All right, it must be asked: Why the unflinching dedication to Aero HH?

[ampgoesto11]

All right, I have to ask. I have read (ad nauseum) so many excellent reviews of Aero's FQHH on this site. And yet, I sold my 3/4 half belt in HH because the fit was relatively poor for my build (pretty normal), the hide was cold, after six months I could no longer tolerate the chemical smell (which permeated my clothes, my closet, and my car), the dye discolored my nice leather car seats (yes, "cordovan" has a bit of a reputation), and I witnessed the coat actually getting unglier the more I broke it in. What can I say? I guess beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholders. Now, having said all that, the coat was very well constructed, the leather grain was very uniform, and I bought it cheap "as new" off of Ebay. Then, I wore it as long as I could stand it, and then sold it for a little more than I paid. So, I really can't complain, which I am not doing. I'm just wondering how so many in-the-know jacket lovers can like Aero HH so much. Clearly, there must be something I missed.

 

[OneEyeMan]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience with your Aero.
And I do recall mention of the Cordovan color staining clothes.
My Brown Highwayman doesn't.
It also doesn't have a strong chemical odor, just a nice pleasant horse hide aroma.
The more I wear it, the more "worn in" it looks, and I just love that look.
And yes, it is cold and stiff. But after about 5 min of wearing, it just gets all soft and buttery, and
absolutely molds itself to my body. It feels just great to wear.
I think both Cordovan and Brown will look more worn in with use, just the nature of the beast.
I have a feeling that Black won't show wear as much.
Lenny

 

[Todd M.]

Could it be possible that the person you bought the Aero from may have applied something that gave your jacket that chemical smell and also allowed it to bleed the color?

 

[Dav]

My experience with the brown HH is exactly the same as Lenny above, I can't speak for the other colours.

 

[bumphrey hogart]

I've got to admit,I'd never come across aero until I started looking at the FL,until then I was a schott afficionado,and don't get me wrong I'm still a fan.
I'm not into the military or biker thing,all my leathers and sheepskins are definitely civilian.So when I came across aero I felt I had to give it a go.
I got hold of a 2nd hand brown stockman off ebay and was initially stunned by it's armour like quality,driving in it was hard work,but after the money I'd spent on it I felt I had to persevere.I only bought it about 3 months ago,but I've got to say I've now got it.The leather is beginning to mold to the shape of my body,(I bought a 42,it's just a bit snug so have just purchased a black veste de rallye in a 44)and now I've got to say I'm a complete H/H convert. There's just something about it that makes you feel it could take anything thrown at it,and there's no smell and no colour leak even in a real soaking.
It just sounds like you were unlucky,yes it's cold and stiff initially,but when it warms it's like having an extra skin,I'm afraid all my schotts have gone to the back of the rack.

 

[Bonneville]

......and I witnessed the coat actually getting uglier the more I broke it in.

I would be interested to hear what it was you didn't like about the look of the jacket as it broke in more.
I certainly agree with your point about beauty being in the eye of the beholder. Personally I'm still on the fence about ordering a non-black Aero H/H, I suspect black doesn't exhibit nearly as much of that battered look that the browns get after break in.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Aero's Black FQHH after several years wear...

Brown FQHH after several years wear...

Never had any color transfer on any of my 12 Aero HH jackets...or unsightly chemical odor.
However..I only have black and brown HH.
HD

 

[Jeff M]

Just depends on what you like I guess.
I love my Aero brown FQHH Highwayman.
Stiff when I got it. Broke in nicely with a walk in the rain and some exercising. Did "bleed" color at first when got wet...not any more.
Love the "vintage" look of the leather. Very comfortable...seems to have molded to my body.
Love the smell. No "chemical" smell at all. Leather, yes. Like a baseball mit. Brings back fond memories of me as a kid sticking my face in my mit and taking a deep breath.
I get "great looking jacket" comments about it all the time from folks.

Is Aero's FQHH for everybody? Probably not.
Does it do a great job at what I want it to? Yep. Never found better.

 

[Peacoat]

Could it be possible that the person you bought the Aero from may have applied something that gave your jacket that chemical smell and also allowed it to bleed the color?

That was my first thought. Aero has noted in the past that some of the jackets with bleeding complaints did have something applied to the leather. Although some credible posters on this forum have stated they had the color transfer problem and had never applied any conditioner to the leather. Not sure if their bleeding problem happened after the jacket got wet or if it happened while dry.

What gives me pause is the comment about the "chemical smell." Aero's leather jackets have no chemical smell. Something was done to that jacket after it left the control of Aero. Not really fair to blame Aero for something beyond its control.

