as niCe as an AERO or LEWiS at 3% the co$T???

[johnnyjohnny]

well, of course not...howevahhhhhh...

i search ebay for watches and motorcycle jackets like a shark must swim to keep breathing...

so, having spent my budget for expensive decent to high quality leather jackets, several times over if the truth be known, i went sLumming for something cheap and horribly underpriced...did i find it? u be the judge...

my personal fave is the aero highwayman style and the eastman luftwaffe (non-hartmannnnnn) jacket, or some combo thereof...i found a jacket that has everything we on the forum and jacket snots/snobs (such as i) would never ever buy:
1. made in china
2. made of pvc nOT real leather
3. made in china
4. retails for $60...now selling on ebay usually for around $25 or less
5. made in china
6. made of plastic

ok, you get the idea. howevahhh...what this jacket does have that many $400-$500 jackets (marc of new york, ralph lauren, prada, etc) is a must for fans of the highwayman or luftwaffen military jackets: a one-piece back

in fact, nONE of these jackets had a split back (i hate split bax)...they either had a 2-piece like the highwayman, meaning a yoke across the shoulders, or a 1-piece back

otherwise, at least in pictures, these jackets have a classic 30s-40s-50s biker/luftwaffe cut

to add to it, they aren't made anymore...do i hear "birth of a cuLt"?

probably not. these are "arizona jean co." jackets that are no longer currently sold by merchants, except for a spare one here or there that hasn't sold...they are universally only found on ebay...often starting for $9.99. the one i bought was $19.99 and brand new with tags...a size XL, which has a 25.5" armpit to armpit, with the rest of the measurements pretty classic right for a highwayman style jacket...

here's a mediocre screenshot from one ebay ad...but for a $20 jacket, how can you go wrong? it looks a lot better than a lot of other manufacturer's wares of this style...many of who i'm sure you are aware of

if you don't know whether to buy a six-pack of bud this weekend, or something darn close to a highwayman jacket, why not cruise ebay and pickup a jacket for what you'd spend on that bud...?

(scared to, ain't ya?!)

 

[andy richards]

That is a nice jacket! I also like the style and cut of the Highwayman and Eastman (Hartmannn or non Hartmannn) german flight jackets...
Also I wouldn't buy "made in China".... It seemes it's getting harder to buy homeland clothing. Last month I visited Texas and was amazed how many stuff (tees, clothes, souvenirs, coffee mugs with Texas stars etc) had a tag "made in China" on it. My kids would hate it when I would come home with a souvenir like that!

...would also hate to see an Aero or Eastman jacket with a label "scottish materials, made in Pakistan"...:eusa_doh:

Where is this jacket made? Hope it's US made...can't beat the price though!

 

[celtic]

Where is this jacket made? Hope it's US made...can't beat the price though!

i could be wrong, because to be quite honest I was having a hard time understanding his writing style,

but I think he is saying that this jacket is everything we wouldn't buy
(because it is made in china and isn't leather: it's made of PVC rubber) but maybe we should buy because it's only $20 and has a one piece back.
[huh]

 

[johnnyjohnny]

the hoRRor...the hoRRor...

you are correct sir.

i wouldn't buy a new hyundai. but for $1000 i might get one.

we all make compromises.

except you, Kurtz. you never compromised.

 

[celtic]

you are correct sir.

i wouldn't buy a new hyundai. but for $1000 i might get one.

we all make compromises.

except you, Kurtz. you never compromised.

To be quite honest, I am very frugal out of necessity.

But I don't think that I'd buy a rubber jacket simply out of comfort, not so much as being a snob.

You can buy a used leather jacket on the cheap, and if you're looking at the rubber for the weather, waxed cotton would also breathe a lot better than pvc.

I once bought cheap non-leather shoes because they looked almost identical to a leather pair I liked at 1/3 of the cost. The fact that they wore out in 1/3 of the time it would've taken the leather pair turned out to be a blessing because the shoes stunk from the get-go and only got worse when they warmed up and were walked in. The fact that my feet couldn't breathe and the way moisture collected made for some nice blisters as well. YMMV.

I don't know if a rubber jacket would be as bad, but I don't feel the need to spend $20+ to find out.

