Budget A-1 jacket

[dinomartino1]

Hi,

Hi,

Nice jacket! What are the measurements in reality for the size 40?

Cheers Joakim

Hi Joakim,
My 40 jacket measurements matched the sellers size chart, with maybe a few mm's difference.
A size 40 is large on the chart, 38 is medium, if you don't see it click on the product details tab.
You could alway ask them to measure the jacket they are going to send before you buy it.
They have some other good stuff as well, here is link to the store.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1229407?spm=2114.10010108.100005.4.oMnGsO

Hope that helps you.

 

[wild_balls]

Hi Joakim,
My 40 jacket measurements matched the sellers size chart, with maybe a few mm's difference.
A size 40 is large on the chart, 38 is medium, if you don't see it click on the product details tab.
You could alway ask them to measure the jacket they are going to send before you buy it.
They have some other good stuff as well, here is link to the store.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1229407?spm=2114.10010108.100005.4.oMnGsO

Hope that helps you.

Thank you!

 

[ProteinNerd]

I'm quite tempted by this. I'm curious about the A1 but would never drop the $$$ on some of the big names we like around here as I just don't know if the style will suit me or if I would ever wear it.

Any feedback on the leather? Is it thick or fairly thin?

Probably lucky for me they are out of the Large size

 

[dinomartino1]

I'm quite tempted by this. I'm curious about the A1 but would never drop the $$$ on some of the big names we like around here as I just don't know if the style will suit me or if I would ever wear it.

Any feedback on the leather? Is it thick or fairly thin?

Probably lucky for me they are out of the Large size

I don't think even original A1's where made of thick leather, the goatskin on this is fine, hard to describe the thickness, the leather is soft and subtle but not too thin.
I was the same as you, on the fence about if it was my style but took a chance, it does look good on and being more lightweight than horsehide jackets is more suited to our aussie climate especially here in Perth. This is not some crappy mall style jacket and well worth the money, what could you get in myers or david jones for $266.

 

[bn1966]

I initially dismissed the A-1 for a number of years until I saw one in the flesh at ELC 2 years ago (whilst looking for a new A-2). I left with an A-1 on order & have since enjoyed it's different 'vibe' and lightness (mines Cape)....a leather sweater

 

[dinomartino1]

Seems like a jacket you need to see on you to see how good they actually look, I was never really interested in them either but as soon as i put the jacket on i really liked it, actually prefer it to my A2.

 

[xmr]

Dinomartino, could you pist a fit pic?

 

[dinomartino1]

[QUAway fOTE="xmr, post: 2115213, member: 24594"]Dinomartino, could you pist a fit pic?[/QUOTE]
Away from home for a week but while try to post a pic
when I get back.
Mothfighters pic on page 1 of the thread is a 40.

The jackets come inside the parcel in a clear bronson plastic bag, there is one spare large and one spare collar button, they are loose and not easy to see, I only saw them when I was throwing out the bag.

Thanks to mothfighter for reviving the thread and blackadder for the original post, this is the best bargain jacket for the price I have ever bought.

 

[McQ7]

I've been lurking on the forum quite a bit on Aero leather jackets since I've grown a bit tired of my old Target black moto after 8 years. That jacket has held up fine, but I am so drawn to older styles like the military and workwear styles of the mid 20th century. Unfortunately, those Aeros are out of reach Just today in one of my deep Ebay searches I came across this Bronson brand and dismissed them as I thought "there's no way I can find feedback on these" and "their amazing looking A-1 leather jacket is still too expensive for me at $299." I began searching for a cotton version, came across a FedoraLounge thread about those, and somehow ended up here. Boy and I glad, too, since that jacket is a hundred bucks cheaper on AliExpress!
Thanks to the feedback and user pics here, I am much more confident should I decide to grab one. My current well-fitting leather jacket has shoulders at 17.5" and chest across at 21.5" and I typically wear size Small and 38 Short jackets. However, their size 38 (Medium) states 17.3" shoulders and 20.4" chest, while their size 40 (Large) states 17.91" shoulders and 21.25" chest. Mothfighter posted on the first page that his Large size was "a nice snug fit for a size 40 like me." Therefore, I'm leaning toward the Large even though it's really hard to get my head around wearing a size 40 jacket!

 

[McQ7]

Quick followup regarding measurements: it appears that Bronson's measurements line up almost exactly with Eastman's A1 jacket sizing on this page. The real difference is that that for the same respective size, the chest measurement is smaller for the Bronson by .6" in size 38 and by .75" in size 40. Arm length and back length are the same. In other words, the Bronson is like a Slim Fit version of the Eastman.

