Aero Vicenza vs CXL FQHH vs CXL Steerhide = 1st world problems

[AeroFan_07]

I've been thinking quite a bit about this thread and what I would like it to be, verses what it could be. It could not exist for me prior to now as I have never owned an Aero jacket made of the Vicenza leather. Nor could I really spell it correctly. Prior to this weekend, all my Aero experiences were of the FQHH and Steerhide variety. Which as the title suggests, is a rather nice "problem" to have.

Maybe we should all take a moment to be thankful for what we have the privilege to own and cherish here...

So what I have done is had a family meeting with the existing FQHH and Steerhide Aero's and added in a new Vicenza jacket that I had hoped would become part of the family. First I had them stand at attention on my screen porch for a role call:



Aero 30's HB (Steer) Aero BL FQHH Aero Ridley

As can be seen here, the 30's HB Steerhide jacket was not much interested in standing tall for my camera. It is however rather well broken in. The Bootlegger, in still un-broken-in FQHH is standing but kind of looking ready to come after my tripod the camera is mounted to here. The Ridley, in Vicenza took quite a bit of work to get propped up for this photo, but quickly sank back into a relaxed, "chill" pose. What a shot of 3-musketeers indeed!


So about that Ridley....





First shots of me wearing this jacket for the first time. It's not a correct fit, sadly, however with the sleeves needing about 1.5" and the torso around the same. So this will be soon back in the Classified section.

However - THAT Leather, oh my golly. Best to be seen rather than spoken of...


The wrinkling on the arms is just amazing (although they have made the arms quite a bit shorter - do note)


And there is such an even-ness to the grain, so much wonderful depth to this jacket, it's really a one of a kind that I can tell...



The weight is right at 6 lbs. It's substantial, but very, very easy to wear. The Vicenza really does not have the same smell as the CXL Horse or Steer, it's a much milder odor. I really appreciated the tan contrasting stitching on this jacket as it just mildly but purposefully sets off the gorgeous black leather.

Overall, I would put this into a huge winner as a mid-weight jacket. I have a deep respect now for the Vicenza leather, and will indeed be looking to add one to my stock to join the other two Aero's in the future. The picture below illustrates the fit issue I have with this jacket overall:



Goofy shot I am aware, but it illustrates that the sleeve simply pulls back too far when I raise my arms. This shot also shows the "drape" of the jacket very well I thought, so I'll be adding it's counterparts to the next post in this thread. Hope it is informative for anyone looking to buy from Aero in the future. Please...feel free to post photos and fit photos of any of the leathers' mentioned above and keep adding to the information.

 

[AeroFan_07]

So here's the same basic shot of the FQHH Bootlegger, this is very much a not-yet-broken-in BL in a little closer fitting size, shown in Cordovan leather below:



And here's the same shot (and no better expression) in the 30's HB in Steerhide:



The 30's HB is from 2015 and well broken in. To be very fair, the FQHH will eventually get there too. Both are great options, but the FQHH is around 7.5 lbs as shown, the Steer just over 8.0 lbs.

Here's a couple of outside shots to help see these both in better light:



The temps were on the rise when I took these this morning. A Tripod really helps the process out as well. Fortunately it was still just in the upper 70's, now close to 90F so a no-go to wear these around.

For my future tastes, I would like to find a better fitting Vicenza jacket and try that out for the long term. I am a fan of both the Steer & Horse from Horween. However now that I have tried the Vicenza, I have a much greater appreciation for it too. It it nothing at all like lambskin. It is horse but really different than anything Horween puts out. I encourage others to check these materials out and try each of them - they are wonderfully different in their own unique ways. Thanks for reading!

 

[ton312]

Interesting thread Randy. I’ve only had one Vic jacket and it seems to vary batch to batch as much as cxl does. I’ve seen a couple Vic examples lately that look much thicker than the 30’s HB I had in it. This Riddley looks to be cut from the heftier stock. Thanks for the review!

 

[Psant25]

Thanks for sharing. My one vic jacket was a type iii that was a size small but great leather and easy wearing right away. I am loving my tumbled fqhh now. Ive suffered plenty over the years breaking in stiff jackets. If i was only able to keep one i break in... part of the fun i guess. One reason i was on the JL naked 3.5 oz cow for a while was the comfort. Still love it.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I have a 1930's half belt made from vic. I this hide varies a lot form batch to batch so everyone's experience will be a bit different. Not sure how these will wear over 10-20 years, the real test of a leather jacket.

Mine is a lighter 2.5oz hide and it has a firm hand, a typically horsehide finish. It tends to wrinkle a bit too readily - which I'm not keen on. Overall it is way more fun to wear than FQHH or most 3oz hides. I still think I prefer a good goatskin jacket to all other hides I have tried over the years. I'd be interested to hear how vic compares to a hide from the 1940's.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

That example of Vicenza leather looks amazing. It's a shame the fit didn't work out on it.

 

[Peter Bowden]

These are some examples of different hides with varying amounts of wear.The CXL horsehide jacket has had more wear,the horsehide Vicenza less so.I prefer the CXL horsehide of all these as it seems to show more pattern or variation than the others.The Vicenza wears and drapes nicely though but really shows no variation in wear or pattern over the entire jacket.

 

[Hh121]

Easy choice for me

 

[El Marro]

Easy choice for me

Nice to see you back here man!

 

[technovox]

Over the years I've owned a few Aeros in the CXL HH and a few Vics. And slowly I've become a big fan of the Vic leather...it's just perfect for the windy and often cooler foggy weather around here. The hide hits that sweet spot of having enough weight and thickness to feel substantial, but still being supple and comfortable enough to want to wear. I have about 4 Aeros in the Vic now, all different and each with its own distinctive character. My only regret is the one time when I specified smooth rather than grainy on one of my orders.

