Looking for my first Quality Motorcycle leather jacket Aero，Vanson，Schott

[jac]

I would go used for Aero. The fqhh is unsurpassed imo, but never again will I count on them for ordering. Some years back, I ordered a Road King, or King of the Road, or whatever. They sent me a coat sized to replace the skin on my body. No kidding. In abject disgust, after 4 months of waiting, I just gave it to my partner, who didn't wear it. Finally, years later, I sold it on eBay with exact measurements.

I think Schott is overrated. Cult followings put me off. For the same quality, find a used Legendary jacket. You'll pay less, and it seems like a little more care goes into them.

Lost Worlds is OK, but again, used. The owner has issues.

 

[Monitor]

I would go used for Aero. The fqhh is unsurpassed imo, but never again will I count on them for ordering. Some years back, I ordered a Road King, or King of the Road, or whatever. They sent me a coat sized to replace the skin on my body. No kidding. In abject disgust, after 4 months of waiting, I just gave it to my partner, who didn't wear it. Finally, years later, I sold it on eBay with exact measurements.

I think Schott is overrated. Cult followings put me off. For the same quality, find a used Legendary jacket. You'll pay less, and it seems like a little more care goes into them.

Lost Worlds is OK, but again, used. The owner has issues.

Agreed on all accounts. Had the exact same experience with Aero when ordering my first jacket. Best leather I've handled, bar none, the jacket was exactly what I had hoped it'd be - except that I could wrap it twice around me.
However, Aero takes care of you so the jacket was quickly replaced and all was well. It is essential to go with the P2P with any Aero jacket and take it from there 'cause to me, size numbers they put on their jackets don't mean anything at all. You know something's off when I'm a size 36 in a Highwayman.

Lost Worlds is great but is overpriced and the 4oz leather isn't that insanely thick once you've handled enough heavyweight jackets and they'd definitely benefit by hiring someone to do their customer service because it kind of sucks not having any of your questions actually answered in a useful manner.

"Can you please tell me how the goatskin compares to FQHH in terms of durability, thickness, etc.?"

"Our proprietary 4.5 - 5 oz Lost Worlds Horsehide is the best leather ever produced in the world and our proprietary Lost Worlds Goatskin is the best leather ever in the world. You can't compare P-51 to a Ferrari - and Lost Worlds is a Ferrari. And a P-51. Is our Goatskin the best? Absolutely. Is our 4.5 - 5 oz Horsehide the best? Without any doubt. Lost World quality has no equal."

Coincidentally, LW jacket is (currently) my favorite one so... Stu's not all wrong.

 

[jonbuilder]

I like my Vanson Mark II Sport Rider well enough, but if I was only allowed to keep one jacket it would be my newly acquired Lnglitz horsehide Cascade. A close second (compared to the rest of the pool of jackets, not my horsehide cascade) would be my 1970s heavy Steer hide Cascade.

 

[tnjyoung]

I have owned 5 Aero Jackets, 1 Schott, 1 Thedi, and 1 Vanson. Of all of these, I would disagree with the notion that Schott is not on the same par as Vanson. In photos, I always thought Vanson looked amazing. As a motorcyclist myself, I ordered a Vanson Comet PLU-3 from Thurston Bros. The jacket shipped quickly and no issues with TB, but the jacket left so much to be desired. I was originally thrilled that it was "Made in the USA"---until I got it, that is.

The Vanson seemed to be more of a mass-produced and very cheap jacket. You could feel a sticky sort of (glue?) substance along all of the internal seams and I could even feel it just inside the cuff. I felt it anywhere the leather had been rolled back and stitched on top of itself. It did feel tough, but not heavy or substantial like an Aero CXL FQHH. The zipper seemed cheap though it worked ok (at least it was a bit larger) I quickly sold it on eBay at a loss and, because of my experience, will never order another Vanson.

Conversely, all of the Aero jackets that I have owned have been top-notch. The Thedi, too, was excellent, albeit much softer and lighter and for a big guy it is tough to get a jacket large enough. Thedi tops out at about the 44-46" chest range (or at least that is how I remember it). The 1 Schott that I owned vas very heavy, very well made, and had a feeling of quality. It was an A-1 bomber.

As for a jacket that can pull dual duty as a motorcycle jacket and as a casual jacket, I would recommend the Aero Cafe Racer (order one size larger than you think you need--my recommendation) or the Aero Board Racer (not sure about fit on this one).

The one other thing that seems to be very common is everyone is always saying to "order a size down" in this industry and I can tell you from MUCH experience that this will result in a LOT of compliments in posted "fit pics", but it will also result in a jacket that you'd rather look at than wear.

The thing to remember about motorcycle jackets:

• Zip sleeves are better. You don't want wasps and bees flying up your sleeves!
• Zip pockets are better. You don't want sunglasses or keys falling out during a ride (ask me how I know )
• No collar is better. The collar will flap around and annoy you so best leave it off.
• Gussets or full bi-swing back is better. Reaching for handlebars is much easier if there is some flexibility built into the jacket.
• Longer sleeves (at least .5") are better. When your arms are stretched out, they could use the extra length.

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[Seb Lucas]

Interesting how different people's experience is. Comparing my Aeros, Schott, Iron Heart and many other vintage brands, the Vanson I got new this year is exceptionally well made - it has the edge on the others. I can not imagine a better built jacket. Although the hide itself is a bit bland for some people's taste.

I think Schott is overrated. Cult followings put me off.

Schott does not have a cult following around here - there are one or two fans, but generally the new stuff is tolerated and it doesn't help that their website makes the jackets look ill fitting and bad.

 

[zebedee]

My experiences with Aero have been very positive- I found that the 50s patterns are true to size for me (40) and the 30s patterns require a size up (42). I've only ever (in the past ten years or so that I've paid any attention to leather jackets) handled Aero's leather and that's primarily the FQHH, mid-weight battered hides and goat, all of which I'm impressed by and have served my needs in terms of quality and certainly durability. In terms of price, I wouldn't want to pay either significantly less or any more than the usual Aero prices- as Schott's jackets go, I like the look of a few of their patterns, but think that, unless I have first-hand experience of one, they seem over-priced. I also quite like two of the Lost Worlds patterns, but the website makes me laugh whenever I read it- it's camp in an unintentional way and, while I'm sure that the quality is fantastic, the: '... real men... Back when things were... not for you blog queens', etc., makes me think of South Park. The Freewheelers jackets I like, but Japanese patterns won't fit this oblong gaijin and I would love a Himel Canuck, but that exceeds what I'll willingly pay.

 

[El Marro]

zebedee,
Don’t let the misguided prose of Lost Worlds website scare you away from ordering one of their jackets. Stuart is not at all difficult to deal on the phone or through email with and their quality speaks for itself.

 

[zebedee]

zebedee,
Don’t let the misguided prose of Lost Worlds website scare you away from ordering one of their jackets. Stuart is not at all difficult to deal on the phone or through email with and their quality speaks for itself.

I am absolutely convinced that his products are top-notch. I quite like the Pea Coat pattern and would, if I was going to order one, probably go for that one.