Any reviews or experiences with leather.com?

[Hux]

Hey all, thanks for the help with my peacoat question. I'll post a picture of it soon.

Now I've moved on to looking at getting an A-2 or similar leather jacket, but I'm trying to find the right one. I don't like the cloth cuffs that come on authentic ones, I think they're uncomfortable.

US Wings used to make a great one that was made out of goatskin that was essentially a standard A-2 without the cloth cuffs and with added side entry hand warmer pockets, but they seem to have stopped making it. I found another one I like at leather.com, but I've never ordered anything from them and was wondering if anyone here had experience with them.

Are the jackets good quality? Is leather.com easy to deal with? Anything I should be on the lookout for?

This is the jacket I'm looking to get. Can decided to get it in the seal brown or black. Thanks for all the help in advance.
http://leather.com/mens_aviation/a2.php

 

[TPD166]

I did not recognize the website because I bought my jacket off of eBay, but I have a San Diego Leather flight jacket. Mine is either an ANJ-3 or G-1 with leather collar and it is beautifully made jacket - nice leather, well-made, and a perfect fit. I'm not sure how old my jacket is to compare with the current quality, nor did I deal with them directly, so I can't speak to customer service. Assuming they are still making them of the same quality as mine, I would not hesitate to buy another one of their jackets..

 

[Sloan1874]

I think people have had dealings with them in the past and didn't have much to say about them. I did a quick search and this came up:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/san-diego-leather-aka-leather-com.61007/page-2
Ignore the banter at the top and head to bottom of the page. Basically, if you're paying $150 or, gulp, less, then you're going to get what you paid for.
As far as the style goes, if you don't like knits, then A-2s/G-1s etc are basically out: at the price they're charging, I'd put money on leather.com's A-2s still using nylon ones, which would be torture as they'd make your wrists sweat and then not have the good manners to mop it up!
There are plenty of other non-knitted civvy styles out there, though!

 

[JackieMatra]

I have this jacket of theirs, in goatskin,
http://leather.com/mens_aviation/indy.php

that I bought from them about eight years ago, when it cost a bit less.
The photograph above shows the jacket after seven years of wear with regular annual to semi-annual oiling.
The measurements and fit of the jacket were exactly as I was told that it would be, and I am very pleased with it.
I think that it is extremely well made and that it is likely to last way past my lifetime, despite my wearing it quite a lot,
as are the free leather gloves that they threw in with it.

They also sell much "imported" (probably made in China from pigskin) leather apparel at quite low prices, that I bought a couple of, that are well enough made for possibly considerably higher prices, but there is a major problem with the sizing of these garments being wholly unreliable, tending to run large, particularly in the lower portion. (Especially designed for obese Americans?)

Based on the three garments that I purchased from San Diego Leather, I can heartily recommend the one they made themselves, but would be wary of their "imported" garments which, while quite low priced, are of a lesser standard and may well need to be either exchanged for a different size or require some alterations to be made.
Do bear in mind that my limited experience with them dates from eight years ago, and things may have changed in the interim.

 

[Sloan1874]

Pigskin: the hallmark of quality.

 

[JackieMatra]

Pigskin: the hallmark of quality.

Are you disparaging the great American game of football?

 

[Otter]

Can I suggest an Indiana Jones style jacket as a good compromise ? Lots of nice jackets out there in that style.

 

[Sloan1874]

Are you disparaging the great American game of football?

What, rugby with body armour? As far as the jacket goes, I'd save up and get something with a bit more oomph - an Indy jacket is a nice idea. You're more likely to be satisfied and hang on to it for longer

 

[Doctor Strange]

Seconding the Indy jacket!

If you don't mind giving up the epaulettes, why not an Indiana Jones jacket? It's got essentially the same style collar, patch pockets (with handwarmers and an inner wallet pocket), and windflap as an A-2... but no knits at the wrist or waist. US Wings make 'em, also Gibson & Barnes and Wested. Other makers too.

 

[Sonero]

Seconding the Indy jacket!

If you don't mind giving up the epaulettes, why not an Indiana Jones jacket? It's got essentially the same style collar, patch pockets (with handwarmers and an inner wallet pocket), and windflap as an A-2... but no knits at the wrist or waist. US Wings make 'em, also Gibson & Barnes and Wested. Other makers too.

I agree I like the Leather.com Indie jacket very much. Unfortunately "Bobby" @ Leather.com doesn't know what a pit to pit measurement is nor do they give you shoulder measurements. I sent two pictures with a tape measure going across a jacket to show how measure and so far no response.