US Bomber Jackets

[TXFlyGuy]

Just found this one...www.usbomberjackets.com

A-2's starting at $175. Others at $215. They look pretty good on their website.

 

[TREEMAN]

Poor quality at best........

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Looks like poor quality...........

Just curious how you came to that conclusion? The picture is not super detailed.

 

[TREEMAN]

Just curious how you came to that conclusion? The picture is not super detailed.

Well, for one thing the price. Next, they don't say anything about the leather itself....thickness, quality etc. And a free pair of ' Genuine Pilots Wings ' adds up to junk!!

 

[Sloan1874]

Yeah, you don't have to be an expert to be able to see that the cut is abysmal. While it's not exactly a fair comparison, look at a GW Rough Wear contract:

The US Bomber would fit terribly, more akin to a baseball/Letterman jacket, which is not what an A-2 is about at all.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

The photo above, while very good, is not an "apples to apples" comparison. I am not defending the jacket, but will hold off on judgement until I can see it in the flesh...which will not happen. The price of a jacket does not always tell the whole story. But there are many over priced jackets that elicit "snob appeal".

 

[El Marro]

The photo above, while very good, is not an "apples to apples" comparison. I am not defending the jacket, but will hold off on judgement until I can see it in the flesh...which will not happen. The price of a jacket does not always tell the whole story. But there are many over priced jackets that elicit "snob appeal".

You raise a valid point about over priced jackets that aren't good for anything other then status symbols. I'm sure everyone here has bought something based on brand name alone and found that it came up short when compared to the money it cost to buy.
Having said that, I don't think that this jacket would be a good buy either. As Treeman noted, the lack of information regarding the leather, place of origin, etc. combined with the bad photographs, lead me to believe that this is a very low end version of the A-2.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It should be possible to make a well cut medium quality A2 but I have yet to see a sexy low cost example,unfortunately. No one seems to get the sleeves, torso, collar, pockets or sizes right. But I'm sure it can be done.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Cockpit, US Authentic, US Wings and G&B are not there either.

 

[nick123]

Cockpit, US Authentic, US Wings and G&B are not there either.

Aerial Star was darn close. Sad they're no longer kicking....the Steve McColgan A-2 repros look very good for a not too expensive price (going by ebay images here).

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yes Nick, Aerial had it.

 

[Technonut]

It should be possible to make a well cut medium quality A2 but I have yet to see a sexy low cost example,unfortunately. No one seems to get the sleeves, torso, collar, pockets or sizes right. But I'm sure it can be done.

Cockpit, US Authentic, US Wings and G&B are not there either.

I pretty much agree, with the exception of the Morgan Productions horsehide A-2, which is not widely available in the USA. They are primarily sold through Nakata Shoten in Japan, but I was fortunate enough to purchase one directly from Linda Morgan (widow of Col. Robert K. Morgan, pilot of the 'Memphis Belle'), who is the owner of Morgan Productions here in the States.

The jacket was brand new with 'Memphis Belle' tags attached, and shipped to my door for under $300.00 USD. I was actually taken back with how nice the horsehide is... supple, developing VERY nice grain, and right at the upper limits of thickness for an A-2. The pattern / cut is true to various period wartime contracts. The epaulets ride squarely over the shoulders, not rolled-over towards the front like many of the cheap A-2's out there, and also sports proper pocket spacing, as well as having some scallop to the pocket flaps. The shell's color is a true, dark seal brown, with contrasting khaki / straw-colored thread. The only thing 'off', is the sleeves being around 1" too long, but that will be easily taken care of when I get the knits replaced in the future.

Here's a few thumbnails (click to enlarge):



As far as US Wings, Cockpit, Legendary USA, etc.. No offense, but IMO, they all look VERY cheaply made, and in most pics I've seen of them being worn, VERY ill-fitting. I actually couldn't bring myself to own / wear one, and would much rather save my money up if that were a concern, to at least purchase an outstanding previously-owned Good Wear, Diamond Dave, Eastman, Aero, or Bill Kelso A-2. I've personally purchased a few previously-owned GW's, and the highest price I paid for one was $600.00 USD. Also as mentioned, the Steve McColgan A-2 looks to be of an authentic cut / pattern, and is reasonably priced for a brand-new A-2. I would rather have just one of those over any amount of cheaply-done A-2's...

It also has nothing to do with 'jacket-snobbery' in my case. I just can't stand a cheap-looking, ill-fitting jacket. I'm constantly searching for reasonably-priced A-2's, both new and previously-owned. Once in a great while, I will come across one which checks all of the boxes in hide, pattern / cut, and the small details such as pocket / epaulet placement, collar shape, forearm taper, etc.. But those are like hen's teeth to find.....