 

[Cyber Lip]

Tony Vincenzo leather

 

[ProteinNerd]

For me, CXL seems to look more interesting (more variation) and breaks in better but Vicenza is just nicer to wear.

 

[Edward]

Great thread, nice comparisons. For me it just goes to show it's all personal preference. I have owned several Aeros in the FQHH, and handled / tried on Vicenza at the factory. Also owned a couple in steer, but not I think the CXL stuff (which I did handle at the factory: so heavy they advise against it for jackets with working pleats like the Dustbowl, as it just doesn't work for them). My steers are a hide exactly the same thickness as FQHH, but pliable from the get go; similar to my Schott, but much classier leather - not unlike a steer equivalent of the Vicenza.

FWIW, my 2010 Bootlegger in FQHH (now in need of being sent back for a relining, must get onto that) is now as soft in places as my goat Aeros, though still as thick as it was.

 

[jacketjunkie]

It's interesting to see how well received the Vicenca is.. I always adored the color of the russet Vicenca; so half a year ago I got a A-2 in russet vicenca from the Sales Page. The color is beautiful, especially in the sunlight... and everything else about the leather I hate. The grain is so uniform I have to wonder whether it is corrected, it looks like my parents couch. It ages terribly because unlike with CLX scratches stand out very much due to the uniform surface and even coloring. The hide doesn't have the horsehide marble surface I like about both my Horween and Shinki HH jackets. And while the weight is very comfortable to wear, the hide scratches much easier and is MUCH less wear-resistant than the similar weight goat and noticably thinner than CLX which results in a constant discomfort while wearing it as I feel it is very easily damaged. Part of the joy I take in wearing leather is the durability that comes with leather and being able to be accordingly careless with my jackets and not having to worry about them. I don't have that with Vicenca, not at all. If you want a delicate, smarter and fashionable jacket for very civilzed evening out and can live with the uniform texture of the hide, Vicenca may be the right pick but not for me.. My Russet Vicenca A2 is only getting wear on Sunday afternoon social events, quite literally.

 

[Mich486]

It’d be nice to hear from someone with some jerky HH experience too.

I took the leap with my next jacket as apparently they have recently reworked it to age faster. Will post my impressions here once I receive the jacket.

As much as I like looking at brown and burgundy CXL that Aero use its heft is just not for me. I find it unnecessarily thick for a casual jacket.


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[AeroFan_07]

It's interesting, this jacket appears more like Jerky HH, as there is nothing "smooth" or "corrected" about it. Guess some of that is the batch to batch variaton. I have tried looking for this tannery online and find nothing at all for it.

 

[Mich486]

It's interesting, this jacket appears more like Jerky HH, as there is nothing "smooth" or "corrected" about it. Guess some of that is the batch to batch variaton. I have tried looking for this tannery online and find nothing at all for it.

I don’t think the tannery has ever been explicitly mentioned? There are a lot of tanneries in Vicenza maybe pulling together for larger orders but also operating independently. I wouldn’t be surprised if from batch to batch the tannery isn’t always the same.


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[Seb Lucas]

It's interesting to see how well received the Vicenca is.. I always adored the color of the russet Vicenca; so half a year ago I got a A-2 in russet vicenca from the Sales Page. The color is beautiful, especially in the sunlight... and everything else about the leather I hate. The grain is so uniform I have to wonder whether it is corrected, it looks like my parents couch. It ages terribly because unlike with CLX scratches stand out very much due to the uniform surface and even coloring. The hide doesn't have the horsehide marble surface I like about both my Horween and Shinki HH jackets. And while the weight is very comfortable to wear, the hide scratches much easier and is MUCH less wear-resistant than the similar weight goat and noticably thinner than CLX which results in a constant discomfort while wearing it as I feel it is very easily damaged. Part of the joy I take in wearing leather is the durability that comes with leather and being able to be accordingly careless with my jackets and not having to worry about them. I don't have that with Vicenca, not at all. If you want a delicate, smarter and fashionable jacket for very civilzed evening out and can live with the uniform texture of the hide, Vicenca may be the right pick but not for me.. My Russet Vicenca A2 is only getting wear on Sunday afternoon social events, quite literally.

I'm surprised someone hasn't said this before given how much we emphasize leather thickness and robustness.

I think this view as you say is more of a 'feel' and my be psychological in origin. The scratches are interesting but they seem to rub out or fade away and are generally not permanent. The Vinceza I have seems to have character and is not even. But I share a concern that it may wear too quickly as mine is highly wrinkled and grainy in spots already and I have only worn it about 20 times.

But the hide is far from thin, it must be 2.5oz which is in line with many vintage jackets that have easily survived 80 years. I don't know how abrasion resistant the leather is or how long it will take before it cracks, but assuming it is properly tanned I suspect the thing will see me out.

The real test of a leather jacket comes in a decade or two.

 

[ton312]

I never felt Vic was fragile but I did find it somewhat flat. It’s not a waxy, oil stuffed hide and that kind of puts it behind the eight ball for me. No question it’s a delight to wear. Feels like denim tbh. I actually think my IH trucker could go pound for pound with it.
The marbled, somewhat angry mature of cxl have always appealed to me. Every time I’ve sought a leather I thought I’d like more I’ve failed.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Curious. My Vic is full of fades and marbelling and uneven textures and looks way more interesting than the cxl jacket I used to own so I guess it must really vary.