Diamond Clothing Buco J100 review.

[Carlos840]

A few months ago i started seeing more and more threads about the Buco J100 and i decided i wanted a simple clean Cafe Racer.
The Shinki leather that Diamond Dave offers caught my attention and i decided to take the plunge.
I sent him all my measurements, and measurements of jackets i own and the waiting began.

After a month i received my jacket, it looked like it was a size to small...
I am not sure what happened, but for some reason this size 42 jacket fit like a size 40 and had sleeves that were 2" shorter than specified.
After a weird conversation with Dave he offered me a remake, i sent the jacket back and waited some more.

The second jacket turned up this week and it is much much better.

Fit wise, it is very good, it fits my shoulders and waist perfectly, doesn't flare to much at the bottom like i have seen some Buco J100 do.
Sleeve length is good, neck diameter is good, all is well. It did come out 1" longer in the body than what i had asked for, but i actually don't mind it, it looks good.

Secondly, the hide... It is amazing! I have honestly never seen anything like it.
It is thicker than my ELMC Californian, it almost feels as thick as FQHH, but without the cardboard feel of it.
It is soft and smooth, with an incredible grain. The back is especially nice, nicest grain i have seen.
It also molded to me faster than any leather i have owned. It formed great creases in a day and i am confident it is going to look awesome after it is properly broken in.
The only negative to me is the shine it has... It is a bit shiny for my taste, but it will hopefully lose some of it's shine as i wear it.
The lining is also very nice, it's super thick rayon, nice and silky, nothing bad to say about it.

Third, construction. This is where i am not 100% satisfied. Really, all the important things are really well done.
The stitching between panels is very nice and straight, the sleeve are stitched perfectly straight to.
But if you start really inspecting the little things the attention to detail is somewhat lacking.
The zippers in the sleeves are not both done as well, one side is nicely centered, the other is off center and uneven.
The chest zippers aren't the same, one has even wind flaps, the other doesn't.
The lining isn't stitched evenly at the bottom.
The chest pockets have black zippers, but the sleeves and the main zipper are brown tape that has been dyed black afterwards.
This gives the zipper a weird charcoal colour with some brown spots left here and there.
Lastly, there are 4 random holes in the back panel, that look like something was stapled on the leather and then removed.

Now, none of these things are a massive deal, this is still a very nice jacket and i am glad i bought it.
I just think it's a shame to have such amazing materials and not make the most of them.
Full disclosure, i am a little OCD and have a tendency to always look for perfection, so maybe it's just me asking for to much.

Now, pictures:

Interesting thing worth noting, for some reason the back seam is aligned with the sleeve seams!
It seems that usually the seams are staggered, the sleeve seam being around an inch lower than the back seam.
No idea why he chose to align them on this one when all of his other jackets aren't, but i like it.

Now, here are the things i mentioned earlier:

Chest zippers, left one looks even, right one has a long upper flap and a short lower flap

Sleeve zippers, right one is really nice and even, left one is not centered and the upper portion of it is crooked and uneven.
You can't see the brown when it is zipped, but when open you can see brown spots here and there.
Personally i find this a bit weird and would have preferred black or brown tape.

Not a massive deal, but still this is the only jacket i have that shows this.

 

[Carlos840]

Now, fit pics:

All in all i am happy with this jacket.
Yes, having to pay customs twice, and shipping of the first jacket back to the USA cost me almost £100 on top of the price, but in the end it all turned out ok.
Would i recommend it? Tough call... If you are in the USA and are more interested in character than perfection, then yes, it is a great deal.
If you like things to be perfect and have to risk paying customs and shipping for a jacket that doesn't fit, then no, i would say don't do it.

 

[Damo]

Great looking jacket!! I really like the length and it fits you really well.. How far up from the bottom does the zipper start?? 2-3"???

I wouldn't have noticed those things imperfections you mentioned. I wouldn't see them in real life even knowing about them.. Sounds like they don't really bother you too much, hopefully!!

Overall that's one nice jacket. You did very well!! Thanks for the review and pics!!

 

[nick123]

Holy hell. That's maybe the nicest leather closeup I've seen here. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[technovox]

Fantastic Review!
Dang- that is some of the most stunningly beautiful horsehide I've ever seen!
And the fit looks perfect. Great score!
Did you go with the "tea core" or the "double black" Shinki?

 

[Jägernaut]

That leather is outstanding

 

[pawineguy]

Really gorgeous leather, grain is amazing. Everything else is up to the buyer as to their level of OCD regarding details. A bit disappointing about the first jacket, as this is at least the third time I've heard this. Hopefully he gets things sorted out because when he gets it right he makes some beautiful jackets.

 

[jacketjunkie]

Leather is outstanding, fit is great, these minor issues you have with the jacket.. try to put them aside and enjoy this great product, imho. Noone is going to spot the uneven leather flaps at the chest pockets and as for the zippers at the sleeves, if they still bug you in a few weeks of wear, I'd bring the jacket to the best local tailor there is and have them replaced for 30 bucks.

 

[Justhandguns]

Well, the construction is not perfect, but it is still a beautiful jacket. The Japanese hide looks significantly different from my black Horween hide though, mine is a bit smoother and still looks pretty new after a few outings earlier on this year.

 

[Monitor]

This could've easily been a 50's original... I am in love with every part of this jacket, even the uneven bits. Not to mention this is the best fitting J-100 I've seen so far. I won't even comment on the leather. Possibly the most beautiful kind I've seen...

And I'm seriously jealous now. You have the best collection of jackets, each one from the very top of my priorities list.

By the way, everyone; the images are much, much larger than what's shown here so open one up in another tab and click on the magnifying glass icon in the Photobucket viewer.

