HH US Authentic A2 after 2 years of wear

[yar]

Hello folks, my name is Yar, I am from Berlin, Germany. I do not post much in this forum, but I read it very often. I want to thank you for helping me choose the jacket that I am very happy with. I use it as my everyday jacket most of the time, in summer and winter. I am not careful with it, im sure it can take a punch since its impressingly heavy for its size. However, the very smooth jacket in the beginning started to develop some character in the first months and now its almost two years I have been wearing it. The grain and wrinkles are very different and I am looking forward to the moment when the jacket develops even more signs of wear and patina. I want to share it with you, since there are not many examples of US-A jackets on this forum. I hope you find this interesting.

 

[yar]

And some on the owner. I have to say that I am a slim person and the jacket is a bit too wide in the shoulders, but I am working on it with sports so it should fit me even better in the future

 

[ButteMT61]

Looks very nice! Hardly even looks used yet
That will last a long time, and it's looking great so far. Enjoy - cool weather is coming!

 

[thor]

Nice jacket; I have a US Authentic in seal brown horsehide. They are well-made jackets with thick, heavily pigmented leather. The grain really starts to pop up with increased wear. Not wearing mine lately since I just received my new Aeroleather A-2 and have been wearing it every day (it's breaking in wonderfully). The US-A jackets are good quality jackets. Good luck with yours!

 

[Worf]

I just got a US-Authentic recently, a black, custom HH Indy jacket. I did the collar last night and wore it today. Getting loads of compliments, mostly from women and bikers LOL! Nice jacket, enjoy. US-Aunthentic may not get the "love" of some other brands but them make a great piece of hide.

Worf

 

[ButteMT61]

I just got a US-Authentic recently, a black, custom HH Indy jacket. I did the collar last night and wore it today. Getting loads of compliments, mostly from women and bikers LOL! Nice jacket, enjoy. US-Aunthentic may not get the "love" of some other brands but them make a great piece of hide.Worf

Is this Joe Biden? lol

 

[Worf]

Is this Joe Biden? lol

Yeah can a brother git a lap dance?

Worf

 

[ButteMT61]

Yeah can a brother git a lap dance?Worf

 

[too much coffee]

Hey Scott;
Don't that look like Hoosier Daddy and Peacoat sitting on the flanks? Peacoat looks like he's gonna pull out a cyclic stick and smack Joe!

 

[ButteMT61]

Could be. None of 'em ever smile lol

 

[Asienizen]

Great jacket, I have a HH USAuthentic just like it. I've had mine for almost 2 years, and although its probably not the quality of a GW or ELC, I really enjoy it and I think it was a good buy for the price. I've got some pictures on this link, I can't figure out how to post pictures directly.

http://s1068.photobucket.com/albums/u455/Asienizen/A2 USAuthentic/

 

[schitzo]

That is some very efficient German photography, well played sir. I like the look of this jacket. I can see why you are saying the shoulders are too wide but I'm not so sure about that. They aren't too wide to the point that they're obviously a size too big for you + with them like this I guess there's more manoeuvreability (is this a word?) and comfort

 

[yar]

Hey, thanks for your comments! Well at the beginning the jacket was very smooth and stiff like a piece of armor, not very comfortable. Now its a huge difference of course, it became pretty soft in the areas of heavy usage and there is some patina development going on at the lower back and the lower sleeves, so it looks well used to me now. But when I compare it to other jackets here on the forum that were worn for a year or even less I see more signs of usage on them. So that might be it.

Yes, the fit is ok and I feel that it scratches on the comfort borderline when I raise my arms. A size 36 would be too trim and short, but I still think that it would look better with the shoulders filled out completely by my body. But its a good additional sports motivation like I said I am very young still, 22, and I look forward to see how this jacket will look on me in 5 or more years, I hope it will not rip until then

Nice pics, Asienizen, your jacket looks much smoother.

I also like the olive colored felt A1 made by Spearhead very much. I wish the collar would be more sharp like on the leather A1 thouth, without it the jacket looks a bit soft.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

I like it alot. I can see that the wear doesnt come forward on the pictures, I would asume it shows much more irl.

I think it looks very well made and the color and hide is really nice!

I agree that its not as close a fit as some would crave, but you pictures nevertheless makes me want that jacket!! There is something about it and its a blend of the look, the fit and the feel of the leather, for me it comes out alot on the entire back and the collar - on the pictures where you wear the jacket.

Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Asienizen]

Yar - I like the lighting you did with those shots. Did you use a flash? The picture shows the grain well.

I've noticed that the Talon "Nickel" zipper is just Nickel coating over a brass zipper. I suppose I got what I paid for though.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I had a seal HH US Authentic A-2 for eight years - it got tight when I gained a little weight, so I sold it a couple of years ago to help pay for the Good Wear that I recently got.

While the Good Wear is, of course, at a whole other level of accuracy and craftsmanship, having it has actually made me more impressed with my old US Authentic: a US A A-2 essentially gets you about 85% of the way to the quality of a premium repro (Eastman, Aero, GW, etc.) at much lower cost. Their hides are very solid, the other materials and details pretty good if you're not a fanatic, and if their somewhat odd sizing works for you, they're a great option. (As I've often stated here, their less expensive goatskin model is probably THE best buy for those seeking a repro A-2 on a budget.)

The only negative I'd point out is that the pigment finish on their horsehide is perhaps too thick and tough... or at least it was on my circa-2002 model. After eight years of regular wear (not constant, of course, it was sharing rotation with my other jackets), including plenty of exposure to rain and snow, the seal finish on my jacket hadn't begun to wear off. Not anyplace, not even on stress points like elbows or the edges of the windflap and epaulettes. Apart from the wrinkling and creasing of the leather on some panels (some remained smooth) as it broke in and conformed to my shape, it never developed the lived-in look that you'd expect after hundreds of wearings. And I thought that odd, because Shaul had told me when I bought the jacket (in person, since I live near Katonah) that it would quickly develop character as the topcoat wore off...

But apart from that, I had no complaints. US A jackets are very tough, and have a unique rough-hewn, handmade feel that other jackets costing more (e.g., Gibson & Barnes) lack. They remain a solid choice in the lower price range.

 

[yar]

@Asienizen: no, I have not used a flash, I made the fotos quickly in the evening when the sun was shining exactly through the window and reflecting on the white wall behind me. So its just the direct sunlight.

Well, the finish wears off slowly on stress points, i have another pic here:



And here you can see it too in the lower part.



But yes, it happens very slowly indeed! [huh] And as you can see the knits were "repaired" on some points on the lower back and on one sleeve, maybe because they are poor quality, maybe they started to rip because I stressed them too much.

 

[KELORGO]

Yar and Asienizen,

Are both of your A2s in Seal Brown HH? I have samples coming from Shaul, but the Seal Brown HH looks really dark (almost black) on some of his jackets and lighter on others. Thanks!

 

[Asienizen]

Kelorgo,
If you checked out my photobucket link (and I'm assuming you did) you're looking at a US-A in russet HH. I think I would have preferred to get it in that dark seal brown, but I've been told by people that they think the lighter shade is nicer on me. If I were to buy from them again, I might get a custom fit one in seal goatskin without a collar stand - that stiff horsehide collar stand hits my adam's apple.

Let me know if those samples are comparable to the pictures on the website.

 

[yar]

Its russet, Kelorgo