Real McCoy's USA web store open

[nick123]

N.B. I know I sound really tetchy, but I just quit smoking.

Congrats. It's a demon that has more or less consumed me. These jackets would be more feasible and not so out of reach if we put our cigarette money towards them.

Again, congrats. I know how hard it is. Much respect to you and stay strong.

 

[Big J]

Congrats. It's a demon that has more or less consumed me. These jackets would be more feasible and not so out of reach if we put our cigarette money towards them.

Again, congrats. I know how hard it is. Much respect to you and stay strong.

Thanks for your kind support! I'm gasping for a cheese burger, a bottle of JD, and a carton of smokes! lol lol

 

[Edward]

Herself gave up smoking after nerly twenty years, and I know she didn't find it easy. Lot harder than starting, anyhow! Friend of ours gave it up about a year ago, and has an app on her phone which tells her how many cigarettes she's not had, and how much she's saved as a result. Clever thing, she's found it really helpful to stay motivated.

I get your point. I think the thing with rmc and indeed most japanese brands is that they are domestic brands where a 48 is gigantic. The overseas interest until recent years was limited so why would they make such big sizes?
The rmc Nyc and london stores are in their infancy and I think as demand increases, we will see larger sizes become available. We have already seen this with iron heart making bigger sizes since their uk site gained popularity and they have a uk team. Also some of the brands stocked at self edge make size runs specific for that store I think.

It's easy to forget how niche we really are; most people out there will buy a market special, or the might just save up and buy one Schott; we're a small proportion of a market that's expensive to reach, and with US/ UK / EU brands already in tha market... We've all seen 'new' A2 brands, for instance, come and go - I think that market is about at saturation point, now.

What I'm saying is, I think sometimes we overestimate the size of the market for this stuff, which leaves us asking 'why'...

Where the Japanese companies are way ahead, imo, is with the nylon jackets. Since alpha quit the 'Repro' line in the 90s, there's just nobody doing decent repros, really. Again, though, it's a limited market: if some of us baulk at the idea of paying out £400 for an L2x type, then who is going to buy it? Japan seems to be the only place with a significant market for good repros of the nylon jackets, and with little competition, they can probably charge what they like in a limited market. I'm hoping there'll be a big Hollywood film soon that will feature a lot of the 50s era nylon jackets, bringing back the demand so we can find affordable repros.... :lol:

I'm not sure I agree with the "costume" point either. I don't think every office worker needs to walk around looking like they stepped out of a Brooks Brothers ad, and I don't judge a mechanic who wears Polo clothing when not at work.

I've been wearing motorcycle jackets since I was fifteen; I live in central London, and don't have the space or money for private transport (in any case, it's not a necessity, so...). I also wear an A2, an Irvin and aB3, but I've never been a WW2 pilot... I don't have much time for the "costume" argument, needless to say.

 

[Big J]

Edward, the Japanese are indeed setting the standard on nylon repros.

 

[pawineguy]

I never got the costume bit. If what I wear was worn by blue-coat workers I don't particularly care, and I don't see that "dressing up."

When I buy the clothes I do it's because I like the look of them, they are (imo) the highest quality that's made in the world, and they age better with time. That's it, if you consider leather jackets, tees, and jeans trying to dress up like a mechanic, then sure I'd have to agree with you. But my primary focus is dressing like myself, and I'm not pretending to be a mechanic or naval officer or whatever, I just like how it looks and ages.

On the other hand, they make a LOT of stuff that isn't my style and that does seem like dressing up. I just don't buy that stuff.

Pawineguy, that jackets a good fit. Will say the size 38 buco I have has 25" sleeves though, I'm guessing the 44 has much longer than 25.75" but I couldn't tell you how it's scaled. And personally I'd be fine if I were you with inch shorter sleeves, but that just depends on your preferences, or how willing you are to compromise on your preferred fit for an awesome jacket...

