Aero? Simmons Bilt? Looking for my "Forever Leather Jacket"

[Marc mndt]

Those jackets do look pretty nice. Dare I ask what their price range is, though?

Aero x 2

 

[Chilliwack]

HURGKKK (dies)
Yeah Aero's price range is as high as I want to go for my first jacket. ;v;
THose do look nice though, especially the curved lapels.

 

[Kenan]

HURGKKK (dies)
Yeah Aero's price range is as high as I want to go for my first jacket. ;v;
THose do look nice though, especially the curved lapels.

If you can save up for an Aero you can also save up for something better. You don’t know now because you haven’t handled enough jackets yet, but trust me on this. Don’t settle for something decent or ok if you can get something great and fantastic by just holding back and putting money a side for a little while longer.

 

[Chilliwack]

If you can save up for an Aero you can also save up for something better. You don’t know now because you haven’t handled enough jackets yet, but trust me on this. Don’t settle for something decent or ok if you can get something great and fantastic by just holding back and putting money a side for a little while longer.

Well I'm open to suggestions. But $3000? That's enough to make a down payment on a car. I'd really rather keep it in the low-to-mid range for my first one.

 

[Kenan]

Well I'm open to suggestions. But $3000? That's enough to make a down payment on a car. I'd really rather keep it in the low-to-mid range for my first one.

Who said $3000? $1800 will get you a very very good jacket from Thedi or Field or even other high end makers.

 

[MrProper]

Examples to this could be Field Leathers

I had a Fieldleathers, but unfortunately this has fitted me the worst.
Others here were significantly luckier.
Since the waiting time for a FL is now over a year, I would not recommend that as the first jacket.
And that the first jacket is the forever, no one believes anyway
So I think you can start well with an Aero and gain experience with it.
I have some Aeros and more are on the way. They fit me well and I like the leather.
Unfortunately, I can not say anything about SB.

 

[Marc mndt]

Well I'm open to suggestions. But $3000? That's enough to make a down payment on a car. I'd really rather keep it in the low-to-mid range for my first one.

The cost of an Aero

 

[Chilliwack]

Who said $3000? $1800 will get you a very very good jacket from Thedi or Field or even other high end makers.

Oh. Sorry, I just heard "Aero x 2" and figured that meant "twice the price of an Aero."

 

[Chilliwack]

The cost of an Aero

View attachment 474376

Those are pounds, not Canadian dollars. It's about 1.6x the price for me.

 

[Marc mndt]

I had a Fieldleathers, but unfortunately this has fitted me the worst.

As much as I love my FL, it's one of my nicest and best fitting jackets, I wouldn't recommend Field Leathers for a first jacket. Why not ? Because I feel that you need to be an experienced buyer in order to achieve a great fit from FL.

 

[Pandemic]

As much as I love my FL, it's one of my nicest and best fitting jackets, I wouldn't recommend Field Leathers for a first jacket. Why not ? Because I feel that you need to be an experienced buyer in order to achieve a great fit from FL.

I agree with this. My FL was a fantastic fit, but I was still learning about what I liked and wanted. Better to try stuff out and experiment with other brands before moving up to FL.

 

[Kenan]

I had a Fieldleathers, but unfortunately this has fitted me the worst.
Others here were significantly luckier.
Since the waiting time for a FL is now over a year, I would not recommend that as the first jacket.
And that the first jacket is the forever, no one believes anyway
So I think you can start well with an Aero and gain experience with it.
I have some Aeros and more are on the way. They fit me well and I like the leather.
Unfortunately, I can not say anything about SB.

True, but your jacket was also the very first jacket he made after launching his company. It looks as if he has since learned a lot and many of the jackets I see from him look really great! Especially @Marc mndt ’s jacket which definitely could be considered a “forever jacket”. You do own some nice looking Aero jackets though I must say and you helped me when I bought my Aero. Also Aero is by no means bad at all, I just think their patterns needs some work.

