American Denim Showdown: Levis 501 vs. Wrangler 13MWZ

In the interest of full disclosure, I am admittedly quite biased toward the 501s because I've been wearing them for years and I am more comfortable with them.  However, I will do my best here to give the Wranglers a fair chance.

Levi's 501 Background

Unless you've been sleeping for the past 100 years, you've heard of and/or probably have seen Levi's iconic jean, the Original 501.  They've been produced in some form or another since the late 19th century.  In 1947, the 501 blew up and is probably the closest in cut and features that we have today in the modern iteration.  The 1947 501 was so ubiquitous that several companies still replicate it today (including Levi's itself through its heritage LVC line).  The quintessential five-pocket jean retains the gull wing pocket stitching and 'red tab' logo fabric that is sewn under the left side of the rightward rear pocket.  Levi's had the pocket design trademarked in 1943 (upper right) and is described thusly in documentation: "a double arcuate* and tab design shown on the shape of a pocket, as indicated by a solid line. The lining and shading shown in the drawing are features of the mark and not intended to indicate color."
(*ar·cu·ate: adj. Having the form of a bow; curved.)

 Wrangler 13MWZ Background

Born out of the need for rodeo-wear in the mid 1940's, Wrangler was another American overalls company (fast fact: the term "jeans" wasn't used until the 1960s).  Incidentally, 1947 marks the birth of the Wrangler 13MWZ "The Original Cowboy Cut Jean", which is still available today.

Truthfully, I did not know that Wrangler still manufactured rigid denim at all until last month when I read a post by Guiseppe on An Affordable Wardrobe.  He turned me on to Wrangler and I had to see for myself.  I ordered a pair of 13MWZs from Sheplers.  No offense to any certifiable cowboys that read this but the pictures on Sheplers make these jeans look pretty hilarious.  The crease, the cowboy boots; its a western-wear supplier, I know.  Anyway, I got a pair. The cost was not at all prohibitive (they're on sale right now for $21.99!) Also, never fear you regularly-sized people out there who want a trimmer cut: Sheplers also stocks the Wrangler 936; from what I can tell this is the slim fit version of the 13MWZ.


Notable Similarities:

• Both have no problem accommodating my massive thighs even after shrinking, which leads to:
• Both are unsanforized, meaning that they will shrink significantly after being saturated with water and dried.  Generally, they will shrink about 2 inches in length and 1 inch in the waist, although they will stretch out in the waist without frequent washing.
• The fabric of both seem very similar in weight.
• Both have a mid-high rise.
• Both are straight through the legs.
• Unfortunately, both are made in Mexico.

Notable Differences:

• The rise on the Wranglers is about an inch bigger than that of the Levi's (ref. waist size 33).  That's probably the first thing I noticed after putting them on; the rise is almost ridiculous.  After soaking and drying them, however, the rise shrunk down a bit and everything was fairly cool.  This translates to having to wear the Wranglers higher on the hips or opting to "sag" them a bit.  I pull them up higher; I think they just look better that way.
• The 13MWZ has a zipper fly, the 501 has a button fly.
• The texture of the Wranglers feels rougher in that it seems as though the material was woven with a thicker thread.
• The rear pockets on the Wranglers are placed about one inch higher that that of the Levi's.  According to Wrangler, this is so when rodeo dudes saddle up, they don't have to sit on their wallets.
• Likely due to the higher rise, the 13MWZs have more room in the seat than the 501s.  Since they are straight cut, this also translates to a more roomy lower leg and leg opening.
• The Wranglers have riveted rear pockets.  The Levi's just have rivets on the front two pockets and the coin pocket.
• The fifth pocket (coin pocket) on the Wranglers is wider and positioned higher on the waist as compared to the Levi's.  For me, it is much harder to reach into the Wrangler coin pocket than it is for the Levi's.
• 501s are currently available in five colors in their rigid, shrink-to-fit form: indigo, black, green, light blue, and gray.  The 13MWZs are available only available in indigo in rigid form.  If you're willing to buy a pre-washed pair, there are a bunch of colors available.
• The Wranglers retail for $25 and the Levi's retail for about $50 (however, they frequently go on sale and can be easily had for less than $40.

A few notes on the pictures:

The 501s are of the green variety and not the standard indigo.  They've been worn for about seven months.  The Wranglers are nearly brand new: worn about four times.  The 13MWZs come with a brown rubber patch sewn into the top of the right rear pocket.  I really didn't like the way it looked so I removed it.  I think the back of the pants look way cleaner without it.

Conclusions:
Well I've given you most of the facts.  The choice is yours.  Get one or the other (or both like me).

Bonus: Supreme badass, Harrison Ford wearing 13WMZs in his most recent movie Extraordinary Measures.