Aero "Jerky" Horsehide vs. "Smooth" FQHH

[Lowflyer]

Good evening Ladies and Gents,

As you may have noticed I'm quite new here although I did already spend quite some time browsing through this great forum and did get a lot of infos on A-2's (yeah I know "not another newbie with an A-2!!!" lol )

I did already get an A-2 about 3-4 years ago it was however a cooper goatskin A-2 with, yeah I'm sorry and everybody makes mistakes once in a while.... handwarmer pockets [huh] .... Now, I really wanted an A-2 and this was about all I could afford at the time, but the fit never quite seemed right along with some other little "quirks"....

Now I finally can afford a "proper" A-2 and I'm actually looking at an Aero one, but when I checked their site I was just overwhelmed by their choice of A-2's....

I really don't have any real preferences as for what contract and I'm just looking for a jacket that will develop a really nice patina over time and I can't really decide whether to take one of the smooth HH or jerky HH ones, apparently the jerky HH gets really nice over time but I was wondering if maybe some of you guys could give their opinion on the smooth HH and, maybe, some pictures of yours so I can get an idea what they will develop like over time.

thanks already and any help is greatly appreciated!

Max

 

[CBI]

Go with the jerky, its a "lesser" quality horsehide by today's commercial standards however its pretty representative of 1930'3/40's HH, they used whatever they had to make all of those jackets. The uneven grain and mismatched hides is what you want for the most authentic period A-2. Since you have discovered this site, you will probably get more "into" this jacket thing and before you know it, you are going to want the finest repro out there. This being the case, consider Goodwear Leather. I know Aero and Eastman are good deals right now but I can't emphasize enough the idea of getting it right the first time and that's a Goodwear. Aero makes excellent products and as well as Eastman but Goodwear is the WWII "clone" A-2.

Enjoy

 

[Lowflyer]

Thanks for the input CBI! To be honest, and please take no offence in this, I am not too fussed about authenticity, yes I want an A-2, sure, but whether it's a rough wear, aero, bronco.... you name it, doesn't really matter that much to me. I know that the jerky is much more ww2 authentic than the smoother hides, I was still wondering how the smooth hides will look like after a bit of good wear which is why I was hoping somebody maybe had some picture of a nicely broken in smooth HH a2 (or similar jacket).

Speaking about goodwear, I heard a lot about these guys recently, but I can't seem to find any prices for their jackets, so maybe you could give me an idea of how much I'd pay for a goodwear, or where to find the prices....

Part of the reason I opted for an Aero is because a friend of mine got himself a really nice Highwayman in (I suppose) smooth fqhh, and I really liked that leather....... and the fact that the pound sterling is really weak against the euro contributes to my decision as well.... paying about 400eur against 800eur (at an aero retailer in cologne, germany) for the same jacket is quite a big difference....

 

[aswatland]

Here's the link to Good Wear. All the prices are there too.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/index.html

 

[Lowflyer]

D'oh! :eusa_doh: sorry that was just me being silly again.....thanks for the link!
The price equals about 600EUR and that's about 200eur over my budget, so I guess I'll just stick with Aero for now. Besides, again because of the actual rate of the Pound, right now I probably wouldn't find a better value for money than with them.... (well Eastman maybe but I don't want to go down that road here )

 

[Burnsie]

Lowflyer, here's an Aero "Real Deal" in russet jerky horse - this hide wears really well, develops a lot of character - and for the price of a Real Deal, well, you won't find a better A-2 in that price range!!!

 

[Edward]

Real Deal would be my current recommendation too. I've been looking at A2s for about a year and a half now.... eventually I do very much want a Goodwear, but the weak pound makes this prohibitive these days for me too. The main criticism I hear of the Aero's accuracy is that the pockets are apparently larger than they should be (sounds practical to me!)... though as you say you're not so concerned about that sort of detail, there's no reason not to go Aero. You'd certainly struggle to find a better quality jacket in terms of its function as a garment.

The other alternative, a little cheaper again (£255), would be Aero's CBI Field Modified A2 - same jacket, but with a mouton collar added:

Had I not found a great eBay deal on an AN6552, I'd have been tempted to order one of these myself.

 

[Lowflyer]

Bloody hell that jacket looks good!! Thanks for the pic mate!
I take it the "Real Deal" is the one with the unmatched panels? So many Jackets so little money......but I guess all of you know that problem anyway....so I suppose Jerky it is (although I still haven't seen one with smooth hh, guess the real cononisseurs go for jerky right from the start )

Questions over questions.... real deal or anniversary, russet or seal, what colour knits and of course the almighty question: what size (although I'll check that with aero by phone ).........I'm really getting lost here....

cheers,

Max

 

[Lowflyer]

CBI field modified

@Edward
Yeah I've seen this one as well, but I'm not too sure about the collar....
Why they sell it for nearly 100 quid less than their standard a-2's is, however, beyond me....
So you guys would go for unmatched panels then? That price would allow for some extras then.... (I'm thinking bomb tag zip pull, nametag etc...)
Either way it'll probably take 8 weeks to arrive after I've ordered it (according to Amanda at aero) but hey, I suppose the jacket's worth the wait....

