Iron Heart IHJ-64 black chrome tanned Horsehide made in Japan

[Carlos840]

This peels like old paint... I don't think dye comes off like that.

What is peeling off isn't dye, it's a pigment finish.
Dye can't peel, it's literally the leather changing colour, only mechanical abrasion will get rid of colour by removing the dyed layer of leather.

 

[Gone]

He did confess to machine washing and drying the jacket in a tumble dryer. Horrendous idea. No leather deserves that. Appears the painted top coat was simply/boiled and baked off.
To be fair, I'm not a fan of the hides to begin with. The brown looks depressingly flat and the black doesn't seem particularly special to me at all.

Direct quote: "After some research, I experimented on the two jackets by soaking them in water for over an hour submerged, and then dried them partially in the clothes drier. Also did my XXXL brown version... Took them out while still wet and wore them dry. BUT I may have overcooked them a little. Haha. But, it made them fit better. Wanted to shrink them a little. The brown did... A lot! The black maybe a little. The result is they both fit much better. Especially wearing them as they dry works wonders for the fit."
Nothing about "machine washing" although to do this would be quite foolish.
I've soaked jackets, but always in cool water and never for more than a couple of minutes at the most, worn until dry. Works like a charm. Not so different than being caught out in a heavy rain and not for the faint of heart. I think the damage to the finish of the leather in question was more about artificial abuse than the quality of the finish and leather. Outside of the quoted IH post, I've not heard much bad about this leather and it couldn't be much worse than some of the non Horween samples that I've received from Aero.

 

[ton312]

Direct quote: "After some research, I experimented on the two jackets by soaking them in water for over an hour submerged, and then dried them partially in the clothes drier. Also did my XXXL brown version... Took them out while still wet and wore them dry. BUT I may have overcooked them a little. Haha. But, it made them fit better. Wanted to shrink them a little. The brown did... A lot! The black maybe a little. The result is they both fit much better. Especially wearing them as they dry works wonders for the fit."
Nothing about "machine washing" although to do this would be quite foolish.
I've soaked jackets, but always in cool water and never for more than a couple of minutes at the most, worn until dry. Works like a charm. Not so different than being caught out in a heavy rain and not for the faint of heart. I think the damage to the finish of the leather in question was more about artificial abuse than the quality of the finish and leather. Outside of the quoted IH post, I've not heard much bad about this leather and it couldn't be much worse than some of the non Horween samples that I've received from Aero.

Soaking a jacket, should never be a problem (chrome tanned) veggie, don’t really know. The dryer though, huge mistake. Not only will the hide stiffen and shrink, the liner and zipper (if applicable) will not.

The hide in question here is painted and it looks like it’s peeled from heat. I do t have any first hand with this hide but just from what I’ve seen, I won’t.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Washing leather in cold water, no agitation, drum spin, is ok. Even for veggie tan or heavy retan. It won’t change anything. The leather may feel stiffer once properly dried but it will soften up again with wear, like freshly laundered jeans.

Never put a wet leather or wet wool or wet (insert any untreated natural fibres) into hot tumbling dryer! Never. The results is so unpredictable and usually always bad.

The least invasive way to dry anything is to use a rack, room temperature, and just wait. The thicker the material, the longer it takes, sometimes a week.

Water won’t cause harm. Heat and agitation changes fibre structure.

Shrink to fit is like going to the casino, you might get lucky once or twice, but the house always wins. It’s worth it to either exchange the jacket, get it properly tailored, than to throw one into trash after the odds runs out with STF.

Also paint peel is bad quality. Paint is not suppose to peel. Period. Glazing may wear off over the course of many many years. But paint (done right) stays intact until the day the base material rots. If the paint peels it’s because it’s not bonding, and usually one of the two reasons, bad pre finishing job (impurities on surface before paint), or two, just shitty paint that isnt right for the job but they pretend it is. Flexible paint is very expensive, or self leveling paint. Lots of patents (3m) in flexible paint formulas. Don’t be fooled by shady marketing that puts a red lipstick on poor manufacturing. Buyer beware.

very emotional topic for me. Sorry for the rant.

 

[Monitor]

Yep, water can't damage leather. I'm kinda thinking rn that it helps it more than leather lotions. It adds flexibility to leather, which further imprints into it thus if you wear your leather garment wet, it'll lower the stress that creasing produces and make the part more flexible, thus resistant to cracking.

 

[Will Zach]

Washing leather in cold water, no agitation, drum spin, is ok. Even for veggie tan or heavy retan. It won’t change anything. The leather may feel stiffer once properly dried but it will soften up again with wear, like freshly laundered jeans.

Never put a wet leather or wet wool or wet (insert any untreated natural fibres) into hot tumbling dryer! Never. The results is so unpredictable and usually always bad.

The least invasive way to dry anything is to use a rack, room temperature, and just wait. The thicker the material, the longer it takes, sometimes a week.

Water won’t cause harm. Heat and agitation changes fibre structure.

Shrink to fit is like going to the casino, you might get lucky once or twice, but the house always wins. It’s worth it to either exchange the jacket, get it properly tailored, than to throw one into trash after the odds runs out with STF.

