Himel: An Existential Review

[Geekrobot]

Great jacket! Sorry about the wait. They could be better communications up front, but 5 months isn’t long in custom jackets. Still, maker should always be honest with actual lead time and always keep customers informed. Always under sell and over deliver.

Non Himel question, how much did Langlitz wanted for the custom Comstock? Thanks!

Thanks! In the end, it's still less time than Langlitz kept me waiting before saying they weren't going to make my Comstock, but agreed-- it's more about the communication than the timeframe, I surmise.

Langlitz wanted $1725 for a custom cowhide Comstock with a mouton collar, soft belt, and a few extra pockets.

 

[Geekrobot]

Jasmine again

Damn poor Jasmine lol

Haha, I don't know whether I should feel sorry for her or guilty for getting her in trouble with the boss!

 

[Marc mndt]

I know from experience how frustrating it is when a project is delayed over and over again. Like @Brandrea33 said, jacket makers tend to march to the beat of their own drum, it's definitely not something that's exclusive to Himel.

I've had Thedi's that were delayed by months. On my last order Theodoros sent me pics of the completed jacket mid February, it only needed the buttons to be attached. It was delivered the last day of March. I've heard a fellow tfl member had to wait 7 months for his thedi to be completed.

I'm still waiting on my Field Leathers which I've ordered January 2021 when I was quoted a six months lead time. So that's fifteen months and counting right now. I was told (for the first time) that my jacket would go into production soon August last year. Many more deadlines have past.

I know it's frustrating but your five month wait isn't all that excessive. I'm not saying it's acceptable, definitely not when communication is as flawed as it was in your case. In just saying that I've gotten used to it and that I've learned to take the quoted lead times with a grain of salt.

I wish they were cheaper for the less intricate designs like cafe racers considering Real McCoy manages to price Bucos at $1,900 with world wide distribution and Japanese wages are higher than Canada. Toys McCoy and Rainbow Country also have racers around $1,600 usd minus import costs.

Those or OTR jackets. Can't compare prices of OTR to full custom.

 

[willyto]

To be honest I don’t know how you guys put up with all the excuses and delays of every single custom leather maker.

Some waiting years and years, others getting misstreated through communication,etc.

 

[MrProper]

Great review. Thanks.
I am totally with you and see it the same way. Even if 5 months are not much for others: if 2 months are agreed, then 5 are unacceptable. Even more so when such an asshole attitude is added to it.
And if there's one thing that really makes me puke, it's when a boss exposes his employees.
Even if I wanted to afford a jacket in this price range, that would be a knockout criterion for me.

Anyway, congratulations on your Canadian Deerskin jacket. I like the leather.

 

[Marc mndt]

Haha, I don't know whether I should feel sorry for her or guilty for getting her in trouble with the boss!

Poor Jasmine, it used to be Parker who got thrown under the bus.

I've asked parker to go back in his emails and see what resolution we came to. Again Parker was new and unused to qc at this time.

 

[MTS]

That was a great review. I'm sorry that you had such a terrible experience. I'd be infuriated/frustrated with that situation as well. A complete bespoke piece always sounds so tempting to me but stories like this make me very wary.

For what it's worth, that jacket is incredible and I hope your bad experience won't sour what should be a grail piece. I do hope that in time the bad feelings fade away and you enjoy that beautiful jacket!

 

[BloodEagle]

I could tell you some very similar horror stories about a particular custom guitar maker I tangled with and have vowed never to use again - incredibly frustrating when you’ve paid up front and are being pointedly ignored . Like this, the end product was fantastic - but in my case I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy playing it I was so bummed out over the whole ordeal, and I sold it almost immediately upon receiving it following a 3 year wait! I wish I hadnt, but that was my gut reaction - you live and learn I guess.

Your jacket looks spectacular - the annoyance will surely fade when people inevitably compliment you on it!

 

[Carlos840]

Jasmine again

Well it couldn't be Dave's mistake, he's a Genius!

 

[Monitor]

I like this jacket a lot. Leather is absolutely beautiful & exactly what I'd want my white leather jacket to be made of. And I know Chevalier fits tremendously well; @Carlos840's one is his among his top 3 best fitting jackets, as far as I am concerned.

Waiting never bothers me, I don't have any deadlines for when I would need a certain piece of wardrobe but I naturally wouldn't want it to extend to infinity and beyond so I get that.

