Schott Leather Quality

[CNYC]

As some of you know I have been in the market for a new leather jacket. It's been years since I bought one. I desperately wanted a Schott but the model I wanted did not suit my body type. I researched a few other brands but decided on a custom job from a leather shop in San Diego , California.

I have returned to NYC (Land Of Schott) and took a look in a few stores today at the Schott models. The quality ranges from average to downright ridiculous for the price. I keep reading about the quality of Vanson and Shott but I am very pleased what I purchased in San Diego. I have not yet received my custom order but the leather that I chose was far superior then any Schott I saw today.

Just a heads up for those that are willing to drop $700.

 

[thor]

I have a Schott 689H horsehide jacket; quality of the leather is top notch.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I've owned dozens of leather jackets the Schott I have is excellent leather and top notch manufacturing.

 

[IXL]

I have several Schott jackets and they are all well-made, with good construction. The leather is softer and more pliable than any of my Vanson jackets. The Schotts are excellent protection from the elements, while the Vansons strike me as more desirable to wear if one intends to slide down the pavement.

 

[Peacoat]

I have several Schott jackets and they are all well-made, with good construction. The leather is softer and more pliable than any of my Vanson jackets. The Schotts are excellent protection from the elements, while the Vansons strike me as more desirable to wear if one intends to slide down the pavement.

Well said. I have both (plus a bunch of others) and that's the way I see the two jackets. It is a good jacket to wear until the temps heat up. It is easy to then fold it up and put it in a bag on the motor when the temperature gets too warm for a leather jacket.

My Schott Cafe Racer is naked cowhide. It got a little damp a few years ago, and the arms shrunk a bit--maybe 1/2". Since then I haven't been a fan of leather that isn't finished.

 

[GoodTimesGone]

I have three vintage Schott steerhide flight jackets (674MS or something like that). The two brown ones are from the '60s and the black one is from the '70s. They are built to last and I'll probably never wear them out. As already stated they do provide excellent protection from the elements and with their insulation can be worn in cooler temps than a usual A-2. Back then all Schott product was made in the USA. Nowadays some of their jackets are made overseas, and some items are not even available in the states.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Tom

 

[Seb Lucas]

Vintage jackets are a whole different story.

 

[Highwaymanman]

I have a Schott in naked cowhide and while I think the leather is quality, I've always thought the arms were just a tad short. I put it down to Schott's weird sizing (I'm a 40 or 42 chest and a Schott 38 is pretty much dead on) but it was a thrift store find and maybe the arms shrunk before I owned it.

 

[ProteinNerd]

What is the custom shop in San Diego you mentioned? and we need pics if its so good...

 

[Bunyip]

I own 4 Schott leathers. I love them. I think the Vanson competition weight is serious biker gear. I recently picked up a CHP by Vanson and had a Dominator prior to this. The leather is thick and tough. I have a couple of Perfectos and 2 a-2 b Schott. Not historically accurate, but well made, heavy duty gear, I bought a couple of Schott dress shirts which are not US made, not thrilled with them, they actually look quite a bit diff in real life then on website. Custom made jackets are a wonderful experience, and choosing leather and design is heaps of fun. Having said this, for what Schott is, and what they charge, I have no issues whatsoever with the quality. I've bought 2 new, and the others for pretty decent deals on EBay. Let's face it, they are much much cheaper than aero, but in my opinion, a very good quality alternative to spending the big big bucks....you get what you pay for, but I like the whole Schott experience, the customer service is fantastic, and for the price, I think it's a good product...

 

[Plumbline]

I too have a few Schott leather jackets ...

1. A 1980's black suede blazer ... which is a GREAT jacket and of one piece front and back construction ( no waist seam)
2. 1990's leather distressed baseball jacket ... again great jaket ( not as nice as my vintage Hockey jacket) but well made and fine leather
3. Western fringed jacket whick I have had since the late 70's .... really thick roughour steerhide and awsome jacket
4. 1960's perfecto .... too small now but was used almost continually during the 80's and looks well worn but no armour and my demands on a bike jacket have changed in the last 20 years).
5. 740N Leather Naval Pea Coat ... used in winter almost as much as my Aero Barnstormer .... nice and warm and great leather.

