dudewuttheheck
I'll Lock Up
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- 4,403
I've owned 2 Himels and I think 7 Freewheelers jackets now.
Himel is indeed quite good with sizing and the customizability of the jackets is a huge plus, especially if you're someone who needs that. You also have a choice of liners which is nice.
Freewheelers is otr so you just need to hope they fit you well or go and get someone else to shorten sleeves or something like that as I had to do on two of my jackets. On the other hand, I think Freewheelers patterns are absolutely incredible. Himel's patterns are great too, but I just adore the way Freewheelers does their patterns. Freewheelers also just puts the jacket together more cleanly. Some people equate RMC with FW in terms of construction quality, but that's just not true. Freewheelers is absolutely the best I have ever experienced in that category. If you really care about that like I do, FW (and Rainbow Country) are the way to go. Freewheelers also has higher quality liners and are insanely detail-oriented. My Caboose jacket for example has one flannel liner in the body, a different flannel liner in the sleeves, a specific lining material for the neck, and then different materials for the pocket bags. All of them are extremely high quality. All these things make the jackets feel extra special to me.
Both make fantastic designs and patterns in my opinion. Obviously, my personal preference is Freewheelers. I have made it very clear that I practically worship at the altar of Freewheelers. Still, Himel makes an incredible jacket. It all depends on what you want. Do you want an absolutely perfectly made jacket? Do you want custom measurements and a more bespoke experience? Which patterns/designs do you prefer? etc...
On another note, I'm going to disagree slightly with someone previously and say that I prefer Freewheelers Shinki to Himel's Shinki, though it depends on which color. I think some of Freewheelers Shinki colors are absolutely incredible, especially my dead leaf brown Caboose jacket. With that said, the medium brown Shinki on my Himel cossack jacket was out of this world gorgeous.
Himel is indeed quite good with sizing and the customizability of the jackets is a huge plus, especially if you're someone who needs that. You also have a choice of liners which is nice.
Freewheelers is otr so you just need to hope they fit you well or go and get someone else to shorten sleeves or something like that as I had to do on two of my jackets. On the other hand, I think Freewheelers patterns are absolutely incredible. Himel's patterns are great too, but I just adore the way Freewheelers does their patterns. Freewheelers also just puts the jacket together more cleanly. Some people equate RMC with FW in terms of construction quality, but that's just not true. Freewheelers is absolutely the best I have ever experienced in that category. If you really care about that like I do, FW (and Rainbow Country) are the way to go. Freewheelers also has higher quality liners and are insanely detail-oriented. My Caboose jacket for example has one flannel liner in the body, a different flannel liner in the sleeves, a specific lining material for the neck, and then different materials for the pocket bags. All of them are extremely high quality. All these things make the jackets feel extra special to me.
Both make fantastic designs and patterns in my opinion. Obviously, my personal preference is Freewheelers. I have made it very clear that I practically worship at the altar of Freewheelers. Still, Himel makes an incredible jacket. It all depends on what you want. Do you want an absolutely perfectly made jacket? Do you want custom measurements and a more bespoke experience? Which patterns/designs do you prefer? etc...
On another note, I'm going to disagree slightly with someone previously and say that I prefer Freewheelers Shinki to Himel's Shinki, though it depends on which color. I think some of Freewheelers Shinki colors are absolutely incredible, especially my dead leaf brown Caboose jacket. With that said, the medium brown Shinki on my Himel cossack jacket was out of this world gorgeous.