Best 21oz denim?

[mendelboaz]

Yep, a lot of my jeans are low-rise. Thanks for the pic. It doesn't look too bad to me but I'm used to that "look" so it doesn't bother me. Great looking Irvin by the way, and the jeans are awesome. I might go with Samurai. Any word on Samurai vs. Iron Heart?

 

[Rudie]

Sloan, that belt looks nice. Where did you buy it? Any chance of a better pic?

 

[Sloan1874]

Thanks MB, it's perhaps not as bad as I remember. I'm still up for some heavier denim - when I can spare the money, I'll probably go for something in a 23oz, but definitely with a higher rise. I haven't looked at the Irvin since I packed it up in March, I forgot how great it looks - it's Aero's new multi-panel design .

Rudie, the belt was made for me by a British company called http://www.equusleather.co.uk/.
There are lots of options in terms of colours, breadth of belt, thread colour and buckles. I'm currently awaiting a burgundy one with a Kensington buckle on order.

 

[devilish]

Yep, a lot of my jeans are low-rise. Thanks for the pic. It doesn't look too bad to me but I'm used to that "look" so it doesn't bother me. Great looking Irvin by the way, and the jeans are awesome. I might go with Samurai. Any word on Samurai vs. Iron Heart?

Personally, I've always found Iron Heart a little uninspiring and gave up on sanforized denim pretty quickly years ago. I think they do offer unsanforized but I'm not familiar with what models offer it. Their back pocket arcs are horrible but can obviously be unpicked if desired. Samurai have offered some fantastic denim over the years.
In the interest of balance, some people find some of their details over the top but I like a little 'flair' once in awhile.
Samurai's denim also tends to breath better so I'm told. If you're ok with a lower rise and a slimmish cut and are not sold on exactly 21oz then the 710 in the 19oz denim is the favorite jean of many denim junkies. It fades beautifully.

 

[Graemsay]

I've got a couple of pairs of Iron Heart jeans, but haven't had any experience with Samurai. I don't find the heavy weight to be a problem, except when the weather is warm, and we're moving into autumn now.

If you're after a pair of Iron Heart, I'd look at the UHR denim. That's the unsanforised, raw fabric, and will fade better than their standard 21 oz. The 25 oz stuff is nice too, but I've not got a pair of them.

Mildly off topic, Edward, if you're after a pair of high-rise, wide leg jeans then check out the Iron Heart 1955 UHR. Simonc would back me up on this.

The only place I know of who carries Samurai in Europe is Son of a Stag in London. DC4 (Berlin) used to be the main stockist and importer, but they were the victims of a robbery, and haven't reopened since.

Oni, who are also available at Son of a Stag, do a few heavyweight denims.

Rivet and Hide, also in London, carry Steel Feather. They do a slim fit 21 oz jean that's very nice. Unfortunately my legs are too big to fit in them. They also stock Iron Heart. Danny, the owner, is a good guy and will be able to advise you.

I can't remember any denim shops in Rotterdam. Mode d'Emploi in the Hague / Den Haag used to do a few things, but the best one is Tenue de Nimes in Amsterdam, but I don't think that they carry Iron Heart. Your best bet would be to hop over the border to V Shop in Ghent.

Slightly further afield, there's Kentaurus in Cologne (or Keulen / Koln), which is do-able as a day trip from Holland, Vater und Sohn in Hamburg, Burg and Schild in Berlin, and Kerstig und Henschel in Potsdam. All stock Iron Heart.

 

[Graemsay]

Nice belt there Sloan!

I got my father an Equus belt in the Bakers of Colyton leather for Christmas last year. They are really well made, and highly recommended. The leather is lovely too.

 

[simonc]

Agreed the UHR 55 have to be the best heavy 21/23oz denim on the scene. They are a limited run and if you want a heavy vintage fit, do not hesitate.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

I've got a couple of pairs of Iron Heart jeans, but haven't had any experience with Samurai. I don't find the heavy weight to be a problem, except when the weather is warm, and we're moving into autumn now.

If you're after a pair of Iron Heart, I'd look at the UHR denim. That's the unsanforised, raw fabric, and will fade better than their standard 21 oz. The 25 oz stuff is nice too, but I've not got a pair of them.

Mildly off topic, Edward, if you're after a pair of high-rise, wide leg jeans then check out the Iron Heart 1955 UHR. Simonc would back me up on this.

The only place I know of who carries Samurai in Europe is Son of a Stag in London. DC4 (Berlin) used to be the main stockist and importer, but they were the victims of a robbery, and haven't reopened since.

Oni, who are also available at Son of a Stag, do a few heavyweight denims.

Rivet and Hide, also in London, carry Steel Feather. They do a slim fit 21 oz jean that's very nice. Unfortunately my legs are too big to fit in them. They also stock Iron Heart. Danny, the owner, is a good guy and will be able to advise you.