Eastman size 38: 21" chest width, 17.5" shoulder width, 24.5" arm length, 24.5" back length
Bronson size 38: 20.4" chest width, 17.3" shoulder width, 24.4" arm length, 24.2" back length

Eastman size 40: 22" chest width, 18" shoulder width, 25" arm length, 25" back length
Bronson size 40: 21.25" chest width, 17.9" shoulder width, 25" arm length , 24.8" back length

 

[dinomartino1]

For those who can afford the extra $ the headwind A1 will be a better jacket.
$525 or $575 tailored, I don't know what their mailing costs are, a great price compared to the big name makers and they always get good comments about their jackets here and on the vintage leather jacket forum.
For me with the poor exchange rate for the Australian $ it was just more than I could afford at the moment.

http://www.headwindmfg.com/jackets.html

For those people on tight budget or are not sure about if an A1 is for them and don't want to spend a lot for a jacket they might not think
suits them, buttons and the collar style can be a bit off-putting for those who have only had zip fronts the bronson is a good choice for your first A1.
I spent hours on Taoboa, a nightmare to navigate and to try to purchase items and the aliexpress seller was the cheapest when you added shipping.
The seller is very honest and very helpful.

 

[AdeeC]

I've been lurking on the forum quite a bit on Aero leather jackets since I've grown a bit tired of my old Target black moto after 8 years. That jacket has held up fine, but I am so drawn to older styles like the military and workwear styles of the mid 20th century. Unfortunately, those Aeros are out of reach Just today in one of my deep Ebay searches I came across this Bronson brand and dismissed them as I thought "there's no way I can find feedback on these" and "their amazing looking A-1 leather jacket is still too expensive for me at $299." I began searching for a cotton version, came across a FedoraLounge thread about those, and somehow ended up here. Boy and I glad, too, since that jacket is a hundred bucks cheaper on AliExpress!
Thanks to the feedback and user pics here, I am much more confident should I decide to grab one. My current well-fitting leather jacket has shoulders at 17.5" and chest across at 21.5" and I typically wear size Small and 38 Short jackets. However, their size 38 (Medium) states 17.3" shoulders and 20.4" chest, while their size 40 (Large) states 17.91" shoulders and 21.25" chest. Mothfighter posted on the first page that his Large size was "a nice snug fit for a size 40 like me." Therefore, I'm leaning toward the Large even though it's really hard to get my head around wearing a size 40 jacket!

CHinese Large is like American Medium. I travel to China a lot and am normally a medium. I have to buy large over there unless I want skin tight.

 

[McQ7]

The size Small (38) would work for me in the shoulders and would be ideal in arm and back length. It's the chest measurement that's giving me pause. I measure 39" and like I said I wear size 38 and Small jackets and coats. I guess the A-1 is designed to fit extremely snuggly in the chest. Maybe it would loosen up and stretch a bit too?

 

[Blackadder]

The size Small (38) would work for me in the shoulders and would be ideal in arm and back length. It's the chest measurement that's giving me pause. I measure 39" and like I said I wear size 38 and Small jackets and coats. I guess the A-1 is designed to fit extremely snuggly in the chest. Maybe it would loosen up and stretch a bit too?

The one I have is small (36), my chest measurement is 38 inches and my shoulder measurement is about 43 to 44cm.
https://world.taobao.com/item/525965732278.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.jdqILB#detail

I find the measurement on Taobao to be pretty accurate. One thing you should note though and it is not shown on the measurement is Bronson has a smaller armhole than Eastman as such you may feel even tighter.

 

[McQ7]

The one I have is small (36), my chest measurement is 38 inches and my shoulder measurement is about 43 to 44cm.
https://world.taobao.com/item/525965732278.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.jdqILB#detail

I find the measurement on Taobao to be pretty accurate. One thing you should note though and it is not shown on the measurement is Bronson has a smaller armhole than Eastman as such you may feel even tighter.

This is great to know! My chest measures 39" and my shoulders at 17" so based on your fit pic on page 1 maybe the medium would be a good fit for me. That fit pic looks really great. Your chest doesn't seem to be stressing on the buttons at all, and the shoulder seams look just barely off the tips of your shoulders--an ideal fit, in my opinion. I wonder if the Bronson shoulders wear slightly wider than they measure. Would you have enough room to layer a wool sweater underneath?

I realize all we have to go by are measurements, but I think so much depends on the jacket construction and seam location. Jacket pit to pit chest measurement can be one thing, but if the vertical side seams are slightly forward or slightly back then it can really affect the fit, in my opinion. So thank you so much, Blackadder, for sharing your measurements!