I just took the 25.75" from the website sizing chart, so I'm assuming it's correct. And no, if the sleeves were too short and road up every time I reached for something or the steering wheel of my car, I would be selling it so it's not worth taking the loss on an expensive jacket. Again, it's not a criticism, just a fact that they don't work for me. With that said, I'll be stopping in next time I'm in NYC to at least see them in person.

 

[Benj]

It's awesome to get to check out the goods in person, I was really happy I was able to stop by the RMC booth at inspiration earlier this year... Got to try on the buco and everything.

And yeah, most of the stuff I have had pretty short sleeves (although I guess I do search it out too), so it's not the best if you're not into the look/feel

 

[EmergencyIan]

So much of their stuff is so nice, but much of it is out of range (no revelation there). For example, I would love to own the Extreme Weather Deck Coat, but at $1798 USD, it's out of reach or, at least, I can't justify spending so much for it.

- Ian

 

[Dinerman]

I have an original of that shawl collar deck coat in a size 48 for $75 that no one's had much interest in. Maybe I should add $1700 to the tag.

 

[Superfluous]

Exactly right. I don't see the appeal at all. Thanks for the breath of fresh air.

Speaking generally, there's no upper limit on price. Better to spend the thousands of dollars instead on an auto repair training scheme and get a job fixing cars. Then after spending 8 hours 5 days a week in an unheated, un-air-conditioned garage under someone's car, skinning your knuckles, ruining your knees, breathing in solvents and chemicals, and chasing deadbeat customers then you can buy the gear and look the part. Otherwise dress like what you are: an office worker who sends emails all day. Earn your bona fides; don't buy them. Otherwise it's just a Halloween costume (and in the case of "Real" McCoy's, overpriced costume).

Really? According to that logic, only military pilots can wear A-2s, only motorcycle riders can wear J-100s (and other moto jackets), etc. I don't think that school of thought will get much traction here.

The RMC hostility here on TFL is palpable (and I am not referring to the legitimate sizing issues). Not sure exactly why. Rarely does anyone take offense at a $1,700 price tag for a GW jacket, or a $1,400 price tag for an Aero Premier Vincenza, but people complain in droves at a $2,000 price tag for an RMC jacket that can be purchased from Japan for the same price or less than a GW jacket. Is the additional $300 really that offensive? Is the magic line between acceptable and outrageous really someone in between $1,700 and $2,000? Respectfully, I don't get it. I certainly agree that RMC jackets are expensive. On the other hand, so are GW, Aero and other jackets. The price differential is not that great, and non-existent if the RMC jacket is purchased from Japan. So why the outcry? Why the repetitive condemnation of RMC's pricing?

Lastly, I wonder how many here have actually handled an RMC leather jacket? Do the critics have any personal experience with the product?

 

[Benj]

Check the Diamond Dave review thread, Carlos just saw one.

I believe his experience too. On the other hand I do think that if you compare the *best* made jackets by each maker, the RMC is at least tied with the top.

Additionally, for whatever flaws they have, I don't think that you would find things like mismatched zipper tape colors, that's just a lack of attention to detail or willful neglect.

 

[handymike]

I've tried them on at BiG and they are beautiful. The standout for me was the dark seal and olive A-1.

 

[Justhandguns]

The RMC hostility here on TFL is palpable (and I am not referring to the legitimate sizing issues). Not sure exactly why. Rarely does anyone take offense at a $1,700 price tag for a GW jacket, or a $1,400 price tag for an Aero Premier Vincenza, but people complain in droves at a $2,000 price tag for an RMC jacket that can be purchased from Japan for the same price or less than a GW jacket. Is the additional $300 really that offensive? Is the magic line between acceptable and outrageous really someone in between $1,700 and $2,000? Respectfully, I don't get it. I certainly agree that RMC jackets are expensive. On the other hand, so are GW, Aero and other jackets. The price differential is not that great, and non-existent if the RMC jacket is purchased from Japan. So why the outcry? Why the repetitive condemnation of RMC's pricing?

