Five Star Leather Jackets

[ton312]

Sorry man. That's just me doing exactly what you are doing. Lying to myself about a shit jacket of my own creation.
One thing I discovered when I had to strip and dye it…it was combo goat and cow. Pieced together. Garbage.

 

[KBlake]

Hardly prostating my self bud. I just find calling people names who have more experience and go out of there way to give free advice so people can look cool unbecoming personally.

I don’t think anyone would be offended about being called a snob aka aficionado on a forum called the fedora lounge lol. It’s basically in the title. I also didn’t call anyone in particular a snob. No need to get your panties in a twist.

 

[barnabus]

snob aka aficionado

Those words mean different things.

 

[KBlake]

Those words mean different things.

I apologize to anyone who may have been offended by my use of the word snob. There are no snobs here, only aficionados. Is everyone happy now?

 

[JMax]

I get the sentiment I just feel like, would you go to a Kia dealer parking lot and tell all the customers that a Mercedes is better? They already know lol.

I like Kia and may even prefer some of their cars to some Mercedes so I don’t think this analogy quite works for me. But using your logic— I would if the Kia owner states that the Kia is just as good or better than the Mercedes.

 

[navetsea]

So the acne is on 2”x2” of the jacket on the cuff in a location where the wearer will notice it but no one else is likely to. I’m sure it will go away once it dries completely. If it does then I will go back to being very happy with the jacket. If it doesn’t go away then I will no longer be completely happy. The entire jacket got wet and the rest of it looks great. Here’s how it looks at present: View attachment 568309

since it only happen on the cuff I think I know the reason, they fused both side of the leather with either leather glue( some kind of latex resin or contact glue or sometime white woodworking glue) or they put these iron on nonwoven material usually used on cheaper suit lapel to fuse both sides of the cuff for flatter and easier to stitch together, and when wet some of the parts that is not completely fused bubble up a bit.

 

[KBlake]

since it only happen on the cuff I think I know the reason, they fused both side of the leather with either leather glue( some kind of latex resin or contact glue or sometime white woodworking glue) or they put these iron on nonwoven material usually used on cheaper suit lapel to fuse both sides of the cuff for flatter and easier to stitch together, and when wet some of the parts that is not completely fused bubble up a bit.

Would that explain why it went away when I rolled the leather?

 

[Marc mndt]

As I said, I’ve had schotts and vansons and the jackets I posted above are at least as good. I’ve never found a jacket from either brand that fit perfectly so I prefer 5*.

What would you say makes 5* "at least as good" as Schott or Vanson?

 

[CombatWombat]

Thanks for the link.

One explanation could be this post:

"FWIW, it might also be worth getting a different contract from Five Star: Broncos were prone to having the epaulets a bit forward to begin with, and Shawn got his start making Bronco repros, so it's possible they used a less up-to-date pattern on your jacket. Also, Bronco is one of the contracts where Five Star was NOT able to examine an original, so there are just better contracts to choose from in Five Star's line-up: Star, Rough Wear, Dubow, Poughkeepsie."

It's probably the 5* lottery after all. They have no sense of proportion or aesthetics. Give them patterns and good materials and they'll make something good. Contract manufacturers, after all.
Everything else is a game of chance.

Look the thing 5* gets right is COPYING an existing pattern.
They ain't designers!
They ain't tailors!
They are engineers!

They can pull something apart and copy the individual sections like an engineer does
They can make blueprints. from those individual bits and replicate them until the sun dies out.
To expect them to do anything more complex than that is asinine

 

[navetsea]

Would that explain why it went away when I rolled the leather?

maybe when you massage it around the fuse actually separate totally, sometime they fuse it temporarily with double tape to make it easier to set the position, on fabrics you can use pin needles to set position, but not on leather because it will leave holes so often they use weak glue or double tape to help with positioning in sewing several layers together.

 

[MrProper]

It's relatively simple. Subjectively speaking, you can be happy with a 5* jacket because it might fit your budget well, maybe it doesn't have any faults and the leather fits reasonably well. All fine.

Objectively speaking, the jackets are not worth their price. Maybe they would be if the end result and quality were consistent or if you could return the jacket at no cost if it wasn't as expected.