 

[Blackadder]

This is great to know! My chest measures 39" and my shoulders at 17" so based on your fit pic on page 1 maybe the medium would be a good fit for me. That fit pic looks really great. Your chest doesn't seem to be stressing on the buttons at all, and the shoulder seams look just barely off the tips of your shoulders--an ideal fit, in my opinion. I wonder if the Bronson shoulders wear slightly wider than they measure. Would you have enough room to layer a wool sweater underneath?

I realize all we have to go by are measurements, but I think so much depends on the jacket construction and seam location. Jacket pit to pit chest measurement can be one thing, but if the vertical side seams are slightly forward or slightly back then it can really affect the fit, in my opinion. So thank you so much, Blackadder, for sharing your measurements!

I can only wear a shirt inside. Wearing a sweater is definitely stretching. Size 38 won't be a comfort fit for you but I think the chest will work. The shoulder is another matter. The shoulder width has to be almost perfect given the small armhole. The small armhole will restrict your arm movement if the jacket's shoulder is too wide.

 

[McQ7]

I can only wear a shirt inside. Wearing a sweater is definitely stretching. Size 38 won't be a comfort fit for you but I think the chest will work. The shoulder is another matter. The shoulder width has to be almost perfect given the small armhole. If this jacket fits wide on your shoulder, the small armhole will restrict your arm movement.

Thank you again. Such a good point about how arm hole size would affect the shoulder width--I hadn't considered that!

 

[4444Design]

when i buy chinese i have to order 2XL - which equals 44 - most of the interesting stuff i'd be after (like the A1) isn't available in my size in China anyway which i hardly understand coz they are more an Export-country and after 7 years livin' in China i'm pretty sure there is no real intensive domestic-market for such Kind of garment

44 is pretty hard to get but impossible to get anything larger

so far i didn't had any real dissappointments when ordering something and as per my Impression there is a "Evolution" in the Quality of the stuff they produce

if the A1 would be available in my size i'd definately order

 

[David Conwill]

Ok, I've gotta ask. According to the automatic translation from my browser the Taobao listing is described as "BRONSON vicious dog domestic vegetable-tanned goatskin A1 flight jacket A-1A-2 Men's leather jacket"

Vicious dog?

Edit: Never mind, I'll bet it means "dogfight."

 

[McQ7]

Dogfight! Of course, yeah, that makes much more sense. Those auto translations can be tricky. I even tried putting some of the other text in original Chinese into other internet translators and didn't get much clearer than Google translate. I was trying to decipher the vendor notes about the tanning process and leather:

"Another friend made sheepskin taste slightly larger, because we are using the method does not destroy the texture of leather processing organization to try to restore their own style leather, sheepskin taste is normal and does not meet a friend to take the dry cleaners leather processing, about 100 yuan."
另外有朋友提出羊皮的味道略大，因为我们是用不破坏肌理组织的方法去加工皮革，尽量还原皮革本身的风貌，有羊皮味道属于正常，不适应的朋友可以拿去皮衣干洗店处理，大约100元左右。

I think the last part is about how this is real leather that smells like leather and don't take it to the cleaners if it smells like leather when it arrives!

"Tanneries professional production, die cut pieces, one day only cut a few pieces, one piece to do, only to ensure quality."
专业皮革厂制作，开刀模裁片，一天只能裁几件，一件件的做，方可确保品质。

In the end, the info from the taobao and aliexpress web pages led me to conclude that this is 2.5 oz (1.0-1.1 mm) vegetable tanned goatskin leather. Not too shabby!

I chatted with the aliexpress.com seller, who was very nice, easy to talk with, and informed me that only the size M and XXL in Dark Brown were still available. He said that they expect more to be available in September or October, and that the price should remain the same as long as the material costs don't increase.

Last night I found a jacket at home with a 20.5" pit to pit and discovered I could, in fact, wear a thick sweater beneath it. It was just about at the limit, but I like my jackets pretty snug.

So...I placed an order for the last size M they had, and my order is currently processing! (side note: aliexpress.com is on many cashback sites, so hopefully I'll get some $$ back)

I'm so thankful to everyone on this thread for the info and pics, and I'll be sure to contribute once my A-1 has arrived!

P.S. I think I found the jacket on which this Bronson was based/took inspiration, since seal brown with olive drab is somewhat unique. Check out the Real McCoy A-1 from their fall 2014 line: http://www.superdenim.com/the-real-...ype-a-1-mfg-co-leather-jacket-seal-brown.html