Five Star Leather Jackets

[58panheadfan]

It's not. You can get a used Vanson for less and you are getting 10 times a better jacket. I don't want to bag on 5 Star....but the materials and construction techniques simply do not match that price tag IMO.

I have to say both of my 5Star jackets, the Roadmaster and the Trojan, are on par with a Vanson jacket. The leather on both models (black and seal waxed cowhide) is great, they fit very well and the workmanship is impeccable, equal if not better than Vanson. As I mentioned, if you do your homework right, you can't beat a 5Star leather jacket for the price/performance ratio.

 

[ton312]

I have to say both of my 5Star jackets, the Roadmaster and the Trojan, are on par with a Vanson jacket. The leather on both models (black and seal waxed cowhide) is great, they fit very well and the workmanship is impeccable, equal if not better than Vanson. As I mentioned, if you do your homework right, you can't beat a 5Star leather jacket for the price/performance ratio.

No. I have to completely disagree. Not even close. There is not a single 5 star ever posted here or anywhere else that comes within sight of Vanson. Never happened, never will. Materials, fit, construction are so far apart it’s not even a contest. I can say this with absolute certainty having owned multiple examples of both.
Vanson:

5 Star:

^This is as close as 5 Star could get with 2MM horse and it’s still a far cry from Vanson’s comp weight cow. This also illustrates the horrible jumbled mess they make of sleeves.

 

[Rugby]

I have to say both of my 5Star jackets, the Roadmaster and the Trojan, are on par with a Vanson jacket. The leather on both models (black and seal waxed cowhide) is great, they fit very well and the workmanship is impeccable, equal if not better than Vanson. As I mentioned, if you do your homework right, you can't beat a 5Star leather jacket for the price/performance ratio.

Well, be that as it may, my experience with 5* is through a single jacket I got from them and although I provided all measurements, it came back much wider, with a neck that is 5 inches wider than what I indicated, sleeves straight as planks, and inconsistent thickness of the hide. I went with their horsehide. I had to take it to a local leathersmith to fix it, because I couldn't sell it due to it's size.

 

[KBlake]

I have to say both of my 5Star jackets, the Roadmaster and the Trojan, are on par with a Vanson jacket. The leather on both models (black and seal waxed cowhide) is great, they fit very well and the workmanship is impeccable, equal if not better than Vanson. As I mentioned, if you do your homework right, you can't beat a 5Star leather jacket for the price/performance ratio.

This is exactly how I feel, but I also don't have experience with "high end" makers. I've only dealt with Schott, Vanson, 5* and Cal and I like my 5* the best because of customization (including sizing and design) and price.

 

[KBlake]

I’m very happy with this one: View attachment 558490 View attachment 558491

Are the sleeves here not good, @ton312 ? I defer to you.

 

[ton312]

Are the sleeves here not good, @ton312 ? I defer to you.

Those do look fine and I think I commented as such before. But frankly, I think you may just have gotten lucky, same way I did on my second jacket probably 350 pages back in this thread. I just couldn't ever escape the feeling that 5 Star jackets look and feel cheap. I would've been wise to quit after my second one.

 

[realgone]

No. I have to completely disagree. Not even close. There is not a single 5 star ever posted here or anywhere else that comes within sight of Vanson. Never happened, never will. Materials, fit, construction are so far apart it’s not even a contest. I can say this with absolute certainty having owned multiple examples of both.
Vanson:
View attachment 565399
5 Star:
View attachment 565401
^This is as close as 5 Star could get with 2MM horse and it’s still a far cry from Vanson’s comp weight cow. This also illustrates the horrible jumbled mess they make of sleeves.

Wow, details on that Vanson please.

 

[Bluechel]

It's not. You can get a used Vanson for less and you are getting 10 times a better jacket. I don't want to bag on 5 Star....but the materials and construction techniques simply do not match that price tag IMO.

Yes, he's quickly priced himself out of the market. $60 is shipping on top of it all. THAT'S the ultimate issue, that your dollars DON't go a long way. I'll buy Vansons 1000 times in a row....

 

[ton312]

Wow, details on that Vanson please.

Model E, 2000's era, fairly readily available on eBay. Usually priced under a new 5 Star.

 

[ton312]

Yes, he's quickly priced himself out of the market. $60 is shipping on top of it all. THAT'S the ultimate issue, that your dollars DON't go a long way. I'll buy Vansons 1000 times in a row....

All hides, all builds, sub $200 shipped and it’s a different story. At $400, NFG.

 

[Bluechel]

All hides, all builds, sub $200 shipped and it’s a different story. At $400, NFG.

Exact-a-effing-lutely.

 

[MadCat]

My one and only 5star jacket (halfbelt) was great. Only reason I sold it was the hide was too thick (2mm steer) to wear comfortably. They hit every measurement perfectly and the leather was amazing both in look, feel and smell. Like I said before you have to be very specific with them.

That’s just my experience! Again, that’s only one jacket I had made by them.

 

[Bluechel]

My jacket is supposed to be 1.4mm goat and it’s paper thin, not sure I totally understand weights/thickness. If my jacket was “too thick” I’d be over the moon. As it is, I’m starting to bond with it but …….

 

[ton312]

I think the “be specific” clause doesn’t hold water. I was specific, pages of pdf specific and it wasn’t the numbers that failed. 5 Star hit the spec to the digit with very few exceptions. But the materials and construction are lower tier. They just are. If you’ve owned higher end jackets, there is no debating it and by their own admission, they aren’t trying to be anything other than that.

I feel like most 5 Star owners are desperately trying to convince themselves of something that simply isn’t there. I get it. I did it too. But after the thrill of design on a dime wore off, the end product just feels sub par. And it is. Is it unwearable? Of course not. It’s better than mall quality. Is it on the same level as established and pricier makers? No. Of course and obviously, it is not.

 

[Harris HTM]

Just go with their military repro's. Quite a few of them are copied after originals (Shawn and his team got their hands into many originals and copied/developped the paterns) and moreover our friends at the VLJ forum commented a lot on them and help 5* to optimize even details such as epaulette x-seams.
I own three 5* jackets, all military.
My first one was a goat AN6552. It is on par with the big league boys, amazing thick and supple hide.
My second one was a U-marine leather peacoat. It was supposed to be their premium goat again, however what I received is a much thinner and far more flat hide. It has become however one of my favourite ones (and in hindsight: with a 1.0mm thick hide it is already heavy enough, with a 1.2-1.3mm it would be overkill).
My third one was an A-2 in their horsehide. Loved the fit however even after months of wear the stink was overwhelming. I had the brilliant idea to wash it in the washing machine (cold, gentle wash) and it shrunk one to two sizes. The probably use stretched hides.

 

[MrProper]

I agree with @ton312
I found 5* great for playing around with different sizes and designs. But the prices were much more attractive then. Now the prices have gone up and I have to pay customs duty when importing into the EU.

And I don't like the leather enough and the gambling character. Will I get what I ordered or will something not fit even though it was specified exactly? Potential problems are: Chest pocket position, neck hole, curvy or not curvy sleeves, wide at the hem.

I got curvy sleeves on my Cafe Racer. It was better than nothing, but far from good. The CR was definitely my best 5*

Of my many jackets, there were two or three that I would have been really happy with if I hadn't had other jackets with much nicer leather and hardware.

Other jackets seemed like a good idea to me, but when I wore them I realised that I didn't really like them (e.g. buttons instead of zips)

But for exact copies, 5* is perfectly acceptable. That's why the military jackets seem to do much better, because they have original ones and put a lot of heart and soul into making them as true to the original as possible.
Left the cheap fake leather fashion jacket, right the copy made from real leather an satin lining (still a fashion jacket, but my daughter like it)

 

[Canuck Panda]

however even after months of wear the stink was overwhelming. I had the brilliant idea to wash it in the washing machine (cold, gentle wash) and it shrunk one to two sizes. The probably use stretched hides.

^^^ This. But to be fair, I've also had stinky and crappy hides from other highly praised brands here. At least 5* was less than half the price.
I still go back to my original recommendation to look for a used jacket with brand name tannery hides. Best bang for the buck.

 

[58panheadfan]

I think the “be specific” clause doesn’t hold water. I was specific, pages of pdf specific and it wasn’t the numbers that failed. 5 Star hit the spec to the digit with very few exceptions. But the materials and construction are lower tier. They just are. If you’ve owned higher end jackets, there is no debating it and by their own admission, they aren’t trying to be anything other than that.

I feel like most 5 Star owners are desperately trying to convince themselves of something that simply isn’t there. I get it. I did it too. But after the thrill of design on a dime wore off, the end product just feels sub par. And it is. Is it unwearable? Of course not. It’s better than mall quality. Is it on the same level as established and pricier makers? No. Of course and obviously, it is not.

Maybe it was just luck with both of my 5Star leather jackets (Roadmaster & Trojan) or maybe it's because I gave a 10% tip to the team when I paid. As mentioned, I am more than happy with both. Looking back, I would change two or three small things on the Roadmaster. The Trojan turned out perfectly. But I am very happy with the leather (waxed steerhide), the fit and the workmanship is really excellent. Of course, a 5Star leather jacket cannot be compared with jackets made in Japan, I call it 1st level jackets, but my jackets can withstand the common jackets made in USA, I call it 2nd level (mass produced Vanson & Schott) at any time. @ton312 I know you see it another way but that's a fact for my jackets. But I won't order any more 5Star leather jackets because I think I can only lose and I also don't have the nerve to create another detailed order sheet.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Patterns superiority are opinion based. It's YMMV and not math or science based, where everyone gets the same repeatable results given the same parameter.

The only difference between a 5Star or a Schott / Vanson is that I cannot return the 5star when it doesn't work out (aka I don't like it for personal reasons). Nor can I get as much resale. This has nothing to do with patterns or quality, more to do with branding and the business machine behind it. To use 100% USA material to make the jacket in USA today it would have to retail over 1500 dollars.

Small USA shops that can sell top dollars in Japan is still on a different level though. They're really good, but also too expensive like most Japanese jackets. Again, a good used one would be ideal in this situation.

We really just need very good local craftsman who can reline and taper and shorten our lightly used (but was) very expensive retail jackets.

 

[ton312]

Maybe it was just luck with both of my 5Star leather jackets (Roadmaster & Trojan) or maybe it's because I gave a 10% tip to the team when I paid. As mentioned, I am more than happy with both. Looking back, I would change two or three small things on the Roadmaster. The Trojan turned out perfectly. But I am very happy with the leather (waxed steerhide), the fit and the workmanship is really excellent. Of course, a 5Star leather jacket cannot be compared with jackets made in Japan, I call it 1st level jackets, but my jackets can withstand the common jackets made in USA, I call it 2nd level (mass produced Vanson & Schott) at any time. @ton312 I know you see it another way but that's a fact for my jackets. But I won't order any more 5Star leather jackets because I think I can only lose and I also don't have the nerve to create another detailed order sheet.

I don't hold the stuff made in Japan in high regard personally. The materials are nice, but some of the very worst pattern and design runs rampant in Japanese repro's. really horrible, disproportioned junk. Japanes makers are not tier 1 for me.
I have yet to see a single 5 Star approach the very worst jacket produced by Schott or Vanson...I mean no offense to your jackets and I'm glad you are happy with them but IMO, they are far inferior to both those makers and can only have favorable comparisons to mall jacket brands like Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacobs, etc. I know this because I ran through numerous hides and materials with 5 Star. The cowhide used by 5 Star is essentially purse leather, it also appears printed and again, no offense intended, I can see that clear as day in both your jackets (just like I could in mine). The horsehide is thin, inconstant in terms of thickness and feels overall really weak. I have covered the failings of 5 Star's pattern making in the past, no need to repeat.

I am somewhat surprised to hear your thoughts given the diversity of your collection and what you've owned. It is not intended to be a disparaging comment about 5 Star but the jackets have an undeniable air of cheapness and flatness that is absolutely inescapable and plainly obvious. I tried to convince myself of otherwise...but facts is facts, and that's why there isn't a single 5 Star left in my closet. I feel fortunate to have been able to sell the tbh.