My first "real" leather jacket - where to put my money?

[Guppy]

That's pretty harsh on our friend @Guppy. I think he was just trying to be helpful.

Lol, nah, I don't mind. That was a fairly useless response to the poster's question, unless you value comic relief. I'm really not bothered at all.

But the unstated wisdom of my comment was not to put too much weight on what we all think and say here. That's why I didn't offer any "useful" advice. There's a lot of great information and opinions to be had here, for sure, but ultimately, your leather jacket tastes will be best formed by experienced and making informed decisions for yourself, not by asking everyone else what to do and following instructions. The poster has done a lot of reading here already, and the brands he's considering, I don't think any of them would be a bad choice. Whatever he buys, it won't be his last, especially if he loves it, so he's going to go on a journey and learn a lot more from the experiences than he ever could by reading this forum for a thousand years.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

My vote is for Thedi.

Without trying to get into it too much, I would advise against SB. You will find many people around here who are still not in favor of that brand.

Aero makes a nice jacket, but I find that Thedi's jackets really blow me away when I see them.

However, if you are riding and you say you really like the feel of Aero's FQHH then go with that.

 

[Carlos840]

Lol, nah, I don't mind. That was a fairly useless response to the poster's question, unless you value comic relief. I'm really not bothered at all.

But the unstated wisdom of my comment was not to put too much weight on what we all think and say here. That's why I didn't offer any "useful" advice. There's a lot of great information and opinions to be had here, for sure, but ultimately, your leather jacket tastes will be best formed by experienced and making informed decisions for yourself, not by asking everyone else what to do and following instructions. The poster has done a lot of reading here already, and the brands he's considering, I don't think any of them would be a bad choice. Whatever he buys, it won't be his last, especially if he loves it, so he's going to go on a journey and learn a lot more from the experiences than he ever could by reading this forum for a thousand years.

Hey, i thought it was funny!

I agree with your statement though, whether he chooses Thedi, Aero, SB, Schott, Vanson, IH, Lewis Leathers for his first jacket he can't really go wrong, and only him can choose which one to go to.
Anything we say is just us going "this is my favourite" doesn't mean they are a better choice.

A lot of people will advise you not to buy from SB, one of my favourite jackets was made by them!
Yes they were born out of a bad situation, but that might not mean anything to you.

 

[Monitor]

Probably not, but that’s the great thing about the internet - you can behave as the “coolest badass” without consequence?

Consequence? But you can use words and form sentences, too.

 

[ton312]

My only advice would be to use a maker that allows for customization and a fit jacket process (unless you can align the measurements off the rack). As a first time buyer of something you likely never thought you'd spend this degree of cash on...those two things will help eliminate many potential failure points.

If that is not an option send pictures of yourself in a jacket that fits as you desire along with that jackets measurements (and photo how you measured) to the maker. All the builders discussed here can and will make you a beautiful jacket. Do your part to ensure they make one that fits you the way you'd like. Do you have a particular style in mind?

 

[Fanch]

I pretty much concur what @Peacoat had to say. I have two Aero Sheenes, both made with Vicenza horsehide. If I could make any change to either it would be to have added a vertical inside pocket without closure in the leather facing of each.

Most of what I own is Aero, although I own a dark brown Shinki horsehide Himel/Chapman Californian Ventura of which I am very fond. I have never seen a Thedi but have heard great things about his products. Personally I would not consider buying a SB under any circumstance for a number of reasons which I will not go into. However, I would not presume to suggest what anyone else should do. Good luck and welcome to the Lounge!

 

[AlexB]

Thanks again! @Guppy, don’t get me wrong and thanks for the explanation - I was just a little confused by getting such an answer. I definitely will make my own decision. It’s just that I would like to avoid “mistakes”

When it comes to design, As of now I prefer the tailgunner with a Café Racer collar without the chest pockets. I want something now too slim but still sporty. Color wise only black is an option for me.

@ton312 that’s why SB came into play. The guys from Burg&Schild do the measurements and know the points. They also guarantee for the fit...

 

[Guppy]

Thanks again! @Guppy, don’t get me wrong and thanks for the explanation - I was just a little confused by getting such an answer. I definitely will make my own decision. It’s just that I would like to avoid “mistakes”

Don't worry about it! But if you do follow my "advice" and put your money into your pocket, and protect it against theft by wearing your jacket all the time, you'll end up with a good one. Wearing your jacket as much as possible is the most important thing you can do to make it distinctly yours.

 

[AlexB]

That’s what I will hopefully do after getting a good fitting one.

I am also pretty sure it won’t be me last one. My plan is to visit aero one day in combination with a journey through Scotland with my bike and finish the trip with getting a customized jacket from them

 

[AlexB]

Does anybody has a “slim” fitting jacket without the chest pockets? For me they are always a little difficult to reach and very tiny especially when wearing gloves - in case customization is possible I tend to leave them away, but don’t want to destroy the design.

