Double Helix Works?

[Herrvallmo]

Any love or hate for the Innovator? I've been wanting to get a J24 type jacket and this one seems not too far from RMC's model with perhaps better measurements for me personally and half the price.

Also does anybody have any experience ordering straight from the Double Helix website? Or are there better ways? Any discount coupons going around?

Can't comment on the quality as I've never owned a DH jacket(I really like the Innovator though, looks like a great J24-repro), and after reading this thread it sure seems like DH got their stuff together

For ordering I would recommend you check out Buyee or similar Japan proxy as you often get 10% or similar coupons and you don't have to wait the 45days(if ordering directly from DH). I would only buy directly from DH if I was to change the measurement/leather of the jacket as they do offer that service.

Cheers!

 

[TartuWolf]

You could also use Juno proxy service if you're worried about import taxes (depending on where you live, I pay ~33% myself, which is nuts).
I checked some of the Double Helix jackets (including the Innovator) on their own website and boy do they run short in the body and sleeves (for my size at least). Definitely a big pass from me personally.
I also remember trying on a few of their jackets in London and was appalled by the cuts/patterns. But I'm sure it works fine for folks with certain body shapes.

 

[Herrvallmo]

(depending on where you live, I pay ~33% myself, which is nuts).

Gotta love living in the EU sometimes haha

 

[stenaloom]

You could also use Juno proxy service if you're worried about import taxes (depending on where you live, I pay ~33% myself, which is nuts).
I checked some of the Double Helix jackets (including the Innovator) on their own website and boy do they run short in the body and sleeves (for my size at least). Definitely a big pass from me personally.
I also remember trying on a few of their jackets in London and was appalled by the cuts/patterns. But I'm sure it works fine for folks with certain body shapes.

I live where you live. Would using the proxy service somehow help avoid the import taxes?

 

[TartuWolf]

Yes, using Juno helps tremendously with that. He takes a 10% commission fee but is flexible with value declaration. Obviously much more risky in terms of shipment insurance. For Estonia using Juno ends up cheaper starting from ~150-200eu.

 

[Tomwiththeweather]

Thought I'd add my take on Double Helix here. I picked up this Hugging the Curve jacket about a year ago secondhand for a great price, and it's been my favorite ever since. It's my first and only Japanese leather jacket.

Good Stuff:

The leather. IMO the perfect balance… durable but lightweight; just the right amount of stiffness - it conforms to the body, takes on nice creases in the proper places, but doesn't drape or wrinkle. It developed some very nice grain early on, and that process is slowly continuing. It's teacore black, but after a year I can barely see any brown showing through, even around the zipper and cuffs. That's a plus in my book, as I was a little afraid it would age too quickly. And my god does it smell amazing.

The lining: wool tartan in the body, beefy cotton in the arms. One of my two favorite ways to line a jacket (the other being full satin/cupro).

The pattern: unlike pretty much every other jacket I've had, I like the way this fits visually from every angle, both zipped and open. Comfort-wise, despite being very form-fitting, it's supremely comfortable. I've worn it dawn to dusk on many occasions with no complaints.

Did I mention it smells amazing?

Less-Good Stuff:

The zipper. As others have mentioned, these Hookless repros are beautiful garbage. When I first got the jacket I got stuck in it… I just couldn't get the zipper to release at the bottom after unzipping. That problem got better very quickly, fortunately. After a month I never had an issue with it again, but it still takes two hands. And I still feel like I have to baby it… I've heard the horror stories, and it just feels delicate. Looks fantastic, barely functions.

The shoulder width vs the rest of the pattern. I'd love it if the shoulders were an inch wider across. Fully zipped I do feel it. Not enough to cause discomfort, but enough that I want a bit more room there. That's the Japanese standard style though from what I understand, The Flat Head excluded.

Overall, I love it dearly and enjoy watching it develop character and patina as time goes on.

This was early on, still a bit stiff:

These are how it looks now after about a year of wear:

 

[Herrvallmo]

Thought I'd add my take on Double Helix here. I picked up this Hugging the Curve jacket about a year ago secondhand for a great price, and it's been my favorite ever since. It's my first and only Japanese leather jacket.

Good Stuff:

The leather. IMO the perfect balance… durable but lightweight; just the right amount of stiffness - it conforms to the body, takes on nice creases in the proper places, but doesn't drape or wrinkle. It developed some very nice grain early on, and that process is slowly continuing. It's teacore black, but after a year I can barely see any brown showing through, even around the zipper and cuffs. That's a plus in my book, as I was a little afraid it would age too quickly. And my god does it smell amazing.

