I've seen a lot of people say that 501's got noticeably worse over the years. If you want good jeans buy traditional selvedge denim, you know the ones that can stand by themselves if you put them because they are so dense. Back then it was protective clothing so they are very durable.
I'm one of those people, though I don't use 501s specifically. I've noticed Levis quality has become hit-and-miss. I have two pairs, bought at the same time. Same model, same color, only the length is different [0], but same waist size.
They don't even fit the same! One is clearly larger, whereas the other was skin-tight when new. One seems somewhat thicker than the other.