 

[Mark P]

If it helps here is a picture of my Aero jacket in standard brown horsehide. I don't know if they use exactly the same hide in their A2s.

[/IMG]

 

[Edward]

@Edward
Yeah I've seen this one as well, but I'm not too sure about the collar....
Why they sell it for nearly 100 quid less than their standard a-2's is, however, beyond me....

Not sure either, myself! Maybe originally they were steer (which tends to be cheaper), but it does indicate on the site that that isn't an option anymore. Pass.... I know what you mean re the collar - I might be tempted into one eventually, but I think I would prefer to have a "regular" A2 collar first.

 

[CBI]

The real Deal A-2 is a good buy, I have owned three of them over the years and frankly, sold them all, just not happy (enough) with them in the end. I want something more authentic (not that the Real deal is that bad in this area) but there are a number of aspects of the jacket that make it too "modern" for me. As I have often stated, most folks on this site end up purchasing many jackets as they want to collect and upgrade. In the end, quite a bit of money can be spent/wasted. I am sure you will enjoy the Real Deal.

 

[Lowflyer]

@Mark P: I think that their standard horsehide is their "smooth" (whatever that means...) FQHH thanks for the picture and a great jacket you've got there!
@CBI Just being curious here, what would the points be that make the real deal too modern for you? Btw, do Goodwear use unmatched panels in their jackets as well or is that according to the customers preferences?

cheers,

Max

 

[Burnsie]

Unmatched panels!

YES! Not only does it keep cost down, it makes for a more authentic looking A-2, adds a lot of personal character and can be quite dramatic - here's a close up of another Aero with unmatched panels, this one in seal brown horse:

 

[Lowflyer]

Unmatched Panels

Hm.... thinking of it.... this looks quite darn good, although some people might consider this as inferior quality (none of which are on this forum of course ) but then again that's the kind of people running around in lambskin jackets (not trying to offend anyone here ) and I suppose a jacket like the real deal can be WORN without having to baby it.... no let me rephrase that HAS to be worn, no matter if it's windy and it's pouring outside, if there's thunder and lightning, just in anything that nature can throw at you......well I might become a bit overexcited here [huh]

 

[Lowflyer]

Jacket Colours

Btw Burnsie, how true to the original colour are your pictures? Because I just checked again on Aero's website, it seems to me that on there the Russet looks a lot more reddish and the Seal is quite a bit lighter, more like dark chocolate brown whereas yours is almost black.....

 

[CBI]

Don’t get me wrong, the Real Deal is a nice jacket. There were so many private purchase jackets in WWII that anything close to an A-2 can be considered a decent repro. Jackets from the period were simply designed with a different fit in mind. An authentic repro drapes on the wearer in a way specific to the period. If you look a WWII era photos, you can see it, wide open collar, more room in the upper chest, more belly room, not the current triangle shape (broad shoulders, thin waist) . The Real Deal has a number of authenticity issues such as the direction of stitching, the direction of some of the leather folds, pocket and epp size and placement, proper lining, specific type of button snaps, etc. I don’t have a jacket in front of me (don’t own one anymore). WWII Aero’s were high waisted jackets but I do think the Real Deal is TOO high wasted and it also seems very form fitting in the upper chest shoulder area where originals had more room there (generally). You can have some custom modifications to your jacket at no charge which gets the Real Deal closer to authentic. Look, these are issues the general public does not know or care about. My message was simply that the more you get hooked on A-2’s the more you will probably want either an exact repro or maybe the real thing. So many of us have gone through countless jackets. Just trying to save you some money in the long run. I am sure you will be happy with Aero’s work, they make amazing jackets. Once the jacket gets lots of wear, it will look pretty darn good.

 

[Lowflyer]

Well that's why I started this thread to get as many opinions and experiences as possible (something that would've been impossible for me to do on my own) in order to make the best choice for me as to which one of the many Aero repro's buy....

 

[Burnsie]

Btw Burnsie, how true to the original colour are your pictures? Because I just checked again on Aero's website, it seems to me that on there the Russet looks a lot more reddish and the Seal is quite a bit lighter, more like dark chocolate brown whereas yours is almost black.....

Both were taken without flash - the russett appears redder in bright light, the seal did look almost black when new but after some wear the reddish brown is starting to wear through. And like in WWII finishes will vary some from jacket to jacket.

 

[holdemchamp1225]

Man, that Aero Real deal looking great...

love the grain and how it is developing a nice patina