Himel Bros. Grizzly Jacket Review

[dudewuttheheck]

 

[plainsman]

Always great to see the jackets being worn by their owners. Very nice Grizzly and you look good in it.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I really enjoyed the review, thanks for sharing.
I have to say, I would never get a grizzly myself but it looks great on you.

 

[ton312]

That's a great jacket dude. The hair on hide take on the grizzly is so much more appealing to me than the furry originals. You wear it very well. Congrats!

 

[willyto]

Very nice jacket and a perfect fit.

The moment you say "Aero doesn't make something like this and if they do they don't make it this well" there is a lot of Bias there. I don't know if it's intended but sometimes it seems to me that you try to state very clear that Aero is not good enough.

 

[jacketjunkie]

Great jacket, great fit.

willyto, I guess everyone is entitled to ones opinion and if that is how he feels, then that it is. Some will agree, some won't. My worst constructed jacket is my Aero Teamster, my most worn was my Aero Highwayman until I passed it on to my brother, if he says in that Video Aero is not perfect in every way, I am inclined to agree. I believe nothing is completly perfect in this world though and Aero is certainly good enough for me and by record, most of us.

 

[navetsea]

awesome review work with that video Dude
looks great on you, measurement is really perfect, shoulder and everything, congrats

 

[Peter Bowden]

Excellent review-Thankyou

 

[Monitor]

Thank you for the video review, Dude! The jacket's awesome.

There's lots of bias and subjectivity here from many of us here.

Best constructed jacket I've owned were by Lewis Leathers, with Vanson at a close second. Yes, Vanson. My Schott CR is also perfectly made but Schott can be all over the place. But yeah, LL and Vanson were just perfect. I mean, robot perfect. And both were better made than many Aeros I've seen. So, combine that with the leather Vanson is using, would I be wrong to say that nobody makes it as well as them? Yes and no, because this may not be what everyone ever in the world expects from their jacket. The fact remains that Vanson makes toughest jackets on the market. Just by looking at the video, I can tell there's no comparing Dude's Himel to Vanson in terms of weight and toughness. Vanson jackets are equipment. But was that what Dude was after? I'm sure the reason he didn't get a Vanson was not because he couldn't afford it.
What is it that defines a better jacket? Stitch hole count, historical accuracy and exotic leathers from far east? Fit? Or weight and durability? This isn't a question because you know the answer already.

And speaking of quality, mostly all Bucos that pop up on eBay are amateur hour when it comes to construction. I have yet to see one without wobbly stitching. They're nice jackets but let's face it, the only reason they're this overrated is because of that book.

Right, so Aero makes an outstanding product and to me personally, no other leather in the world that's currently available comes close to looking as good as their brown or cordovan CXL - And especially not the flat, grainy Vicenza which I personally consider a huge step down from CXL - but that's me. But yeah, I've had Aeros that weren't at the level of construction I would expect for a 700 quid jacket. One was downright WTF. But I've had some others that I actually strongly believe should be priced twice as what they're asking. The Cordo HB, for example.

I really appreciate this video! I wish you had the Kensington, Dude, would love to see a video review of it. If all goes as planned, though, I might do one myself in a few months.

 

[Feraud]

Very nice jacket and a perfect fit.

The moment you say "Aero doesn't make something like this and if they do they don't make it this well" there is a lot of Bias there. I don't know if it's intended but sometimes it seems to me that you try to state very clear that Aero is not good enough.

Or he is simply trying to state how excellent the quality of the Himel Bros. jacket is.

 

[tropicalbob]

Or he is simply trying to state how excellent the quality of the Himel Bros. jacket is.

And justify the price differential.

 

[nick123]

Congrats Dude. Your passion for the jacket is evident. Thanks for the video.

 

[Sloan1874]

My thing about hair on hide jackets is their propensity to *shed*, while the mouton ones are stable, but that aside, it's a sharp looking jacket.

 

[plainsman]

Thank you for the video review, Dude! The jacket's awesome.

There's lots of bias and subjectivity here from many of us here.

Best constructed jacket I've owned were by Lewis Leathers, with Vanson at a close second. Yes, Vanson. My Schott CR is also perfectly made but Schott can be all over the place. But yeah, LL and Vanson were just perfect. I mean, robot perfect. And both were better made than many Aeros I've seen. So, combine that with the leather Vanson is using, would I be wrong to say that nobody makes it as well as them? Yes and no, because this may not be what everyone ever in the world expects from their jacket. The fact remains that Vanson makes toughest jackets on the market. Just by looking at the video, I can tell there's no comparing Dude's Himel to Vanson in terms of weight and toughness. Vanson jackets are equipment. But was that what Dude was after? I'm sure the reason he didn't get a Vanson was not because he couldn't afford it.
What is it that defines a better jacket? Stitch hole count, historical accuracy and exotic leathers from far east? Fit? Or weight and durability? This isn't a question because you know the answer already.

And speaking of quality, mostly all Bucos that pop up on eBay are amateur hour when it comes to construction. I have yet to see one without wobbly stitching. They're nice jackets but let's face it, the only reason they're this overrated is because of that book.

Right, so Aero makes an outstanding product and to me personally, no other leather in the world that's currently available comes close to looking as good as their brown or cordovan CXL - And especially not the flat, grainy Vicenza which I personally consider a huge step down from CXL - but that's me. But yeah, I've had Aeros that weren't at the level of construction I would expect for a 700 quid jacket. One was downright WTF. But I've had some others that I actually strongly believe should be priced twice as what they're asking. The Cordo HB, for example.

