A2 Jacket Advice

[srahimian24]

Hello all! My name is Stephen and I am new to the forum. I finally decided to create an account after reading it for awhile. I want some advice from people more experienced than I with A2 jackets. I am currently in the queue for a goodwear jacket, but as I cannot seem to reach
John and as some people have been waiting three years or more, I am wanting to get an Eastman or Bill Kelso jacket in the meantime. I haven't seen any fairly recent posts about this so my question is as follows. How do Eastman and Bill Kelso stack up in terms of leather quality and accuracy (I'm looking for a wartime contract, preferably with NOS hardware). Thanks for the help!

 

[Carlos840]

Hi Stephen, welcome.

Goodwear is hard to comment on, i am on the list myself, been there 3 years and 1 month, been ignored for the past year, no idea if i will ever see a jacket or even get my money back...

Eastman is a great company to deal with, they offer a great product, are a very helpful bunch of guys.
I have a Californian and i like it a lot, Rob was super helpful in answering all my questions, i have nothing bad to say about them.

Bill Kelso i would not recommend or give money to, they have a decent product but the way they do business is disgusting. Some people care, some don't, only you can decide. A quick search about them on this forum should give you everything you need to know before spending your money.

If i was in your situation i would go for Eastman without question.

 

[srahimian24]

Thanks Carlos, that was actually a turn off for me regarding Bill Kelso, don't know if they have toned themselves down or not, but it was a turn off

 

[Carlos840]

It only took one hour for the BK spies to read my previous post and for Andy to send me a threatening email.

It appears i was wrong, they do not run their business in a disgusting way, they are a great company, with great ethos, makers of the finest leather jackets in the world, using the finest leather in the world, and you should feel honoured to have the opportunity to buy a jacket from them.

 

[Big J]

@Carlos840,

They got in touch with you? That's just wrong. Plain just creepy. Like stalkers. Why in the world would anyone want to give that kind of person their real name, address and bank info? That's way beyond unprofessional practice.

The rest of what you wrote was hilarious.

I'll be sure to check out Kelso for my next jacket. Not.

For the OP, I'd also suggest Aero and LW. Aero know what customer service means, and LW are quite the bargain now that Eastman and others are hiking prices on the back of the 'hipster wannabe middle-aged professional' wave.

 

[Boyo]

If you want 100% accurate.. Eastman is the way to go.

 

[srahimian24]

Thanks for all the replies, right now I am leaning towards the Eastman Monarch contract coat, but definitely checking out Aero.

Also, the fact that BK emailed you about this is just weird and kinda wrong. Don't think I'm going that route

 

[Sloan1874]

BK doing their reputation no end of good, as per usual. I'm pretty sure anyone who spends any time on this forum will eventually be on the receiving end of a nasty email from them.
As far as the others go: I received my Good Wear As in late summer last year after a two-and-a-half wait, and was very happy with it. It's one of the nicest jackets I own and I've since got back in the queue for another.
ELC are nice but very expensive, especially given that they don't do made-to-measure. Aero overhauled their patterns a few years back and are now very accurate plus you can have it altered to fit your size. LW's jackets are bulletproof, though the owner's customer service errs on the brusque-side, to say the least...

 

[srahimian24]

Does anyone know if Aero have the capability of using NOS hardware? Also how does the HH used by Aero compare to Eastman?

 

[Carlos840]

@Carlos840,

They got in touch with you? That's just wrong. Plain just creepy. Like stalkers. Why in the world would anyone want to give that kind of person their real name, address and bank info? That's way beyond unprofessional practice.

The rest of what you wrote was hilarious.

I'll be sure to check out Kelso for my next jacket. Not.

For the OP, I'd also suggest Aero and LW. Aero know what customer service means, and LW are quite the bargain now that Eastman and others are hiking prices on the back of the 'hipster wannabe middle-aged professional' wave.

Just forwarding the message:


"The days of Bill Kelso showing compassion and being tolerant are over.

You can tell that chicken Big J who hides behind a nickname online, if he doesn't like the fact that we contacted you to keep his opinion to himself instead of telling others that we are creepy.

You have been warned before and ignored us so we are now preparing litigation against you. You can tell that guy, if he is a man, to let us know his name real name so we can include him in the proceedings too, otherwise to shut up and crawl back to his hole. You guys do not understand otherwise. The time has come to pay the price.


AF"

 

[Boyo]

^^ Wow!

 

[Superfluous]

It only took one hour for the BK spies to read my previous post and for Andy to send me a threatening email.

They got in touch with you? That's just wrong. Plain just creepy. Like stalkers. Why in the world would anyone want to give that kind of person their real name, address and bank info? That's way beyond unprofessional practice.