On the other hand, I am often looking for stylish products on the cheap, so please don't think I'm denigrating that.

 

[johnnyjohnny]

pLease coLoneL...

...it's PVC...poly vinyl...not rubber

as kurtz sent himself up the river for his own penitence, i'll admit, the horror of my life is that i'm a vegetarian who has a fetish for leather military and motorcycle jackets

so how could i turn this thing down...i'll go without bud this weekend

and further, i was astounded that only the mOST expensive jackets made, eastman, aero, lewis, and others have the 1-piece or 2-piece horizontal split (yoke) back...so it's my private FU to all these companies that want to save a little money by using smaller pieces of leather to put the back together

it's a roll of the dice...for $20 bux i'll take it...and let you all know how it turned out

as for you colonel...don't stay up the river too long...we may have to send martin sheen after you...and i know you won't like that

 

[AeroLeatherUSA]

FYI...

...

and further, i was astounded that only the mOST expensive jackets made, eastman, aero, lewis, and others have the 1-piece or 2-piece horizontal split (yoke) back...so it's my private FU to all these companies that want to save a little money by using smaller pieces of leather to put the back together.

Your "private FU" isn't exactly private.

It should be pointed out that IF a once piece back on our jackets is requested and do-able, we will certainlydo our best to accomodate and usually without additional charge.

 

[celtic]

...it's PVC...poly vinyl...not rubber

as kurtz sent himself up the river for his own penitence, i'll admit, the horror of my life is that i'm a vegetarian who has a fetish for leather military and motorcycle jackets

so how could i turn this thing down...i'll go without bud this weekend

and further, i was astounded that only the mOST expensive jackets made, eastman, aero, lewis, and others have the 1-piece or 2-piece horizontal split (yoke) back...so it's my private FU to all these companies that want to save a little money by using smaller pieces of leather to put the back together

it's a roll of the dice...for $20 bux i'll take it...and let you all know how it turned out

as for you colonel...don't stay up the river too long...we may have to send martin sheen after you...and i know you won't like that

my apologies if PVC is more breathable than rubber...i'm no expert.

Are my methods unsound?

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Are my methods unsound?

I'm not sure I see any method at all. [huh]

Wait, were we talking about leather jackets or johnnyjohnny's use of capital and lowercase letters?!?

 

[celtic]

I'm not sure I see any method at all. [huh]

Wait, were we talking about leather jackets or johnnyjohnny's use of capital and lowercase letters?!?

I won't belabor the point about his capital offense.

 

[Papa M]

it's a roll of the dice...for $20 bux i'll take it...and let you all know how it turned out

I wouldn't touch it - even at 10 bucks. The shape might be okay, but it looks totally crapola. Once you've bought it you'll never wear it, and you certainly won't want to display it as part of a proud collection.

 

[Edward]

... the horror of my life is that i'm a vegetarian who has a fetish for leather military and motorcycle jackets

lol Maybe you can console yourself with the notion that as leather is, at least theoretically (I know it doesn't quite always work out in practice) a by-product of the meat industry, you're at least making sure there is less wastage of an animal if one is going to be slaughtered? Have to admit that while I am an unrepentant omnivore, part of the attraction of leather for me is at least the ideal of at least trying to take only what we need from nature and not wasting anything useful from what we do kill. I don't eat horse (it's not a moral objection, though - just habit and culture), but I'm sure my cats may well have done before now in the wet food I buy them (I know they consume plenty of rabbit....), and there are plenty of folks in the world who do....

 

[mattfink]

That's like buying a tofu hot dog, you might feel good about it but it still tastes like shit.

 

[deanglen]

I'd buy it and wear it. It is what it is.














dean

 

[ron521]

The title of the thread asks the question "as niCe as an AERO or LEWIS at 3% the co$T???"

I believe the answer, regardless of the number of pieces of material in the back, would have to be "not even close"

I actually have a LEATHER jacket from Arizona Jean Company, which I purchased new back in the mid-90's. Still a nice looking comfortable jacket.
One could reasonably ask how it compares to an Aero or Lewis, I suppose.

I seriously doubt that a PVC jacket would still look so good, and wouldn't have been so comfortable even in the beginning.

