Hillside leather jackets...any owners here?

[dudewuttheheck]

Wow that may be the worst leather I have seen on a non-mall jacket.

 

[ERDM]

Just as an addendum to my first post... getting a refund from Hillside has become a headache. I've actually had to get paypal involved. It's hard not to feel like I'm no longer a priority to them now that I want a refund. They've had the jacket back in their possession for nearly 2 weeks now and I still don't have my money back. I inquired about this a week ago and was promised that my refund would be processed first thing Monday morning. Well, Monday has come and gone and... nothing. I really can not recommend doing business with Hillside. If this ever was a company that produced a quality product with good customer service, then those days appear to be over.

 

[Edward]

A shame to read about this, as on paper they looked like a great option: a cilassic-styled MC jacket but with the option of CE armour for impact. Pity they don't seem to live up to expectations.

 

[JacketAddict]

Yes, I have a cafe racer and a traditional m/c - both in h/h - they are awesome. You can't go wrong at this price point - very heavy leather and good quality.

 

[ERDM]

I can't edit my last post. (post-count?) so here's the final update in case anyone's curious: Hillside never responded to the dispute, so PayPal reversed the charges.

Aero, here I come.

 

[ton312]

I can't edit my last post. (post-count?) so here's the final update in case anyone's curious: Hillside never responded to the dispute, so PayPal reversed the charges.

Aero, here I come.

Wow. That's certainly reason enough to avoid.

 

[Monitor]

It's sad but they did use to make really good jackets.

 

[tropicalbob]

On the upside, maybe this will save a few people who are looking for jackets some trouble. Even if Hillside only loses a handful of sales it will serve them right.

 

[Guppy]

On the upside, maybe this will save a few people who are looking for jackets some trouble. Even if Hillside only loses a handful of sales it will serve them right.

I hope that they go back to using better materials.

 

[ERDM]

On the upside, maybe this will save a few people who are looking for jackets some trouble. Even if Hillside only loses a handful of sales it will serve them right.

I certainly wish I'd found this thread before I bought anything from them. It's funny though, there are a lot of threads and reviews on the internet singing Hillside's praises, and from what I can see there was a time when those praises were absolutely deserved. I would love to have gotten a cafe racer like the fairly nice one posted earlier in this thread, or the D-pocket jacket that Monitor posted. I think this downturn in the quality of the product and of the customer service must be a recent thing, and I'm hopeful that maybe they can find their way back to being the "old" Hillside again. One thing I noticed was that the jacket seemed to have been drop-shipped from New York. Perhaps something up there has changed? I don't know.

 

[Guppy]

One thing I noticed was that the jacket seemed to have been drop-shipped from New York. Perhaps something up there has changed? I don't know.

That's interesting, because I thought they were based in Florida.

 

[ERDM]

That's interesting, because I thought they were based in Florida.

Their storefront is; That's where I called initially, and to where the Jacket was returned, but the tracking info for the original shipment shows that it originated in Brooklyn.

 

[ton312]

Their storefront is; That's where I called initially, and to where the Jacket was returned, but the tracking info for the original shipment shows that it originated in Brooklyn.

That's very bizarre and indeed worrisome. Those jackets could be offloaded from God knows where and Hillside label gets slapped in it and away she goes. Man. Forget that.

 

[ERDM]

That's very bizarre and indeed worrisome. Those jackets could be offloaded from God knows where and Hillside label gets slapped in it and away she goes. Man. Forget that.

I seem to remember reading something in my initial online research about how they moved to Florida at some point, but were initially based in New Jersey or something like that. I just assumed that maybe their distribution warehouse was still in New York or something. This was to be my first "real" leather jacket, so I don't know enough about the industry to know if that's good or bad. I just hope Hillside pulls it together. We have proof that they can do better than this.

 

[tropicalbob]

I hope that they go back to using better materials.

