Aero Zipper Wavyness

[Stand By]

I think minor inconsistencies are everywhere within certain tolerances - and it's because they are analogue products and not produced digitally - and come the day when robots are making these things and turning out identical and perfect copies, I'll be glad to be dead and long gone.
I remember when, a few years ago perhaps, someone asked why his Aero jacket had strange lines on the cuffs where the leather was folded - and my Aero ANJ-3 had them too (I'd noticed at the time but hadn't cared about it) and, to me, it's just part of what makes these things evidently made from organic materials and by craftsmen and women. I think some mild puckering will be allowed to a degree while the bad will fail quality control.
And I don't think Aero has a target on its back right now - I think it gets the same scrutiny as any other company - look at ELC and the scrutiny that their upcoming Steve McQueen "Great Escape" A2 is getting on that thread right now. So the pockets are off in terms of shape for the RW number. I don't care. It wouldn't stop me from buying it if I really wanted one. So Aero's "Hookless" zip came in for some comments that weren't all that favourable. If an Aero jacket I wanted should have a Hookless zip by design, I'd ask for it - and, thanks to TFL, know to use it carefully (the same as I do my NOS Talon zips). I noted the comments here but it wouldn't put me off.
And some scrutiny is good - but at some point, there comes a point when it's time to put the jacket on, go out to a bar, relax and have a few drinks in it and feel good about the way wearing it makes you feel. I get that from my jackets every day.

 

[Smithy]

I think minor inconsistencies are everywhere within certain tolerances - and it's because they are analogue products and not produced digitally - and come the day when robots are making these things and turning out identical and perfect copies, I'll be glad to be dead and long gone.
I remember when, a few years ago perhaps, someone asked why his Aero jacket had strange lines on the cuffs where the leather was folded - and my Aero ANJ-3 had them too (I'd noticed at the time but hadn't cared about it) and, to me, it's just part of what makes these things evidently made from organic materials and by craftsmen and women. I think some mild puckering will be allowed to a degree while the bad will fail quality control.
And I don't think Aero has a target on its back right now - I think it gets the same scrutiny as any other company - look at ELC and the scrutiny that their upcoming Steve McQueen "Great Escape" A2 is getting on that thread right now. So the pockets are off in terms of shape for the RW number. I don't care. It wouldn't stop me from buying it if I really wanted one. So Aero's "Hookless" zip came in for some comments that weren't all that favourable. If an Aero jacket I wanted should have a Hookless zip by design, I'd ask for it - and, thanks to TFL, know to use it carefully (the same as I do my NOS Talon zips). I noted the comments here but it wouldn't put me off.
And some scrutiny is good - but at some point, there comes a point when it's time to put the jacket on, go out to a bar, relax and have a few drinks in it and feel good about the way wearing it makes you feel. I get that from my jackets every day.

Very, very well said.

I think - possibly because of the cost of some of these jackets - there's a tendency for some to over analyse and obsess over the slightest little inconsistencies, whilst it's these little unique things that make a high quality jacket a handmade thing. I'm not talking about differing sleeve lengths or off kilter collars but little things like a slightly crooked stitch, a natural mark in the leather, etc, all these are good IMHO and mark what you have as a handcrafted jacket made out of a natural material.

As for the wavy leather facing the zip, it doesn't look terrible to me and from the looks that's a new jacket so might straighten with use. At the same time I can understand why some of the more fastidious buyers might not entirely like it. If so, flick it on and put the pennies towards a new jacket - that elusive quest for the perfect leather. I'm fairly certain such a beast doesn't exist but it's a fun (albeit expensive) adventure to try and find it!

I find I'm far less particular about the minutiae of jackets now, probably having kids means my priorities have changed fairly drastically. So long as it fits, I like it and it's well-made (and that's including a few little individual cosmetic imperfections) I wear it and just enjoy wearing a nice leather jacket. At the end of the day, remember, it's just a bloody piece of clothing

 

[Benj]

@Benj, didn't you end up selling your Buco J100 because of some slight imperfection?

Care to tell me what this has to do with anything? It has no purpose other than portraying me as someone who is overly-critical.

For the record, the first jacket I received had drastically uneven zippers. I decided to contact RMC and they told me it was an irregular jacket, and graciously offered to exchange it for another. After wearing the new jacket, I decided that I didn't love the fit on me. So I didn't keep the first leather jacket I ever bought... Sue me?