I can't remember any denim shops in Rotterdam. Mode d'Emploi in the Hague / Den Haag used to do a few things, but the best one is Tenue de Nimes in Amsterdam, but I don't think that they carry Iron Heart. Your best bet would be to hop over the border to V Shop in Ghent.

Slightly further afield, there's Kentaurus in Cologne (or Keulen / Koln), which is do-able as a day trip from Holland, Vater und Sohn in Hamburg, Burg and Schild in Berlin, and Kerstig und Henschel in Potsdam. All stock Iron Heart.

Nice! Copy paste this into a new thread: "Good Denim stores in europe" and make it a sticky. Maybe others could post reviews of the stores they already visited.

 

[Sloan1874]

Nice belt there Sloan!

I got my father an Equus belt in the Bakers of Colyton leather for Christmas last year. They are really well made, and highly recommended. The leather is lovely too.

The Bakers leather is stunning, particularly the Oak Brown - have my eye on getting one of those at some point.

 

[bretron]

Sloan has a pair of Unbranded...
But if possible, you should try before buying!
I was enthusiastic about the whole "Heavy" denim thing for a bit, but after trying on a bunch of jeans at Self Edge I've come to realize that I like the 16oz stuff the best. Still quite substantial, but not burdensome.
Test the waters if you can. Most of the heavier stuff is quite pricey. See if its for you befor you pay.

+1

There's a fine line between "cool" heavy and "wtf" heavy.

To me, 21oz is just over-the-top heavy. To each his own, of course, and there's a reason why they offer all sorts of weights. But if me, and you haven't actually handled the 21oz stuff, I'd opt for 15.5-19oz instead. Notably heavy while not feeling like chainmail.

If you're pairing this denim with a HFQHH Aero you're pretty much ready for WW3!

 

[Blackadder]

I own 2 pairs of 21 oz Iron Heart, the IH634s and 461sp and one pair of 21oz duck IH804. "s" stands for sanforised. So if you find a pair of 634 (without the s) then they are raw. Samurai uses natural indigo and very raw denim cloth and they fade very quickly. Iron Heart's cloth feel smooth and the indigo colour looks modern. Kojima Genes Japan offers some pretty heavy stuffs like 21, 23 and 29oz and they are cheaper than Samurai or Iron Heart. Kojima is closer in terms of colour and cloth to Samurai. I picked Iron Heart because I hate jeans that bleed indigo all over.

 

[handymike]

29 oz!!!!
those might come in handy if you find both your legs broken ;-)

 

[Blackadder]

29 oz!!!!
those might come in handy if you find both your legs broken ;-)

Lol, true. The 21oz are for riding. I also believe 18oz is the quite perfect weight for winter. Am thinking of buying a pair of Kojima 18oz Kevlar. Kojima's 23oz denim jacket also seems quite tempting.

 

[Cooperson]

Graemsay - Excellent post, full of useful links. As for 21oz denim, when I first got my IH 634's I thought id made a very expensive mistake and I'd never get used to the weight and stiffness. Once they soften up, stretch out (gained 1" in the waist) and mould to the body, they just feel right. I'm now so used to them I can't even stand to feel the thin, rag like denim being peddled on the high street. I could probably go with 15 to 19oz in a hot summer, but anything lighter than that doesn't do it for me anymore.

 

[Edward]

29 oz!!!!
those might come in handy if you find both your legs broken ;-)

Makes me think of those motorcycle jeans with the kevlar lining!

 

[mendelboaz]

Thank you for the very informative posts and links. I am sold on the Samurai 510xx in 21oz. Does anyone know of a quality US dealer? Son of a Stag's prices are a tad high, otherwise I'd have to order through Rakuten.

Craig, the belts on that website are awesome! Do you know what leather weight they use?

 

[Rudie]

Sloan, thanks for the info.

 

[Sloan1874]

Thank you for the very informative posts and links. I am sold on the Samurai 510xx in 21oz. Does anyone know of a quality US dealer? Son of a Stag's prices are a tad high, otherwise I'd have to order through Rakuten.

Craig, the belts on that website are awesome! Do you know what leather weight they use?

Equus say their belt leather is between 3.5mm and 4mm, which translates in roughly 9oz to 10oz.

 

[Mr black]

Can I suggest you drop a line to these guys

http://www.denimio.com/samurai-jeans-s510xx-21oz-straight-selvage-denim.html?___SID=U

As they're japan based, the prices are much cheaper and include free postage. You may have to pay customs charges & local VAT on entry to wherever you are, but even with that they'll work out significantly cheaper.

They speak good english too so you won't have any language/translation issues.

 

[Sloan1874]

29 oz!!!!
those might come in handy if you find both your legs broken ;-)

I suspect just buttoning up the fly on those on would constitute a cardio workout!