 

[MrProper]

True, but your jacket was also the very first jacket he made after launching his company. It looks as if he has since learned a lot and many of the jackets I see from him look really great! Especially @Marc mndt ’s jacket which definitely could be considered a “forever jacket”. You do own some nice looking Aero jackets though I must say and you helped me when I bought my Aero. Also Aero is by no means bad at all, I just think their patterns needs some work.

Without question, FL jackets are beautiful and I have no doubt that they fit better now. The possibility of a mockup alone is worth its weight in gold.
Only as a first jacket I would not recommend it. As Marc writes, some experience is not bad and who wants to wait more than a year for his first jacket?
Therefore, I think if you can wear OTR, then browse the used market, get something made by Aero, etc. in a few weeks, gain experience and then when the time comes, place the order with FL.

 

[Kenan]

Without question, FL jackets are beautiful and I have no doubt that they fit better now. The possibility of a mockup alone is worth its weight in gold.
Only as a first jacket I would not recommend it. As Marc writes, some experience is not bad and who wants to wait more than a year for his first jacket?
Therefore, I think if you can wear OTR, then browse the used market, get something made by Aero, etc. in a few weeks, gain experience and then when the time comes, place the order with FL.

You are right! I ordered my first FL in June. Going for a San Francisco and I went with the option of a mock up. Very excited to see how it turns out.

I wonder what the lead time is at Aero now. Last I saw they had some trouble getting a hold of some of the hides they usually use.

 

[TREEMAN]

You say you narrowed your choices down to Aero and SB. During this process you never noticed any prices ? Also, what were some of the other choices ?

 

[Jasonindenver]

I really like Aero, but make sure you know what you are getting in terms of the pattern and fit of the specific jacket you are looking at. Some jackets will be better suited for certain body types and some are better for layering over a hoodie or jumper.

As mentioned before, Thurston Brothers in Seattle offers a fit consult service that usually gets people their perfect fit in one go round. It is definitely worth the money to be able to take advantage of their knowledge. However, I am not sure how Canadian Customs would handle such a shipping transaction. Carrie at Thurston can advise.

 

[MrProper]

I wonder what the lead time is at Aero now.

I ordered a PHWM on November 24 and today it has been shipped. Unfortunately my D1 is still in status cutting (ok, ordered a week later).

 

[Chilliwack]

You say you narrowed your choices down to Aero and SB. During this process you never noticed any prices ? Also, what were some of the other choices ?

I noticed, I just don't want to go much higher than Aero's typical price point. If I had confidence in Lusso Leather and their $600-$800 CAD price point, I'd go with them. But I just can't find anything online that can tell me if they're good or not.

 

[ericsanpablo31]

Can I ask what size you are? There are some pretty good deals on Aero and Thedi jackets in the classifieds. For example I posted an example Thedi style and it appears to be there is a great condition one available if it fits you - https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/custom-thedi.109253/#post-2965730

I'd go Aero over Simmons Bilt personally mostly from an ethical standpoint (you can search here or google it for more details). I think Aero's newer 'premier' patterns are nicer fitting than SB too (for the slimmer body types).

In that style, the ELMC Windward is also quite beautiful - https://www.elmc.co/jackets/584-windward-black.html . I think there might be some for sale in the classifieds if you search

 

[ericsanpablo31]

Also, I find my Thedi with a removable shawl collar pretty versatile.... take it off and its like a whole new jacket! So if helps ease your mind that kind of makes it 2 x the jacket lol . I like my Aero too, but the leather is definitely more firm/thick/substantial which makes it feel more motorcycle-y than fashiony if that makes sense.... for my style its a bit too much sometimes whereas I can throw on the Thedi in almost any situation. depends on what you are looking for. If you do go custom with Thedi though he nails fit really well using your body measurements (so you don't have to have too much experience with jacket measurements from previous experiences).... just make sure you don't intend to gain weight as he aims for it really fit comfortable but snug.