Also paint peel is bad quality. Paint is not suppose to peel. Period. Glazing may wear off over the course of many many years. But paint (done right) stays intact until the day the base material rots. If the paint peels it’s because it’s not bonding, and usually one of the two reasons, bad pre finishing job (impurities on surface before paint), or two, just shitty paint that isnt right for the job but they pretend it is. Flexible paint is very expensive, or self leveling paint. Lots of patents (3m) in flexible paint formulas. Don’t be fooled by shady marketing that puts a red lipstick on poor manufacturing. Buyer beware.

very emotional topic for me. Sorry for the rant.

I think what happened is that the pigment layer was there for the "teacore" effect, to be rubbed off gradually through normal use. And this dude just removed forcibly by washing and drying. Leather chemists at the tannery play the adhesion game with these newer teacore leathers - the adhesion (and cohesion) of the top pigment layer must be good enough not to just peel off haphazardly, and weak enough to "rub off" in wear spots in months, mimicking the "patina" that real leathers attain through decades.

 

[Gone]

I think what happened is that the pigment layer was there for the "teacore" effect, to be rubbed off gradually through normal use. And this dude just removed forcibly by washing and drying. Leather chemists at the tannery play the adhesion game with these newer teacore leathers - the adhesion (and cohesion) of the top pigment layer must be good enough not to just peel off haphazardly, and weak enough to "rub off" in wear spots in months, mimicking the "patina" that real leathers attain through decades.

Here's a later quote from the fellow on IH who abused his jacket: "I should be more clear in the future. Mine has been artificially distressed. Normal wear and tear will not yield this amount of evo for a long time."

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Any time a brand or store says something they have is the "best we have ever seen" it makes me avoid it like the plague. It's very rarely true. Look at all the stores trying to pretend like all these new Japanese jacket makers have decent patterns... a joke.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Its the forbidden fruit, placed on the hamster wheel, as bait. To have a new repro that looks old. The thing is, if I just stepped back and look at it with common sense, how can something be both old and new at the same time. Nothing is impossible but I'm done chasing my own (dog) tail. I will still indulge in jackets though, just not the marketing that comes with it.

 

[Gone]

Any time a brand or store says something they have is the "best we have ever seen" it makes me avoid it like the plague. It's very rarely true. Look at all the stores trying to pretend like all these new Japanese jacket makers have decent patterns... a joke.

That

Its the forbidden fruit, placed on the hamster wheel, as bait. To have a new repro that looks old. The thing is, if I just stepped back and look at it with common sense, how can something be both old and new at the same time. Nothing is impossible but I'm done chasing my own (dog) tail. I will still indulge in jackets though, just not the marketing that comes with it.

I have agree, kind of. I've never felt the need to artificially age anything and find the need to...well no way to politely say that. Wearing things ages them fast enough for me. I bought a jacket made from Horween Lux and got rid of it very quickly, just not my thing.

 

[Gone]

Any time a brand or store says something they have is the "best we have ever seen" it makes me avoid it like the plague. It's very rarely true. Look at all the stores trying to pretend like all these new Japanese jacket makers have decent patterns... a joke.

Off the top of my head that would include Aero and Lost Worlds. Vanson doesn't seem to engage in that kind of propaganda though.

 

[El Marro]

Any time a brand or store says something they have is the "best we have ever seen" it makes me avoid it like the plague. It's very rarely true. Look at all the stores trying to pretend like all these new Japanese jacket makers have decent patterns... a joke.

I have the IHJ-54 jacket made from this leather and I could not agree with you more about the foolishness of claiming it is the “best” horsehide. The fact is that it is a really nice leather, certainly one of the nicest I own. I would not call it the best though, and building up that hype can only lead to disbelief or disappointment.
I was actually disappointed when I received the jacket because I expected something truly mindblowing, instead I received a really nice leather jacket with a great pattern and style. If I did not have so many other wonderful jackets I might have believed the hype. But when I compared it to Shinki from Good Wear, Comipel from Aero, Victoria from Eastman, etc. it was a peer among equals, not some kind of super leather.
Only once I put a lot of wear into the jacket and stopped thinking about the sales pitch did I begin to really appreciate the jacket for its true qualities.

 

[El Marro]

I would add that I have worn this jacket hard for over a year now and there has been very little loss of top coat, only around the cuffs and zipper seams where one would expect to see this.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I have the IHJ-54 jacket made from this leather and I could not agree with you more about the foolishness of claiming it is the “best” horsehide. The fact is that it is a really nice leather, certainly one of the nicest I own. I would not call it the best though, and building up that hype can only lead to disbelief or disappointment.
I was actually disappointed when I received the jacket because I expected something truly mindblowing, instead I received a really nice leather jacket with a great pattern and style. If I did not have so many other wonderful jackets I might have believed the hype. But when I compared it to Shinki from Good Wear, Comipel from Aero, Victoria from Eastman, etc. it was a peer among equals, not some kind of super leather.
Only once I put a lot of wear into the jacket and stopped thinking about the sales pitch did I begin to really appreciate the jacket for its true qualities.

I remember when they first started the collabs with four speed they didn't even know if the jacket was veg tan or chrome tanned. They first said it was veg tan and then corrected themselves. How can you say it's the best when you don't even know the basic info on it?

I think they're nice looking jackets. For a chrome tanned leather it does look nice, but otherwise it's just standard marketing. IH are far from the only ones who do this though. Everyone does.

 

[Biff42]

Hi, I recently purchased this jacket (lightly used) for USD $640. It is a nice jacket and the leather is beautiful IMO. That said, this thing retails for $1680, which is way too much. At that price point, I'd have a custom trucker made by Johnsons for likely hundreds less.

This is just my 2 cents.