I had my eye on a G1 flight jacket for a few months and was unsure if I wanted OTR, MTM or an authentic one from Ebay. I did all my research from various sources including this site and decided to choose US Authentic to make me the jacket. I reached out to Shaul (owner?) via e-mail with the details, sent the money, and approximately 2 months later received the jacket. Here we go:
Material:
Seal brown horsehide (requested grainiest hide). Smells of leather but i’ve had better smelling leather. Smells pretty nice though. The leather is chrome tanned. I prefer veg tanned, but this is all he had. It’s “ok”. I’ve had better, but it’s new, i’ll judge it better with some wear. The leather is fairly stiff right out of the box but not as stiff as Horween CXL. Also, the leather is substantial, i’d say 3-3.5oz and the jacket weighs 6-7 lbs. I didn’t actually weigh it but I compared it to a 10lb dumbbell. Not much character in this leather at this time. The jacket can stay up if placed upright on a table, chair etc.
Wool body and pocket liner (provided - medium weight Italian melton wool). I wanted something warm so I found this material online and sent it to him. Very good quality, I am satisfied with it. Very dense, not itchy at all. He sent back the leftovers to me and I think it will be enough for a future jacket.
Black rayon sleeves. The rayon is cheap. The stuff JL uses is better.
Riri M8 zipper (provided). Don’t know what the rave is about this brand, i’ve had YKK zippers smoother than this. Not sure if I like it. I mean, it is hefty, but not that smooth. Also, it needs oiling. Feels kind of rough and got stuck already. I’ll try petroleum jelly.
Detachable brown dense mouton collar. I requested it to be 1/2” wider. That was a mistake. It’s too big, but not terrible. I might send it back to get trimmed or just get a new one made.
Wool knits are average. I’ve felt better.
Construction:
Overall a well made jacket. Some wonky stiching and loose threads here and there. The action back and underarm footballs work well. Has breather holes under the armpits. Liner was installed well. Requested hand warmer pockets which are a touch small. Entering and exiting the pockets are a chore, maybe will get better with break in. I requested no “USN” labelling anywhere, and removal of the pen holder.
For $900+, stitching should be neater.
Fitment:
The horsehide, which is chrome tanned, is fairly stiff. Not as stiff as Horween CXL. Just wearing it around the house has softened it up a bit. I am thinking goat would’ve been more comfortable. Time will tell, but it definately needs some breaking in. The action back and underarm footballs work great! I provided Shaul with jacket measurements and he nailed them. Chest is a bit tight (my fault). Again, needs breaking in. I can’t layer with this jacket. Most would be a thin sweater which is ok with me because it has the wool liner in it anyway for warmth.
Price:
Around $900 USD shipped. Overpriced imo.
Conclusion:
Shaul makes a good reproduction G1 with some needed improvement in some areas. For the price I think he should source better materials. Overall, I rate this jacket a 7.5/10. I like how it looks on, but the horsehide is underwhelming at this time. I’m hoping for some better grain pop later on, but not sure as it is chrome tanned.
Pictures:
Material:
Seal brown horsehide (requested grainiest hide). Smells of leather but i’ve had better smelling leather. Smells pretty nice though. The leather is chrome tanned. I prefer veg tanned, but this is all he had. It’s “ok”. I’ve had better, but it’s new, i’ll judge it better with some wear. The leather is fairly stiff right out of the box but not as stiff as Horween CXL. Also, the leather is substantial, i’d say 3-3.5oz and the jacket weighs 6-7 lbs. I didn’t actually weigh it but I compared it to a 10lb dumbbell. Not much character in this leather at this time. The jacket can stay up if placed upright on a table, chair etc.
Wool body and pocket liner (provided - medium weight Italian melton wool). I wanted something warm so I found this material online and sent it to him. Very good quality, I am satisfied with it. Very dense, not itchy at all. He sent back the leftovers to me and I think it will be enough for a future jacket.
Black rayon sleeves. The rayon is cheap. The stuff JL uses is better.
Riri M8 zipper (provided). Don’t know what the rave is about this brand, i’ve had YKK zippers smoother than this. Not sure if I like it. I mean, it is hefty, but not that smooth. Also, it needs oiling. Feels kind of rough and got stuck already. I’ll try petroleum jelly.
Detachable brown dense mouton collar. I requested it to be 1/2” wider. That was a mistake. It’s too big, but not terrible. I might send it back to get trimmed or just get a new one made.
Wool knits are average. I’ve felt better.
Construction:
Overall a well made jacket. Some wonky stiching and loose threads here and there. The action back and underarm footballs work well. Has breather holes under the armpits. Liner was installed well. Requested hand warmer pockets which are a touch small. Entering and exiting the pockets are a chore, maybe will get better with break in. I requested no “USN” labelling anywhere, and removal of the pen holder.
For $900+, stitching should be neater.
Fitment:
The horsehide, which is chrome tanned, is fairly stiff. Not as stiff as Horween CXL. Just wearing it around the house has softened it up a bit. I am thinking goat would’ve been more comfortable. Time will tell, but it definately needs some breaking in. The action back and underarm footballs work great! I provided Shaul with jacket measurements and he nailed them. Chest is a bit tight (my fault). Again, needs breaking in. I can’t layer with this jacket. Most would be a thin sweater which is ok with me because it has the wool liner in it anyway for warmth.
Price:
Around $900 USD shipped. Overpriced imo.
Conclusion:
Shaul makes a good reproduction G1 with some needed improvement in some areas. For the price I think he should source better materials. Overall, I rate this jacket a 7.5/10. I like how it looks on, but the horsehide is underwhelming at this time. I’m hoping for some better grain pop later on, but not sure as it is chrome tanned.
Pictures:
Attachments
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