Edward
Bartender
- Messages
- 25,074
- Location
- London, UK
To be fair, zipper issues are not exclusive to Aero.
-I had to replace the sliders on two ELMC jackets because their made in USA Talon repro's gave way.
-The zipper tape near the male insertion pin on my Field Leathers jacket started fraying after just 6 months.
-The zippers on double Helix jackets are crappy.
-The zippers RMC uses are fiddly and are known to break easily.
-The sliders on the Freewheelers Mulholland are notorious for splitting in half.
-Thedi leathers had to replace numerous Thedi branded zippers because they failed.
-The standard zipper on Lost Worlds jackets is not up to its task.
-Did I forget any?
I think it's fair to conclude that repro zippers in general are of low quality. If you want a zipper that lasts you should either get a Universal (YKK) or Riri or a NOS vintage one.
I remember about fifteen years ago or so ago there must have been a bad batch of repro Talons everywhere because that's the one I've heard come up time and again as actually failing. Some folks dislike the Hookless as well, though I've never heard of that one being a problem that wasn't ultimately user error.
Next jacket for myself, I'll probably go with whatever house zip is considered appropriate, though outside of milspec repop, I'm not a stickler for right if it *looks* right... sadly nothing ruins the look of a vintage style jacket for me faster than very modern looking zips. Partly aesthetic =, partly that I think because it's something I've seen so often on less good stuff as a cost-cutting measure. The most reliable zips I've ever had were the ones that just say "Aero" on them and have an old-timey looking puller that isn't the same as a Talon. Used to have an Aero A2 with a great zip that was a repro Talon, so it's certainly not all of them. I imagine a bad batch of zips must be a real pain, given production and then buying in bulk, and with so many labels quite plausibly buying in from the one source...