That seldom seems to happen

I seem to remember reading something in my initial online research about how they moved to Florida at some point, but were initially based in New Jersey or something like that. I just assumed that maybe their distribution warehouse was still in New York or something. This was to be my first "real" leather jacket, so I don't know enough about the industry to know if that's good or bad. I just hope Hillside pulls it together. We have proof that they can do better than this.

It's a shame when something like this happens. Usually, it's the result of new management: the old guy had a passion for his product, but the new owners/managers just want to make as much cash as possible. One variation of it was a few years ago when Frye boots was taken over ny a Chinese corp. and started putting out some very bad product. After the public picked up on it they started their "Artisanal" line, which are very nice but cost a fortune unless you luck into a sale (I'll temper this by saying that some nice boots can still be found among their regular line, but it's hard to know just what you're getting until it arrives). A number of other companies have established two distinct lines, one lower-priced and fairly crappy, and a higher-priced line that has the decent stuff.

 

[rosscoinc1]

I am gonna order their D pocket HH jacket tomorrow, it's 3-3 1/2 oz leather they got, but they said the weight is about 7-8 lbs

Did you get one? I am going to Florida at the end of the month and wonder if it is worth the time to go look at them.

 

[PeterRocco]

Here's a few more, taken just now.

The jacket weighs 9 lbs.

The customizations:

Pattern is based on a cross between their Basic motorcycle jacket, and Full belted jacket. It has the coin pocket and diagonal chest pocket of the Basic, and the full, detached belt and side laces of the Full Belted jacket.

I further customized with:

+Plain antique brass snaps (at the time Hillside used snaps with their logo on them)

+Ordinary YKK zipper pulls (as opposed to more fancy ball styles that they offer on the pockets).

+Three inside pockets (two on the left side: one zippered "gun" pocket, one horizontal slot pocket with snap closure, one snap closure "gun" pocket on the right.

+All pockets are leather lined.

+Omitted the red/white/blue border at the bottom hem of the removable liner.

After receiving, I replaced the leather they used for the side laces and zipper pulls with rawhide lace, and asked David to redo the belt, which originally was made from two pieces of leather sewn together, with one made from a single piece of leather.

The only thing I'd do differently would be to omit the snaps on the belt loops, and go with plain solid belt loops. I'm not wearing a gun belt, no need for snaps, and they just twist and make the belt loops go zig-zaggy, which I'd rather keep clean and straight.

Hi
Love your jacket. Is that a special order thicker heavier leather they used in making your jacket?
I just bought a new belt less hillside jacket on e bay for $105.00.
Peter

 

[Guppy]

Hi
Love your jacket. Is that a special order thicker heavier leather they used in making your jacket?
I just bought a new belt less hillside jacket on e bay for $105.00.
Peter

Yes, I asked for heavier weight leather than they used in the standard fit jacket they sent me to get the sizing right. I forget, but I think I specced 1.8mm or 2.0mm. I think I got what I asked for.

 

[PeterRocco]

Hi
That’s Great that they were able to use Thicker Leather. I like a Thick Leather.
If I remember about 10 years ago I had them make me a Leather Vest and they used a thicker leather then their standard.
I could not pass on the Beltless Style I found on EBay. Seller wanted $160 excepting offers on a New with Tags Jacket. I offered $105 and he excepted it.
I will Post Pictures when I get the Jacket.
Nice talking to You.
Pete

 

[Guppy]

Hi
That’s Great that they were able to use Thicker Leather. I like a Thick Leather.
If I remember about 10 years ago I had them make me a Leather Vest and they used a thicker leather then their standard.
I could not pass on the Beltless Style I found on EBay. Seller wanted $160 excepting offers on a New with Tags Jacket. I offered $105 and he excepted it.
I will Post Pictures when I get the Jacket.
Nice talking to You.
Pete

$105 is a heck of a good price, 20% or so of new. If it's in good shape you got a great deal. Post pics when you get it, along with your impressions. It's been about 6 years on since I ordered my custom jacket from Hillside, and it's crazy to think that much time has passed already.