E.g. I ordered a half belt with the exact dimensions. I received photos prior to shipping that showed the tape measure draped in a way that showed my measurements, but I couldn't easily see that. The result was that the neck hole was 3 inches larger. Strictly speaking, it was fraud. Because it was clear to them that I would not have accepted the jacket with these dimensions and that they would have had to remake it.

In another attempt, the neck hole fit, but the breast pocket didn't.

While the satin lining in the first HB was quite good, in the second HB it was thin and cheap.
With the HB, the half belt is not sewn onto the finished back, but it’s a thin piece of leather between the upper and the lower part of the back. Visually it looks normal at first glance, but it is actually manufactured cheaply and uses extremely little material. etc. etc.

another time the color of the thread didn't match, instead of a jacket collar a shirt collar was made and again and again the different thickness of the leather.

So if it takes me three to four tries until a jacket is the way I want it to be, and I have to pay for each one, then I still have a bad jacket for the price of a high-quality jacket.

Anyone who likes gambling or wants to design something of their own will be happy here. But it's definitely not for beginners and people who hope to get a leather jacket for little money.

 

[TartuWolf]

I'll add a few of my thoughts here as well as a beginner.
1 . Let's not compare new 5* pricing to used Vanson/OtherMaker prices. Let's compare new to new to be fair.
In that perspective 1 Aero = ~3 5*, 1 Vanson = ~2*, 1 SB = ~2*, 1 Thedi = ~4-5*.
2 . Like many others have said - they are great at copying an existing jacket, even though the sub-part materials used in the copy remain true.
3 . 5* is a very high risk and (still) rather high reward gamble - you really need to play your cards right to profit.
4 . Addictive - got a reasonable nice jacket form them. A few things are a bit off. But you see the potential there - it's so close to being good. Should be easy to fix those several small issues with the next jacket and really nail it down right? If you're lucky - yes, but most likely something else will be off. Will you risk the 3rd time? Shawn certainly hopes so.
5 . Sketchy measuring during QC - Yes measuring is an art more than a science in terms of jackets (within certain margins) but 5* has been notorious in terms of skewing measurements in QC photos just to avoid remaking the jacket before sending it out.
6 . Resale value - close to none. If you requested a jacket custom for your dimensions - you severely restricted how many other people would the jacket fit.
7 . 5* is an anomaly in the leather jacket world. A contractor / mass manufacturer that has a side hustle of making bespoke/custom jackets. But I guess they found a nice niche there and the whole thing is profitable enough not only to keep going but also to raise prices. I think the military repro / shearling jacket aspect of it is pulling it forward.
Anyway, let's keep thing civil and not call sceptics/people with different opinions "snobs" and "haters". Don't expect a nice response if you chose to do so.
I'll be putting up my 5* up for sale in the near future, my Aero Hooch Hauler and Vanson Model B is more than enough for me. The 5* just does not compare in terms of fit and mobility (partly my fault for sure!). I do like the goatskin though.
Cheers from snowy Estonia!

 

[MrProper]

Maybe just to clarify.
I don't want to miss my experience with 5*.
I enjoyed trying out my own designs and creating various Frankensteins. And the quick production and delivery was cool too.
In that respect everything is good. But you should know what you're getting yourself into. Because this experience wasn't cheap.

 

[Marc mndt]

With the HB, the half belt is not sewn onto the finished back, but it’s a thin piece of leather between the upper and the lower part of the back. Visually it looks normal at first glance, but it is actually manufactured cheaply and uses extremely little material. etc. etc.

Just to clarify, that's the proper (pun intended) way to do it .

 

[MrProper]

Just to clarify, that's the proper (pun intended) way to do it .

View attachment 568750

Thank you. I've always wanted to ask what the original is like. lol
Somehow it didn't seem good to me, but maybe it was because the fold of the leather was quite thick. Maybe also because the leather half belt was thinner than the rest of the back.

 

[ton312]

Maybe just to clarify.
I don't want to miss my experience with 5*.
I enjoyed trying out my own designs and creating various Frankensteins. And the quick production and delivery was cool too.
In that respect everything is good. But you should know what you're getting yourself into. Because this experience wasn't cheap.

