Eastman Leather jackets

[Jeff M]

I live in the US, and I'm looking into purchasing an Eastman RAF sheepskin leather jacket.
There looks to 2 different outlets.
One in the US in New Jersey,;
http://www.historypreservation.com/hpassociates/index2.php

And one in England;
http://www.eastmanleather.com/

which looks like the parent company.
Any suggestions as to which one to purchase from?

 

[Spitfire]

In the past there has been many stories on "The History Co." - not all of them positive. "Slow delivery" "High prices" etc. Try a search here for yourself.
On the other hand, there are taxes etc. when buying from UK.
There is - however - no doubt in my mind. Buy from Eastman in UK.
They deliever excellent service, great products and personal help and advice if you need it.

 

[Persimmon]

Eastman UK

Hi Jeff,
Although I live in England so of course biased !! I would recommend you purchase direct from Eastman UK.
If you know your size then order off the web site.
If by chance you send any follow up emails do not worry if not picked up and replied asap.
Gary tends to do this every so often.
If you place the order you will get exactly what you ask for.
However always phone for instant best service,
Ask for Rob- he's a great guy to deal with.
If your a standard size then its simple -if your a long or short body you can request the extra inch on or off ( length and/or sleeves).
Speed is good. Delivery packaging the best.
I have bought several jackets recently and all delivered to my utmost satisfaction.
Hope it works out for you.
Alan

 

[Jeff M]

Thanks for the assistance.

 

[Phantomfixer]

If HPS in NJ has the item in stock and they do stock a lot of product, then delivery time is usually pretty good for the US. My last order last month took 3 days to get to my doorstep:eusa_clap . HPS waits for bulk orders before placing an order from Eastman direct. So the lead time is pretty long for an out of stock item or a special order ie short/long sizes. Just my experience (which has always been good) with the folks at HPS in NJ.

 

[Smithy]

Jeff, I've dealt direct with ELC and only have good things to say of them, they are simply fantastic.

And you're getting an Irvin eh? I have Eastman's 1940 BoB Pattern which is a beautiful jacket. But bear one thing in mind, you might not get a lot of wear with it if you live in Hawaii

 

[Jeff M]

Jeff, I've dealt direct with ELC and only have good things to say of them, they are simply fantastic.

And you're getting an Irvin eh? I have Eastman's 1940 BoB Pattern which is a beautiful jacket. But bear one thing in mind, you might not get a lot of wear with it if you live in Hawaii

That's OK. Spend a lot of time on the mainland. lol

 

[surdanis]

Might as well buy direct. Prices are a bit steep otherwise.

 

[jon z]

The parent co. is Eastman in the UK

As title.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Did I read on COW that Eastman has been using steer as horsehide? Info from "Patterson", I think.

 

[Creeping Past]

Did I read on COW that Eastman has been using steer as horsehide? Info from "Patterson", I think.

Given the seriousness of the implications of contravening trade description regulations in the UK -- not to mention retaining and growing their business -- I doubt whether they'd want to deceive their customers.

Also, given the seriousness of your casual assertion, shouldn't your words "Did I read" be immediately edited and replaced with an actual real-world reference?

 

[Persimmon]

Horse is horse and men who watch goats ........

No.
Unfair and wrong
Check each description and if its
goat you get goat, Horse you get horse etc etc
They play fair.
Alan

 

[Spitfire]

Just curious: Which Irvin are you going for?
The 1942 pattern or the 1938/1940 pattern?

 

[Jeff M]

Just curious: Which Irvin are you going for?
The 1942 pattern or the 1938/1940 pattern?

The 38/40 "Battle of Britain"

 

[Smithy]

The 38/40 "Battle of Britain"

Jeff as I mentioned I have one of these. Just a little bit of advice which you may find helpful...

For sizing go one size up from your standard dress shirt/jacket size, so if you are a 40'' shirt get your Irvin in a 42''. Also if you are over 5' 10'' in height I'd suggest going for the "long" sizing (an extra inch to the arms and body) and if you are over 6' may I suggest going for the "extra long" sizing (an extra inch and a half to the arms and body). With ELC's "long" and "extra long" sizings you can also specify if you want the extra length only on the body and not the arms.

HTH mate and good choice with the BoB Irvin, they are simply beautiful jackets. I think you'll love it!

 

[Seb Lucas]

Given the seriousness of the implications of contravening trade description regulations in the UK -- not to mention retaining and growing their business -- I doubt whether they'd want to deceive their customers.

Also, given the seriousness of your casual assertion, shouldn't your words "Did I read" be immediately edited and replaced with an actual real-world reference?

No. COW is a forum as real as this one.

 

[Spitfire]

The 38/40 "Battle of Britain"

Good choice - I have one too (Aero in Scotland)

 

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

My experience...

I have bought from both HPA numerous times and from Eastman directly once. Each time was a good experience. My last purchase direct from Eastman was a Roughwear B-3 and the only driver was purely cost otherwise I would have ordered through HPA.

One thing to consider is customs fees if ordering from Eastman. U.S. customs got me for an additional $80 or so but even with that, it was still almost $200 cheaper than HPA would have charged me.

Noel

 

[Jeff M]

Jeff as I mentioned I have one of these. Just a little bit of advice which you may find helpful...

For sizing go one size up from your standard dress shirt/jacket size, so if you are a 40'' shirt get your Irvin in a 42''. Also if you are over 5' 10'' in height I'd suggest going for the "long" sizing (an extra inch to the arms and body) and if you are over 6' may I suggest going for the "extra long" sizing (an extra inch and a half to the arms and body). With ELC's "long" and "extra long" sizings you can also specify if you want the extra length only on the body and not the arms.

HTH mate and good choice with the BoB Irvin, they are simply beautiful jackets. I think you'll love it!

My chest is a size 44". Waist 37". I stand 5'9", 180#. "Atheletic" build.
My problem with off the rack jackets tends to be sleeves that are too long and waist that blooms out like a tent from my chest.
If I went up to a size 46 I think I'd look like I was a kid wearing my fathers jacket. lol

 

[Creeping Past]

No. COW is a forum as real as this one.

Of course it is. My point was that a vague suggestion of a reference is no reference at all. We're still none the wiser. I'm not a member there. Many here aren't.

And you still haven't said whether you actually heard it on COW. Did you or didn't you? I doubt it.

In case you're unaware of what you've done, let me say you've just accused a major manufacturer of lying and cheating their customers. And you say "No" when asked to back that shaky accusation up.

I've no affiliation to Eastman and don't own a single jacket made by them.