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View Full Version : Anyone bought any carhartt lately?



Mark Bolton
05-04-2014, 7:09 PM
Been buying carhartt for years working in the trade but a long while back they began moving manufacturing to Malaysia and other places and I immediately began to see materials get thinner and lighter weight and moved away from them.

I began buying other brands (mainly pants) and the durability is just horrible. I have blown out many name brand, less expensive, carpenter pants in less than a month. So now im needing to order a batch of work pants but am reluctant to try the carhartts without seeing them in hand. I dont have a local retail store that stocks the pants I have always worn (double knee duck, and double knee denim loggers). I hate to order a few pairs and have to return them even though its free from many online sources.

I literally have a few pairs of these pants (pre Malaysia) that are 5-6 years old that are finally beyond patching and have been worn literally hundreds of times. A half dozen pairs would often last me 5 years easily.

I keep looking at duluth trading but am concered thst everything is imported. I dont have a major issue with the import factor but its generally a sign of reduced quality especially with clothing.

Wondering if anyone had any luck or input on carhartt or other brands. Im talking hard use, on your knees a lot (roofing), in dirt, rebar, hard daily use.

Thanks.

Jason Beam
05-04-2014, 8:14 PM
I bought some Carhartt about 6 months ago ... they're pretty durable, but i wouldn't call 'em fire hose durable. Not sure if that helps you any. They're the thickest material I can seem to find around here, though. Way tougher'n just plain denim -- they're definitely canvas, still.

Jerry Thompson
05-04-2014, 8:17 PM
Look up Duluth Trading on the net. They seem to have durable clothes. I have not tried any though.

Frederick Skelly
05-04-2014, 8:31 PM
Mark, the stuff Ive bought from Duluth Trading has been good quality. YMMV.
Fred

Mac McQuinn
05-04-2014, 8:53 PM
I'm pretty picky about clothing and found the Carhartt products carried by http://www.allamericanclothing.com/ are 100% USA made. Customer service is impeccable and prices are very fair. I recently purchased a Carhartt jacket from them and it's as good as it gets, in fact I also have two other Carhartt coats purchased 20 years ago and the new one measures up very well.
Mac

Bruce Page
05-04-2014, 8:54 PM
I wear Carhartt relaxed fit jeans. I bought the last batch about 6 months ago with no complaints.

Mike Olson
05-04-2014, 10:28 PM
I have had a pair of the Duluth firehose work pants for about a year now and they still look like new and they are still water resistant. They are quite heavy so if you walk a lot, you might notice them. They are great for crouching down but I find that I can't keep my iPhone in the leg pocket as it gets in the way when crouching, but a utility knife in the skinny leg pocket is great.

They are right when they say they have lots of ball room. I tried to put on my old pair of carhartts after using my Duluth pants and wondered why I was punishing myself.

The only downside to these pants, besides the weight is that you can't dry off your hands on your pant legs... even after a year of steady use and washings i still can't dry my hands on my them. :(

Ken Fitzgerald
05-05-2014, 12:00 AM
I switched to Carhartt relaxed fit jeans about 2 years ago and that's what I wear almost exclusively. They seem to wear well.

Mike Cozad
05-05-2014, 2:54 AM
Duluth is all I wear since buying my first pair last year. Ditto to all that Mike mentioned. I also have the ballroom jeans and the fleece lined carpenters pants. Enough onboard storage to hold too much stuff with oversized standard pockets in addition to the cargo pockets.

I also have the firehose hanger bender shirtjac. Love it. Was super warm during this brutal winter. Will be buying even more soon.

Steve Rozmiarek
05-05-2014, 8:02 AM
I've noticed lately that the sizing of the Carhartt shirts and pants have become less consistent, and they shrink more. Or maybe I'm just getting fat...

Mark Bolton
05-05-2014, 8:15 AM
Thanks guys. I mainly noticed issues with shirts and turtle necks and them getting thinner and lighter when they mkved the manufacturing. Ive always been fussy about clothes in general but will order a few pair.

I have looked at the duluth several times as well as the american clothing. I know you get what you pay for but I just have a hard time spending 60-80 dollars on a pair of work pants especially when the duluth is imported. I could probably swallow that amout if they were domestic but its just a hang up of mine.

In searching I even found walmart selling domestic jeans for cheap (and reviews were still complaining about the price @28 bucks?!?). Im going to order a couple pair of thos from another retailer (dont do wm). May be goof for a light pant.

Will pull the plug in the carhartts today. Thanks for the input,

Myk Rian
05-05-2014, 8:23 AM
I find that Carhartt jeans are the only ones that the knees don't stretch out, making the legs get all twisted.
Lee, Wrangler, Levi's all seem to do that. Especially the black ones.

Mark Bolton
05-05-2014, 9:45 AM
I find that Carhartt jeans are the only ones that the knees don't stretch out, making the legs get all twisted.
Lee, Wrangler, Levi's all seem to do that. Especially the black ones.

I can hardly get a month out of any brand name department store jean. The seem up have gotten so thin. Back pockets tear at the to corner, belt loops tear off in just a few wearings. I even said the heck with it and bought a few pairs of really inexpensive carpenters at target (20/pr) thinking 3-4 pair would have to last a while compared to one pair of carhartts, no dice.

I just don't remeber clothes ever being this light and flimsy. My theory is people have so many clothes now that they see only occasional wearing spread out over many pairs of clothes giving the illusion they last.

