Dickies started in 1922 in Texas as a workwear company and they've been in business ever since, mostly making the same handful of items. The 874 work pant has been on the shelf in essentially the same cut since 1967. That's almost sixty years of one pant. Not many products in any industry can say that.
What we keep on the shelf
Original 874 work pant — flat front, straight leg, polyester-cotton twill, in every color from black and navy to khaki and the dark brown that's basically a uniform on auto-shop floors and warehouse crews. The 874 is what it is: it's not soft, it's not stretchy, it's not fancy. It's a tough, cheap, easy-to-replace work pant that holds a crease, sheds dirt, and survives a wash cycle that would shred a lighter cotton pant.
FLEX 874 — same silhouette with a stretch element added. Modern customers want stretch. This is Dickies' answer. It feels different from the original (less stiff, less crisp) but it moves with you. Some guys love it. Some guys think the original is the only real one.
Eisenhower jacket — the short-cut, waist-length lined work jacket in the same heavy twill as the 874. It's a winter or shoulder-season jacket, fits over a sweatshirt, looks the same as it did in the 70s. Mechanics, machine shops, parking-lot crews.
Long-sleeve work shirts — the button-up uniform shirt every painter, every facility maintenance guy, every diesel mechanic owns three of. Tough, easy to wash, comes in matching colors to the 874 if you want the full uniform set.
Pocket tees, sweatshirts, beanies fill out the rest of the line. We keep the basics deep in the basic colors.
Fit notes
874 runs true to size in waist, true to size in length but only because it comes hemmed at standard inseams (30, 32, 34). If you want a 36 inseam, we usually have to special-order it. The cut is straight through the thigh and slightly tapered at the ankle.
FLEX 874 runs slightly slimmer than the original. If you wear a 36 in regular 874, the FLEX 36 will feel closer through the thigh.
Eisenhower jacket runs true to size. The cut is intentionally short — it sits at the waist, not the hip. If you want a longer jacket, look at the standard Dickies work jacket or the duck canvas line.
Long-sleeve shirts run true. The fit is straight (not athletic-tapered), which most work-shirt buyers prefer.
Where it falls short
The 874 is not a soft pant. The polyester content makes it stiffer than cotton, hotter in summer, and the breathability is mediocre. If you work outside in August, you'll feel it. Nothing to do about that — it's the trade-off for the durability.
FR is not Dickies' game. They make some FR-rated pieces but it's not the brand for it. If you need NFPA 2112, look at Carhartt FR or DeWalt FR.
The brand has gotten popular in casual wear in the last ten years, which means the 874 sometimes shows up in cuts and washes that are aimed at fashion customers, not work customers. We don't carry those. If you walk in asking for an 874, you'll get the work-cut, not the slim-fit washed version.
Bottom line
874 is one of the cheapest, most durable, most predictable work pants in the world. If you've worn them for twenty years, keep wearing them. If you want stretch, FLEX 874 is the same shape with give. Long-sleeve work shirts and Eisenhower jackets fill out the matching uniform if you want it. We've got the full size run on the floor — come in, we'll fit you up.