Highest quality leather jacket manufacturer objectively?

[Sirkrimzon]

This is a repost from VLJ because they told me you guys would be able to provide a more comprehensive response that isn’t skewed mainly towards flight jackets.

First, I want to apologize for my last post. I was not specific enough in my question and realize shortly after that it was a bit of an absurd subjective question. Also, yes, I partly wanted people to tell me that certain makers were better to justify my own inexperienced bias.

That being said, I did want to rephrase the question in a more objective quantifiable manner. What manufacturer has the objective best quality?

I think quality is far more definable variable compared to the elusiveness of “better”. When I think of quality in a leather jacket, I think of four main metrics. Construction quality, attention to detail (both in terms of finishing and accuracy if the specialty is reproduction), hide selection/clicking and consistency.

I’ve heard in my other thread and some others that himel is not the best quality apparently which is pretty surprising for me to hear given that I thought they were one of the premier manufacturers, is it because they use cotton thread. Also, it seems that Y2 is not the most beloved. I’ve handled y2 in person before and it felt absolutely rock solid, super thick horsehide. But I guess my experience is not broad enough. Also some people seem to think Thedi is more fashion oriented with good finishing but not necessarily the most durable.

In your experience, what brand would you say offers the best quality jackets objectively on average and consistently? And please justify why. Thank you and I hope this question is more appropriate.

 

[Boyo]

The jacket that fits best is the best…all else is just a matter of taste, or style.

you will most likely never notice anything else.. stitch count, skivved sems horsehide or cow hide.. the list can be endless.

 

[Zoro]

Adding, replacing or removing words like "objectively" or "subjectively" won't help. It is still the same exact same debate as before.

Even narrowing it down to your four metrics is not helpful. You can knock it out of the park in the 4 of them and if the pattern is terrible, it will be an incredibly well made yet terrible jacket, so what's the point?

 

[Oil Tanned]

I've got a jacket that may not be the absolute perfect fit but it's so comfortable it feels like I could just whistle when I head for the door and it would fly over and hop on.

It's styled uniquely and I wouldn't say it's the best look for the offices I often enter but the leather is super thick, snuggly soft, tight at the waist but with almost ample shoulder room. I'm a 46 if I were to listen to everyone else and that's what my closet's full of. This jacket's just a hair bigger than a 46 and it is the one that gets reached for.

The best one is one you wish you were wearing right now.

 

[Sirkrimzon]

Adding, replacing or removing words like "objectively" or "subjectively" won't help. It is still the same exact same debate as before.

Even narrowing it down to your four metrics is not helpful. You can knock it out of the park in the 4 of them and if the pattern is terrible, it will be an incredibly well made yet terrible jacket, so what's the point?

I suppose then let’s add fit and patterning as the fifth metric.

 

[Zoro]

I suppose then let’s add fit and patterning as the fifth metric.

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[Jasonindenver]

This doesnt seem an unreasonable question to me. It’s like asking “who is the best shoemaker”. And to that I would say johnLobb or Edward Green over a Trickers or Allen Edmonds. Then you can start to question who makes a last that fits your foot the best.

i have had Schott, Ralph Lauren, Aero and Thedi.

The fit and quality of the Schott was good although my first one had one pocket which was not completly sewn and was immediately replaced.

The workmanship of the Ralph Lauren was perfect but the hide and fit were mediocre making it a mall level jacket.

The Aero is my favorite hide in Vicenza and the craftsmanship is beyond reproach. The fit is very tailored as this is what I wanted for this jacket but you need to be aware of how each different pattern fits.

My Thedi is the best of all for me as it combines everything I wanted In a second jacket With a fair degree of custom options. No opinion on durability yet but I cannot see it falling apart in the next 20 years.

Himel used to be the gold standard but a couple of people here had issues that turned many off on the brand’s customer service.

i have never heard a bad word about Johnson Leathers.

 

[Quest]

Considering all the above - the question of "objectivity" gets even worse when there are different use cases. Someone specializing in exact reproductions and replicas? Someone who wants a heavyweight jacket for riding? Something for more casual use while nodding to the vintage stuff?

You aren't going to be the best at all. And the leather itself is not objective. Nick Horween would tell you himself there is no perfect leather choice, they all have their pros and cons for a situation. So can your hypothetical best manufacturer select the best leather? Objectively they cannot.

I remember reading a reddit thread on someone asking if a Jim Greene boot was worth all the hype. I wrote - but do they have a use case? I enjoy mine for casual use, chores - car / mechanical work, yard work, some light hiking, etc. I am highly satisfied with it for my use. But not point in buying a highly functional-designed boot just to have it. They replied that after reading other responses, they were determined to NOT buy the boot, out of rage for anti-hype, and will buy a different style of boot from some other brand. No idea if that one would fit their potential use case, they never stated it - and probably never understood.

There is no "objective" perfect boot, or leather as its highly dependent on the boot or jacket use case. And the design and layout of everything; is something acting as a replica or "the way they used to make them no exceptions" correct for a modern lifestyle? Few ride anymore - does the D-pocket need to be *** shaped anymore, or should it be phone shaped? Coin pocked? What about earbud pocket? There is no objective "best" for clothing, since clothing is always tied to a functional use case. Well, the high fashion scene with impractical stuff rolling down the catwalk will disagree with me, but that's about it.

