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i love wearing nylons so i bought a pair: REViEW of the Alpha B-15 & N-2B

johnnyjohnny

Practically Family
Messages
633
Location
lake balboa
nylon...for legs and jackets

'BTW J squared, there is a shift key on the keyboard that allows one to capitalize when appropriate.'--thanks my friendly nemisis legumejacket

i gave up caps when i gave up editing for a living my fren. i do appreciate your chiming in with some info.

the entire point of the military going to nylon was to streamline costs from leather, and what they love to do most, standardize materials to streamline costs.

i can understand how rickson would come up with spicey ad copy about how their materials are the best, but not any better than the original if they are replicating correctly. and there always was only one nylon twill flight satin the mil used on the contracted jackets we've been talking about.

aerojoe, i do realize at times i'm horribly verbose, and as legumejacket/peacoat states, non-leather may not be an area to spark full interest. however, in the original review (which may not have been read-friendly) i did go into the fact of alpha's non current military contract jackets being made in china. luckily i had bought a U.S.-made B-15 ten years ago and was able to compare quality, and everything about it, to the new alpha B-15 i purchased. no difference anywhere.

but if that was not enough, there are the now over-posted quotes from alpha's U.S. sales manager also stating that the jackets have no differences from the original contract runs except acrylic vs wool cuffs and waist fabric, and poly and acrilic fill fiber vs the original heavy cotton. they are not trying to hide anything. whether the quality is the same, perhaps that's a reason to read reviews such as my (admittedly overwritten) piece.

as for the china thing, no one but a few of the high cost replicators are making their jackets in the U.S., so you pay for that distinction. a runon discussion of alpha and that issue is also in the review. the reason i purchased alpha is that i tried some of the other current nylon jacket makers, rothco and mil-tec specifically. nice jackets, but not the same quality, same materials, fit, as the originals, which those companies never made for the govt. they are not replicators, but competitors to alpha producting in china. alpha does appear, by what i've bought, and what the company states, to maintain the same standards for their jackets, even though made in china.

as for that label stigma, in the review i also state it's an issue. alpha addresses this for cosmetic nuts as myself, by not sewing the 'made in china' label into the jacket, but putting it on a snippable hangtag with washing instructions. small stuff, but i like that.

-30-​
 
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johnnyjohnny

Practically Family
Messages
633
Location
lake balboa
i never used -30- even in journalism. got on my first paper in '79, everything on computers.

-30- was saying the particular discussion of what nylon fabric is used in these jackets is finished. the photos, quotes from industry people, testimony from people who had the jackets, show there was one, and is one, nylon twill flight satin used. happy to continue blathering on, as you can see, but that issue is in the grave.

if someone wants to post and doesn't want to believe it, there's nothing more i can add. happy to talk about the fit tho : D
 

johnnyjohnny

Practically Family
Messages
633
Location
lake balboa
":eusa_clap:)" --hoosierfather

sorry , nothing more i can add included the inferred subject of outer shell composition. sorry to disappoint you. i'm still here.

and for all the other fun pokers, unlike nixon, you will have me to kick around.

tah, for now. but not for long
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,074
Location
London, UK
The China thing seems rather a red herring to me. I'm sure people have all sorts of reasons for not buying made in China, reasons which are not appropriate subject matter for this forum, but simple geography alone cannot be held up as the defining factor of quality. I mean, presumably the folks declining to buy MIC as it is not Made in USA would also rule out Buzz Rickson... Quality is set by the spec determined by the outsourcer, not by the Chinese factory. If you want cheap rubbish, the Chinese will sell you it, if you want outstanding craftsmanship they can supply that too. My only real gripe is that I wish there was more direct competition for the likes of Buzz Rickson, which might make their prices more competitive over here. But then that also taps in to my own prejudices: I've got no problem with the idea of spending six hundred quid on an Aero in FQHH, but ask me to pay £450 for a nylon..... no chance. Thing is, in both cases the vast majority of what you're paying for is not the material itself, but the expertise that goes into producing an historically accurate garment. What we really need, IMO, is someone to come along and do for the nylon jackets what Bill Kelso are doing for the A2....
 

johnnyjohnny

Practically Family
Messages
633
Location
lake balboa
mr. montana, nick nolte on a good day, or whoever you might be...i not only can take a jab, i love it so much i'm almost into s&m.

not really info for this forum, but i guess my humour is a bit too dry for butte, so you didn't realize i wasn't upset at your endearing remarks.
clue, when nixon is mentioned, it's time for a laff.

i always get my nylon the right size, so it never bunches.
 

Otter

One Too Many
Messages
1,445
Location
Directly above the center of the Earth.
Got my Alpha B-15-c Vintage series today, seems OK for the money. As said before the knits are not anything special but the construstion and other materials are fine, nice heavy cotton drill in the inside pockets. I bought an XL as I am 5'10" and 44" chest, chest is a little loose, I could wear a sweater under it but body lenght is good and the arms are fine, wrists are still covered by the knits when my hands are at 10 and 2 on the Landrover wheel. Overall, very pleased especialy for GBP 36 from the 'bay.
 

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