Thomas Jefferson has been quoted as saying "Never buy something you don't want just because it is cheap."

 

[johnnyjohnny]

miSread...

mark from aero apparently miSread my comment, and took it as an 'FU' to AERO...

Your "private FU" isn't exactly private.
It should be pointed out that IF a once piece back on our jackets is requested and do-able, we will certainlydo our best to accomodate and usually without additional charge.

sorry mark, you're a great guy but you misread the comment...it was an FU to the OTHER companies that make 3-piece backs to save money...if you carefully read the comment you'll see i mentioned AERO among the best companies that make 1 or 2 piece backs, but not vertically split 2-piece backs or 3-piece backs:

only the mOST expensive jackets made, eastman, AERO, lewis, and others have the 1-piece or 2-piece horizontal split (yoke) back

aside from that it's an interesting mix of comments...i will say that i've spent $300 for leather jackets that ONLY end up sitting in the closet...that's a real bad feeling...

spending $20 for a jacket that sits in the closet won't kill me...however, i look at this arizona pvc jacket with the very nice style as a fun jacket...like that pair of "holy" jeans that's trashed, but you like putting them on, a t-shirt that you wear while slumming around on a saturday, but enjoy it, etc.

i recall this pair of $60 sixties style zip up ankle boots i got at a discount shoe store...i had them on, the sole was starting to come off, and this young guitarist and actor from spain asks me about them...he loves the style...i tell him they're about ready for the trash, and he begs to buy them from me...simply loved the style, would have the sole fixed...offered and paid me a $100

something doesn't have to have the best pedigree or the most expensive price to be what you end up enjoying...the best surprises are the cheaPo things that turn out to be what you love...

they don't replace the really high quality items you spent a lot on and adore...but if you go by wear counts, maybe they do

i still have all my expensive motorcycle jacks and authentic milspec a-2 and g-1s, and love putting them on, but this little arizona was irresistible...will let you know if it's the same in person in about a week

 

[Papa M]

Despite your eloquent plea JohnnyJohnny the jacket still looks to me like doggydooh. Your 20 bucks would have been much better spent on a bottle of wine.

But good luck with it anyway.

 

[Fiver64]

Can't beat leather.......

Having seen first-hand the quality of leather jackets that johnnyjohnny buys and favors..... all very good makers...... I really think that many people may be taking his intentions the wrong way. Please correct me if I'm wrong Johnny, but I think you're simply excited about a new, inexpensive find that isn't all that bad. I do agree with most of the others that "pleather" does NOT look as nice, real, or last as long (unless you consider the time pleather will take to rot in a dump vs. natural products) as nice quality leather garments.

I can see where your enthusiasm took you on this one, but I think (IMHO) that a man of your usual descerning tastes, will crumple into a quivering pool of jello the first time somebody makes a comment about how cheap your PVC jacket looks. You have too much class to try to pass this jacket off as anything other than what it is. Hey, it makes a nice raincoat or a jacket for changing oil on the car. I do know that you are NOT saying that it's as good as an AERO, etc.

Thanks for sharing your discovery and thoughts on the jacket though. Tough crowd in the room tonight!!! We still think "you're a good man, Charlie Brown!"

 

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

What about comfort?

I understand the arguments being made about the Arizona jacket's style and the fact that it has a one-piece back but what about the comfort of a jacket made from synthetic material? I truly cannot wear a synthetic jacket otherwise I would die of dehydration (brought on by profuse sweating) whilst wearing it.

Leather never let's me down in this department - I'll stick with leather because comfort to me is nearly priceless. That's my 2 cents worth.

Noel

 

[bobjones]

As someone who has learned the hard way that most of the time, you get what you pay for, I'd rather spend $550 on an Aero Hwyman - and I did, and along with my Stockman, is easily the best leather jacket I've ever seen or worn - than be even given a jacket that is cheap, cheaply made and looks it.

If I saw a "knock-about" piece and wanted it for wearing to a bar or stadium and didn't care if beer got spilled on it then I guess it would make sense, but to me, a leather jacket is a unique and special item, and a $20 rubber/plastic garment just wouldn't work for me. [huh]