The lining: wool tartan in the body, beefy cotton in the arms. One of my two favorite ways to line a jacket (the other being full satin/cupro).

The pattern: unlike pretty much every other jacket I've had, I like the way this fits visually from every angle, both zipped and open. Comfort-wise, despite being very form-fitting, it's supremely comfortable. I've worn it dawn to dusk on many occasions with no complaints.

Did I mention it smells amazing?
Less-Good Stuff:

The zipper. As others have mentioned, these Hookless repros are beautiful garbage. When I first got the jacket I got stuck in it… I just couldn't get the zipper to release at the bottom after unzipping. That problem got better very quickly, fortunately. After a month I never had an issue with it again, but it still takes two hands. And I still feel like I have to baby it… I've heard the horror stories, and it just feels delicate. Looks fantastic, barely functions.

The shoulder width vs the rest of the pattern. I'd love it if the shoulders were an inch wider across. Fully zipped I do feel it. Not enough to cause discomfort, but enough that I want a bit more room there. That's the Japanese standard style though from what I understand, The Flat Head excluded.

Overall, I love it dearly and enjoy watching it develop character and patina as time goes on.

View attachment 688359

View attachment 688361

This was early on, still a bit stiff:

View attachment 688362

These are how it looks now after about a year of wear:

View attachment 688366

View attachment 688368

View attachment 688369

Amazing fit mate, love it!

Cheers!

 

[Tomwiththeweather]

Amazing fit mate, love it!

Cheers!

Thanks!

Oops, that reminds me, I meant to mention the fit. This is tagged a size 40. I'm right between 38 and 40 with a 39" actual chest measurement. This fits more or less like a 38, in my opinion. I'd love to have tried a 42, but as it was secondhand that wasn't an option.

 

[Herrvallmo]

Thanks!

Oops, that reminds me, I meant to mention the fit. This is tagged a size 40. I'm right between 38 and 40 with a 39" actual chest measurement. This fits more or less like a 38, in my opinion. I'd love to have tried a 42, but as it was secondhand that wasn't an option.

I would be super happy with that fit, but I do like my leather jackets to fit rather tight

 

[Jiantle]

Thought I'd add my take on Double Helix here. I picked up this Hugging the Curve jacket about a year ago secondhand for a great price, and it's been my favorite ever since. It's my first and only Japanese leather jacket.

Good Stuff:

The leather. IMO the perfect balance… durable but lightweight; just the right amount of stiffness - it conforms to the body, takes on nice creases in the proper places, but doesn't drape or wrinkle. It developed some very nice grain early on, and that process is slowly continuing. It's teacore black, but after a year I can barely see any brown showing through, even around the zipper and cuffs. That's a plus in my book, as I was a little afraid it would age too quickly. And my god does it smell amazing.

The lining: wool tartan in the body, beefy cotton in the arms. One of my two favorite ways to line a jacket (the other being full satin/cupro).

The pattern: unlike pretty much every other jacket I've had, I like the way this fits visually from every angle, both zipped and open. Comfort-wise, despite being very form-fitting, it's supremely comfortable. I've worn it dawn to dusk on many occasions with no complaints.

Did I mention it smells amazing?

Less-Good Stuff:

The zipper. As others have mentioned, these Hookless repros are beautiful garbage. When I first got the jacket I got stuck in it… I just couldn't get the zipper to release at the bottom after unzipping. That problem got better very quickly, fortunately. After a month I never had an issue with it again, but it still takes two hands. And I still feel like I have to baby it… I've heard the horror stories, and it just feels delicate. Looks fantastic, barely functions.

The shoulder width vs the rest of the pattern. I'd love it if the shoulders were an inch wider across. Fully zipped I do feel it. Not enough to cause discomfort, but enough that I want a bit more room there. That's the Japanese standard style though from what I understand, The Flat Head excluded.

Overall, I love it dearly and enjoy watching it develop character and patina as time goes on.

View attachment 688359

View attachment 688361

This was early on, still a bit stiff:

View attachment 688362

These are how it looks now after about a year of wear:

View attachment 688366

View attachment 688368

View attachment 688369

Great write-up. It's good to see another HTC owner on the lounge! There aren't many of us around.

The jacket looks amazing on you. Congrats! I haven't been able to break mine in as much but it's nice to see the potential it has to look as great as yours.

