Anyone get their new Vanson delivered recently?

[Bonneville]

Ordered a custom Enfield in mid August and am finally starting to get antsy. Hoping it won't be one of those 6-8 month affairs.
Anyone place an order and get it recently?
Ted

 

[Peacoat]

Don't be getting too antsy. I placed my order for a non custom Enfield on December 12, 2009. The jacket arrived June 28, 2010. It was well worth the wait, however. That's not real recent, but it gives you an idea of what can happen.

In Vanson's defense a shipment of hides had to be returned because they weren't thick enough. That was the batch of hides my jacket would have been made from. That glitch extended the wait an extra three months.

Vanson ran a sale a month or so back. I imagine they picked up extra orders from that. May take a little longer than the normal two or three month waiting period.

 

[53Effie]

I agree with Peacoat. It's likely a bit early to start getting antsy. Mine was about as long arriving as his was. I think the hide issues he mentioned may have been a contributing factor for me too. The jacket is not a custom model and took over seven months as I remember. I got it in September about mid month.

 

[CodeRed]

The enfield will be well worth the wait, I have had mine for about 15 years..whats a month or two.

 

[Aaronlowe]

I ordered my Enfield in late March and had it in my hands in June. It was semi-custom and I ordered through Logan's Closet, so maybe he helped rush it through. Mine is Comp weight steerhide and I'm told that's a lot easier to get than horsehide. If yours is HH, maybe that's the reason for the delay?????

Don't sweat it too much, the jacket is well worth the wait. Mine is nicer than I dreamed of and I hope to give it to my son one of these days. It may actually be broken in by then.

 

[Sillyrib]

I think its very hard to beat a vanson for price /performance. Vanson jackets just work. American made and you can tell they take some pride in the work. The materials are good quality and do not compromise for the sake of fashion. For an everyday wearing motorcycle jacket you cannot go wrong. They have an interesting history from a start up point of view also. Get in at the worst point in automotive history and build from the ashes up. I think it is worth the wait.

 

[Jeff M]

When I placed my Vanson order last month, I was given a 5-6 month estimate.
I've read posts on other forums of folks who have had longer waits than that for their Vanson's.
When I placed my order, I asked the folks at Vanson about the long waits I had been reading about.
They noted that they had just finished a very large 5 month order for their Japanese market that completely took up production to the point where they were unable to work on anything else.
They also noted that they don't have enough leather coming in. They will get a small amount, use it all then be without for months....then get alot in, use it all, then again be out for months.

Basically, I got the idea the 5-6 month estimate was a very loose estimate...given with a shrug of the shoulders and a "but who knows?"

 

[Bonneville]

When I placed my Vanson order last month, I was given a 5-6 month estimate.
I've read posts on other forums of folks who have had longer waits than that for their Vanson's.
When I placed my order, I asked the folks at Vanson about the long waits I had been reading about.
They noted that they had just finished a very large 5 month order for their Japanese market that completely took up production to the point where they were unable to work on anything else.
They also noted that they don't have enough leather coming in. They will get a small amount, use it all then be without for months....then get alot in, use it all, then again be out for months.

Basically, I got the idea the 5-6 month estimate was a very loose estimate...given with a shrug of the shoulders and a "but who knows?"

Hmm. Well I guess that explains it. When I first enquired with Vanson in August they said "3-4 months", when I placed the order a few days after that it became "4-6 months" and as you note accompanied by a "but who knows" kind of overtone. I'm just hoping that I get it before next year's riding weather...."but who knows".

 

[Peacoat]

Hmm. Well I guess that explains it. When I first enquired with Vanson in August they said "3-4 months", when I placed the order a few days after that it became "4-6 months" and as you note accompanied by a "but who knows" kind of overtone. I'm just hoping that I get it before next year's riding weather...."but who knows".

Bonney, you will get it in time for next season's riding. I imagine it stays frozen up there until about the end of March, and you will get it before then. Yes, Vanson has trouble getting a steady supply of quality hides. That is one reason for the long waits for non custom jackets. And they use a thick quality hide that takes awhile to break in. I consider mine broken in, as it is comfortable to wear and to ride in, but it still stands on its own.

The 6 month wait for mine was worth it; I hope you feel the same way when yours comes in.

 

[Johann]

I ordered 3 Vansons at the same time, 1 B, 1 BH and one ENF. Requested all made in the US and all were custom orders (longer sleeves) was quoted 6-8 weeks for delivery. They took 6 months. The ENF arrived "made in El Salvador" Delivered in Oct. I think they try to get them out faster than that, but it doesn't seem to happen. I ordered another ENF at the begining of Oct, I expect 6 months. A watched pot...

 

[Jeff M]

I ordered 3 Vansons at the same time, 1 B, 1 BH and one ENF. Requested all made in the US and all were custom orders (longer sleeves) was quoted 6-8 weeks for delivery. They took 6 months. The ENF arrived "made in El Salvador" Delivered in Oct. I think they try to get them out faster than that, but it doesn't seem to happen. I ordered another ENF at the begining of Oct, I expect 6 months. A watched pot...

I thought all Vanson's were made in the USA. Not the case?

 

[Johann]

Absoultely not. I have followed some threads about this on the FL and there is some bad info out there. I had to request that all three, special orders, model b, model BH and an enfield all be made in the US and they still botched it. Contrary to some assertions made on the FL none of the models I ordered are made exclusivley in the US, nor are special orders. I gave my enfield away and ordered a replacement, I am not going to go into the lack of customer service involved in this situation. Vanson like Schott has most of their merchandise made out of country now. Sorry about the minnie rant.
p.s. made in El Salvador or the USA they took the same amount of time for production/delivery, 6 months

 

[Jeff M]

Ah. Thanks.
Pity that.
And that you specified the jacket be made in the USA and it wasn't.
And that it still took 6 months. lol

 

[Bonneville]

I gave my enfield away and ordered a replacement, I am not going to go into the lack of customer service involved in this situation. Vanson like Schott has most of their merchandise made out of country now. Sorry about the minnie rant.
p.s. made in El Salvador or the USA they took the same amount of time for production/delivery, 6 months

It is annoying when a company acts in this manner. How was the actual quality of the El Salvador Enfield? leather, stitching, etc.??

