Hey Boyo,
I'm here in the city and went down to Self-Edge to check out the Himel stuff. I'm about 6'4" about 235 now and tried on a size 46 in the Himel Racer, the Heron as well as a Real McCoy J-100 I saw down at Blue and Green in Soho. They just started carrying a 46 in the McCoy but my arm did not fit all the way into the sleeve; it was a very small 46. Both the Heron and the Himel racer I tried (I assume it was the Kensington but can't say for certain) were way small for me as well albeit a bit bigger than the Real McCoy. On paper, I'm a 48l but even the sleeves were way short. Given that horsehide is going to shrink up in body and sleeve, it's worth having an expert around. I emailed Himel Bros and Dave Himel (I think it's Dave) was great about getting back to me in a timely manner but seemed preoccupied. He didn't address my apprehension on getting a good fit or questions. From what I understand, he's a one man band so I'm stating this as fact but not wanting to be critical. His work is beautiful. He offered to send a cotton mock up in a size 50 with a deposit and would tailor as I saw fit but personally, I don't want to bring my jacket to a tailor and relay instructions for 2k plus. It would be nice if Self-Edge had someone who is knowledgable on the product and could measure someone up but that's wishful thinking.
Being a fairly difficult fit, for my money, I'd go to the source and get measured up whether that's a trip to Toronto to see Dave Himel, Johnson Leathers in San Francisco (where you could get a few jackets for the same coin although I think you'd have to source the horsehide), Insurrection in Seattle (and a three hour drive to Langlitz in Portland) and if I'm going to gamble with ordering a jacket remotely, I'd likely do a modified J-100 through Diamond Dave.
Regards,
D
PS- Congrats to fellow Long Islander Chris Weidman if you follow MMA.
I'm here in the city and went down to Self-Edge to check out the Himel stuff. I'm about 6'4" about 235 now and tried on a size 46 in the Himel Racer, the Heron as well as a Real McCoy J-100 I saw down at Blue and Green in Soho. They just started carrying a 46 in the McCoy but my arm did not fit all the way into the sleeve; it was a very small 46. Both the Heron and the Himel racer I tried (I assume it was the Kensington but can't say for certain) were way small for me as well albeit a bit bigger than the Real McCoy. On paper, I'm a 48l but even the sleeves were way short. Given that horsehide is going to shrink up in body and sleeve, it's worth having an expert around. I emailed Himel Bros and Dave Himel (I think it's Dave) was great about getting back to me in a timely manner but seemed preoccupied. He didn't address my apprehension on getting a good fit or questions. From what I understand, he's a one man band so I'm stating this as fact but not wanting to be critical. His work is beautiful. He offered to send a cotton mock up in a size 50 with a deposit and would tailor as I saw fit but personally, I don't want to bring my jacket to a tailor and relay instructions for 2k plus. It would be nice if Self-Edge had someone who is knowledgable on the product and could measure someone up but that's wishful thinking.
Being a fairly difficult fit, for my money, I'd go to the source and get measured up whether that's a trip to Toronto to see Dave Himel, Johnson Leathers in San Francisco (where you could get a few jackets for the same coin although I think you'd have to source the horsehide), Insurrection in Seattle (and a three hour drive to Langlitz in Portland) and if I'm going to gamble with ordering a jacket remotely, I'd likely do a modified J-100 through Diamond Dave.
Regards,
D
PS- Congrats to fellow Long Islander Chris Weidman if you follow MMA.