Levis 501 STF, denim quality?

[tanner68]

OK, I have some pairs of rigid, raw, and selvage jeans that are all great looking. I never buy jeans with any disstressing.

But some of my best jeans are reglar' old 501 STFs. That's because they are the ones that I can take the most chances with 'cause they are inexpensive. I wear them when I know they are gonna see a lot of hard use and dirt and dust and sweat. If I am careful and don't rip them, and don't get any stains or filth on them so I don't have to launder them but a few times, well they come out looking great after a while. A denim laundromat could never duplicate this look, and I am reluctant to put my pricier jeans through this kind of wear.

So my question is, how does one judge the quality of the denim in regular shrink to fit 501s. The denim comes from different mills, so what variables can one look for to pick out a better pair.

Thanks.

[nairb49]

to search through and pick a pair of stfs is like needle in a haystack type stuff

as far as I know, STF are basically what EVERY regular pre-washed 501 starts off as.

i may be totally wrong, but i thought they just stamped the inner pocket with that old-time style message, and then sold it.

so if thats the case (which it very well may not be) these are produced literally by the thousands, and you'd be hard-pressed to try and pin them down by factory/weave/denim etc etc

good luck though, maybe someone with a more intimate knowledge of STF/levi's production can chime in and confirm or rebuke what i said?

nairb49