 

[Tomwiththeweather]

Great write-up. It's good to see another HTC owner on the lounge! There aren't many of us around.

The jacket looks amazing on you. Congrats! I haven't been able to break mine in as much but it's nice to see the potential it has to look as great as yours.

Thanks! If I'm not mistaken, you've had some really high-end jackets from other Japanese makers. How do you feel the DH stacks up? I haven't seen or handled anything from the likes of, say, Freewheelers, RMC or Rainbow Country.

 

[Jiantle]

Thanks! If I'm not mistaken, you've had some really high-end jackets from other Japanese makers. How do you feel the DH stacks up? I haven't seen or handled anything from the likes of, say, Freewheelers, RMC or Rainbow Country.

I've owned a few of them but my experience is pretty limited since I only started this hobby over a year ago. So take this with a pinch of salt.

I think the construction quality and general fit/pattern of DH is just as good as the other high-end Japanese brands. In my opinion, where they fall short slightly is perhaps in the materials used.

To echo what you said, the Hookless zipper on my HTC also feels cheap compared to the one on a FW Mulholland. The body and sleeve linings feel rougher and not as soft on the skin. The leather also does not stand up to the Shinki that the other brands use. I'm basing my comparison on the Mulholland mostly because it's the closest in design.

Where DH really shines is the cost because you can get them at a fraction of what you'll have to pay for these other Japanese brands. So they have good value for money.

 

[Tomwiththeweather]

I've owned a few of them but my experience is pretty limited since I only started this hobby over a year ago. So take this with a pinch of salt.

I think the construction quality and general fit/pattern of DH is just as good as the other high-end Japanese brands. In my opinion, where they fall short slightly is perhaps in the materials used.

To echo what you said, the Hookless zipper on my HTC also feels cheap compared to the one on a FW Mulholland. The body and sleeve linings feel rougher and not as soft on the skin. The leather also does not stand up to the Shinki that the other brands use. I'm basing my comparison on the Mulholland mostly because it's the closest in design.

Where DH really shines is the cost because you can get them at a fraction of what you'll have to pay for these other Japanese brands. So they have good value for money.

Great info. I have a hard time even conceiving of better leather. How cool that so many makers exist on these rarified levels these days. Wasn't the case for many decades there.

 

[newtojackets]

Thought I'd add my take on Double Helix here. I picked up this Hugging the Curve jacket about a year ago secondhand for a great price, and it's been my favorite ever since. It's my first and only Japanese leather jacket.

Good Stuff:

The leather. IMO the perfect balance… durable but lightweight; just the right amount of stiffness - it conforms to the body, takes on nice creases in the proper places, but doesn't drape or wrinkle. It developed some very nice grain early on, and that process is slowly continuing. It's teacore black, but after a year I can barely see any brown showing through, even around the zipper and cuffs. That's a plus in my book, as I was a little afraid it would age too quickly. And my god does it smell amazing.

The lining: wool tartan in the body, beefy cotton in the arms. One of my two favorite ways to line a jacket (the other being full satin/cupro).

The pattern: unlike pretty much every other jacket I've had, I like the way this fits visually from every angle, both zipped and open. Comfort-wise, despite being very form-fitting, it's supremely comfortable. I've worn it dawn to dusk on many occasions with no complaints.

Did I mention it smells amazing?

Less-Good Stuff:

The zipper. As others have mentioned, these Hookless repros are beautiful garbage. When I first got the jacket I got stuck in it… I just couldn't get the zipper to release at the bottom after unzipping. That problem got better very quickly, fortunately. After a month I never had an issue with it again, but it still takes two hands. And I still feel like I have to baby it… I've heard the horror stories, and it just feels delicate. Looks fantastic, barely functions.

The shoulder width vs the rest of the pattern. I'd love it if the shoulders were an inch wider across. Fully zipped I do feel it. Not enough to cause discomfort, but enough that I want a bit more room there. That's the Japanese standard style though from what I understand, The Flat Head excluded.

Overall, I love it dearly and enjoy watching it develop character and patina as time goes on.

View attachment 688359

View attachment 688361

This was early on, still a bit stiff:

View attachment 688362

These are how it looks now after about a year of wear:

View attachment 688366

View attachment 688368

View attachment 688369

Looks really great. The leather also looks virtually new haha

 

[Jiantle]

Great info. I have a hard time even conceiving of better leather. How cool that so many makers exist on these rarified levels these days. Wasn't the case for many decades there.

