A few questions for the TFL audience - Schott / Aero

[bobjones]

I don't recall ever suggesting Schott products being anything akin to faithfully made Mil items from other Vendors/Mfrs.

Schott items are what they are. IMHO, mostly well made, but higher-priced than similar, well-made items which might be more faithful to original design.

IOW, Schott not usually a "great" value, unless bought at a whale of a price discount.

Not sure if I fully agree, as there are several factors here. I am in NY so buying local (as opposed to Galashiels) has massive advantages, such as the cost savings in shipping both for the initial purchase as well as any future repairs that are inevitably needed for heavily worn jackets. Plus not having to worry about how the dollar performs against the pound, being able to walk the jacket into the store and discussing it with the local staff has value too.

Am I paying a premium for product handmade here in NYC? Sure, but life is more expensive here, and Schott is a known product of quality.

I love Aero and know they make a world-class product, but the shipping back and forth really began to get annoying. As for cost, sure I could probably find another lightweight lambskin for less than Schott - Theory has one for $600, and they are a very expensive brand - but I am also buying the future care and servicing of the jacket, with very local support. Being able to walk in wearing the jacket and shooting the breeze with the workers there has appeal.

A few hundred dollars more for a clothing item I hope to wear 25 years or more isn't so much when amortized over that time period. If you do happen to see another lambskin that looks close to what I am pursuing, feel free to post a link here. I am open to any thoughts/suggestions the forum members have to offer.

 

[Edward]

Where did you get the idea that Schott was a military repro brand?

In fact those didn't exist until probably the 80s at earliest, with Aero being among the first.

Even within the 40s/50s, the very same manufacturers who had made wartime jackets were making adjusted versions (the same civilianized ones that get skepticism from customers now) because with the civilian market they were no longer under the extremely tight budgets of military production and could provide something more wearable. Indeed Eastman and Aero both reproduce some of these postwar designs.

It's interesting how that sort of civilian design gets so often overlooked because as modern enthusiasts we often do focus on milspec rather than what the average person on the street wore.

Your comment, though, reminded me of when I interviewed Ken for The Chap about a decade ago (I think it was the Spring 2018 issue?), he mentioned in passing that in the early eighties there was almost no demand at all for a reproduction A2 due to the real thing still being widely available. Those only really began to sell as originals became rarer and more expensive into the 90s...

 

[Aloysius]

I don't recall ever suggesting Schott products being anything akin to faithfully made Mil items from other Vendors/Mfrs.

Schott items are what they are. IMHO, mostly well made, but higher-priced than similar, well-made items which might be more faithful to original design.

IOW, Schott not usually a "great" value, unless bought at a whale of a price discount.

Perhaps you need to reread my reply.

Nowhere did I suggest you said that. I am questioning the entire premise of your criticism.

 

[bobjones]

Hi all. I just discovered that Schott made the jacket for Allen Edmonds:

https://www.allenedmonds.com/product/mens-schott-n-y-c-x-allen-edmonds-leather-delivery-jacket-3029258/black-ec4500836

Schott NYC says only the lining is different from the standard line 246.

 

[Cimmerian]

Just a note to say that I have a jerky horsehide highwayman from Aero that is soft as butter but equally love a good Schott jacket and have a couple in my collection

 

[bobjones]

Just a note to say that I have a jerky horsehide highwayman from Aero that is soft as butter but equally love a good Schott jacket and have a couple in my collection

Interesting point, I asked in my other thread if there were HHs that could approximate lambskin in softness. Maybe I should get modern samples from Aero, the last batch I got from them was 2008 or so.

 

[rupam03]

I own both Aero and Schott jackets in steerhide and horsehide. Schott pieces are well‑made and noticeably lighter than Aero, but they don’t come close in thickness. I have the 641HH and a few vintage A‑2 models; the 641HH in particular is surprisingly thin and soft, almost unlike typical horsehide. It feels closer to Horween’s Pinnacle leather, and the heavy topcoat gives it a finish that can even seem a bit synthetic. The upside, though, is that it’s completely worry‑free in the rain.

I have found Schott's vintage hides are much thicker than the current ones.