Simmons Bilt

[Finn Vigorous]

I think it’s Kokolan, the family run business that only does Elk leather. There’s info in the LW thread where other members custom ordered a thicker and cleaner batch for their jackets.

Thanks, much appreciated!

I happen to know the tannery; indeed a small-ish, family-run one located in the Northern Finland: https://www.kokkolan.com/

I'll check the LW thread for more info.

 

[Gone]

If you look closely, you'll find that SB has a few items that are actually more expensive than comparable Aero jackets.

 

[Moostyle]

I think it’s Kokolan, the family run business that only does Elk leather. There’s info in the LW thread where other members custom ordered a thicker and cleaner batch for their jackets.



Your SB jacket fits well so it was worth it. I would buy jackets from local retail shops whenever possible. Even it cost a bit more, the fact I can try them on is worth it. Biggest online problem is sizing. And if it doesn’t work out, the shipping/exchange adds up.

Vanson makes great jackets. They run 10 to 15% off sales quite often. The new comp weight isn’t bad. It’s softer and wearable from day one. (I think) it’s still the same “old comp weight” underneath, I just need a few more soaks to get rid of the new waterproofing coating. Calling Vanson will get better results than emails in my experience.

I agree with ideally buying locally if you can for things like leather jackets, it takes the guesswork out of things. I will go back to the store in a couple of weeks and try on some more stuff just to see if there are any other styles or leather types I would consider for the future.

I am really loving my jacket, it's becoming like a second skin on me the more I wear it (which is often) and I am so happy I bought it. it looks cool, fits well. smells nice, and just makes me feel good. I'm not sure you can ask for much more out of a leather jacket than that.

 

[Noah Way]

My experience with Simmons Bilt:

After doing a TON of research I went with SB, which offered complete tailor fitting at a reasonable price point. In fact a pretty competitive price point compared to Aero and others that don't offer the same level of customization.

I selected the Klondike in the old style (from their leathers page). While not shown on their jackets page there was no problem or extra charge to order this pattern.

Waxy black horsehide from Italy.

Nice details, well crafted.

I asked for plain cuffs instead of the buttoned ones and the Discovery black cotton lining.

I was concerned about fitting and the no return policy as I have long arms and always have a problem with sleeve length. But careful measuring (repeated several times) of both my body and a couple of old jackets resulted in a perfect fit - I couldn't be happier.

Debs is really sweet, easy to work with, and she sent leather samples to pick from. You need a little patience as it is a small operation and they seem quite busy (I can see why), but as my old man used to say: "good things come to those who wait". Funny enough the jacket arrived on my birthday.

 

[Spiney]

Looks great.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Awesome! I love that style too.

 

[Spiney]

So, if you guys could order a Simmons Bilt or buy an Aero from their stock page that you know will fit , what would you do ? Aero currently have a jacket I’ve always liked , the leather is a slight compromise but not an issue.

 

[El Marro]

So, if you guys could order a Simmons Bilt or buy an Aero from their stock page that you know will fit , what would you do ? Aero currently have a jacket I’ve always liked , the leather is a slight compromise but not an issue.

I would probably buy the Aero. I am a big fan of instant gratification and it is rare in this jacket world to see something nice that you can have right now.

 

[Sloan1874]

Aero is the superior product, otp or made to measure. I own as many otp Aero's as made to measure, there's no sense of the latter being a lesser product.

 

[red devil]

So, if you guys could order a Simmons Bilt or buy an Aero from their stock page that you know will fit , what would you do ? Aero currently have a jacket I’ve always liked , the leather is a slight compromise but not an issue.

I wouldn't compromise in that case

 

[zebedee]

Depends on what style you prefer from which maker. My preference is Aero, but, if I wanted a Statesman (a longer, shawl collar style), I'd go with SB because they make one. Either an Aero or an SB will be built to last. If you can get something immediately with no fit issues, buy immediately.

 

[Bigbawz]

I have had Aero Highwayman jackets , bought used from the 'net , and they don't fit as well as off the peg stock OEM from Schott or Vanson.

PERHAPS the Aero Highwayman cut I realise that of course. OR they may have been "custom tweaked" for another.

I do have Simmons Bilt jackets OTR and they fit fine , better than any Aero jackets I have owned or tried on personally.

 

[Moostyle]

Hi. I just picked a 38 off of the rack, nothing was ordered. The jacket is form-fitting, but with a little extra room for an inch or two of chest and arm growth, which is exactly what I wanted as I will be putting on a couple of KG of muscle in my chest and arm in the next months so I will grow a little into this jacket and fill it out. The arms are also the perfect length for me, stopping just where my hand start to widen. What I especially love is that its also not too short at the waist, as I really do not like the super short "cropped length" style that rises over your belt. Thanks to the clever design of the rear arm "joints", I can move my arms every direction with no pulling or restrictions and the armholes are the perfect height under my armpits. it is super comfortable in all of the right places and I honestly would not have hoped to get a fit this good if I had sent off my measurements, it is exactly what I would have requested.