 

[AeroFan_07]

In a cursory Search, I found the following threads dealing with a topic similar as what you have now asked in two new threads you have started:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/best-leather-jaccket.121279/

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...-best-brand-to-make-my-leather-jacket.122475/

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/leather-jacket-suggestions.121306/

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/one-jacket-to-rule-them-all.122910/#post-3258254

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...r-advice-on-first-jacket.123142/#post-3261609

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/heirloom-leather-jacket.120580/#post-3215097

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...oke-for-a-leather-jacket.122691/#post-3253209

And then for context, a thread I started a couple of years back, as I'm not exactly a collector of jackets anymore:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/jacket-collecting-ever-ask-why.116316/

 

[TartuWolf]

So in your previous thread you took a silly topic that has been discussed 100 times in the past (presumably without reading through the previous discussions?) and slightly rephrased it here eh? Rephrasing it out of being a silly topic might be a more difficult task than you think!

Some makers will excel in one of your 4 (5 now?) categories, some will excel in another.

One useful thing that you could do is gather top 10-20 most discussed and mentioned leather jacket makers on TFL and create a generally agreed upon pros and cons section and your 5 point category score chart.
Of course the issue is that some of those 5 categories are too subjective. For example fit - fit for whom? Be definition fit is a relationship, not an attribute. You could replace that with pattern and use the abstract notion of making a jacket that comfortably fits the widest range of bodies for a given size - so statistical widest application while still being relative form fitting (as an oversized jacket would obviously "fit" the largest number of people).
And why ignore things like price/value, customer communication/experience, maker reputation? Sure, not directly related to the jacket, but extremely important when choosing a maker.

 

[twistdh]

Another problem with this type of questions is: nobody knows all the manufacturers/brands…there is always a “better” solution.

Each person can speak subjectively, based on what they know

 

[jacketjunkie]

These threads are pointless. And you treating this forum like an AI and trying a different prompt for better results is kind of weird to be blunt. There is no such thing as a best brand because no brand will be top dog in all objective metrics that you chose, plus they are not even entirely objective but also very dependant on subjective opinion... So again it all comes down again to personal preference and ranking of said metrics..

For the sake of the argument and because I have very recently been accused of trying to shut down pointless discussions before, I will try to display my point above by answering your question to the best of my ability regardless..

Construction quality: The only makers we have testimony of jackets made as long as 50 years back and still being in great condition and perfectly wearale, some looking good as new is Schott and Langlitz, for the newer makers we can't know yet. You can buy a Schott 618 from the 80s on eBay and it will be good as new apart from regular signs of wear on leather and lining. Same applies for a 90s Langlitz.

attention to detail (both in terms of finishing and accuracy if the specialty is reproduction): Probably Goodwear Leathers, John is a prodigy when it comes to reproduction

hide selection/clicking: entirely subjective, the leather I like best from all my jacket is probably Lost World's Black Horsehide

consistency: For reasons named above this can only be Langlitz or Schott, talking about consistency of some 5 year old Japanese brand that has built only so many jackets of which only a fraction of jacket ever left Japan and were available for us to behold, is absurd in my eyes.

fit and patterning: again, this really depends on your build and body shap, but Langlitz jackets probably offer the best range of motion out there and that certainly is a virtue of good patterns.

So now, are you any smarter? Didn't think so. Just find a brand that works for you.

 

[Bfd70]

First read and fully understand this

 

[Sirkrimzon]

First read and fully understand this

View attachment 802098

Why?

 

[bobjones]

These threads are pointless. And you treating this forum like an AI and trying a different prompt for better results is kind of weird to be blunt. There is no such thing as a best brand because no brand will be top dog in all objective metrics that you chose, plus they are not even entirely objective but also very dependant on subjective opinion... So again it all comes down again to personal preference and ranking of said metrics..

For the sake of the argument and because I have very recently been accused of trying to shut down pointless discussions before, I will try to display my point above by answering your question to the best of my ability regardless..

Construction quality: The only makers we have testimony of jackets made as long as 50 years back and still being in great condition and perfectly wearale, some looking good as new is Schott and Langlitz, for the newer makers we can't know yet. You can buy a Schott 618 from the 80s on eBay and it will be good as new apart from regular signs of wear on leather and lining. Same applies for a 90s Langlitz.

attention to detail (both in terms of finishing and accuracy if the specialty is reproduction): Probably Goodwear Leathers, John is a prodigy when it comes to reproduction

hide selection/clicking: entirely subjective, the leather I like best from all my jacket is probably Lost World's Black Horsehide

consistency: For reasons named above this can only be Langlitz or Schott, talking about consistency of some 5 year old Japanese brand that has built only so many jackets of which only a fraction of jacket ever left Japan and were available for us to behold, is absurd in my eyes.

fit and patterning: again, this really depends on your build and body shap, but Langlitz jackets probably offer the best range of motion out there and that certainly is a virtue of good patterns.

So now, are you any smarter? Didn't think so. Just find a brand that works for you.

They also posted the same thread multiple times on VLJ. I suspect a troll.

 

[ton312]

 

[TartuWolf]

They also posted the same thread multiple times on VLJ. I suspect a troll.

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"

 

[bigmanbigtruck]

There are many threads dedicated to specific manufacturers. Go over them and you will find comparisons. Coming in and asking everyone “what’s the best maker ever?” won’t lead to anything productive.

It’s like barging into a bar and yelling at the bartender to give you a shot of their best whiskey. Best for what? getting hammered? sipping neat? value? Best Scotch?

Till then, I eagerly await your next repeat thread.

 

[Quest]

Why?

You want to know why epistemology might improve your life and thought process rather than post half a dozen threads over a thought process that doesn't exist for any product or process or service?

 

[cbez]

Leatheriest leather, objectively?