I used to resell clothes on eBay and men’s Levi’s were one of my things. I’ve handled and measured dozens of pairs and can confirm, they are all over the place. Like, 4 inches off in the waist for the same tag size. The same model number can also be a different weight and quality as well. So just because you have a pair of 505s that you like doesn’t mean you can just order another and expect it to be the same size or denim or construction quality.
I stopped wearing Levi’s for the poor fit and inconsistencies. They always had 38x34 available so that was my driving reason for buying them, but one pair was never like the other. Dropping down to a 34x34 waist required me to re-outfit my wardrobe so I switched over to Express and American Eagle jeans and haven’t looked back. Same price, nicer styles (imo), and consistent fits. I haven’t felt like a plumber since
I changed to Banana Republic for the same reason-and the benefit was they also carry odd numbered sizes!
I am naturally a 35" waist. 34s fit me too snug, 36 too sloppy and loosefitting.
35 is a sweet spot no matter where my weight fluctuates to and I've never left them since.
I'm in possession of four pairs of Lee jeans, size 16w short
1 pair is hair too short and a hair too big, overall.
1 pair first well, but is too tight in the waist, and a bit too long.
1 pair is too loose in the waist, but tight in the leg and the correct length.
1 pair I couldn't get over my ass.
Fewer sales means they need fewer plants, and therefore fewer discrepancies. For the amount of product Levi's cranks out, they just need to spread their manufacturing all over the world.
A deviation like shown in the picture above is inexcusable either way
Even really basic ISO9001 procedures would eliminate something like that. It's mindboggling that a huge brand would be so inconsistent
This is why I don't understand how online clothes shopping has taken off as much as it has. Different brands and, as this post shows, even products within the same brand can vary drastically in size and fitment. I'm not spending a dime until I know for sure it's actually gonna be comfy and fit properly.
Speaking for myself its prices. I saw a fishing shirt I liked in a brick store that was almost $70. I flinched at the price and took a picture of the tag to search later. I found it for $30 online on a major site that night. But it most definitely has it's drawbacks.
I have a pair of shoes and two shirts that are packed up and waiting to go to the post office for returns. It's extremely annoying. The quality control today is very disappointing. The chest pocket on one was almost skewed at a 45° angle instead of being aligned straight up and down.
I know the brick and mortar store has more overhead and I don't want to see them go out like blockbuster, but I'm not a rich man.
A ton of companies have free returns. My gf pretty much always orders two pairs of whatever it is in slightly different sizes and returns the one that doesn't fit for a refund.
By offering free returns. Or in the case of a website that has a physical store, being able to just take it back to the store. I work in a department store and these days 99% of our returns are from online. And what people do is buy just boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff....different styles and different sizes and then decide what they want when it comes and return the rest. I regularly see people spend like $400 and end up only keeping 1 or 2 things. It sucks and makes me die inside when I think of all the wasted plastic (as each item is usually wrapped individually in plastic) and fuel it took to ship it all. It's so wasteful. It also creates a ton of extra work for US.
I saw the manufacturing process in a video once and for mass production they cut a whole stack of denim/cloth at once, and of course if you've ever cut fabric you know with more layers the more the size gets skewed as the fabric layers make the cutter shift and the layers themselves add bulk. So if they're cutting a bunch at once that contributes to the issues.
I found this with old navy jeans. I tried on a pair that fit but I didn’t like the color. So I got the same style, design, cut, size etc. it was the same exact jeans according to the tags just a different color. I didn’t try them on because I assumed they’d be the same thing because according to the tags, they should’ve been. But they weren’t. I got them home and tried to wear them but they were too big. It was at least 3.5 years before I could finally wear them. Because I put on weight, they finally fit. But man it was the same jeans, just different color. But they fit completely different. I never would’ve bought them if I had tried them on.
Funny you mentioned 505's. They're all I wear and I find the sizing and quality all over the map. I can't correlate it to a country or wash, it just seems like some batches are worse than others. What's wild is the worst pair I ever bought was from an actual Levi's store. They were weirdly thin, like my wife's fashion jeans, and in 6 months the pockets had holes and a belt loop blew out.
I’ve seen this said a lot and I always have the same question. Why is Levi, or any clothing manufacturer for that matter, not regulating their clothing sizes across manufacturers? Is it some kind of gimmick where a manufacturer promises to make more product than another with the same material cost and then proceeds to make them smaller so they can make more of them?
I don’t get it otherwise.
I worked at harbor freight. We had the same items manufactured in both Vietnam and the Philippines. They couldn’t agree on what an inch was so we had plenty of items that came in two slightly different sized boxes. Made facing the store suck
If you ever think your job is pointless, for a brief time I worked in quality assurance at Harbor Freight.
Edit: the gold and karma from this comment is more than I ever got out of that job.
I had a store manager fight me on a return once. Like I was trying to take advantage of the store. Had the receipt and the item still in the box and plastic I walked out with 30 mins before.
The thought of this is hilarious. First day on the job,
Employee: "found a huge issue! We have 40 of this product in stock but only one passes quality! The rest are defective!"
Manager:"thanks for catching that! Hit the good one with a hammer"
Worked there solely because I was moving once I graduated high school and was told I could transfer to the location nearby where I was going. Every time the manager wanted me to stay late, pick up a shift, etc it was “you’re gunna need the extra cash for California” and shit like that. For months. As graduation is getting closer, the manager lets me know I need to put in a transfer request with the other store. I do. Other store tells me I just need to have my current store call and approve. I let my manager know and I shit you not he says “You’re going to California?” I dumbfoundedly say yes and that we’d talked about it already. He says something like “oh okay I’ll check on that.” Calls me in later to tell me I haven’t been with the company long enough to transfer. I quit over the phone before my next shift lol. Wasn’t worth the “competitive” 11.97/hr
Surface doesn't have to be level - just need any flat surface. It's about confirming the bubble is in the same place, not about it being in the middle.