BK doing their reputation no end of good, as per usual. I'm pretty sure anyone who spends any time on this forum will eventually be on the receiving end of a nasty email from them.

Just forwarding the message:

"The days of Bill Kelso showing compassion and being tolerant are over.

You can tell that chicken Big J who hides behind a nickname online, if he doesn't like the fact that we contacted you to keep his opinion to himself instead of telling others that we are creepy.

You have been warned before and ignored us so we are now preparing litigation against you. You can tell that guy, if he is a man, to let us know his name real name so we can include him in the proceedings too, otherwise to shut up and crawl back to his hole. You guys do not understand otherwise. The time has come to pay the price.

Unreal. Somethings NEVER change. The three enduring truisms of life: (1) we pay taxes; (2) we ultimately die; and (3) Andy / BK will continue to be blithering idiots. They can't help themselves.

Moreover, Andy / BK continue to be utterly obsessed with TFL. They actively monitor the posts and (inappropriately) respond with lightening speed. Get a life Andy. Move on.

Andy / BK are their own worst enemies. In a matter of minutes, they successfully torpedoed a potential new customer:

Also, the fact that BK emailed you about this is just weird and kinda wrong. Don't think I'm going that route

Well done Andy.

You know my name and e-mail address Andy. I look forward to yet another of your inane e-mails threatening fire and brimstone.

Simply put, Andy and BK are a joke. Least we ever forget, they will continue to remind us and reinforce their pathetic modus operandi.

Countdown to receipt of imbecilic e-mail from Andy:

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Truth

 

[kojax]

hello people i bought a a2 jacket off b-k couple of years ago. very nice jacket they emailed few times on my jacket , it came nice and packed in a nice box i would buy another jacket of them

 

[Superfluous]

Countdown to receipt of imbecilic e-mail from Andy

I posted at 9:03 am. I received the below e-mail from Andy / BK at 9:11 am. 8 minute turnaround. Lol!!!

Here is the exact text of Andy's e-mail:

"I advise you to stop the insults and the defamation of our brand or you will be joining the others in the litigation.

I don't care that you are in the US, don't think that we can't touch you, we will spend whatever amount to sue you.

And then you will learn the hard way that you cannot go online and say whatever you want about people.

AF"

Further confirmation of BK's reprehensible business practices. Rather then change their ways, Andy and BK seek to suppress adverse opinions through threats of litigation. Why anyone would conduct business with a company like this is beyond me.

You know where to find me Andy. Come and get me. I will eviscerate you.

 

[Sloan1874]

Bwahahahaha. Brilliant stuff. Disappointingly, I haven't received one. I feel left out!

 

[srahimian24]

Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate the information! How does Aero stack up with Eastman as far as leather goes.

Regarding BK, I'm sorry if this thread has stirred the pot for some people. This ordeal is really kind of inappropriate for a business and I will definitely no longer look at them

 

[Mich486]

The guy is angry as his income depends on leather jackets that he sells online and the fedora lounge outerware section is a major if not the biggest outlet. Honestly, I’d be angry too if someone would call my business practice disgusting thus steering potential customers away. Should he let go and don’t care? Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know how I would react if my mortgage payments would be affected.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Innocenti Kid]

M

hello people i bought a a2 jacket off b-k couple of years ago. very nice jacket they emailed few times on my jacket , it came nice and packed in a nice box i would buy another jacket of them

Must say having placed an order with BK jist before xmas I'm pleased to read this Kojax. As a newcomer to this forum if head seen some people's negative comments re BK and they obviously have some sort of history with them tho I have no idea what. Obviously seeing all this today has given me food for thought, and I shall be getting in touch with Andy just to put my mind at rest, although my communications with him to date have been nothing but very helpful and polite.

 

[Superfluous]

Andy / BK sent me a second e-mail again threatening to sue me. This time, they added several insults. They also set forth the amount of damages that they intend to seek against me: GBP 1,569,260. I'm shivering in my boots Andy.

Will they ever learn? I think not. Instead, Andy and Bill Kelso will continue to pursue their despicable practices, including disparaging former customers who do not favor the company and threats of litigation simply because someone shares an adverse opinion.

Andy, your village contacted me . . . they want their idiot back.

Regarding BK, I'm sorry if this thread has stirred the pot for some people. This ordeal is really kind of inappropriate for a business and I will definitely no longer look at them

Nothing to apologize about. You did nothing wrong. Rather, it was Andy's and Bill Kelso's threat to sue @Carlos840 that initiated the melee. All you did was ask a perfectly appropriate question, and all Carlos did was share a perfectly appropriate opinion responsive to your inquiry. Had Andy / Bill Kelso not responded with threats of litigation, the dialogue would have continued. Unfortunately, Andy / BK cannot control themselves.