had shrunk a LOT. Pretty much perfect; hope they don't shrink much more. I am washing them the second time now; not sure if I'll do a 3rd.

Color - A nice dark black, I like it, although it isn't a super deep pitch black...at some angles it almost looks a deep dark dark blue. It has a slight washed look even before the first wash (I can see light/white threads, which I like).

Material - Softer than I expected even before washing; I like it although based on some of the reviews I was expecting them to be heavier and stiffer.

I will update after I've worn them a few times - very happy so far though.

I agree with the previous reviewer (Great Faulkner's Ghost) , getting the right size (bigger) and washing in very hot water the first few times is the way to get the very best fit in Levi's 501 STF. In fact, I actually boil pots of water to put in my washing machine because my water heater doesn't get hot enough.

Another suggestion is to always hang/line dry. Dryers tumble jeans to the point they become soft very quickly - that lack of rigidity makes for a too uniform/bland fading. Keeping that original rigidity as long as possible makes the wrinkles wear and contrast better...giving the most personalized/custom look.

I wear them about 4 days or more before washing (by then, the outside of the jean is pretty dirty anyhow)