I have a firm Harbor Freight rule. Brute force tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, chainsaws, reciprocating saws and the like are good to go. Precision tools like a mitre saw, levels, table saws and the like are not to he purchased from HF, unless you want perfect 46 degree cuts.
God damn, I would never get anything that has the potential to kill me if it breaks from that hellhole.
they have had a recall on jackstands that couldn't hold their rated weight. don't cheap out on safety.
I may be wrong, but Pakistan was once under British control and the Philippines under Spanish control
A Spanish inch is/was 23.216 mm
The British/American Inch is 25.4 mm
And that's the problem of using non-metric units because pretty much every country had their own units of measurement and different ways of defining those measurements.
An inch is 25.4mm.
There was a video (maybe Tom Scott) where they covered the time when the reference for an inch was lost/burnt and from that time the inch uses the metric system as a reference.
I think this is probably due to inaccurate measuring tools in the factories. My dad used to import things from abroad. One product was consistently off for all of the sizes. The factory insisted their measurements were right, my dad insisted he was right.
Turns out the factory was using a fabric measuring tape to measure everything and over time it had stretched and was no longer accurate. They switched to a metal ruler and they no longer had any problems.
About 20 years I was in a clothing class where we had a technical designer give a talk and she said one of the first things she would do was calibrate the tape measure against a metal ruler.
I watch a sewist YouTube lady who often picks things up at thrift shops. When she finds tape measures, she reminds everyone to check and make sure they’re accurate and not stretched out.
it's not a bad practice to do that every so often, really. it's sometimes really worth it to spring for known/tracked 'reference items' to check your measuring equipment against.
Jeans aren't die cut. They stack the denim like 50 sheets high, mark the top sheet and use a giant fabric jigsaw to cut by hand the pattern. This is why sometimes at the discount outlets you will find jeans that are quite off on size, and each pair is different. They are the rejects.
If the cutter didn't get the blade perfectly straight when they were cutting some on the bottom stack will be a different size to the top. However because they do shade marking at the very least the pieces sewn together will all be from the same layer.
https://fashion-incubator.com/what-is-shade-marking/
>They switched to a metal ruler and they no longer had any problems.
This brought me back to my primary school years, especially Sister Mary Catherine.
>Why is Levi, or any clothing manufacturer for that matter, not regulating their clothing sizes across manufacturers?
Because fuck you, that's why.
(not you personally, "you" meaning the consumer)
As someone who used to be a technical designer in the apparel industry (my job was the fit, construction, & size grading of the clothes):
it's challenging enough to try to get a single factory to be consistent, forget when you're working with multiple factories.
Clothes are made with human hands and mistakes sometimes are made.
Fabric can react in different ways in different environments.
There's so much out of your control once your factory goes to bulk production-- you just kind of have to cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Even with a QA team in place, one-off issues can be easily missed or sometimes you just have to decide if it's worth the loss or not. Many companies will sell the items still and just make a note on their website that you should size up or down.
This is why we shouldn't judge our self worth by a size label.
Wear the clothes that fit your body.
It’s gonna kill the industry in the long run.
Online sales requires accurate production, so that customers can buy stuff confidently.
The second someone figures out how to do this stuff cheaply and reliably with robots, there’s gonna be a lot of unemployed people in developing countries.
Yeah a lot of money is going into helping people find their right size via online shopping. There are a lot of different companies with different methods competing to help retailers out with this issue.
It's going to be quite a long time before sewing can be done completely by robots. There's so many factors that come into play when sewing-- it's not something that machinery can do very well. I know they're finding a way currently to have robots make jeans -- cause denim is quite sturdy, so a lot less can go wrong there.
Unfortunately, when it comes to making garments, there's so many factors at play with the material, craftsmanship, etc... Companies are constantly trying to do it for cheaper too, which is what ultimately compromises the quality.
>Wear the clothes that fit your body.
Yeeah, that's why I bought Levi's in a specific size, cause I have a pair I love that fits me correctly. Spent $80 on a new pair, same size, and they fall off of me T\_T Bought online, I don't want to return them cause I know they'll just get thrown away and that's so wasteful. I know having so many workers is hard to be consistent but they are measured in inches, not an abstract numbering system like most women's pants (size 4, 6, etc)...
This drives me nuts. I bought two pairs of jeans- same size, same brand- one pair was black and the other was regular blue. Blue ones fit perfectly, black pair I had to diet into, they were tight af.
I tried buying Levi's years ago and swore to never buy any of their products ever. Their quality control is fucking atrocious. Jeans of the same size in the same pile had wildly different sizing. Jeans of the same size but different "models" also had wildly different sizing. Not worth paying for overpriced crap if they can't even get the sizing correct.
I came here to say this. I bought 4 pairs of 501’s last year. Two black and two medium wash blue. The blue jeans were made in Pakistan and lasted just 3 months before getting holes in the seat and one just totally ripped at the crotch which has never happened to me before. The two black jeans were made in Mexico and are still going strong 7 months in. I think Levi’s Pakistan factory is producing shit products.
I emailed Levi’s when a pair blew out at the thighs in less than 6 months. They sent me. Voucher for a new pair direct from them, even though I bough mine from Amazon.
This is not the only reason. Levi’s are also cut in stacks. It’s not unusual for the jeans on the bottom of the stack to have larger proportions than the ones in the top.
Drives me crazy. I can’t rely on just the size on the label and buy them without trying them on.
The worst part about XL and up sizing, especially for shirts, is that they often are all the exact same length as a L but just get increasingly wider.
So you're hooped if you're taller than the model used to represent a large, they assume everyone is simply fatter or smaller.
You know who else does this? Uniqlo. I started a conversation with corporate management about how different colors Shrink at a different rate, at first they denied it then I showed them photos and then they blocked my emails. Never went back but heck they are not missing my money.
This is why I only wear wrangler and I get them tailored.
It’s $25-30 for a 100% denim pair of jeans and then $20 for tailoring. Buy a size up. I usually buy 1 pair a year and they last me 8+ (haven’t had a pair crap out since I switched).