 

[Carlos840]

Great looking jacket!! I really like the length and it fits you really well.. How far up from the bottom does the zipper start?? 2-3"???

I wouldn't have noticed those things imperfections you mentioned. I wouldn't see them in real life even knowing about them.. Sounds like they don't really bother you too much, hopefully!!

Overall that's one nice jacket. You did very well!! Thanks for the review and pics!!

Thanks, the zipper starts 4.5" from the bottom, which pretty much aligns with the top of my pants.
Regarding the imperfections, i guess we all have different level of attention to detail.
I strive for perfection and have a good eye. Which means i have a tendency to notice imperfection more than the average person.

None of these imperfections are a massive deal, but if i had made the jacket i would not want them there.

 

[Carlos840]

This could've easily been a 50's original... I am in love with every part of this jacket, even the uneven bits. Not to mention this is the best fitting J-100 I've seen so far. I won't even comment on the leather. Possibly the most beautiful kind I've seen...

And I'm seriously jealous now. You have the best collection of jackets, each one from the very top of my priorities list.

By the way, everyone; the images are much, much larger than what's shown here so open one up in another tab and click on the magnifying glass icon in the Photobucket viewer.

Thanks, i do have a nice sample of jackets now, since i have nothing new coming along for a while (until i drive to Aero) i might start a thread comparing leather and build methods from the different makers i have jackets from.
This would include Schott, Lewis Leathers, Alexander, ELMC, and Diamond Clothing. They are so different i really feel i should find a way to show them together.
I'll think about it and come up with something.

Also, the pictures are indeed very large and can be seen in full resolution if you look at them directly in photobucket.

 

[Carlos840]

Fantastic Review!
Dang- that is some of the most stunningly beautiful horsehide I've ever seen!
And the fit looks perfect. Great score!
Did you go with the "tea core" or the "double black" Shinki?

Thanks,

I didn't specify, this is the double black, it is black all the way through, and really is "none more black"
It makes all my other black jackets look grey or brown it's so black.

 

[avsmusic1]

Thanks, i do have a nice sample of jackets now, since i have nothing new coming along for a while (until i drive to Aero) i might start a thread comparing leather and build methods from the different makers i have jackets from.
This would include Schott, Lewis Leathers, Alexander, ELMC, and Diamond Clothing. They are so different i really feel i should find a way to show them together.
I'll think about it and come up with something.

Also, the pictures are indeed very large and can be seen in full resolution if you look at them directly in photobucket.

Great jacket. An exceptional fit.
This comparison would be excellent too!

 

[53Effie]

I tend to agree with many here about the beautiful leather and the fit of the jacket, which is about perfect in my opinion. However, there does seem to be a quality control issue with this maker. As mentioned above, this is not the first example we have seen. I would think at least when things are not quite right, a discount should be offered if the customer chooses to keep the jacket. I am going to get a J-100 but I don't know if it would be from this maker at this point. They cost too much to have construction errors.

 

[handymike]

OMG that leather!!!!!
Use some Pecards or Vaseline to knock down the shine.

 

[Bunyip]

I think that looks awesome mate. The leather is absolutely superb. It will only get better with break in. The fit looks spot on, I think it's a tough one with such fitting designs to nail the fit, not much margin for error. All of your jackets seem to fit you perfectly. Well done. I love it.

 

[SpeedRcrX]

What a beautiful leather make me want to have a jacket in Shinki.

The fit is spot on! Congrats!!!

 

[walterwhyte]

Great looking jacket, fit looks good.
In the fit pics with the jacket zipped up the breast pockets don't seem to line up ? The left looks higher. Has that not been a problem before with Dave's jackets ?

 

[CBI]

Wow guys. Lets all try to make a jacket first before we all just jump in!!!!!

Dave is recent to the jacket manufacturing world compared to some others. His jackets have turned out great. Yes, there are bound to be issues but I can't count the large number of people on this forum who have had to return jackets from Aero, ELC, Himmel, etc. because of imperfections, fit, etc. even with these companies having many years in the field.

Dave’s main focus as of late is making stock size wartime A-2’s that will soon be sold by/as Good Wear as stock jackets. The guy can’t have a better “teacher” than John Chapman! These guys are trying to emulate true vintage jackets and styles. Typically exceedingly well-made, HAND CRAFTED jackets without the antiseptic laser precision of present day clothing manufacture.

The “shortcomings” I see in these photos are so minor, why would anyone worry? I am not a moto jacket fan nor do I like or own anything in black leather however I can honestly say that based on pictures, I have never seen as awesome a Buco as this one. Superb leather, fit and overall wow! I love the premium makers and respect them but this is a more convincing Buco than I have seen from Aero, Himmel, etc. and that’s the key, to heck with the little things. Getting the overall effect is much more “perfection” IMO than ruler straight zipper tapes. IMO, anything leather needs the human touch -furniture, jackets, purses, wallets, shoes, etc.

No, I don’t work for Dave but I recently picked up a second hand test A-2 of his that in many respects looks as close to an old original A-2 as I have ever seen from a repro and I have owned LOADS of original and repo A-2’s. Got a dozen in the closet right now. I appreciate the review and to each his own. It’s just some of the posts seem to be leaning toward pegging Dave as a maker with “issues” instead of based on what I am seeing as possibly a first choice seller! I like his other moto jackets (for moto jackets that is!!!!) and if I were to purchase a moto, he would be my choice as no one seems to get that vintage looks just right......at least out of the box the way Dave is. This is not to say that Dave won't continue to up his game which I am sure he will. Again a super jacket!!!