Plus this is not thin leather that drapes over you like thin lambskin cafe racers, it is mid-weight 1.2-1.3mm Japanese horsehide, way heavier than any fashion crap that I have ever bought before and overall feels very substantial. While it's still more soft and supple than the other horsehide jackets I tried (the Addict AD-01 was as stiff as a board, it was crazy), Its obviously still not broken in and will not be for a while, so it is not bending or hanging in all of the right ways. I plan to wear it as much as possible while working from home to speed up the break-in process.

The taper is apparent in the silhouette but definitely not 'super aggressive and can be adjusted with the waist belt to be slimmer. I had a few people assess the fit from the front and back and they all agreed the jacket is "just right", not too tight and not too loose, with a noticeable yet subtle V cut from the shoulders down.

This will be my "8 months of the year jacket" in Spring, Autumn and Winter and then left to rest in Summer. As you can tell I am overjoyed with it, it was love at first sight and when I tried it on I just had to buy it right away. I can't wait to see how it ages.

Just a quick update that I LOVE this jacket and cannot wait to start wearing it again now that the weather is thankfully cooling to Autumn levels. In the few months I was able to wear it since purchasing it definitely started to break in and soften up and now has started to confirm and drape to my body and started to display a nicely worn look on the arms, the creases which which have also had an added benefit of shortening their length a little so that they now fall to the perfect place.

Also as I predicted I have put on some muscle in the last 6 months and have started to fill out the arms, chest and shoulders which the jacket now accommodates PERFECTLY with a little more room for growth which will happen over the next months. I am so happy that I did not buy a jacket that was too slim fitting otherwise by now I would have been in real trouble. I will post some fit photos when I start wearing it again but just wanted to share those thoughts in advance.

 

[jacketjunkie]

I have bought three jackets from Simmons Bilt and I met Steve Toohey at their factory some years ago. He was extremely friendly and pleasant to talk to. Unfortunately I also had some bad experience later on when I tried to order a 4th jacket and they added VAT on top of the price displayed on the website. This was before the Brexit, so they straight up decided the price on the website was not incl. VAT this time around (they had never done this before) and randomly added a large amount of % on top of the total. I was pretty upset by this and ultimately decided to refrain from going through with the purchase.

However I must admit, they do offer some designs that I like and for which I would have to pay extra for if I went with Aero and asked for such modifications. As for designs that both companies offer more or less identically, I would always go with Aero as they are frankly more professional when it comes to returns. Also and that's a big issue, they don't offer to extract VAT from the order as Aero does, so they should be effectively as or more expensive as Aero.

 

[Canuck Panda]

SB is good for things like Kokollan Elk and Himeji horsehide - niche leather that Aero doesn’t wanna bother with. For Horweens, go with Aero.
SB not saying no to any custom request didnt work well for me. Sometimes when Aero push back against a request it’s for good reason, and can only be known for sure in hindsight - aka £600 lesson.
SB gives a very personalized service. And their Moira is very awesome with her machine skills, on par with JL and GF.
Right now with Aeros VAT adjustment and the extra 10 off I believe they are about the same landed cost. SB used to be about £50 to £100 less, but no more.

 

[Marc mndt]

From their website...

Can someone explain to me what it means... "To form a template to emulate the craftsmanship employed back in he says "

Is that what we're seeing here?

 

[nattevagten]

SB is good for things like Kokollan Elk and Himeji horsehide - niche leather that Aero doesn’t wanna bother with. For Horweens, go with Aero.
SB not saying no to any custom request didnt work well for me. Sometimes when Aero push back against a request it’s for good reason, and can only be known for sure in hindsight - aka £600 lesson.
SB gives a very personalized service. And their Moira is very awesome with her machine skills, on par with JL and GF.
Right now with Aeros VAT adjustment and the extra 10 off I believe they are about the same landed cost. SB used to be about £50 to £100 less, but no more.

Not just the elk and Himeji. There’s also Clayton vintage, Horween Milan/Lux (Aero doesn’t have either of them), and the Italian Epsom horsehide, which are all spectacular leathers.

As for custom requests, they didn’t even charge me for some small modifications that I have asked and everything has turned out great so far.

 

[newtojackets]

Simmons bilt seems ~£200 cheaper to me, how are people saying they are the same. Also it seems that all their leathers (including their japanese HH) are the same price?

 

[jacketjunkie]

Simmons bilt seems ~£200 cheaper to me, how are people saying they are the same. Also it seems that all their leathers (including their japanese HH) are the same price?

There is an surcharge for leathers, up to 200 GBP for japanese hh. You find that info when you scroll further down.

It‘s like 70 GBP for Horween stuff which is included at Aero, so effectively the Aero HWM and SB Roadster both set you back ~650 GBP + import costs. SB may have the edge for UK customers where Aero adds VAT.

 

[TartuWolf]

I'm currently discussing with both Aero and SB about making an order. Still settling out the details, getting samples. Hoping to get a final price/offer from each next month. Then I can compare how much each one would cost from an European customer perspective. Then consensus in this forum seems to be that it is a much better idea to go with Aero than it is to go with SB whenever possible. Therefore I am hoping that I'll end up ordering from Aero instead of SB, but we shall see. Each maker has their pros and cons compared to each other as far as I managed to gather.

Just my 5c