 

[Fanch]

Does anybody has a “slim” fitting jacket without the chest pockets? For me they are always a little difficult to reach and very tiny especially when wearing gloves - in case customization is possible I tend to leave them away, but don’t want to destroy the design.

To my way of thinking the chest pockets are strictly decorative and essentialy useless to me. I ordered my Mulligan and Maxwell without chest pockets and have only a single chest pocket on the left side of each of my two Sheenes.

 

[ton312]

Chest pocket=phone storage. Nothing more.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Chet pocket=phone storage. Nothing more.

Bingo. This is entirely why I do like chest pockets. If it were not for phones, I would prefer not to have them at all.

 

[Downunder G Man]

If two chest pockets, 'phone one side and Harley "Security fob and key" the other.

I have worn Eastman Luftwaffe jackets since 1990, 3 of varying ages , always had 2 chest pockets and you do get "used" to having them and when I wear another jacket without them now I have to "think about it" when loading keys phones etc !

My (newish) Vanson Comet also has 2 chest pockets , again on the Harley it's the business for phones and keys.

 

[AlexB]

Hey guys, just a quick update:
After reading more about the history of SB and Aero I did not feel comfortable with buying at SB.
I flew to Munich to visit Burkhard at Gasoline Alley, who is the longest Aero retailer in Germany (since 28 years).
After a quick chat with him I placed my order for an Aero Board Racer, no chest pockets, olive lining, two zipped handwarmer pockets, black FQHH. Can't wait to see the result and I cross fingers that everything will fit in the end.

 

[Edward]

Schott makes a nice jacket, too.

It's interesting to see Schott producing something like this - very different than what we usually see from them. Looks liked they've been inspired by the same sort of jackets as the Aero Sunburst is based on, though this one looks like it has a slightly more generous, post-1950 fit. Nice colour. I wonder if Schott will ever start making these more unusual jackets part of their regular line?

That's pretty harsh on our friend @Guppy. I think he was just trying to be helpful.

Ha, yes - I read it as suggesting an inside pocket as a feature (given that they are optional on many high-end brands), but hey ho. English is an imperfect medium for communication once you strip out tone of voice, and once you're dealing through the filter of a second language...

Chest pocket=phone storage. Nothing more.

DEpends on the pocket/phone. My Oneplus2 only fits in the chest pocket of my HWM and bootlegger, not my halfbelts. That and my wallet go in the inside pocket of most jackets. Course, back in the day folks carried a lot less around - most people used cash only and nobody had a phone/ipod/ pile of other bits they had to carry everywhere. I suspect most of the traditional chest pockets were designed to carry little more than a packet of smokes.

Hey guys, just a quick update:
After reading more about the history of SB and Aero I did not feel comfortable with buying at SB.
I flew to Munich to visit Burkhard at Gasoline Alley, who is the longest Aero retailer in Germany (since 28 years).
After a quick chat with him I placed my order for an Aero Board Racer, no chest pockets, olive lining, two zipped handwarmer pockets, black FQHH. Can't wait to see the result and I cross fingers that everything will fit in the end.

Look forward to seeing the jacket in a few weeks; sounds like a good choice. The Board racer is a very nice take on the classic cafe racer style, a nice first-great-jacket.

 

[Peacoat]

Hey guys, just a quick update:
After reading more about the history of SB and Aero I did not feel comfortable with buying at SB.
I flew to Munich to visit Burkhard at Gasoline Alley, who is the longest Aero retailer in Germany (since 28 years).
After a quick chat with him I placed my order for an Aero Board Racer, no chest pockets, olive lining, two zipped handwarmer pockets, black FQHH. Can't wait to see the result and I cross fingers that everything will fit in the end.

A very good choice. Congratulations on choosing Aero.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Hey guys, just a quick update:
After reading more about the history of SB and Aero I did not feel comfortable with buying at SB.
I flew to Munich to visit Burkhard at Gasoline Alley, who is the longest Aero retailer in Germany (since 28 years).
After a quick chat with him I placed my order for an Aero Board Racer, no chest pockets, olive lining, two zipped handwarmer pockets, black FQHH. Can't wait to see the result and I cross fingers that everything will fit in the end.

Very very nice choice! I indeed do hope your fitting goes as well as you hope, as that is indeed the largest challenge with these jackets. Also having owned both cotton drill and wool tartan linings, I can state that all jackets of these type moving forward I order will have cotton drill for a lining. Just seems to hold up a lot better, and I can tend to be rough on my jackets (the term "tough love" comes to mind.)

Certainly hope you post photos of your new treasure once it arrives. Then the fun of break in begins. The FQHH smell alone is more than worth it!

So it's been a little while since I actively posted here. All's well, just in transition to a different part of Iowa. Still same employer, and very thankfully a new position in a new functional area, with great new challenges, and learning opportunities. Never a boring moment!