Genuine L2-B Flight jacket?

[kliffjumper123]

Hello all, I recently came across this jacket online for a relatively decent price and wanted to know if it was genuine.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Others know this stuff better than me, but I'm gonna say "no". That said, if it's a nice jacket and you can get it cheap, maybe give it a try? There's a place for repros and whatnot as daily drivers that you don't need to worry about spilling coffee on. Originals are not easy to find in good condition.

 

[kliffjumper123]

Others know this stuff better than me, but I'm gonna say "no". That said, if it's a nice jacket and you can get it cheap, maybe give it a try? There's a place for repros and whatnot as daily drivers that you don't need to worry about spilling coffee on. Originals are not easy to find in good condition.

Thanks for replying. I totally agree with you on that. The price is right around 100 USD shipped which, in my opinion, for a decent looking and seemingly decent quality jacket is not bad. That being said, the jacket is indeed pre-owned and if it isn't genuine, I could indeed potentially get a regular Alpha fashion repro. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Big J]

@kliffjimper123,

I agree with Doctor Damage. Appears to be non-mil spec label.
Without seeing photos of the whole jacket, it's difficult to advise.
But if the fit is good, condition is good, and price is right, why not go for it?
Originals in good clean condition will be few and far between and priced accordingly.
IMHO, you should avoid modern Alphas. They are pretty bad in terms of cut and materials. It may not be apparent in carefully lit marketing shots, but put a modern Alpha next to a genuine issue item, and you will notice a world of difference.
IIRC, your size isn't especially big, so you might like to try Japanese auction sites looking for a used BR in your size? There are usually plenty out there. I bought one in my size for 80 bucks.
Or you could try Bronson or Bob Dong who I believe are operating out of China. Whilst not offering nylon flight jackets in my size, they are kicking Alpha's butt in terms of accuracy for price point.

 

[Peacoat]

As others have opined, it is a phony label. And not even a good attempt at a label.

 

[bn1966]

Agreed, looks like a civvy copy. Maybe worth a punt though if quality looks acceptable & price is cheap. I've got a daily driver of an Alpha service issued L2-B that I wear in the summer months, didn't pay much for it either..lots come up on evilBay.

 

[kliffjumper123]

@kliffjimper123,

I agree with Doctor Damage. Appears to be non-mil spec label.
Without seeing photos of the whole jacket, it's difficult to advise.
But if the fit is good, condition is good, and price is right, why not go for it?
Originals in good clean condition will be few and far between and priced accordingly.
IMHO, you should avoid modern Alphas. They are pretty bad in terms of cut and materials. It may not be apparent in carefully lit marketing shots, but put a modern Alpha next to a genuine issue item, and you will notice a world of difference.
IIRC, your size isn't especially big, so you might like to try Japanese auction sites looking for a used BR in your size? There are usually plenty out there. I bought one in my size for 80 bucks.
Or you could try Bronson or Bob Dong who I believe are operating out of China. Whilst not offering nylon flight jackets in my size, they are kicking Alpha's butt in terms of accuracy for price point.

Thank you for responding. I figured that it was too good to be true in regards to the very, very reasonable price. It's good to know about the Alphas. To be honest, I've always found the newer Alpha fashion jackets to be quite odd. I will certainly take a look at jackets out of Japan.

 

[kliffjumper123]

As others have opined, it is a phony label. And not even a good attempt at a label.

Thank you for replying. Are there any major things that you can notice which point to it being a fake? The only one that I know for flight jackets in general is the 'Made in USA'. I'd like to avoid getting duped into purchasing a fake in the future

 

[kliffjumper123]

@kliffjimper123,

I agree with Doctor Damage. Appears to be non-mil spec label.
Without seeing photos of the whole jacket, it's difficult to advise.
But if the fit is good, condition is good, and price is right, why not go for it?
Originals in good clean condition will be few and far between and priced accordingly.
IMHO, you should avoid modern Alphas. They are pretty bad in terms of cut and materials. It may not be apparent in carefully lit marketing shots, but put a modern Alpha next to a genuine issue item, and you will notice a world of difference.
IIRC, your size isn't especially big, so you might like to try Japanese auction sites looking for a used BR in your size? There are usually plenty out there. I bought one in my size for 80 bucks.
Or you could try Bronson or Bob Dong who I believe are operating out of China. Whilst not offering nylon flight jackets in my size, they are kicking Alpha's butt in terms of accuracy for price point.

How would you rate Bob Dong in terms of quality? I've seen some items of theirs that look pretty good but the 'made in China' stereotype is something that I want to be wary of.

 

[Doctor Damage]

How would you rate Bob Dong in terms of quality? I've seen some items of theirs that look pretty good but the 'made in China' stereotype is something that I want to be wary of.

That's just it, it's a stereotype, and like most stereotypes "it depends". In this case, from what people are saying, Bronson is another repro which is much better than Alpha for the same price. This is probably your best bet if you want a reproduction of a 1950s style "jet age" L2B (or MA-1) without breaking the bank. If I had room for another flight jacket (ha!) I'd go right to Bronson and not bother messing around with hit-or-miss older repros, hunting down originals, or paying Big Bucks For Buzz.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Thank you for replying. Are there any major things that you can notice which point to it being a fake? The only one that I know for flight jackets in general is the 'Made in USA'. I'd like to avoid getting duped into purchasing a fake in the future

Genuine vintage military labels are entirely different. Here's a long thread on original MA-1 jackets (plus some discussion of L2B jackets) which has photos of vintage tags.
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/ma-1-flight-jacket.72250/

 

[Peacoat]

Thank you for replying. Are there any major things that you can notice which point to it being a fake? The only one that I know for flight jackets in general is the 'Made in USA'. I'd like to avoid getting duped into purchasing a fake in the future

This link has pictures of genuine military labels from the 40s through the 80s. Also pictured are a couple of representative phony labels:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...-dating-the-united-states-navy-peacoat.72058/