I know it's a prejudice but if I'm paying 20 for a pair of pants it's no shock they are imports. I guess I know the Duluth can be spec'd for quality even though they are import but something about them just doesn't thrill me.

Old faithful it is, was just worried they weren't what they use to be.

Mike Lassiter
05-05-2014, 10:23 AM
My wife and I started machine embroidery in 2001. We bought pretty nice plush fur Christmas Stockings from Walmart for several years to embroider and as our and friends families grew year by year we were being ask for another stocking for new babies year after year.

When you would see a 2001,2002 stocking beside a 2005 or 2006 stocking you could easily see the fur getting thinner and thinner year by year. Price remained the same but material weight steadily getting lighter every year. They got so bad, we no longer would buy them because they almost seem thread bare now by comparison to the first ones. There is a stiff paper inserted inside them to help them hold their shape when picked up and held by the hanging loop because the material has become so flimsy it droops and just looks cheap. I guess cheap sells better than quality though.
We endeavored to start making our own in 2008 as we couldn't find anything we could embroider that wasn't already priced higher than we were able to sell them for embroidered.

We had a building built and placed beside our house and bought a huge laser to cut our own stockings and hundreds of hours spent doing landscape work to have a spot for the building and wiring and insulating and finishing the inside on top of working 12-16 hour days we were finally ready to begin our own custom MADE and embroidered stockings.

We listed on eBay and sold 82 of what we had left over from 2007 in 3 weeks. We are hopeful our stocking are going to be a hit. Then, the economy tanked just as we started listing our stockings. We SOLD 4 in 2-1/2 months. Went from 300-400 hits on listings each week to maybe 20 a week. Competitors sales also about the same. People started selling stockings custom embroidered for less than we sold them for 7 years earlier. We spent $50k and it seemed to be for nothing. Didn't try last 2 years to sell on eBay because it's not worth the trouble and time for what buyers seem willing to pay. So offered HEAVY thick stockings nobody else could but obviously they cost more because the material came from a mill in Madison Wisconsin not China. If price is the only consideration for most then it must be acceptable to buy cheap and buy something several times rather than buy quality once. People want quality but want it cheaply.

Brian Elfert
05-05-2014, 11:14 AM
A few years ago the price of cotton went through the roof. I noticed that Lee brand khaki style pants sold at Kohl's didn't last nearly so long anymore. They never raised the price, but they reduced the quality instead. Lee khaki pants would only last a few months instead of a year or more. I returned a few pairs to Kohl's and they replaced them, but I switched to a different brand that seems to last longer.

Almost all of the clothes I buy are imported. I am shocked when I see clothes still made in the USA. I would prefer to buy Made in the USA clothing, but it is so hard to find and so expensive. I don't want to order stuff and end up sending it back because it doesn't fit right.

Brian Elfert
05-05-2014, 11:18 AM
I bought some socks from Sam's Club about six months ago and they are Made in the USA. They seem to be holding up very well and they were not that expensive. I am pleasantly surprised when I find Made in the USA stuff at Sam's Club because their stuff is almost always imported to sell it cheaper and make more profit.

Erik Loza
05-05-2014, 11:52 AM
Have the lightweight duck jacket and a pair of their trousers. Pretty heavy use in the yard, no issues so far. Would buy again.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

Shawn Pixley
05-05-2014, 12:23 PM
I am not in the trades as a vocation, so evaluate this as you see fit. I buy the original 501 Levis and still get pretty good durability out of them. My bigger problem is staining the pants. I've toyed with buying a pair of the Blacklader pants to try.

Greg R Bradley
05-05-2014, 12:50 PM
Sears carries Carhartt if you have a Sears locally and want to see how they fit.

I love their tee shirts but find the pants to be sized strangely. The regular jeans tend to be too large in the waist and/or too small in the legs. The actual work pants are huge in the legs compared to the waist. I want something in between.

David G Baker
05-05-2014, 1:14 PM
I didn't see Dickies mentioned. I am not in the trades but I have had good luck with them, they may not measure up to the older Carhartt outer wear but they may be worth looking into.

Brian Elfert
05-05-2014, 1:55 PM
I was wearing Carhartt pants for a time when I was working on hobby projects at home. I found that they are so heavy as to get really hot when wearing them outside in July/August. I gave up on Carhartt after my second pair as the second pair developed all kinds of tiny holes in the fabric after just a small amount of use. This was maybe five years ago and I think they may have still been American made.

Mac McQuinn
05-05-2014, 2:08 PM
Were these made in the USA totally including fabric, zippers and snaps or assembled in the US with imported components?, It makes a huge difference. I've found it affects fit, appearance, and durability, not to mention pride of ownership.;)

Mac




I was wearing Carhartt pants for a time when I was working on hobby projects at home. I found that they are so heavy as to get really hot when wearing them outside in July/August. I gave up on Carhartt after my second pair as the second pair developed all kinds of tiny holes in the fabric after just a small amount of use. This was maybe five years ago and I think they may have still been American made.

Brett Luna
05-05-2014, 2:24 PM
Carhartt's are still de rigueur up here. One of the retailers even has a store dedicated to Carhartts. While I'm not in the trades either, I do give them a fair bit of wear for DIY projects and heavy yard work. My double ducks are holding up nicely and I wear a t-shirt or s/s henley frequently...except for the long sleeve versions. I find that the cuffs just don't stand up to being pushed up and I don't have Popeye arms, by any means.

curtis rosche
05-06-2014, 1:20 PM
Duluth all the way! almost all my work wear is from Duluth.