Pick a fly: Button or zipper

[Dr GonZo]

An age old question: What kind of fly do you prefer on your jeans? The button up fly or the traditional zipper fly? I'm a buttonfly person myself. Personally I've had some bad experiences with zippers, and they are arguably more dangerous.

Zipperfly has to it's advantage that it can be opened and closed with a single movement. And that is, indeed, it's only true advantage. However, this is somewhat nullified by the famous 'pants tent' syndrome that even some jeans deliver (see Curb your Enthusiasm, first episode). When the zipper starts making u-turns, you know it's not going to open swiftly.

Moreover, on the day you see the blue moon, that you indeed forget to do your fly, it is much more apparent to the public with a zipper than with a buttonfly, as the buttonfly can still overlap a tad, making the "are you afraid of heights?" open fly joke less a joke on you as much as a joke on the person that said it, because he/she must have been looking at your crotch hard. The zipper always does it's best to allow as much air in as possible, making you an easy target for finger pointing and "you made my day" thank you shoulder slaps.

Personally I have only buttonfly jeans, and have therefore learned how to button up so swiftly that I am confident to beat some zipperfly enthusiasts in a close-your-fly contest. No head starts of course, the zipper man can't be pulling the pants tent down to straighten the zipper before the contest starts.

Zippers are also dangerous, because if done too fast or too nonchalantly: if you don't make sure to have all the goods inside, you could do some serious damage. TWICE have I ripped boxers with a zipperfly, as it got caught in it and tore a hole. Long ago though, and I have since then ritually incinerated those jeans to the ash it deserved to be. I loved those boxers. Thankfully I've never had the 'There's Somthing about Mary" accident, but let's face it, Stiller's balls would still be intact had he had a buttonfly.

If in a big hurry or emergency, you can rip open your button fly; no such luck with zippers. Zippers feel cold when touching flesh. Zippers are much more liable of malfunction than a button. And even if a button falls off or something, you can always fix the problem by concealing it with the other buttons (fail safe!) or with a giant safety pin. Warning: Only use a SAFETY pin. Trust me.

Any opinions?

[OilersBaby]

Zipper definately, but im a girl so it may be different for men. If I have to pee in a hurry, a zipperfly takes much less time to do and undo my jeans! Plus, I think the button fly jeans bubble out a little bit, making it look like I have a penis. haha.

[rockstar]

The part about having a button fly that I like the most is that you never forget to do it up, so the fly is never undone. Also, some zippers undo themselves from time to time. Not buttons.

Buttons, all the way.

Though, over half of the pants I own are zipper-fly.

[Regulator75]

They still make button fly? 1993 called, they want their jeans back...

I must be shopping in the wrong stores, because I haven't came across button fly jeans in YEARS... Or unless I am too "old" to be shopping where they sell them.

[Dr GonZo]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

They still make button fly? 1993 called, they want their jeans back...

I must be shopping in the wrong stores, because I haven't came across button fly jeans in YEARS... Or unless I am too "old" to be shopping where they sell them.

I have no idea where you shop, but the brands I buy predominately carry the buttonfly; think brands like Diesel, Levi's, Lee, Replay, Hilfiger, even the only pair of Armani's I have are buttonfly.

Ironically enough my second favorite pair of jeans are with a zipper. Go figure.

[Swarly]

I'm not sure how you operate your zipper fly but it takes all of 1/2 a second to zip up, no beating that with a button fly. And in an emergency you say no such luck with a zipper fly still the easiest to undo 1/2 second down too.

I dont have any problem with low fliers, just remember to do up your pants.

As for zippers being cold to the flesh? guess my hands arnt as sensitive as yours because that is the only flesh that touches my zipper.

[J pold]

Buttons for sure

[habernac]

Buttons. I laugh when I rcall this poor drunk guy trying to do up his pants in the washroom. "Button flys were not created for drunk people $%#@!!!!" LOLOL!

[BlackEleven]

Zipper. Who are all these people with time to waste doing up all those buttons?

[Frequitude]

Wow, way more buttoners here than I thought. Why in god's name people use them, I don't know. It feels like an old fad that never died out. Who wants to spend 30 seconds buttoning up their damn fly? Especially in Canada if you take a leak outside in the middle of winter. How hard is it to remember to zip up??? And really now, how embarassing is it actually to forget once in a blue moon. We're all human.

Coles notes: I hate the button fly.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Wow, way more buttoners here than I thought. Why in god's name people use them, I don't know. It feels like an old fad that never died out. Who wants to spend 30 seconds buttoning up their damn fly? Especially in Canada if you take a leak outside in the middle of winter. How hard is it to remember to zip up??? And really now, how embarassing is it actually to forget once in a blue moon. We're all human.

Coles notes: I hate the button fly.

I'm a zipper dude. However I can see there being an advantage to having the button fly. All you have to do is watch "There's Something About Mary."

[zarrell]

Yeah, I thought the button fly died out in the mid 90's too. I had one pair back in my teenage years and hated it then.

[4X4]

I really don't care which fly is on my pants but I do hate it when I wear something button fly and every time I take a leak I do up the top button first, then go for the zipper, then remember that it's button fly and undo the top button and start from the bottom.

[Flaming Choy]

no love for Velcro?

Gotta go with Zipper. When you really have to go, the last thing you want to do is unbutton your pants.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Dr GonZo

I have no idea where you shop, but the brands I buy predominately carry the buttonfly; think brands like Diesel, Levi's, Lee, Replay, Hilfiger, even the only pair of Armani's I have are buttonfly.

Ironically enough my second favorite pair of jeans are with a zipper. Go figure.

That would explain why I also haven't seen a button fly in over a decade. To be honest I had no idea Diesel and Hilfiger were even still around. I wouldn't even be able to tell you the brand of jeans I have on right now.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Wow, way more buttoners here than I thought. Why in god's name people use them, I don't know. It feels like an old fad that never died out. Who wants to spend 30 seconds buttoning up their damn fly? Especially in Canada if you take a leak outside in the middle of winter. How hard is it to remember to zip up??? And really now, how embarassing is it actually to forget once in a blue moon. We're all human.

Coles notes: I hate the button fly.

30 seconds? How uncoordinated are you?

[The Yen Man]

Zippers all the way. I abosolutely hate the inconvenience of having button fly. I had a couple pants back in the day with it, and never owned anything button fly since.

[FlamesKickAss]

Zipper Fly is the only way to go!

buttons are a pain in the ass errr i mean hands

[Pokerface]

Pros and cons to both, for me buttons hold better, but if one breaks off god help you if your commando!!!!

Zippers are a classic easy, quick in emergency situations, obviously keeping yourself clear of the danger zone while operating.

winner: Zippers

[Dr GonZo]

There's a difference between a zipper fly on jeans than on pants I find. On jeans they seem much more stiff. I know for a fact that I can beat any zipperfly fanatic on taking down the fly with my one motion unbuttoning rip. Undoing the top button and pulling on both ends of the fly and boom your pants are now open.

Perhaps we Dutch are behind (or ahead?) of Canada, but 'brands in style' mainly have buttons. I don't consider them a fad, I consider them functional.