I have/had jackets that exhibit this and some not. Didn't/doesn't bother me as it all seems to work out with time.
It's leather, so I like things that make it not feel like it came off of a machine.
I have/had many brands, and it's not unique to Aero, but since Aero seems to have the forum target on it's back, I just thought I'd say that...

I never said that it was unique to Aero, nor criticized Aero's quality. I simply asked a question that I had, that I hadn't seen asked before... any notion of Aero as being singled out for scrutiny is in your head. The vast majority of users here have nothing but good things to say about Aero.

So RMC aren't perfect, shown by your first jacket you returned and then the second which you sold.
Flat Head obviously aren't perfect either from this example.

I just don't think the perfection you are looking for exists in ANY brand that makes jackets by hand, no matter how much they charge or promote high quality and attention to detail.

Never said RMC or Flat Head was perfect, and the fact that that jacket is uneven is a major shame. Luckily, in my experience, Flat Head's quality has only gone up over the years. That jacket is a few years old, hopefully something like that wouldn't make it through nowadays.

This zipper "issue" is the only thing I've seen from Aero that I didn't like in terms of construction, and it seems like a variety of other manufacturers don't make jackets with this characteristic, so I have to believe that a combination of both exists somewhere.

 

[Cyber Lip]

I have 4 Aeros, 2 CXL and 2 Vincenza, and both Vincenza's have this, and both CXL do not. I think it has to do with the leather

 

[Carlos840]

I was curious and took a look. None of my three zippered RMC jackets have wavy leather adjacent to the zipper. Likewise, my GW Imperial does not have it. On the other hand, my Aero Premium HB has major waviness adjacent to the zipper. No judgment here -- just the facts.

I agree with PN -- no such thing as a perfect jacket. Upon close scrutiny, defects can be found in ALL jackets.

I took a look at mine too, my Schott, Lewis Leathers, ELMC and DD jackets are wave free, my AL (FQHH) has the wave...
Not a problem to me!

 

[ButteMT61]

I took a look at mine too, my Schott, Lewis Leathers, ELMC and DD jackets are wave free, my AL (FQHH) has the wave...
Not a problem to me!

So when they copied Aero, they really copied Aero!!!

 

[Superfluous]

So when they copied Aero, they really copied Aero!!!

Brilliant!

 

[feltfan]

So when they copied Aero, they really copied Aero!!!

The funny thing about that is some repro makers do intentionally copy features they know are flaws. Chapman told me
he does this, for full accuracy. In other words, he takes original jackets apart and copies them as he finds them, even
if he thinks something he's seeing is a mistake.

 

[ProteinNerd]

portraying me as someone who is overly-critical.

I almost didn't reply to this as I think your a decent guy and I don't wish you any ill will or want to start a flame war. In the nicest possible way, you are being overly critical.

Zipper wavyness, come on....really? These are hand made from thick leather, one false stitch and you've got crooked seams or holes in the leather, pull the thread too tight and you get the bunching or wavyness, sew a few mm off and you have the issue in the FH jacket......the fact that they get it so right is pretty damn impressive.

Ignoring all that, who wants a jacket looking pristine anyway? The best looking jackets are naturally distressed from wear over the years.

Take one of the best looking J100's out there.

That has wavy leather at the zippers.

 

[Benj]

It just depends on what you look for in a jacket. Personally, seeing imperfections like slightly crooked stitches, or wavy zippers, doesn't give me any more enjoyment in a jacket. In fact, it gives me less, because I find it aesthetically unpleasing. In my perfect world, the jacket would arrive perfect, and I would be the one to make it mine. I don't need or enjoy any out-of-the-box "character", especially if it can be avoided. I'm guessing that it can because there are other jackets made from different manufacturers, at approximately the same price point, that don't show this.

These are very expensive jackets... to be honest, as long as it's discussed respectfully, I fail to see how it isn't helpful. Those who don't care still won't care, and those who do care but have not noticed, may choose to spend their money elsewhere and avoid an unpleasant experience that doesn't have to happen.

 

[zebedee]

I just take the wavy with the gravy- Aero's construction is fantastic, and zipper blues pass with use. Over time, the waves will happen anyway, quite often. The solution would be buttons, or, as you say, to purchase from other manufacturers if waves cause upset.