 

[randooch]

". . . and I bought it cheap "as new" off of Ebay. Then, I wore it as long as I could stand it, and then sold it for a little more than I paid. So, I really can't complain, which I am not doing."

I assume you alerted the next owner to the chemical smell and cold stiff feel?

 

[thor]

I have owned many AERO A-2's and a halfbelt and a highwayman. The only issue I have ever had was an A-2 in their Oil-Pull HH. The brown color on the inside of the collar rubbed off and stained my dress shirt collar. The stain never came out even after repeated washings. The regular brown FQHH of the other jackets did not have this effect. I would stay away from their Oil-Pull HH. Otherwise, AERO makes awesome FQHH!

 

[Ace Rimmer]

My opinion only, but I feel Aero is tops because they give top value for the dollar (pound?).

I am hard pressed to name another manufacturer that will provide a well-constructed horsehide jacket, made to measure, at Aero's prices. Even more so, if you are like many of us here and purchased your jackets prior to the 2010 (?) price increase. I paid $437 USD for my new Highwayman (FQHH) in fall 2008 (from Aero USA). Hard to beat that kind of value!

As for the warmth of Aero jackets, I agree that the insulating qualities of horsehide leave much to be desired. However, that's not an Aero issue -- that's a materials issue. Personally I was comfortable wearing my alpaca-lined Aero last weekend when temperatures dropped into the 30s (F) -- and I was not wearing a ton of layers underneath.

For the record I don't have any actual experience with Aero's cordovan so I can't speak to the color bleeding issue. I've only got Aero jackets in brown and black.

 

[JLStorm]

Another thing to mention is that most get their jackets custom cut to their specifications. I dont have FQHH, but I have some heavy steer which is notably heavier and more stiff. If the jacket was not cut to my specs and measurements and was ill fitting, it would definitely not be comfortable to wear, this I believe would also be true of FQHH. Also, the patina of FQHH is unrivaled as it ages.

Additionally Aero warranties its FQHH and heavy stear against seam and leather tears for LIFE. Also warranties its zippers. Additionally, you can customize pretty much anything for little to no additional cost.

 

[eClairvaux]

Same here, I own two FQHH Aero jackets, absolutely no chemical smell. I would suspect the prior owner has done something to it. As for the fit: some of Aero's models are rather boxy, like the HWYMan, Rallye, but they are also meant to be that way. I actually quite like the feel and look of it, but that might be because I am a boxy type myself. If you are on the skinny side, those models are not for you. When it comes to ageing, I can't think of any leather that ages more beautifully than my brown FQHH HWYMan. It's buttery soft throughout and has beautiful color variation through use. I am also wearing FQHH (cafe racer) today and it's -7 C ( 19,4 Fahrenheit). Granted the jacket doesn't add a lot of warmth, but I also don't consider that to be seriously cold, otherwise I would be wearing a down-filled parka. It just serves to say that my FQHH jackets cover a pretty big temperature range.

 

[Dav]

Why the unflinching dedication to Aero

Great leather!
Good customer service!
Good price!

 

[PADDY]

Might be a shot in the dark. But some owners will do crazy things with their 'new' jacket (and you got this second hand didn't you?). From hot water treatments to dubbin being rubbed in, to waterproof sprays!!! (I know, I know - but folk just love to play with their jackets!). You just don't know.

My Barnstormer FQHH did initially leak dye. But, I was warned about this (and the label does state that it's dyed to an old original 1920's formula and 'may' allow some of the colour to come off).

I don't recommend this, but 'I' soaked the jacket, put it on a light spin to get the excess water off, laid it flat and let it dry. No more probs with dye.

*just 'my' experience that I'm sharing Gents*

 

[ampgoesto11]

". . . and I bought it cheap "as new" off of Ebay. Then, I wore it as long as I could stand it, and then sold it for a little more than I paid. So, I really can't complain, which I am not doing."

I assume you alerted the next owner to the chemical smell and cold stiff feel?

Yes, full disclosure.

I cannot be 100% certain, but I don't think any chemical was applied to the outside of the jacket. The smell seemed to be strongest coming from the inside, and it was not the lining. I just assumed, maybe incorrectly, that the smell was a function of the tanning process. The buyer never mentioned it.

I suspect that I compared my Aero to my LW HH jackets, the latter being my hands-down favorites. I prefer the 4.0 HH that LW uses. In addition, upon removing my storm cuffs from a HH Ryder, I noticed a fairly tightly woven layer of cotton fabric between the leather and the inner liner, not fused like some Schotts have been described. I believe this contributes to the warmth of the LW jacket, compared to the Aero.