I received a reply from Kim/Vanson today, 3 months in she says the jacket is "slowly progressing, may get it shipped before the end of the year".

Personally other than the childish anticipation of looking forward to a new jacket I am not overly concerned about the wait, wouldn't mind a month or two to soften it up a bit before riding season though; that said I had been hoping it would be a US jacket. Dissapointment and hardship is relative:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/world/americas/20haiti.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=haiti&st=cse

PS. Other than the legitimate wish to support US jobs was there another reason why you weren't able to bring yourself to keep the El Salvador jacket?

 

[1087]

It is annoying when a company acts in this manner. How was the actual quality of the El Salvador Enfield? leather, stitching, etc.??

I received a reply from Kim/Vanson today, 3 months in she says the jacket is "slowly progressing, may get it shipped before the end of the year".

Personally other than the childish anticipation of looking forward to a new jacket I am not overly concerned about the wait, wouldn't mind a month or two to soften it up a bit before riding season though; that said I had been hoping it would be a US jacket. Dissapointment and hardship is relative:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/world/americas/20haiti.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=haiti&st=cse

PS. Other than the legitimate wish to support US jobs was there another reason why you weren't able to bring yourself to keep the El Salvador jacket?

Few of my buddies have the El Salvador made Enfield jacket and the quality, leather, stitching, workmanship is equal to the US made Vanson jackets.
Hope this help.

 

[Johann]

I have no compaints about the quality of the jacket made in El Salvador, in fact I liked the leather of the E.S. ENF jacket more than the leather of the USA made jackets that I got from Vanson . Stitching etc were all good.
I couldn't bring myself to keep it because I wanted a jacket made in the US which is a rare thing these days and I think one day there may not be any good jackets made in the US. However more to the point is that I paid for a jacket made in the US, and it would be in the back of my mind every time I put it on, an annoying reminder that I paid over $600 for a jacket made in cental america. I had the worst customer service expriance of my life while trying to place my orders with Nicole and so find myself not in the mood to put up with any more problems with Vanson. I just want what I paid for.

 

[OneEyeMan]

I just have to chime in here.
I received my Enfield over the summer.
It's made in the USA.
There were 2 minor problems with it:
- one of the inner snaps for attaching liners was missing; Nicole sent me a spare, wrong one but all I needed was the back part, and I attached it; had to cut open the inner left pocket to attach it, but I sewed it back up and it doesn't even show.
- the jacket was missing one of the leather strap keepers for one of the adjusting belts. I talked to the repair shop lady (sorry I forget her name) and she sent me a bit of the same strapping; I cut it to size, stuck it through the opening in the buckle assembly, and sewed it together. Again, it looks perfect.
On to the jacket.
The leather is very thick, and almost all panels match w/respect to grain.
Every stitch is perfect.
Fit is spot on.
Now all I have to do is wear it as much as possible to break it in for next year's riding season.
I gotta say, the quality of the Enfield is a bit better than my Aero Highwayman.
The Aero has some less than perfect stitching, the panels don't match w/respect to graining, and one
piece of leather under the zipper was completely missed by the stitching.
Plus, Aero forgot the leather band at the bottom of the liner. I returned the jacket to Aero and they took care of the leather
strip and sewed down the piece of leather. It was returned relatively quickly and the work was good, not great. Some of the
original stitch holes weren't used in the repair which isn't a big deal for me.
In the end, it's a perfect fit, the leather is outstanding and it broke in and is now buttery soft. Plus it's taking on a gorgeaus patina.
I'm very happy with it, but a little disappointed that I didn't get what I ordered right off the bat.
Oh, well, that's life.
Lenny

 

[Bonneville]

Well found out today that my custom Enfield (ordered early Aug.) will be shipped on Monday, hooray!

It'll be interesting to see what country label is attached. I must confess I have been a little worried about the overall jacket size and particularly the body length as I ordered the jacket shortened by 1 inch. :eeek:
I've heard that the Enfield has a slightly longer body style so have my fingers crossed that it will be okay and not too short looking.

While Vanson recommended a sz. 38 I usually buy a size 40 in OTR jackets (which are never tight fitting, I have a 39 in. chest, 5'10). I'm hoping the 38 won't be over tight. I've read a number of posts claiming Vansons to be typically "small sized" which if true could be a problem. The joys of online jacket buying

Ted

 

[53Effie]

Hi Bonneville. Great to hear that your jacket is almost on its way. My recent new one is the Ike model. I think the casual and street jackets tend to run pretty much true to size. I wear a 42 in sports coats and Carhartt jackets with a 41 1/2 in chest. My Ike is a 44 and is just roomy enough to layer with a sweater and long sleeve t shirt for cold weather riding. They recommended a 46. I think I could have worn a 42 with a light layer under it. I suspect yours will be a good trim fit since the jacket is very close to your actual chest size. I'll be very interested to see it. Incidentally, my Comet is a 46 and is a reasonably snug fit, but it is from a different jacket series than the casual and street.

 

[ampgoesto11]

Love Vanson products, but will probably not order new from them again. 8 months to receive my Enfield was silly, in my opinion. Such is the law of supply and demand, which seems to favor Vanson and not the customer, at the moment. All that can change, quickly. On the other hand, their quality is top knotch and might be worth the wait for some.