Himel Brothers Leather

[ButteMT61]

This is the guy that makes jackets?
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[nick123]

This is the guy that makes jackets?
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You have no idea of how many of those damn baseball cards I have to scroll through to find a jacket.
Oh, and by the way, someone please buy those Jurassic Park books on ebay. I came to find jackets, not to run into dinosaurs!

 

[ButteMT61]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-2-jacket-...age_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item43b8acbd0c&_uhb=1

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[HoosierDaddy]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-2-jacket-...age_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item43b8acbd0c&_uhb=1

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Great looking repro..!!

...and a Himel thread succesfully transformed into a BK thread.
Outstanding..!!
HD

 

[andyfalzon]

Victory Horse.

Mustang

What's next, Patton Battle Horse?

We call it Victory because it beats everything else.

 

[indigoeagle]

For those thinking that the Heron is expensive, let it be known that if you wanted to buy it in Europe it's even more.
At 14oz in Berlin they cost 3.000 EUR, that's nearly 4.000$.
I saw both the Heron and the Cannuck. I'm no leather expert but what I saw was very beautiful.
The Heron fit I found too boxy, though. Great in the shoulders and chest, but too wide at the waist.
While I didn't found the Cannuck, which is in a tan leather, too attractive at first when it was hanging on the rack, when I tried it on I have to say it looked amazing.
These jackets to me are one of a kind and if someone invests in them I'm sure he'll enjoy every minute of wearing them and thus have made a worthwhile purchase.

 

[indigoeagle]

Double post

 

[Edward]

Well out of my price range, but I do like the Himel designs. Especially those very distinctive, rounded collars. Different than anything else on the market atm - at least this side of Japan.

That boot is nasty.

Wouldn't be my choice, but if it had laces instead of a zip, I should think I'd really rather like it.

We call our horse 'minced beef'...

lol

This is the guy that makes jackets?
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No, this is the guy....

You have no idea of how many of those damn baseball cards I have to scroll through to find a jacket.
Oh, and by the way, someone please buy those Jurassic Park books on ebay. I came to find jackets, not to run into dinosaurs!

Ha..... yes. At least it's not like searching for Aero jackets where you have eleventy-billion crappy old things from the Eighties listed as "like Aero" or "not Aero".

 

[AEH]

Sure the Heron jacket is nice but way overpriced considering it is made of top grain horsehide, i.e. a lower quality leather than the much better Victory full grain horsehide that we offer (which is currently underpriced as an introductory price).

On their web site Himel Bros. say they use full grain vegetable tanned leather, http://www.himelbros.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=heron1929-btn

Are you telling us that this is not correct??

 

[hpalapdog]

Whilst it's true full grain is a better grade and more expensive, when it comes to horsehide it's largely irrelevant. The horsegate saga currently running in the EU threw up some interesting facts. A horse from an equestrian or work back-ground has no value. Treated with things like bute it cannot enter the human food chain legally. My parents have certainly paid in the past for horse carcasses to be removed. A figure of 10 euros is mentioned for such a carcass delivered to a factory for animal feed purposes. Horses breed for meat are worth up to 500 euros. The cost of tanning would be the same and a relatively small percentage of the $2000 dollar jackets production cost. The rest is value added by marketing and aesthetic appreciation.

 

[Seb Lucas]

And careful workmanship. Don't forget that. Quality costs, you can't try to palm it off as marketing and appearance based. I don't go for any of the Himel jackets and I won't pay that much, but their quality does set them apart.

 

[Jeff M]

I'm a believer of the saying "it's the Indian, not the arrow".
You pay for the workmanship.
A good craftsman will choose good quality materials.
The use of high quality materials won't make a poorly made product a high quality one.
The louder a company proclaims the "superiority" of their materials, the more I begin to wonder...........

 

[hpalapdog]

And careful workmanship. Don't forget that. Quality costs, you can't try to palm it off as marketing and appearance based. I don't go for any of the Himel jackets and I won't pay that much, but their quality does set them apart.

Would you buy an ugly jacket because it was well made ?

Most people rate aesthetics/design first and then quality. People are attracted by appearance and brand marketing. If the quality stacks up they will buy.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

As I've already stated, I don't find the HB designs attractive, yet I can certainly appreciate the quality. I think everyone requires some combination of the following:

Aesthetic appeal
Quality of materials
Quality of construction
Price range they are comfortable with

How each person prioritizes the above is going to vary from one individual to the next

 

[Sloan1874]

As I've already stated, I don't find the HB designs attractive, yet I can certainly appreciate the quality. I think everyone requires some combination of the following:

Aesthetic appeal
Quality of materials
Quality of construction
Price range they are comfortable with

How each person prioritizes the above is going to vary from one individual to the next

Agree with all of those, but doesn't explain the success of Belstaff!

 

[Jeff M]

Not sure about most folks, but "quality" means more than just the mechanical strength and precision of build to me.
It is a combination of aesthetics, function, material, skill with which an item is produced/assembled.
The most "eye catching" of these are the visual,...how "pretty" a material /design are.
My experience is this also tends to be what less accomplished designers/manufacturers stress in their marketing.
I've learned the hard way to put my trust only in the product in hand rather than pretty pictures and glowing reviews of folks I don't know. Especially if they are the ones selling the product.

 

[Jeff M]

Agree with all of those, but doesn't explain the success of Belstaff!

Case in point....

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

While I wouldn't count it as a requirement, the role of marketing and the influence of public perception should not be overlooked. For some, this has almost no bearing while for others it can highly influence purchasing decisions.

 

[Heiko]

The role of marketing is huge in any discussion of luxury brands, which would explain the success of Belstaff (full disclosure: I know little about Belstaff but find none of its products particularly appealing).

I think the benefit of sharply defining the notion of quality as opposed to JeffMs more vague approach is that it allows for easier comparison and understanding of a products value.

 

[ButteMT61]

Marketing can take a decent product and elevate it to fantastic status. RRL, Filson, JL Powell, etc all make good stuff. Their marketing puts it above other similar items in quality, yet inferior in perception. Up to you if you buy into it. That's why forums like this are important. To help each other separate the horse from the steer.
Nobody can take away from Good Wear or Aero and others that do things right. Would 99% of all people that see your $1500 jacket know it from a $400 mall jacket? Sadly, most likely not.
So you do it for yourselves. Nobody else except us here cares