Overall ... the steerhide and horse used by schott is good stuff IMHO, chromexcel or schinki (sp) it is not .... but it is very nice and lasts well ( I only ever owned one Schott horsehide D-pocket bike jacket ... it was too small so I got rid). In generall their second hand values represent excellent value IMHO also( the suede blazer I paid £40 for on ebay ... the leather baseball jacket £70). I had a Highwayman replica jacket with button in tartan liner which was a great jacket and on a par with my steerhide Aero ( in fact was probably a better jacket due to the flexibillity of the removable liner and the proper belt adjusters. The fake sheepskin collar was a bit naff ( but it was removable) and aero made me a Mouton replacement ... but it was a very good jacket ..... in fact it got nicked from the Ace Cafe when I went for a pee so someone clearly liked it !

They are good solid and reliable jackets .... a bit like a £7-10 chardonnay.

 

[ButteMT61]

Schott make a great jacket. The problem is that they've creeped close to the bespoke options in pricing. I got most of mine on sale/clearance, so it's not fair as I think they're all great for "that" money. However, they're not an Aero, GW, ELC, etc. I have wool and leather jackets - all very well made and they accommodate that "American" build if needed (many models). As I shrunk, the jackets had to go. Look for sales or the ebay items.

 

[sewer election]

They released these two sheepskin coats this week to the tune of $1200 a piece.
I'm real curious to see em in person.

 

[Highwaymanman]

I wouldn't pay 30 bucks for either of those.

 

[Blackadder]

When most people here talk about Schott, they are referring to the Perfectos and/or the vintage, those are very different from their street fashion leather jackets which are made in China and has thin low quality leather. Yet prices of these street fashion jackets are not cheap at all.:eusa_doh:
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/super-rag/item/3111010/

 

[Carlos840]

I wouldn't pay 30 bucks for either of those.

I wouldn't wear any of those if i was paid 30 bucks to do so!

It would look great with a nice hat though...

 

[Carlos840]

Now, to answer the original topic, i think that their "regular" models are very good for the money, nice thick supple leather, good stitching, good hardwear...
The only things i am not a big fan off is the attention to detail, compared to some other manufacturers some details are a bit rough!
Things like visible leather edges on the inside badly trimmed, very cheap nylon lining...

The biggest problem IMO is the cut! Their target market is quite clearly old beer bellied bikers, and most of their models have massive guts and short arms compared to the chest and shoulder measurements.
I had to have mine altered pretty drastically to have a good fit. They removed 3" from the stomach area and it is still a bit baggy.

Here is mine after a years wear, Schott 644 in delux heavy steerhide:

 

[Monitor]

OP is indeed right - Few days ago I've had a chance to check out some of the newest Schott merchandise and the leather on their newly made jackets does seem to be somewhat thinner than the older stuff - especially horsehide. My 618hh (which I absolutely love) was made a few years ago and though not as heavy, it's as thick as my Aero motorcycle jacket, but the new 618hh from 2013 does indeed appear to be made out of a considerably thinner hide. Odd. Anyhow, can't say a single bad about Schott, terrific jackets made from in my opinion really great leather. Had one from the 70's, wore it on a bike to hell and back, through rain and snow (never once got soaked through), and it still looks like it's got probably as many years left in it. Though, I too find sleeves on their jackets to be too short for actual riding.

Personally though, for the kind of money Schott's asking for their jackets right now, I'd rather go with Vanson. Like other said, Vanson makes a serious riding jackets and even though my Schott protected me well whenever I took a spill, fact is that Vanson comp. weight gear is made out of much, much heavier and tougher hide so naturally that's something you'd want on a bike. My Vanson Model A still is my favorite riding jacket and I'm looking forward to owning a CHP one day.

The biggest problem IMO is the cut! Their target market is quite clearly old beer bellied bikers, and most of their models have massive guts and short arms compared to the chest and shoulder measurements.
I had to have mine altered pretty drastically to have a good fit. They removed 3" from the stomach area and it is still a bit baggy.

Absolute truth! Shoulders and chest is okay but there's just way too much gut room in Schott jackets. Okay, I wear a shearling vest underneath my Schott so I'm actually okay with all the extra space on a jacket that's supposed to be in my size, but if it's a fitted look you're after, forget about their "Order size up" bull if you don't want to end up with a jacket that can fit two people inside! Though I find Vanson only marginally better in that regard. . .

 

[Italian Dave]

They released these two sheepskin coats this week to the tune of $1200 a piece.
I'm real curious to see em in person.

Really? I can't find them on their website, but cool, I have the first one, got it on eBay, don't wear it much but it's a nice piece in my collection.

 

[sewer election]

It's only being sold here right now - http://www.supremenewyork.com/shop/jacket/supreme-schott-sheepskin-coat - but I'd expect Schott to have a similar version out on their site next fall if the past supreme collaborations are anything to go by (the leather ma-1, sllim fit pea coat and slim a-2 have been incorporated in their mainstay)..