Since I strongly believe the purpose of this forum is to discuss clothes in depth, I gotta note - And with nothing but admiration toward this particular jacket which I would love to own - that I personally feel the stitching ought to be a lot nicer, especially at this tier of marketing.
It's not bad but honestly, drawing a comparison to Thedi / Field / Lost Worlds / high-end Schott is hardly even possible.

Not a deal-breaker for me & overall, I really love the jacket! Let's see how it fits you!

 

[Marc mndt]

that I personally feel the stitching ought to be a lot nicer, especially at this tier of marketing.
It's not bad but honestly, drawing a comparison to Thedi / Field / Lost Worlds / high-end Schott is hardly even possible.

From what I can see the stitching is pretty neat. Yes there are a couple of flaws but it's much neater than my deerskin Freewheelers for instance. Is it good enough for a $3K jacket? That's subjective. Is the stitching neater than any of my Thedi's (which are roughly half the price)? No.

Edit: spelling / grammar

 

[ton312]

5 months wait is nothing. I’ve waited 9 months for Vanson and routinely waited over 6 for Aero, despite quoted completion times being far shorter. Communication however, is absolutely vital. It’s amazing how far a very brief email update can help relieve the anxiety of waiting. Doesn’t have to be weekly or monthly but one or two over the cycle is very much appreciated.

Tbh the wait also helps keep me from buying a bunch of other crap, so in a way, it’s good. As long as you get what you want in the end the frustration evaporated rather quickly, at least for me.

I wonder, will this Himel jacket burnish and darken in the sun?

 

[Khilij]

Yeah, I'll echo everyone else and say 5 months really isn't bad at all. I waited just under a year before receiving an order from Vanson. That being said, the communication and customer service seems like it was really frustrating and I'm sorry you had to deal with that. The jacket looks absolutely amazing, though. Wear it in good health!

 

[jonbuilder]

If I had to wait two additional months to get a preferred hide over the now available now hide for a lifetime jacket, I would accept the two months' wait and run with the preferred hide. If you still have the jacket 10 years from now you will have forgotten about the two months.
I do love your jacket, you and Himel's crew did a good job sorting it out. Wear it in health

 

[Will Zach]

The jacket is tremendous. You'll be enjoying it long after the bad taste of poor communications and delays is gone.

 

[MrProper]

If I had to wait two additional months to get a preferred hide over the now available now hide for a lifetime jacket, I would accept the two months' wait and run with the preferred hide. If you still have the jacket 10 years from now you will have forgotten about the two months.
I do love your jacket, you and Himel's crew did a good job sorting it out. Wear it in health

The problem is not that one waits 2/5/12 months, if this was agreed upon, but that the agreed delivery date was not met and that this fact was handled absolutely unprofessionally by Himel.
In the review, the sparse communication reads more like excuses and evasions. Seamstress injured? You can believe it or not. But healed faster? Then not after all? Then the leather doesn't exist, then again? Then the replacement leather is posted on Instagram (and I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually Canadian instead of NZ).
That's exactly the point.
If someone tells me that delivery will take 5 months, then I can decide whether I want to take that or not. If I'm told 5 and wait 10, then it annoys me because I probably wouldn't have ordered then.
Then he should just say that he doesn't give any delivery dates. When it's ready, it's ready. Take it or leave it.

But I'm probably too German to be more relaxed about it *lol*, and besides, I hate waiting. That's why there's no new Field Leather at the moment.

 

[Bfd70]

I’ve fallen victim to the modern society and immediate gratification. My brain is also a squirrel and sees new shiny things all the time. There is no jacket I’d wait 6+ months for. I don’t really know why people here would. It seems the 2 most prevalent camps are: 1. Super flippers. Nothing lasts more than a year so why wait. 2. Huge collections. I guess maybe it matters less if the 6 month wait is for a jacket that is 1 of 30 and gets worn 5 times a year. The only way i can see waiting a year for a jacket is if you were at the end of the jacket journey and were getting your 1 signature piece.

 

[Boyo]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to put that write up together.. Very Cool jacket.. Any fit pic's?

 

[MrProper]

The only way i can see waiting a year for a jacket is if you were at the end of the jacket journey and were getting your 1 signature piece.

Another reason: my son has to wait a few more years until my jackets fit him *lol*.

 

[marker2037]

Jasmine again

She can do no right! It's always nice to have a scapegoat who works for you.