Lastly, I wonder how many here have actually handled an RMC leather jacket? Do the critics have any personal experience with the product?

I do now own any RMC jackets, but I have handled a few, and they are beautiful. I think the general 'hostility' here stemmed from many of the A2 threads. We all know that many of us are so picky about how authentic about our A-2 repro, right down to the direction of the stitches. RMJ A-2s are know to be modified to have an Asian fit, obviously some of us are not satisfied with that. And at some point in the past, Goodwear jackets were only around 1k USD while RMJ jackets were 2x of those prices. I firmly believe that these are the roots of all evil around here about RMJ.

And yes, Edward is right, we are indeed a niche market, over 90% of the people that I talk to prefer Schott or Belstaff, and very few people have ever heard about Goodwear, Himmel nor Eastman. The typical question would be, why is your jacket so heavy and stiff? Those jackets that you find in the department stores (or malls) just feel much softer and nice! Oh well, at this point, I simply would not want to tell them how much I paid for them.....

 

[avique]

Agreed, my friends that are happy with their mass produced mall jackets would have a hard time understanding why I'm willing to pay so much for an Aero, LW, etc.

 

[jon11]

horses for courses and to be honest.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I've tried on an RMC J-100 at BiG as well. Amazing product. Just wish it was available in brown. I agree the pricing complaints are silly, especially considering how much you can get one from Japan for these days!

 

[Benj]

Love it when sense comes back to a thread. And when supefluous posts... we have some pretty similar thoughts!

Dude, it is available in a brown though. pretty snazzy too.

 

[EmergencyIan]

I have an original of that shawl collar deck coat in a size 48 for $75 that no one's had much interest in. Maybe I should add $1700 to the tag.

If it were a size 38, I would gladly take it off of your hands. Yeah, maybe increasing the price would cause someone to believe it's a worthwhile coat. Bigger guys are missing out on a great deal.

I couple of days ago, I saw this 1930's photo of Babe Ruth in a similar coat:

- Ian

 

[Edward]

Not tried any on, but I've handled quite a few bits at the London shop. More expensive that I could justify, but absolutely gorgeous.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Love it when sense comes back to a thread. And when supefluous posts... we have some pretty similar thoughts!

Dude, it is available in a brown though. pretty snazzy too.

It's gorgeous and the color would make it different enough from my DD jacket to make it worth it. But I never find that one online!!!

 

[Deacon211]

Well for me personally, I've only ever seen pics of the RM stuff which is what causes me to ask.

Also for me personally, accuracy is pretty important in my sense of what a jacket is worth. I don't really know how accurate RM's stuff is, but I recall seeing a few things that made me go, "hmmm, that's odd" like contrasting knits etc. so again I just wonder for my own purposes.

Edit: For instance, I saw this collar and it seems oddly shaped and sized. I concede though that I don't know every contract of G-1 so it's always possible that I could be wrong in this

Beyond that though, I think that there is a bit of guilt by association in my "impressions" of RM leather. Maybe their leather jackets are $300 better than GW. But, when I look at their cloth gear prices, I just flat out call shenanigans.

It may be immaculately researched and use accurate materials, but I just can't get past the fact that it's nylon or cloth. In my mind, there's no nylon in the world that is worth half a grand or more. I could entirely be missing something, but it surpasses my personal threshold.

And so, my first correlation is that if X seems double or triple what I think it's worth, then is Y similarly overpriced?

And again, the question for me then is, will a New Yorker walk into the Cockpit and then walk into RM and think that the latter is worth 4x the price of the former? Will they appreciate the attention to detail?

If the RM leather is really light years ahead of the other makers, maybe that will carve RM it's own niche...after all I just look for authentic flying gear so I don't know Front Quarter Horse Hide from Rear Quarter donkey hide, But I can still recognize a beautiful piece of leather.

I'm not sure that quite constitutes hate though.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk