The Flat Head Cafe Racer Fit Opinions

[singer]

Great choice! I tried on a frobisher at inspiration and was very impressed. I may have pulled the trigger if it wasn't for the grizzly. What leather did you go with?

Choices aren't 100% finalized, but I'm going to go medium brown Shinki in either the regular or wax finished version.

Any opinions on Himels medium brown vs waxed brown? Himel said the wax finish wears off faster, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know what they look like in their initial state, but any ideas on how they look when worn in a bit? (Oh and I'll probably stick w/ Shinki, but curious how much lighter weight the veg tanned goat would be.)

So going for a more casual look in this one, probably do a darker one if I get a cafe racer.

Other that that, will probably do:

- Brass Hardware
- Brass buckles instead of D rings for the side straps
- Leather facings
- Standar khaki cotton twill, since leather facings are showing.
- Is #5 zipper standard? I’d stick w/ that.
- Perhaps an extra inside pocket

 

[navetsea]

the inside pockets are the most useful pockets for me too, personally I found the space just under pectoral, slightly to the side (over the rib cage) is the best spot to place pocket bags, I have a very slim jacket in thin leather and I bring thick wallet, phone, etc totally undetected.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Choices aren't 100% finalized, but I'm going to go medium brown Shinki in either the regular or wax finished version.

Any opinions on Himels medium brown vs waxed brown? Himel said the wax finish wears off faster, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know what they look like in their initial state, but any ideas on how they look when worn in a bit? (Oh and I'll probably stick w/ Shinki, but curious how much lighter weight the veg tanned goat would be.)

So going for a more casual look in this one, probably do a darker one if I get a cafe racer.

Other that that, will probably do:

- Brass Hardware
- Brass buckles instead of D rings for the side straps
- Leather facings
- Standar khaki cotton twill, since leather facings are showing.
- Is #5 zipper standard? I’d stick w/ that.
- Perhaps an extra inside pocket

I had this same conversation with Dave when choosing my Grizzly. They aren't all that different in the end and both will end up becoming darker with age. I chose the wax because I have the semi-analine finish on my RMC jacket so I just did it for variety.

Definitely go with Shinki! It's addictive!!!

 

[Monitor]

Dude, what did Himel say, that hair's gonna definitely stick to the Grizzly? I really dig the design but I know that jacket would be wearing me how careful I'd be for the fur. As good as the old, wrinkled and faded jackets may look, furry ones with bald spots I definitely wouldn't want to wear.

 

[handymike]

Watch it Monitor!
When you're 80, I'm sure there will be some bald patches too.

 

[Monitor]

Watch it Monitor!
When you're 80, I'm sure there will be some bald patches too.

Nobody's ever gonna notice over how cool my CR's gonna look on me by then. Provided I don't switch to old peoples jackets in the mean time, ones with those funny leather neck flaps and zipper-less sleeves.

 

[singer]

I had this same conversation with Dave when choosing my Grizzly. They aren't all that different in the end and both will end up becoming darker with age. I chose the wax because I have the semi-analine finish on my RMC jacket so I just did it for variety.

Yeah, I'd be happy with either the waxed finished or non-waxed medium brown. It looks like most of the photos out there are of the waxed.

Do you know if they are both semi-aniline? Is one an oil pullup vs the other a wax pullup? Or are they both "oil tanned" but one just has a wax finish?



I believe this photo is of the waxed:


Any idea if this gentleman from the catalog is wearing the waxed? This finish looks great to me!

 

[Monitor]

^ Would slapping wax on a jacket make it look like that? It does look great...

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I'm pretty sure the medium brown is not oil tanned, but the waxed may be.

 

[singer]

I'm pretty sure the medium brown is not oil tanned, but the waxed may be.

I got some clarification from Himel. The "Medium Brown" above is semi-aniline w/ no pullup.

The "Wax Medium Brown" above is the "wax oil finish" which has pullup. He often refers to this as just "oil tanned."

The gentleman in the Canuck above is wearing the oil tanned wax pullup leather. This is what I'm going with!

Technically, they are probably both "oil tanned" in that the tanning process has fatliquoring steps that introduce oils (else it would be more like rawhide). But the pullup is probably "hot stuffed" with a proprietary blend of oils and & waxes for a pullup effect.

^ Would slapping wax on a jacket make it look like that? It does look great...

When tanneries use "waxed" as term for a topcoat finish, it is often just a term of art. Top coats are often polyurethane and other materials to achieve a desired effect: glossy, satin, waxy-matte, etc, and give it a degree of rub resistance, water protection, etc. In my experience (with shoes), this is rarely mentioned in product descriptions.

Putting actual wax on a leather usually just darkens it

 

[Monitor]

Oh... Well, figured it's not something as simple as just putting wax but I like my jackets shiny and was hoping that perhaps that'd be all it takes. XD

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Dude, what did Himel say, that hair's gonna definitely stick to the Grizzly? I really dig the design but I know that jacket would be wearing me how careful I'd be for the fur. As good as the old, wrinkled and faded jackets may look, furry ones with bald spots I definitely wouldn't want to wear.

He said that it's highly unlikely that any hair would fall out. He's worn his jacket for over 3 years and beat the hell out of it with no hairs falling out. The furs are heavily treated to be durable. He uses furs that are made to be high end rugs.

 

[handymike]

I believe member Rabbit uses hard wax to spruce up his vintage jacket finds. It leaves a bit of a shine. I read that people use Sapphir cream to shine up their engineer boots. Both look good to me if you like shine.

 

[sweetfights]

Yeah, I'd be happy with either the waxed finished or non-waxed medium brown. It looks like most of the photos out there are of the waxed.

Do you know if they are both semi-aniline? Is one an oil pullup vs the other a wax pullup? Or are they both "oil tanned" but one just has a wax finish?

View attachment 48917

I believe this photo is of the waxed:
View attachment 48918

Any idea if this gentleman from the catalog is wearing the waxed? This finish looks great to me!

View attachment 48919 View attachment 48920 View attachment 48921

Bad Ass jacket

 

[SJC]

Hi there, first time poster. I've been looking for a light weight leather jacket that I can wear often in my SF Bay Area climate, and have learned a lot from folks on this forum. I'm a bit new to quality vintage-style leather jackets, and would love to solicit opinions on the fit of this Flat Head jacket.

I went to my local Self Edge intending to try on the brown Flat Head Rider's jacket. They were sold out, so I quickly tried on the Cafe Racer to get a feel for Shinki HH. I dismissed it pretty quickly, because I did not think I could pull off the band collar. But it's growing on me. I did love everything else right away--the brass hardware, the hand warmer pockets with no zippers, the design of the back, and the look and feel of the Shinki leather. Perhaps I'd go with a brown if I had the choice (most of my shoes are brown--does this matter?)

My question for you folks--do you think it fits well? I usually wear a size 38. They said this runs small, and it's a size 40. I don't think I can go smaller because the arms would probably be too short. It was comfortable, not tight, with some room to spare for another layer.

Second, do you think, fit-wise the Himel Frobisher (hat tip to @Superfluous) or the RMC Buco j-100 would be better for fit? (I just might have to get a brown Frobisher in addition anyway...)

Unfortunately, these aren't the best photos because I didn't think I was considering the jacket at the time. And ideally I would have had that long shirt tucked in. (I remember being satisfied with the length of the jacket, it did cover my belt, which is covered by my shirt.) I will go back for another try-on if it passes the sniff test...unless you folks think I can do better with another model. Would love your unvarnished opinions!
View attachment 48631 View attachment 48632 View attachment 48633

I love the jacket , I think it looks perfect .

 

[ProteinNerd]

Bit of a thread necro here but for some reason this style is growing on me cause I really need another cafe racer style jacket....did we ever work out who makes these jackets?

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Bit of a thread necro here but for some reason this style is growing on me cause I really need another cafe racer style jacket....did we ever work out who makes these jackets?

Are you talking about The Flat Head ones?

Some have rumored that the same factory that makes RMC makes them, but I'm not sure if that's true. Having talking to the owner of The Flat Head, I learned that they were the ones that introduced RMC to Shinki in the first place which could imply a close relationship, but I can't confirm that. One thing I will say, having an RMC jacket and trying on many Flat Head leathers is that Flat Head's jackets are universally perfectly made. Honestly, only Himel and Freewheelers are as consistent. My RMC is perfect, but quite a few are not. What I'm trying to say is that whoever make Flat Head jackets makes them perfectly. Not sure if this actually answers your question, sorry. I can ask questions when I go to the headquarters in a month... or not if you aren't talking about Flat Head haha

 

[ProteinNerd]

@dudewuttheheck yeah thanks, I was referring to the Flat Head jackets.

If you can ask that would be great, I'm really curious.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

@dudewuttheheck yeah thanks, I was referring to the Flat Head jackets.

If you can ask that would be great, I'm really curious.

I'll pm you

 

[The dogs bollocks]

Are you talking about The Flat Head ones?

Some have rumored that the same factory that makes RMC makes them, but I'm not sure if that's true. Having talking to the owner of The Flat Head, I learned that they were the ones that introduced RMC to Shinki in the first place which could imply a close relationship, but I can't confirm that. One thing I will say, having an RMC jacket and trying on many Flat Head leathers is that Flat Head's jackets are universally perfectly made. Honestly, only Himel and Freewheelers are as consistent. My RMC is perfect, but quite a few are not. What I'm trying to say is that whoever make Flat Head jackets makes them perfectly. Not sure if this actually answers your question, sorry. I can ask questions when I go to the headquarters in a month... or not if you aren't talking about Flat Head haha

I'm still figuring out 'thread necro'...most of my jacket thread is just normal cotton?


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