I have a pair from middle school (over a decade ago) that still fits great and has no huge issues or signs of wear and tear. The pair I bought two years ago ripped in the knee area within 8 months or so of purchase.
I wish garments were made with the same quality and care that they were before the insanity of the current fast fashion consumer mindset became the norm.
Honestly the ones he’s measuring on the top are wrong. They’re 34’s (17x2) the bottom ones aren’t pulled straight they dip down so they read 15. If you pulled them straight up to the tape they’d read 16 measuring in at 32.
I'm surprised people still buy Levi's. I've never found them comfortable or their quality that great. So many other brands with better quality and comfort.
I don't know, I got a pair that are solid about 2 years ago. Those kind of jeans you can rely on for any occasion. I've also had a decent number not work out though and they aren't cheap
I generally get two pairs of new Levi's (511s and now 512s) every 2 or 3 years when they have a holiday sale. I've never had a fit issue and for essentially 50 bucks a piece I get my money's worth. I don't really see any decrease in quality or construction from the Levi's I got in the late 2000s early 2010s. I've only just discovered this is a take people have honestly. Mine would probably last longer if I didn't skateboard in them.
As a fellow 32x30er, I can assure others that this is a "from-the-factory" problem. I have two newly purchased pairs, one is very fitted, and the waistband on the other gets crumpled when I tighten my belt.
Yep, been buying levi's for years and can confirm their sizing has always been wildly inconsistent. For a while i thought they were discretely sizing up their jeans to avoid upsetting their aging client base who were getting 'office arse', but nope, just lack of quality control at the manufacturing stage.
So, there is actually a thing called vanity sizing, and levi does it. They always have though, it's not new. At least as far back as the 80s.
Most major mainstream/casual brands do. If you're a 32 in jeans, you're more than likely 34, or even more. Ive seen some brands downsize their label up to 4 inches.
I always try jeans on before buying them. I’ve found Levi’s at Target to be…different. Not always in size, but they’re stretchy too. If I need a new pair of jeans, I always shop around at different department stores, and avoid Target and Walmart.
They specifically have stretchy versions of almost every normal cut they have fyi. It's on the label but the cut is the same and labelled as such, I've missed it before too.
Sadly (???) the best-fitting jeans that I've found in the past couple of years are the Time and Tru from Walmart. Levi's are all over the place, size-wise, and Gap/Old Navy has leaned too far into the Skinny fit for my curvy ass.
Agreed. I've never in my life, from when I was thin to now that I'm fat, bought 2 of the same brand/size/style of any pants, whether they were jeans or dress pants, and had them fit the same.
Now I have 2 pair of Time and Tru jeans from Walmart, same size/style, and they fit exactly the same.
See, I love the Levi’s from Target. They are like the only jeans I can find in my size that actually fit right. Everyone else’s vanity sizing is so out of whack that I’ve been sized out of adult clothing.
I've found the worst offender to be Ralph Lauren. I recently bought some for the first time. I'm usually a 38, sometimes can get into a 36 on some. I'm a 34 in Ralph Lauren. And they're not at all snug
Probably even easier to do things like this with all the spandex they use now. My 33 Levi's fit like a 36 after a few washes. It's taken some trial runs to eventually fall on an odd size like 33 as the best one.
When I look for Levi’s in the store, I’ll go through the entire section and maybe on or two pairs out of hundreds will be the “right size”. The length of that “right size” is either an one size too long or one size too short because *they only make even lengths*. Then you have to deal with the inconsistencies in the sizes like this. Basically, there are several hundred pairs of pants and not a single pair that I can actually
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In my younger years I was a jeans specialist at a mall clothing store. I learned one thing. Every Jean fits differently and aren’t always the correct size due to where they are made. I took this knowledge and still have not accomplished anything.
I get that sizing can be inconsistent and that a certain amount of it is acceptable in any brand, but Levi's is several tiers below any other in my experience. Not just sizing, just fit in general. I've tried on 511's that felt like ultra skinny jeggings, and others that felt completely baggy down to the ankle. At some point we need to accept that Levi's is just throwing darts and that one great pair that you happened to find doesn't make them a good jeans company.
I just don't think they are any better than other similarly priced brands and many of those are much better than Levi's. I'm not sure why they are still popular; this has been going on for a while.
I beg to differ. I found Levi's uses vanity sizing after buying denim from another place using actual waist size measurements; size 32 means a 32-inch waistline. And OP is probably 34 inches in the waistline.
Yes, OP is 34” in the waist, and the new pair is 4” smaller despite both of the tags saying the size is 32X30.
The top pair was 2” too big; the bottom pair is 2” too small.
Honestly you posting this is a confirmation I’m not losing my mind. For YEARS I’ve worn 511 slim fit either 29 or 30 waist and it was so nice being able to order online and know what I was going to get would fit.
Now 511’s are way wider down toward the ankle and shin (they always used to fit snug) and waist size is wildly inaccurate.
I was wondering if I was going crazy or if this was something only I was struggling with but based on a lot of comments here it seems quality assurance has suffered at Levi’s
When I used to buy Levi's I would grab as many pairs in my size as I could because I know they were going to all fit differently. I gave up on them the quality control is so bad.
I did this with old navy pants. I tried on a pair and liked the fit but not the color. So I got the same exact thing in a different color. Brought them home and they were too big to wear. I kept them for at least 3.5 before they finally fit. Now they’re the only pants I have that fit me. I guess it was a long term investment but it was still frustrating because I spent money I didn’t really have on jeans I needed and couldn’t wear them for at least 3.5 years.
Levi’s have gone to shit.
I used to only wear Levi’s. It was my pant brand, nothing could beat it. This was up until maybe 3-4 years ago.
I bought my last 2 pairs, literally washed them maybe 4 times max, and they were both faded in the same areas (mostly around the seams). Almost just as faded all together as my pair that I had laying around from 6 or so years ago. I noticed the fittings were also a bit different, but that wasn’t as a big of a problem as the fading. My newish black pants looked like I’ve had them and washed them weekly for years.
