Samurai Jeans
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After an afternoon wrestling support posts in my muggy, muddy backyard, it was time to wash my jeans. I figured I'd toss up a couple of before and after pics, since the pair I own (Wind Element, aka S5000 GX-K) isn't that common. These are basically my beater jeans; they shrank way more than expected in the thigh- about an inch- and were never really comfortable to wear. I worked on them for about 6 months before I gave up and started just wearing them while doing home improvement projects. This is the fourth wash, if I recall correctly [EDIT: actually, the seventh wash]. Anyway, here they are.
Before washing:
After washing:
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they really do look great. a lot of fading was covered by that dirt. too bad they don't fit you the way you want them to.
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Yep great evo, but totally understand the fit part. I have a pair or two that fit too tight that I use the same way!
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Those look really good Chris, I know what you mean about the fit though, I have the same issue with a
pair of mine. -
Yeah, it was disappointing. In the very first wash, they went from a 13" thigh to12". Unfortunately for me, my thighs are 24", so they've been super tight from day one. Not the fit you expect from the 5000 cut. I love the denim and the details though. At some point I'll buy another pair of Samurai, I'm sure.
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My 510XX's shrunk a lot on the waist, I got a 33 and after the first wash they went down to about a 31 1/2.
I love the 21/23 oz. denim, very heavy but they never stretched back out. I don't wear them at all anymore.
I wear my 5000VX 24/27 oz. all the time, they're a 34 waist and shrunk about a half inch after the first wash
and are the same after the second wash. I'll definitely get another pair of Samurai's down the line too, that
5000VX fit is my fave. -
Samurai's denim varies so much, my S5000VX 21oz took around 6 full washes to get all the shrinkage out of them, yet I had some S5000BK that stayed exactly the same size after an initial hot soak, same for my 710's :-\
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Very true Mega, they use so many different denims and they all shrink differently…Both my pairs were washed
in cold water to avoid a lot of shrinking but the 510's really shrunk unfortunately.
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True, even the regular stuff varies a lot. Mine were more of a crapshoot because of the green weft, I think. On SuFu, there was a guy who had the next size up, and his shrank down to nearly identical dimensions as mine. Oh well, such is life…
And I feel obligated to mention that this is one of the nice things about Iron Heart; consistency. A pair from four years ago is going to be the same as a pair from four days ago.
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IH is consistent, only pair I have that are too small are my 634S, I got them in a 32 waist and planned to
stretch them to a 33 but they never stretched. Samurai uses raw denim and you never know what will
happen when it hits water…! -
True, Sanforized denim is inherently more consistent than shrink to fit, but even IH's STF offerings don't vary like Samurai denim.
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I would think the weave would have something to do with the amount of shrinkage, correct me if I'm wrong…
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I'm nowhere near an expert, but I think you're right, Blackheart. Seems like the tighter woven denims shrink and stretch less. I think that's why shrinkage goes down as weight goes up; the weave tension is higher by necessity in the heavier weight stuff.
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Hence far more breathable, and much softer than Samurai 21oz VX denim
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imo, tightness & type of of weave are just 2 of the factors. kind of cotton used & post-loom/finishing process involved also affects denim behavior pertaining to shrink/stretch.
IH uses same [maybe a couple of mills] for their jeans. hence, the consistency.
Samurai got several__ just to maintain the constant change & variety of denim in their offerings.