Individual preference and taste do play a part to some extent in determining if a particular leather is "better" than another. The DH leather from the Nitta tannery that I've experienced is as you say - pliable but still stiff and doesn't really drape. Has kind of an "armor" feel.

I personally like my leather to have a soft hand and have a little bit of "give" (badalassi steerhide is fantastic for this). I also don't ride so protection isn't really a concern for me. All personal preference.

 

[Vincent_rock]

I was wondered, does anyone have any experience with their burgundy Deviant? Leather looks gorgeous, but desides DH themselves the only shop carrying it seems to be Redcast Heritage.
Looks quite, well, colorful, but I imagine it will darken somewhat with wear overall while lightening up in high wear areas.

 

[Togs]

Thought I'd add my take on Double Helix here.

Thanks for the detailed write up and photos. Looks great on you, and glad you have a jacket you enjoy.

It's good to see another HTC owner on the lounge! There aren't many of us around.

Yeah, we’re around:

I was wondered, does anyone have any experience with their burgundy Deviant?

Have a look at this thread.

 

[Tomwiththeweather]

Thanks for the detailed write up and photos. Looks great on you, and glad you have a jacket you enjoy.


Yeah, we’re around:

View attachment 689722

Have a look at this thread.

Oh man, is that the deerskin version? Looks so supple…

 

[Togs]

Oh man, is that the deerskin version? Looks so supple…

Thank you, it is indeed deerskin. Buttery soft, light, and breathable; and at 1.6-1.8 mm thick, feels substantial.

The heart pines for a horsehide version; however, I’m not keen on the Hookless zip. Decisions…

 

[Vincent_rock]

@Tomwiththeweather that jacket fits you spot on, man. Lenght, in my opinion, is perfect, too.

So, I received my burgundy Deviant yesterday, my first new / unworn DH. Some of my initial impressions:

The Good:
The leather. - It is soft. Compared to my experience with other horsehide jackets, it almost feels broken in. In stark contrast to my Y2 Kakishibu jacket, which bruised the crooks of my arms for a couple of days since the creased were so "sharp".
Overall I like the leather. Nice variantions in the color, some places are a bit lighter, some a bit darker. Very rich color, really supple. Pretty sure it will tunnel and patina really fast.

The fit. - I am 178cm tall / short, at around 67kg, 80cm (30") waist, about 100cm chest. Wearing a 38 here. It is snug, but I can still manage a Flannel under it. Arms are slim, perfect lenght, but my torso and arms are maybe an inch shorther they than they should be compared to my hight. The body itself it really short, though. I generallylike riders jackets to sit right on top of my belt (always depends on the rise of the pants, I know) and it does. I'd guess similar to the old pattern RMC J24.
Body is lined with 100% ecru cotton. Kinda nice at first, probably going to stain easily, especially when wearing something indigo. But I won't jump to conclusions here.

The Bad.

The zippers. - As mention before the zippers feel very flimsy. I've never been a huge fan of the chain pulls on zippers in general, even Schott, and the DH are no different. They work, but they are not exactly confidence inspiring.
The main zipper is the same, it is tiny, it works fine. I've never read about one failing. But I'd love something more beefy here.

The Sleeve Lining. - It's the same cotton as in the body. Probaly great with a T-Shirt, but getting the jacket on and off with a brushed cotton shirt is kinda annoying. At least as of now. Wish they'd used some Satin or poly blend as 95% of other jackets do. Might get easier with time, but initial impression is not great.

The Ugly.

Nothing really. Some ups, some downs, but nothing completely out of order here.

On a personal note.

I don't find DH such a great deal, sure they are significantly cheaper than the top notch brands. But they are in the same bracket as Y2, Simmons Bilt and others. You get what you pay for.
I didn't comment on stitching since I frankly don't particularly care about it. It is a sign of quality and attention, but it is just not an aspect I am super into. It's comparable to my Y2s, probably a bit more precise.
The jacket didn't come with any accessories. No Bag, no hanger, no cool DH logo box. Just a regular shipping box from Redcast and the hangtags. In case anyone is interested in that.
The black Deviant never really caught my attention on account of being rather plain (by design). But since the colors is really the star of the show in the burgundy, it's perfect. In my opinion a D-Pocket with epaulettes and belt looks would be a visual overload.

And lastly, I will share some pictures and some more thoughts on it once I've broken it in a bit more.

Thanks for bearing with me.