RMC J100 vs TMC Beck666, first leather jacket

[Guppy]

I'm based in Shanghai and just ordered a toys mccoy beck 666 from superXY on taobao, I buy most of my Japanese jackets from them, great shop and always very helpful on sizing.

I'm 181cm 83kg and ordered a size 44.

Are you sure they're legit? I thought size 44 was already out of stock.

 

[Technika2]

Are you sure they're legit? I thought size 44 was already out of stock.

They are 100% legit; they are one of the few authorized resellers in China.

 

[Bender]

I have an RMC J-100. I don't have a Beck 666, but I do have both an RMC G1 and a TMC G1 (the latter bought from the lovely and knowledgeable Canuck Panda, currently contributing to this very thread), so I feel comfortable comparing the overall quality of RMC to TMC.

In short, both are excellent. Some of the best of the best. A hard tie in terms of build quality and attention to detail. Subjectively, I do prefer the veg-tan goatskin on the RMC, but the chrome-tanned goatskin on the TMC is arguably more "correct" for the G1. My father's was chrome. Equally subjectively, I think there's just something special about the TMC. Believe me, both are special jackets. But while I get what makes the RMC special, there is an additional "it factor" for the TMC beyond just the things it does right. TMC is like the Ringo Starr of jacket makers.

Personally, if it were me, I'd go with the 666 Beck just because while I love my J-100, I do often wish it had places to put car fob, phone, wallet. I believe you can get a version of the 666 with hand warmers and an inside pocket. The J-100 is hard core and pure. It's beautiful and sleek, but can be somewhat impractical depending on the day's mission.

A note on sizing... obviously I can't comment on the 666, but for the J-100, I went with the 40, and I'm roughly your size... 5 pounds lighter and an inch taller. I have broad shoulders and a 40" chest. I actually ordered both the 40 and the 42 from a vendor, with the understanding I would return the one that didn't fit. the 42 was okay in the shoulders and roomy in the chest without being too huge. Kind of like a jacket you can wear something thick under. Not a perfect example of that classic razored cafe racer fit, but not terrible. Close enough. However the fit fell apart in the waist... it was just too wide and loose. The 40 hit the mark perfectly. Shoulders were fine, enough room in the chest for a thin layer, and the waist wasn't too large. Traditionally, cafe racers are cut either tapered or straight back, like a race shirt. Both are classic and historically important cuts. The J-100 is definitely the latter, so getting a fit where that bottom portion hangs close to the body and doesn't look like a toddler wearing his father's shirt is paramount.

EDIT:

I just realized I HAVE seen a TMC 666 or at least a model very similar to it. It was a used one in this retro shop near me, but it was one of those historical prop jackets TMC does, in this case done up like Henry Fonda's jacket in Easy Rider. It was a beautiful jacket, easily the equal of my J-100. I can't comment too much on fit as it was a 44, but just based on trying it on, I guess I'd probably run a 42 in it. But I'm not sure if the pattern was a 666, or another cafe racer TMC does, so take all of this with a grain of salt: This one had no hand-warmers but an inside chest pocket, I believe. Here's a pic:
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