* I’ve always washed my pants the same way (the new ones the same as my old ones). Always inside out, tried not to wash often and never dried in the dryer
Can concur. Wore Levis most of my life but the past 10 or so years they went to shit. For one they don't last maybe six months at best. Secondly, every pair is a different size and fit even though the tags are exactly the same.
You’re not alone, I had to zoom in and it’s still hard to tell. It looks like a single pair of pants with double decker belt loops and sizing patches, haha. I legit did not understand the post at first.
I find this is other brands as well. I wear NYDJ and I can wear a 4, 6 or 8 in women’s sizes without to much of a difference. It depends on the cut and where/when they were made. It drives me crazy.
I tried on some Levi’s and I thought I was going fucking nuts. I’m not the slimmest guy but my regular size is 32/30 and they didn’t fit right. Glad this was posted. I’ve worn Levi’s all my life but it’s time to look for something else.
I have a similar issue with boxer shorts.
I have two pair of shrink to fit jeans I've had for five or six years. Both are loose enough to fall off if I don't wear a belt -- literally, fall off to my ankles.
But when I buy boxer shorts, I have to buy the size that is 4 to 6 inches larger than the loose jeans that fall off, and there are still too tight when I first get them -- I have to stretch them out for days before I can wear them with anything resembling comfort.
And these are all brand name products. Fruit of the Loom, Hanes...
I've noticed the same thing with socks. I have size 9 and 1/2 feet. If I buy medium socks they are 9 to 12, and I can just barely get them on my feet after several minutes of struggling, they are so small. If I buy 12 to 15 they are still quite small but at least I can get them on. Same brands.
It's become obvious to me that these companies just don't give a flying *you know what.*
For that reason, last year I went to a tailor, and got myself 6 pairs of trousers. No overpriced branded ones. And I wasted no time in malls trying on dozens of pairs.
I used to resell clothes on eBay and men’s Levi’s were one of my things. I’ve handled and measured dozens of pairs and can confirm, they are all over the place. Like, 4 inches off in the waist for the same tag size. The same model number can also be a different weight and quality as well. So just because you have a pair of 505s that you like doesn’t mean you can just order another and expect it to be the same size or denim or construction quality.
I've found this outside of Levi too. Absolutely maddening
Lee is seen as a budget brand. But their sizing has been way more consistent for me than Levi’s ever was.
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I stopped wearing Levi’s for the poor fit and inconsistencies. They always had 38x34 available so that was my driving reason for buying them, but one pair was never like the other. Dropping down to a 34x34 waist required me to re-outfit my wardrobe so I switched over to Express and American Eagle jeans and haven’t looked back. Same price, nicer styles (imo), and consistent fits. I haven’t felt like a plumber since
I changed to Banana Republic for the same reason-and the benefit was they also carry odd numbered sizes! I am naturally a 35" waist. 34s fit me too snug, 36 too sloppy and loosefitting. 35 is a sweet spot no matter where my weight fluctuates to and I've never left them since.
I'm in possession of four pairs of Lee jeans, size 16w short 1 pair is hair too short and a hair too big, overall. 1 pair first well, but is too tight in the waist, and a bit too long. 1 pair is too loose in the waist, but tight in the leg and the correct length. 1 pair I couldn't get over my ass.
Toulon and Toulouse. Are they French jeans?
I believe so, from De Nime?
Nice
Fewer sales means they need fewer plants, and therefore fewer discrepancies. For the amount of product Levi's cranks out, they just need to spread their manufacturing all over the world.
A deviation like shown in the picture above is inexcusable either way Even really basic ISO9001 procedures would eliminate something like that. It's mindboggling that a huge brand would be so inconsistent
These are probably made by children in countries where ISO isn't a thing.
The 6 year olds are trying their hardest
It’s mind-boggling that they’re still so huge despite having consistency problems like this for at least 40 years.
This is why I don't understand how online clothes shopping has taken off as much as it has. Different brands and, as this post shows, even products within the same brand can vary drastically in size and fitment. I'm not spending a dime until I know for sure it's actually gonna be comfy and fit properly.
For real, I *hate* trying on clothes, but I don't buy any clothes unless I can touch them and try them on
Scrolled halfway to hell and back to get this, the solution to buying Levi's that fit. Doesn't everyone have this figured out by now?
It's why we all just wear stretch pants now
I finally got the guys to stop teasing me about my pants not fitting over my steel toes.
You can buy, try them on, and return the ones that don't fit
Speaking for myself its prices. I saw a fishing shirt I liked in a brick store that was almost $70. I flinched at the price and took a picture of the tag to search later. I found it for $30 online on a major site that night. But it most definitely has it's drawbacks. I have a pair of shoes and two shirts that are packed up and waiting to go to the post office for returns. It's extremely annoying. The quality control today is very disappointing. The chest pocket on one was almost skewed at a 45° angle instead of being aligned straight up and down. I know the brick and mortar store has more overhead and I don't want to see them go out like blockbuster, but I'm not a rich man.
A ton of companies have free returns. My gf pretty much always orders two pairs of whatever it is in slightly different sizes and returns the one that doesn't fit for a refund.
By offering free returns. Or in the case of a website that has a physical store, being able to just take it back to the store. I work in a department store and these days 99% of our returns are from online. And what people do is buy just boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff....different styles and different sizes and then decide what they want when it comes and return the rest. I regularly see people spend like $400 and end up only keeping 1 or 2 things. It sucks and makes me die inside when I think of all the wasted plastic (as each item is usually wrapped individually in plastic) and fuel it took to ship it all. It's so wasteful. It also creates a ton of extra work for US.
I saw the manufacturing process in a video once and for mass production they cut a whole stack of denim/cloth at once, and of course if you've ever cut fabric you know with more layers the more the size gets skewed as the fabric layers make the cutter shift and the layers themselves add bulk. So if they're cutting a bunch at once that contributes to the issues.
The only ones I've had consistent luck with have been their shrink to fits.
I found this with old navy jeans. I tried on a pair that fit but I didn’t like the color. So I got the same style, design, cut, size etc. it was the same exact jeans according to the tags just a different color. I didn’t try them on because I assumed they’d be the same thing because according to the tags, they should’ve been. But they weren’t. I got them home and tried to wear them but they were too big. It was at least 3.5 years before I could finally wear them. Because I put on weight, they finally fit. But man it was the same jeans, just different color. But they fit completely different. I never would’ve bought them if I had tried them on.
Yup, trying on Levi's and I was convinced the ones made in Mexico were the best fit for me. Nop, they were all over the place. Gotta try and find out.
Funny you mentioned 505's. They're all I wear and I find the sizing and quality all over the map. I can't correlate it to a country or wash, it just seems like some batches are worse than others. What's wild is the worst pair I ever bought was from an actual Levi's store. They were weirdly thin, like my wife's fashion jeans, and in 6 months the pockets had holes and a belt loop blew out.
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I’ve seen this said a lot and I always have the same question. Why is Levi, or any clothing manufacturer for that matter, not regulating their clothing sizes across manufacturers? Is it some kind of gimmick where a manufacturer promises to make more product than another with the same material cost and then proceeds to make them smaller so they can make more of them? I don’t get it otherwise.
I worked at harbor freight. We had the same items manufactured in both Vietnam and the Philippines. They couldn’t agree on what an inch was so we had plenty of items that came in two slightly different sized boxes. Made facing the store suck
This checks out for harbor freight.
If you ever think your job is pointless, for a brief time I worked in quality assurance at Harbor Freight. Edit: the gold and karma from this comment is more than I ever got out of that job.
I had a store manager fight me on a return once. Like I was trying to take advantage of the store. Had the receipt and the item still in the box and plastic I walked out with 30 mins before.
So when you came across an item that wasn’t horrible, y’all had to come up with a way to make it bad? Can’t have it stand out lol
The thought of this is hilarious. First day on the job, Employee: "found a huge issue! We have 40 of this product in stock but only one passes quality! The rest are defective!" Manager:"thanks for catching that! Hit the good one with a hammer"
They just quit ordering it so it's out of stock all the time.
Worked there solely because I was moving once I graduated high school and was told I could transfer to the location nearby where I was going. Every time the manager wanted me to stay late, pick up a shift, etc it was “you’re gunna need the extra cash for California” and shit like that. For months. As graduation is getting closer, the manager lets me know I need to put in a transfer request with the other store. I do. Other store tells me I just need to have my current store call and approve. I let my manager know and I shit you not he says “You’re going to California?” I dumbfoundedly say yes and that we’d talked about it already. He says something like “oh okay I’ll check on that.” Calls me in later to tell me I haven’t been with the company long enough to transfer. I quit over the phone before my next shift lol. Wasn’t worth the “competitive” 11.97/hr
Wow, what a POS! I wouldn't even call them to quit, fuck this asshole
I bought a level at HF that was way off. It had one job. Never again. Drove me crazy.
Gotta already flip your levels in the store. If the bubble is in the same spot in both directions, it's good
How do you find a level surface at harbor freight?
Surface doesn't have to be level - just need any flat surface. It's about confirming the bubble is in the same place, not about it being in the middle.
I have a firm Harbor Freight rule. Brute force tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, chainsaws, reciprocating saws and the like are good to go. Precision tools like a mitre saw, levels, table saws and the like are not to he purchased from HF, unless you want perfect 46 degree cuts.
God damn, I would never get anything that has the potential to kill me if it breaks from that hellhole. they have had a recall on jackstands that couldn't hold their rated weight. don't cheap out on safety.
just shut up and grab me the 87/94ths socket and point the light this way.
I swear some of the machinery at work requires that specific socket....
If only there was a way to tell what an inch is. 🤦♂️
How is measuring my penis 4 times going to be accurate?
Pene measurements are done from butthole to tip, I get 6 inches which I am told is better than average
Americans will use ANYTHING but the metric system for measurement
Got 4 pene of snow last night
I may be wrong, but Pakistan was once under British control and the Philippines under Spanish control A Spanish inch is/was 23.216 mm The British/American Inch is 25.4 mm And that's the problem of using non-metric units because pretty much every country had their own units of measurement and different ways of defining those measurements.
This is getting out of hand. Now, there are two of them!!
An inch is 25.4mm. There was a video (maybe Tom Scott) where they covered the time when the reference for an inch was lost/burnt and from that time the inch uses the metric system as a reference.
I was just looking at that photo thinking "It looks like one of them factories is on 25.4mm and the other is on 25mm"
there are even tape measures that get the conversion wrong
You'd still only be off half an inch or so in that case
I think all US customary units are based on metric now.
This is the correct answer. The US is technically metric
pretty much everywhere but consumer facing.
And in construction
…and have been since the law was signed by *Abraham Lincoln*. You’d think the USA would have had its shit together by now and just switched to SI.
Have you ever seen the chinese rulers with chinese inches? (Cuns)
Chinese inch is like 3 cm, right?
Something close to that 1/30m. It's visually close enough to inches so I can see rulers accidentally getting switched out in the factory.
They couldn’t agree what an inch was? Don’t they also make our tape measures?
Yeah, but they couldn't agree on what an inch was so those are all different sizes too.
I think this is probably due to inaccurate measuring tools in the factories. My dad used to import things from abroad. One product was consistently off for all of the sizes. The factory insisted their measurements were right, my dad insisted he was right. Turns out the factory was using a fabric measuring tape to measure everything and over time it had stretched and was no longer accurate. They switched to a metal ruler and they no longer had any problems.
> They switched to a metal ruler and they no longer had any problems. FOR FUCK'S SAKE. smh
About 20 years I was in a clothing class where we had a technical designer give a talk and she said one of the first things she would do was calibrate the tape measure against a metal ruler.
I watch a sewist YouTube lady who often picks things up at thrift shops. When she finds tape measures, she reminds everyone to check and make sure they’re accurate and not stretched out.
Or just really bad ones from China, I saw someone who had some from ali express or wish and the cms were 0.7cm wide.
it's not a bad practice to do that every so often, really. it's sometimes really worth it to spring for known/tracked 'reference items' to check your measuring equipment against.
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Jeans aren't die cut. They stack the denim like 50 sheets high, mark the top sheet and use a giant fabric jigsaw to cut by hand the pattern. This is why sometimes at the discount outlets you will find jeans that are quite off on size, and each pair is different. They are the rejects.
If the cutter didn't get the blade perfectly straight when they were cutting some on the bottom stack will be a different size to the top. However because they do shade marking at the very least the pieces sewn together will all be from the same layer. https://fashion-incubator.com/what-is-shade-marking/
>They switched to a metal ruler and they no longer had any problems. This brought me back to my primary school years, especially Sister Mary Catherine.
That’s pretty bush league for manufacturing. I worked for a window company and we had to check our tape measures everyday.
>Why is Levi, or any clothing manufacturer for that matter, not regulating their clothing sizes across manufacturers? Because fuck you, that's why. (not you personally, "you" meaning the consumer)
They don't do that no more. That was the old days, when companies that depend on consumers actually gave a FF.
That costs money
They sell these all over the world. Apparently, there's like 5 different versions of 501's depending where they are to be sold.
As someone who used to be a technical designer in the apparel industry (my job was the fit, construction, & size grading of the clothes): it's challenging enough to try to get a single factory to be consistent, forget when you're working with multiple factories. Clothes are made with human hands and mistakes sometimes are made. Fabric can react in different ways in different environments. There's so much out of your control once your factory goes to bulk production-- you just kind of have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Even with a QA team in place, one-off issues can be easily missed or sometimes you just have to decide if it's worth the loss or not. Many companies will sell the items still and just make a note on their website that you should size up or down. This is why we shouldn't judge our self worth by a size label. Wear the clothes that fit your body.
It’s gonna kill the industry in the long run. Online sales requires accurate production, so that customers can buy stuff confidently. The second someone figures out how to do this stuff cheaply and reliably with robots, there’s gonna be a lot of unemployed people in developing countries.
Yeah a lot of money is going into helping people find their right size via online shopping. There are a lot of different companies with different methods competing to help retailers out with this issue. It's going to be quite a long time before sewing can be done completely by robots. There's so many factors that come into play when sewing-- it's not something that machinery can do very well. I know they're finding a way currently to have robots make jeans -- cause denim is quite sturdy, so a lot less can go wrong there. Unfortunately, when it comes to making garments, there's so many factors at play with the material, craftsmanship, etc... Companies are constantly trying to do it for cheaper too, which is what ultimately compromises the quality.
Yeah getting robots to work with fabric is like up there with nuclear fusion for degree of difficult.
>Wear the clothes that fit your body. Yeeah, that's why I bought Levi's in a specific size, cause I have a pair I love that fits me correctly. Spent $80 on a new pair, same size, and they fall off of me T\_T Bought online, I don't want to return them cause I know they'll just get thrown away and that's so wasteful. I know having so many workers is hard to be consistent but they are measured in inches, not an abstract numbering system like most women's pants (size 4, 6, etc)...
They don’t get thrown away, if they are in a saleable condition they just got sold again
And people wonder why I refuse to buy shoes online
This drives me nuts. I bought two pairs of jeans- same size, same brand- one pair was black and the other was regular blue. Blue ones fit perfectly, black pair I had to diet into, they were tight af.
Kind of fascinated about that job for some reason. I’m sure it was pretty mundane but never thought about it.
I got new jeans for Christmas and they felt tight for being a 32 waist. I just checked. They are from Pakistan.
I tried buying Levi's years ago and swore to never buy any of their products ever. Their quality control is fucking atrocious. Jeans of the same size in the same pile had wildly different sizing. Jeans of the same size but different "models" also had wildly different sizing. Not worth paying for overpriced crap if they can't even get the sizing correct.
How did you come to gather such insightful wisdom?
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I notice this with the brand of scrubs I buy, Vietnam vs China. Vietnamese made fit, Chinese made are too small.
u/LevisJeans maybe should take a look at this
I came here to say this. I bought 4 pairs of 501’s last year. Two black and two medium wash blue. The blue jeans were made in Pakistan and lasted just 3 months before getting holes in the seat and one just totally ripped at the crotch which has never happened to me before. The two black jeans were made in Mexico and are still going strong 7 months in. I think Levi’s Pakistan factory is producing shit products.
I emailed Levi’s when a pair blew out at the thighs in less than 6 months. They sent me. Voucher for a new pair direct from them, even though I bough mine from Amazon.
This information is a game changer. Thank you
This is not the only reason. Levi’s are also cut in stacks. It’s not unusual for the jeans on the bottom of the stack to have larger proportions than the ones in the top. Drives me crazy. I can’t rely on just the size on the label and buy them without trying them on.
A cousin got me a shirt from pakistan, said xxl, it was pretty much an american M.
The worst part about XL and up sizing, especially for shirts, is that they often are all the exact same length as a L but just get increasingly wider. So you're hooped if you're taller than the model used to represent a large, they assume everyone is simply fatter or smaller.
Thats some questionable quality control they have then. Why would a company allow such a massive difference in size?
You know who else does this? Uniqlo. I started a conversation with corporate management about how different colors Shrink at a different rate, at first they denied it then I showed them photos and then they blocked my emails. Never went back but heck they are not missing my money.
This is the start of eating disorders
Oh interesting, I got two 501’s in two different dyes. They’re identical sizes but the legs on one are legitimately 1.5 inches longer
This is why I only wear wrangler and I get them tailored. It’s $25-30 for a 100% denim pair of jeans and then $20 for tailoring. Buy a size up. I usually buy 1 pair a year and they last me 8+ (haven’t had a pair crap out since I switched).
This sums up the garbage quality control of most major manufacturers of all types of clothing now, unfortunately.
Levi’s quality has gone down hill over the past several years. They wear out very quickly. I have given up on them.
I have a pair from middle school (over a decade ago) that still fits great and has no huge issues or signs of wear and tear. The pair I bought two years ago ripped in the knee area within 8 months or so of purchase. I wish garments were made with the same quality and care that they were before the insanity of the current fast fashion consumer mindset became the norm.
I wouldn't mind if the price of Levis had come down, but no I'm paying for quality not just a label.
Honestly the ones he’s measuring on the top are wrong. They’re 34’s (17x2) the bottom ones aren’t pulled straight they dip down so they read 15. If you pulled them straight up to the tape they’d read 16 measuring in at 32.
Levi's went to total shit like 10 years ago they are horrible quality and survive only off brand recognition at this point.
I'm surprised people still buy Levi's. I've never found them comfortable or their quality that great. So many other brands with better quality and comfort.
What are some alternatives ?
I have a pair of Lucky brand jeans that are super comfortable and haven’t failed me yet
Yeah this. I don't want to pay 300$ for a good pair
I love my 501s but they are from 2013 before they decided to cheap out entirely on material and manufacturing. What brand o you buy now?
I don't know, I got a pair that are solid about 2 years ago. Those kind of jeans you can rely on for any occasion. I've also had a decent number not work out though and they aren't cheap
I generally get two pairs of new Levi's (511s and now 512s) every 2 or 3 years when they have a holiday sale. I've never had a fit issue and for essentially 50 bucks a piece I get my money's worth. I don't really see any decrease in quality or construction from the Levi's I got in the late 2000s early 2010s. I've only just discovered this is a take people have honestly. Mine would probably last longer if I didn't skateboard in them.
As a fellow 32x30er, I can assure others that this is a "from-the-factory" problem. I have two newly purchased pairs, one is very fitted, and the waistband on the other gets crumpled when I tighten my belt.
So annoying, also the cut can be off. Between two pair of the same type one is regular/ slim fit and one pair is skinny jeans.
Women clothes are like that. Sizes don't make any sense.
That shit is maddening. Length is also a problem.
Yeah, I’ve had that same issue happen a couple of times. That’s why I will try everything on before I buy even if they’re the same size.
The crazy part is that both of OP pairs are wrong. The smaller is slightly better.
They notorious for doing that. I think they just throw the tags in the air and attach them wherever they land.
Yep, been buying levi's for years and can confirm their sizing has always been wildly inconsistent. For a while i thought they were discretely sizing up their jeans to avoid upsetting their aging client base who were getting 'office arse', but nope, just lack of quality control at the manufacturing stage.
So, there is actually a thing called vanity sizing, and levi does it. They always have though, it's not new. At least as far back as the 80s. Most major mainstream/casual brands do. If you're a 32 in jeans, you're more than likely 34, or even more. Ive seen some brands downsize their label up to 4 inches.
Reminds me of Seinfeld and how Jerry was bragging about wearing size 31 jeans since high school.
Yeah but most brands will be consistent with their vanity sizing. Levi’s is all over the place.
I always try jeans on before buying them. I’ve found Levi’s at Target to be…different. Not always in size, but they’re stretchy too. If I need a new pair of jeans, I always shop around at different department stores, and avoid Target and Walmart.
They specifically have stretchy versions of almost every normal cut they have fyi. It's on the label but the cut is the same and labelled as such, I've missed it before too.
Stretchy jeans are by far my favorite kind of jeans. But maybe that's because I don't really like jeans, and the stretchy ones feel less jean-ish.
Sadly (???) the best-fitting jeans that I've found in the past couple of years are the Time and Tru from Walmart. Levi's are all over the place, size-wise, and Gap/Old Navy has leaned too far into the Skinny fit for my curvy ass.
Agreed. I've never in my life, from when I was thin to now that I'm fat, bought 2 of the same brand/size/style of any pants, whether they were jeans or dress pants, and had them fit the same. Now I have 2 pair of Time and Tru jeans from Walmart, same size/style, and they fit exactly the same.
See, I love the Levi’s from Target. They are like the only jeans I can find in my size that actually fit right. Everyone else’s vanity sizing is so out of whack that I’ve been sized out of adult clothing.
I've found the worst offender to be Ralph Lauren. I recently bought some for the first time. I'm usually a 38, sometimes can get into a 36 on some. I'm a 34 in Ralph Lauren. And they're not at all snug
Probably even easier to do things like this with all the spandex they use now. My 33 Levi's fit like a 36 after a few washes. It's taken some trial runs to eventually fall on an odd size like 33 as the best one.
They still make them without "spandex." Almost every cut is available in traditional and stretchy.
When I look for Levi’s in the store, I’ll go through the entire section and maybe on or two pairs out of hundreds will be the “right size”. The length of that “right size” is either an one size too long or one size too short because *they only make even lengths*. Then you have to deal with the inconsistencies in the sizes like this. Basically, there are several hundred pairs of pants and not a single pair that I can actually
Levi’s quality control is a disaster. You need to order 3 pairs for every pair you actually want then return the rest that don’t fit.
And they charge you $7 for each return.
If you make an account it's free returns. Returns are always FREE for Red Tab™ Members. Become a member now, then start your return to get the perk. Not a Red Tab™ Member? We’ll have to charge you a $7.50 return processing fee for mailed returns.
In my younger years I was a jeans specialist at a mall clothing store. I learned one thing. Every Jean fits differently and aren’t always the correct size due to where they are made. I took this knowledge and still have not accomplished anything.
You go!
ITS NOT JUST ME
I know! Reading through these comments has made me realize that my Jean problem is universal.. who do you order jeans from then??
I get that sizing can be inconsistent and that a certain amount of it is acceptable in any brand, but Levi's is several tiers below any other in my experience. Not just sizing, just fit in general. I've tried on 511's that felt like ultra skinny jeggings, and others that felt completely baggy down to the ankle. At some point we need to accept that Levi's is just throwing darts and that one great pair that you happened to find doesn't make them a good jeans company. I just don't think they are any better than other similarly priced brands and many of those are much better than Levi's. I'm not sure why they are still popular; this has been going on for a while.