I feel the same way. It’s also important to note that 5 Star has zero resale value. I think other than the super thick “horse” all mine were sold off (gleefully) for around $120-$150 and frankly I felt lucky to have recovered that. Others I just gave away (2 here on the lounge).
It is fun playing designer and you’re right the turn around time makes the process addicting. Wolf said it best, you keep thinking the next one will be perfect if I just correct x,y,z. It never is.
As far as the leathers go, I will absolutely say they are ugly. There is a reason I striped my jackets with acetone and dyed them. The goatskin itself is ok but I did find on my Winchester jacket (once stripped) there were two cowhide panels on a goatskin jacket. To me that screams budget build, pieced together junk.
While I did have some fun with the process, I am happy it’s behind me and if I’m being honest, I wish I’d never wasted all the time, money and effort.

 

[KBlake]

What would you say makes 5* "at least as good" as Schott or Vanson?

It’s totally subjective. I’m saying I’ve owned both and I am happier with my 5* because they feel just as good in terms of quality (I know people here will gasp) and they fit much better because they are custom.

 

[KBlake]

I'll add a few of my thoughts here as well as a beginner.
1 . Let's not compare new 5* pricing to used Vanson/OtherMaker prices. Let's compare new to new to be fair.
In that perspective 1 Aero = ~3 5*, 1 Vanson = ~2*, 1 SB = ~2*, 1 Thedi = ~4-5*.
2 . Like many others have said - they are great at copying an existing jacket, even though the sub-part materials used in the copy remain true.
3 . 5* is a very high risk and (still) rather high reward gamble - you really need to play your cards right to profit.
4 . Addictive - got a reasonable nice jacket form them. A few things are a bit off. But you see the potential there - it's so close to being good. Should be easy to fix those several small issues with the next jacket and really nail it down right? If you're lucky - yes, but most likely something else will be off. Will you risk the 3rd time? Shawn certainly hopes so.
5 . Sketchy measuring during QC - Yes measuring is an art more than a science in terms of jackets (within certain margins) but 5* has been notorious in terms of skewing measurements in QC photos just to avoid remaking the jacket before sending it out.
6 . Resale value - close to none. If you requested a jacket custom for your dimensions - you severely restricted how many other people would the jacket fit.
7 . 5* is an anomaly in the leather jacket world. A contractor / mass manufacturer that has a side hustle of making bespoke/custom jackets. But I guess they found a nice niche there and the whole thing is profitable enough not only to keep going but also to raise prices. I think the military repro / shearling jacket aspect of it is pulling it forward.
Anyway, let's keep thing civil and not call sceptics/people with different opinions "snobs" and "haters". Don't expect a nice response if you chose to do so.
I'll be putting up my 5* up for sale in the near future, my Aero Hooch Hauler and Vanson Model B is more than enough for me. The 5* just does not compare in terms of fit and mobility (partly my fault for sure!). I do like the goatskin though.
Cheers from snowy Estonia!

Here’s the thing. Even the most esteemed members of this group initially gushed about some of their 5* jackets. If that’s the case, how bad could they be? Comparing them with jackets that cost twice or three times as much is not a fair comparison, right?

The people on this forum are the most discerning on the planet when it comes to this topic. 99.99% of people would be thrilled with a 5* and probably couldn’t tell the difference between a 5* and an Aero from 5 feet away. A 5* is far superior to the leather jackets that the average person on the street is wearing, or any other new leather jacket for the same price.

 

[ton312]

It’s totally subjective. I’m saying I’ve owned both and I am happier with my 5* because they feel just as good in terms of quality (I know people here will gasp) and they fit much better because they are custom.

Quality is not subjective. It’s quantifiable.
5 star:

Schott:

Vanson:

 

[ton312]

Even the most esteemed members of this group initially gushed about some of their 5* jackets. If that’s the case, how bad could they be?

It’s easy to be fooled. Staying that way takes work. To be fair, I should have sat with my jackets a bit longer before sharing my thoughts. As if beating the jackets to bits with a hammer, bathing them in acid or other manner of torture weren’t telling enough.