Why so many weights?
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All feel different and have very different Characteristics. The 16oz slb is the most breathable. The 19 is a left hand twill and unsanforized. Its stiffer and more rigit with great fade pottential. The 14 oz is a nice all year weight. Then you have the 25oz heavy but softens up beautifully with wear and fades very nicely. You have the 18 with vintage fades, the 17oz with natural indigo. They all feel different, fade different so at the end of the day it is a matter of preference and variety.
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“Different strokes for dissimilar folks.” Having owned all but 25oz, I would have said 16-18oz is the sweet spot for me. However, I’m currently living in the PNW and I think the 14oz is the bees knees
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I also dont travel wearing the heavy stuff anymore. Got flagged going thru security more than once. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. These are some heavy jeans,” says TSA as I get frisked.
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Same here. I think its the hidden rivets that fuck them up.
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@jocuz07 when you’re curious you’re at the right place. Maybe some info you would like to see out there isn’t there on the product page but don’t forget that the stubborn crew is the best out there and are always providing the best service and answers to your questions. Something you won’t find on any other brand. Also this forum is the great place with a lot of knowledge and sharing&caring. Use this to you advantage and most important just wear what you wanna wear. I love my XHS denim to death and try to hold out in them for as long as possible. The slubby denim from IH is really marvelous and cool if you’re looking for a very breathable denim. In the end it’s the way how the denim had been made that tells a lot about feel/fir/breathability. So i’ve you’re intrested take a deep dive in weave and weft and how a denim has been made. How the dying process takes place and how many layers of indigo a piece of denim has had. That all influences the feel/heft of a denim. So weight tells you something but not everything. I did a lot of time on the forum in the beginning just scrolling, reading and learning.
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The simple answer ti the question you pose in the thread title is, because we like tinkering and people like options.
Weight and type of weave are objective and easy to articulate. Just about everything is subjective.
The answer to the much broader question/comment you make in the actual post is best answered here
https://www.ironheart.co.uk/our-denims/
And also reading the forum and posing specific questions, but because style/comfort/etc are so subjective, dont expect too many definitive answers. One persons too heavy is another persons not heavy enough.
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
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Yeah to add on to what others have said, don’t think of the weights like the tog number on a duvet. They are used as short hand but often secondary to the more interesting features of the denim
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Yeah, for example I don't really care if my lefty Type 3 is 19 or 21 oz. The denim is just the most beautiful fabric I've ever owned ( I just wish there was a shorter jacket made from 19oz left hand twill).
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@Giles @Alex here’s a thought: What if there was a comparison grid with the weights on the X axis and characteristics such as volume, weight, breathability, fade contrast, etc on the Y axis? Descriptors or Harvey balls could populate the grid to give an easy comparative view of the denims side by side. This could live under Our Denims on the website. This in my mind would be a very helpful aid for virtual shoppers.
Yes I understand some of this is perhaps subjective.
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We don’t want virtual shoppers, we want real ones
It’s an @alex decision, but a load of those metrics you mention are subjective. And, this is the first time we have been asked this question in 22 years…. Not saying that it is not a sensible question, but is the juice worth the squeeze?
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@Giles literally?
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Personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey with the different IH denim weights and kind of glad I stumbled through. In my mind I have a grid that works for me and a few that are absolute standouts.
If someone would have told me that x is better than y, and I had listened, I would have missed out on so many great denim weights.
As has been stated, it’s all subjective. My favourite isn’t everyone’s.
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So what I'm hearing is that its all personal choice and subjective judgement... So I just need to buy a pair of each fabric and see for myself ;p
I'm thinking 16oz will probably have to be next choice then since I'm curious to see how they compare with the 21 and the others will be lined up next
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I think some people feel the 21oz might be too hot for certain climates or purposes and having the option for different weighs means you can wear them for different things. Like the engineer jeans with the double knee I mean that's 42oz so if you are doing hard-core work on the farm you're golden. And then you might want to wear jeans with a sports coat and you want a bit lighter jeans to coincide with the sports jacket look...
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@drewfonse I’m about 15 wears into my first pair of 14oz after wearing 21oz all winter and I’m loving them.. a little crispier but still so comfy
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@Eza Weight does not correlate to breathability. 21oz is pretty breathable and one of those pairs that many people wear year round. I find that 19oz is less wearable in hotter temps. than the 21's.
Just my $.02.
"I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)
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The 16 oz is interesting. Very very different from the flagship 21. I actually prefer the feel and look of the 18oz vintage if you want an alternative to the 21. Different strokes though….