 

[navetsea]

your solution is either put in a non stretchy backing like what Steve S explained before
in my goat jacket that is usually stretchy, it has a strip of non woven interfacing fused under the leather along seams

or fold it around a piping like this along the pocket of the same goat jacket

now I don't know if a major manufacturer would listen to your technical input, otherwise you can go somewhere else who can make custom jacket for you that is more open for technical discussion

 

[Carlos840]

So when they copied Aero, they really copied Aero!!!

Whether we like to admit it or not, the jacket was made by an ex Aero employee using the training he had gained while working for Aero...

 

[Carlos840]

It just depends on what you look for in a jacket. Personally, seeing imperfections like slightly crooked stitches, or wavy zippers, doesn't give me any more enjoyment in a jacket. In fact, it gives me less, because I find it aesthetically unpleasing. In my perfect world, the jacket would arrive perfect, and I would be the one to make it mine. I don't need or enjoy any out-of-the-box "character", especially if it can be avoided. I'm guessing that it can because there are other jackets made from different manufacturers, at approximately the same price point, that don't show this.

These are very expensive jackets... to be honest, as long as it's discussed respectfully, I fail to see how it isn't helpful. Those who don't care still won't care, and those who do care but have not noticed, may choose to spend their money elsewhere and avoid an unpleasant experience that doesn't have to happen.

Being slightly OCD and always striving for perfection,i understand where you are coming from.... But, let me tell you that you are setting yourself up for a chain of disappointing buys.
No jacket is perfect, not one. I have always been able to find a few small defects in every single jacket i own, some more obvious than others.

Unless it is a glaring fault, just stop thinking about it, wear the jacket and enjoy it. The more you wear it the less you will be thinking about it.

 

[Sloan1874]

I think you would be better buying something off the rack, Benj. That way you could examine it in the shop, choose the one that meets your expectations. I've honestly never really given the wavy zipper thing any thought until you mentioned it, and even then I have to say that it's not to going to keep me awake at night.

 

[Stand By]

This has been an interesting thread - as, as well as just appreciating another jacket per se, I have learnt (thanks to Steve's post here) about the intricacies of the construction - and it's clearly a very tricky and skilled thing!
It reminds me that, just as not all qualified doctors are equal and some surgeons are better "cutters" than others, some tailors and seamstresses will be slightly better than others. I know that in my own profession (medical art), I've always considered my work to be good, but when I compare my work of say 10 or 20 years ago, it has clearly progressed and continues to - and that is true of the workmanship in these jackets. I learned my craft as an apprentice on a production line with other skilled professionals of varying talents - it's an intangible element - but ultimately the intangibles in these jackets are guarded by Quality Control to make sure that the various people involved produce an item that is of a certain high quality and appearance that is synonymous with the style of the brand (to the extent that the customer should not be able to detect who made it) and, if necessary, remedied by superior and personal customer service - which I think many here would agree exists healthily.
Smithy is right when he speaks of hide marks - I have what appears to be a partial brand (?) on the back panel of my ELC RW B-3 and I've never considered it a flaw and I wouldn't be without it for the reasons he gives. As stated, I accept these minor inconsistencies and prefer them - because, in contrast, I have my Buzz Rickson L2-A and, because I know the Japanese are perhaps the most perfect and consistent copiers on the planet, it feels like a perfect clone of every other Buzz L2-A on a hangar in any store in any city in any country; and, as nice as it undoubtedly is and I do love it, it doesn't feel peculiarly special to "me" or unique in quite the same way as my leather jackets.

 

[handymike]

I agree that a "perfect" jacket is a rare beast. If that's what you seek then Off the rack is the best bet. I think a wavy zipper might annoy me a bit, but then again, I haven't experienced it in my custom jacket. My vintage one has a replacement zipper with some bunching, but I don't care about it.

 

[IXL]

I just checked my jackets: most don't have it, a couple do. C'est la vie.

 

[AdeeC]

I also checked all mine last evening. Only one jacket has the zipper leather waviness and it is goat hide. Never considered it a flaw and IMO it one of the most nicey put together of my jackets.

 

[Superfluous]

So the consensus is clear: a wavy zipper means the manufacturer copied a competitor's jacket.