I really appreciate this video! I wish you had the Kensington, Dude, would love to see a video review of it. If all goes as planned, though, I might do one myself in a few months.

I would concur and say that each person looks for different characteristics. There is no denial that all high-end makers favored here make outstanding products. For Himel, you have to pay for the research, the NOS material and the design (Himel creates his own designs) in addition to the quality of making. For some, that is worth a premium because they can appreciate all that. For others, including me, Aero or Vanson is already plenty enough in terms of quality and use. I can appreciate the work of Himel, but i am not yet ready to spend that amount - especially being in Europe with import duties.
The same can be said for shoes. I appreciate the work of Corthay, but i cannot justify the price with the use i make of my shoes.

 

[ton312]

Perfect or best is certainly not the same for everyone. The Himel jackets seem to be a bit more style focused and are aimed at people who are perhaps more style conscious. They are absolutely beautiful and certainly works of art....but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts I wouldn't trade my Aero or my Vanson for a Himmel. I would never wear thin leather on a motorcycle, even if it came from a magical tannery in Japan. That notion has guided all my jacket purchases. Price has absolutely nothing to do with it. Cost does not always equal quality or value. In my own experience...
This LW was perfectly made by any measurable standard that I've read about here:

As was this Aero:

But in the end I sold them both and retained my Vanson, a jacket that cost less than half of the above two, is twice the age and of the same measurable build quality b/c it was perfect for me:

Is the Vanson the absolute best then? No. But it worked out the best.
The notion that one maker bests another on hide quality is silly and untrue. Those qualities are arbitrary and given to the material by the person wearing the stuff, or the collective hype it receives. For me Vansons comp weight and Horween CXL are the best. Everything else feels flimsy in my hands. Stitch count, straight stitching are measures of craftsmanship and refined technique, but theres something else, that may be impossible to identify, that makes one jacket feel perfect. I'm not one to count stitches and look for wavy lines...these are built by hand and that allows for those kinds of idiosyncrasies . They give the piece a degree of character and are a testimony to the fact that someone out there has a skill I can't even comprehend. And so long as they aren't obvious errors...I'm not bothered. Price or the mystique that surrounds some supossed "best" leather on earth isn't going to get my goat. There's a ton of hype around Shiniki and I'm certain I'll never want a jacket made from it. I bought into the blue horse .gif once already. It's just how you feel when you put it on. I think I've known if I'm keeping a jacket within the first 5 minutes of wearing it...
I don't think there is any one outfit making the best jacket on earth. But fortunately there are enough to keep us all satisfied and arguing about who does

 

[nick123]

... the key being one's subjective amount of emphasis on any measurement of quality.

 

[ton312]

... the key being one's subjective amount of emphasis on any measurement of quality.

100% truth

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Thanks for the kind words everyone as well as this fantastic discussion of quality and subjectivity. Obviously my review is biased and there really is no way for me to make an unbiased review, so I did not bother to try. I will be making a video tonight that sort of summarizes leather jackets in the industry and what each maker brings to the table ( you knowledgeable people are not the target audience, I am trying to convince people that like Gustin or mall jackets to buy actual quality items) and I will hopefully be able to add some clarity to my thoughts on quality, price, etc. I hope it did not come across that I dislike aero because I don't. They are great, I just personally think there are some brands that do a better job overall in terms of construction and design. However, the price of those brands aren't necessarily worth it over aero. Obviously, it's all personal preference. Either way, I appreciate this discussion and that nobody is hating on me for my opinions. You guys are awesome!

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Very nice jacket and a perfect fit.

The moment you say "Aero doesn't make something like this and if they do they don't make it this well" there is a lot of Bias there. I don't know if it's intended but sometimes it seems to me that you try to state very clear that Aero is not good enough.

I understand I am being biased for sure. However, I believe my point stands mostly correct. As far as I can tell, aero do not do this level of design on their jackets, do not use the same nos parts, or even make a jacket this complex. I'm not sure that anyone does because this is more complex than most if not any other grizzly jacket. Also, from what I have seen, the stitch work is superior on himel jackets if you care about that sort of thing.

I do agree with the people mentioning brands like vanson. I would NEVER wear this jacket riding a bike. In fact, if I did own a bike, you can bet I would have a competition weight vanson or Chromexcel aero.

 

[ton312]

Thanks for the kind words everyone as well as this fantastic discussion of quality and subjectivity. Obviously my review is biased and there really is no way for me to make an unbiased review, so I did not bother to try. I will be making a video tonight that sort of summarizes leather jackets in the industry and what each maker brings to the table ( you knowledgeable people are not the target audience, I am trying to convince people that like Gustin or mall jackets to buy actual quality items) and I will hopefully be able to add some clarity to my thoughts on quality, price, etc. I hope it did not come across that I dislike aero because I don't. They are great, I just personally think there are some brands that do a better job overall in terms of construction and design. However, the price of those brands aren't necessarily worth it over aero. Obviously, it's all personal preference. Either way, I appreciate this discussion and that nobody is hating on me for my opinions. You guys are awesome!

I think everybody is biased to their personal favorite...it only gets spicy when the pressumption becomes this or that is superior because of x,y & z. My LW Buco was the most precise, almost maniacally made piece of gear I've ever seen. But to me...it wasn't better than the half the price Vanson. In fact, it was worse...despite all the things that many people would claim make it so superior...And of course you are entitled to your opinion and this is a place where you should be able to express it!