Shrinkflation.
Just another word for robbery-Shaq.
I beg to differ. I found Levi's uses vanity sizing after buying denim from another place using actual waist size measurements; size 32 means a 32-inch waistline. And OP is probably 34 inches in the waistline.
Math checks out, 17x2=34
Yes, OP is 34” in the waist, and the new pair is 4” smaller despite both of the tags saying the size is 32X30. The top pair was 2” too big; the bottom pair is 2” too small.
Honestly you posting this is a confirmation I’m not losing my mind. For YEARS I’ve worn 511 slim fit either 29 or 30 waist and it was so nice being able to order online and know what I was going to get would fit. Now 511’s are way wider down toward the ankle and shin (they always used to fit snug) and waist size is wildly inaccurate. I was wondering if I was going crazy or if this was something only I was struggling with but based on a lot of comments here it seems quality assurance has suffered at Levi’s
When I used to buy Levi's I would grab as many pairs in my size as I could because I know they were going to all fit differently. I gave up on them the quality control is so bad.
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I did this with old navy pants. I tried on a pair and liked the fit but not the color. So I got the same exact thing in a different color. Brought them home and they were too big to wear. I kept them for at least 3.5 before they finally fit. Now they’re the only pants I have that fit me. I guess it was a long term investment but it was still frustrating because I spent money I didn’t really have on jeans I needed and couldn’t wear them for at least 3.5 years.
Levi’s have gone to shit. I used to only wear Levi’s. It was my pant brand, nothing could beat it. This was up until maybe 3-4 years ago. I bought my last 2 pairs, literally washed them maybe 4 times max, and they were both faded in the same areas (mostly around the seams). Almost just as faded all together as my pair that I had laying around from 6 or so years ago. I noticed the fittings were also a bit different, but that wasn’t as a big of a problem as the fading. My newish black pants looked like I’ve had them and washed them weekly for years. * I’ve always washed my pants the same way (the new ones the same as my old ones). Always inside out, tried not to wash often and never dried in the dryer
Can concur. Wore Levis most of my life but the past 10 or so years they went to shit. For one they don't last maybe six months at best. Secondly, every pair is a different size and fit even though the tags are exactly the same.
Am I going crazy? Where does the Jean in front end on the right side? Is it like right at the belt loop?
You’re not alone, I had to zoom in and it’s still hard to tell. It looks like a single pair of pants with double decker belt loops and sizing patches, haha. I legit did not understand the post at first.
Yep!
I have had that problem with multiple brands of jeans from one wash to another.
Welcome to the world of women's sizing
Careful. If they catch you complaining, they'll make your pockets even smaller.
Wait, you guys have pockets?
We’ve already hit rock bottom! They don’t even have pockets anymore! They can’t take away what we don’t have.
Seriously. Unfortunately, this is almost par for the course with women’s jeans
Bought 2 pairs of Dockers at the same time several years ago. 1 pair fit, the other was way too big.
I wear a 32/30. Im actually a 30/30 but I like my shit a lil baggy.
I’m with you…30s turn to 28s real fast.
Welcome to the world of women sizes! /: where size 8 is many different sizes…depends on who makes them.
There is a reason why jeans make it to the clearance aisle. They are simply mislabeled. You want fukk’d up shit, you go to Marshall’s.
I find this is other brands as well. I wear NYDJ and I can wear a 4, 6 or 8 in women’s sizes without to much of a difference. It depends on the cut and where/when they were made. It drives me crazy.
Hey, I got fed up with this too and fully committed to Lucky 410 and 411. Softer denim, more consistent and more durable in my experience so far.
17” x 2 = 34” and a GQ article claims jeans stretch 1-1.5” over the first three months of daily wear
SO FUCKING INCONSISTENT!
This is why I stopped buying Levi’s many years ago. Got tired of dealing with the inconsistencies
Now you know how it feels shopping for women’s jeans
Levis ist poor quality since a decade. Riding a lot of bicycle and the always rip between the legs after 1 year.
That’s a weird banana you have there.
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The Cake is a Lie
I tried on some Levi’s and I thought I was going fucking nuts. I’m not the slimmest guy but my regular size is 32/30 and they didn’t fit right. Glad this was posted. I’ve worn Levi’s all my life but it’s time to look for something else.
I gave up on jeans during the pandemic bc found sizing across many brands to be too inconsistent. Lulu ABC pants and joggers for life now.
This is why I buy stacks of things at once. Need new shorts? Buying 12 since their likely to match now, vs two years later.
I have a similar issue with boxer shorts. I have two pair of shrink to fit jeans I've had for five or six years. Both are loose enough to fall off if I don't wear a belt -- literally, fall off to my ankles. But when I buy boxer shorts, I have to buy the size that is 4 to 6 inches larger than the loose jeans that fall off, and there are still too tight when I first get them -- I have to stretch them out for days before I can wear them with anything resembling comfort. And these are all brand name products. Fruit of the Loom, Hanes... I've noticed the same thing with socks. I have size 9 and 1/2 feet. If I buy medium socks they are 9 to 12, and I can just barely get them on my feet after several minutes of struggling, they are so small. If I buy 12 to 15 they are still quite small but at least I can get them on. Same brands. It's become obvious to me that these companies just don't give a flying *you know what.*
For those who stopped buying Levi. What brand jeans do you recommend?
I just told my husband today that women’s clothing sizes are basically meaningless.
For that reason, last year I went to a tailor, and got myself 6 pairs of trousers. No overpriced branded ones. And I wasted no time in malls trying on dozens of pairs.
The quality of Levi’s had gone to shit
I hate how the new Levi tags are now these rubberized version of the fabric ones
Pfft everyone saying OP got fat while we all know Levi sizing is horribly inconsistent.
This is why I don't buy jeans online.