Hacker News Reader

Comment by hutattedonmyarm | Hacker News Reader

> Buttons > Zippers

I disagree. Yes, the failure mode of buttons is better. But the opening/closing process of zipper is much more convenient/faster than for buttons, and I dress and undress a lot more often than I need to replace a button or zipper.

I own a lot of zip hoodies, some of them > 10 years old, and for none of these the zipper has ever failed. The only zipper that have failed on me are on bags (e.g. messenger bags or similar)

View on HN

I have a pair of jeans where Levi's has inexplicably decided to use buttons instead of a zipper. Why??? It's a struggle every time i go to a urinal.

When Levi's first made jeans, zippers were not invented yet. You must have bought a pair from one of their original product lines.

Besides, pants with button fly have the distinctive advantage that you will never get your most sensitive skin accidentally pinched between the zippers. :)

What can I say, the risk makes me feel alive :p

Just wear underwear.

Levi's had an advertising campaign in the UK a few decades ago that promoted their "new" button fly, so it's mainly a fashion/marketing thing. Jeans were around before zips were invented, so it's a callback to the original design.

I remember wearing them and certainly they were really stiff and awkward to use when new.

Button Fly jeans were a popular fashion option when I was in high school in 2012. I thought it was hilarious that parents and companies were pushing on teenagers a product who's primary improvement in functionality was "You can rip them open and take them off faster"

I always thought that was sort of the opposite of what they wanted!

I on the other hand much prefer buttons on jeans. Not because of the failure thing (as others have said: That’s not much of an issue anymore) but because of how Zippers make the fabric behave and shape. A button fly conforms much better to my personal waist/crotch anatomy, especially when sitting. Undoing a button fly can be even faster than a zipper because you just have to pull in the right direction from the top once (instead of opening one button and then pulling the zipper). Closing is more involved but I can do it with one hand and without thinking actively about it, so it’s fine for me, personally.

I think zippers from 40 years ago were much more likely to fail than they are today. I remember multiple failed jacket zippers when I was a kid, and having to fix them at the worst time.

But I can't think of any zippers, other than ones put under too much stress like an overstuffed bag or suitcase, that have failed recently.

Real backpacks should come equipped with a replacement zipper. In a secret pocket you will remember about it when you will need to remember.

The pain you feel when the zipper of your beloved 20-years old backpack fails is overwhelming. It rips through your soul. And all I want to do in that moment is to remember that I have a secret pocket inside it which keeps my replacement zipper. The feeling of having it there ready for me to fix my brother in arms will also give me an extra 20 years of good life. Small things. Matter. So much.

I much prefer the "dry-bag" style of backpacks that don't use zips (maybe for a small front pocket). I've previously cycled with many a brand of "waterproof" rucksacks and they always seemed to let in water through the zip in a heavy downpour. With my current rucksack, the top rolls down and then buckles together to form an airtight seal and that is absolutely waterproof and the contents would survive being thrown into a river. It's also extremely robust as there's nothing to go wrong apart from the material itself becoming worn through (not happened after years of heavy use).

A well designed set of buttons is much faster to open than a zipper, and about as fast to close. I've got a number of jeans with button flies where opening them is a single handed smooth motion. I've unfortunately also got a number where it's a real fight for each individual button.

I also love my hoodies, but zippers do get stuck every now and then if there’s anything on the way or if you accidentally zip them without locking the bottom thingy. So I’d prefer some sort of hoodie with 4-6 big buttons that I think I’ve seen on the street but not in stores.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com