Here is a previously-owned 'hen's tooth' I found... Totally outstanding American Eagle Leather A-2 (truly made in the USA), with out-of-this-world graining to the goatskin, which closely resembles the hides used on the goat GW's I've owned. I also like the scallop to the pocket flaps, and the cut of the collar. This jacket 'checked most of my boxes', and was a steal for the little over $100.00 USD paid (click to enlarge):

 

[lkalliance]

I quite like the idea of a jacket with a letterman's jacket fit but A-2 styling. But I expect the jacket itself isn't like that. The listing says goatskin in the description, and has the usual description of the features of an A-2. It's true you get what you pay for...but it's also true that it's fair to go at it from the other direction, and say you're willing to pay so much and is what you got worth what you paid, even though better versions exist. Or put another way, even if a $175 jacket is certainly going to be of lesser quality than a $800 jacket, that doesn't mean that the less expensive has no value.

I'm very much looking forward to the arrival of my US Wings jackets today!

 

[TXFlyGuy]

My Cockpit Reissue A-2 just arrived. It lists at $420, but real street prices are far below that, even in the mid $350 range on sale. Or less when Cockpit has their 20% off sale, and sometimes offering free shipping, usually in June.

Full review coming in a dedicated thread.

But, I agree with the above in that everyone has a price point. Actually, the percentage of people who are willing to even pay $300 for a jacket is rather limited, let alone $500, or, $800.

There are those who seek second hand clothing as a means of being frugal. That's the great thing about a free and open marketplace. There is something to please almost everyone's taste, and budget.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Your eyes are far better than mine...please tell us what is wrong with this A-2 (aside from the patches). I'll wager that if the price was $525, some opinions may change a bit.

 

[Doctor Damage]

The photo above, while very good, is not an "apples to apples" comparison. I am not defending the jacket, but will hold off on judgement until I can see it in the flesh...which will not happen. The price of a jacket does not always tell the whole story. But there are many over priced jackets that elicit "snob appeal".

Sloan (with all due respect) is comparing what is clearly a modern-fit A-2, probably following current USAF regs, versus a WW2 reproduction. It's not a fair comparison at all. I've posted a buttload of recently-taken photos of USAF personnel wearing A-2 jackets, ones issued from stores, but I suspect only about one or two people here have actually looked at those photos. If they did they're realize two important things: (1) modern military spec A-2 jackets are longer in the sleeves and torso and more generous in the torso to fit modern men; (2) modern men, even fit servicemen, are simply larger in all respects than men in the 1940s.

Your eyes are far better than mine...please tell us what is wrong with this A-2 (aside from the patches). I'll wager that if the price was $525, some opinions may change a bit.

ha ha ha, well said!

 

[Technonut]

Your eyes are far better than mine...please tell us what is wrong with this A-2 (aside from the patches). I'll wager that if the price was $525, some opinions may change a bit.

Lining not of correct color (doesn't 'look' to be of cotton either, but could be)... No sewn-through leather hanger... Armholes look too large... Doesn't appear to be much forearm taper... Epaulets look as if they will roll towards the front when worn, and not centered... Pocket flaps have no scallop to them... Body shape looks 'off', compared to the more 'bell-shaped' originals.

Personally, I wouldn't purchase if it were on-sale for $100.00.. But that's just me. I've been wearing / owning A-2's for around 30 years, and I find ones like pictured above 'soulless' renditions of the originals, lacking in the details which strike a chord with me when thinking of an A-2 flight jacket...

 

[TXFlyGuy]

I do not think that the manufacturer makes any claims as to be an exact copy of a WWII era A-2. It is goatskin, and probably made in Pakistan. By the standards set here (on this forum), none of my jackets are satisfactory with regards to thread count, scallops / no scallops, collar, ribbing/knits, lining, perfect fit, etc., etc.

The main thrust of the post was to show the more budget minded among us (and you know who you are) that there are alternatives to spending upwards of $500, or resorting to buying used/second hand jackets.

 

[Technonut]

or resorting to buying used/second hand jackets.

LOL!.. Actually, I quite enjoy purchasing 'used-2nd-hand' jackets... especially $15-1700.00 GW's for $600.00 and under. Most folks take VERY good care of them when purchased new, and the ones I received were indeed in new condition. Others, like the 20+ year old American Eagle Leather A-2 posted above, has most all of the bells & whistles (details) of an original, plus already nicely grained, and broken-in goatskin. I purchased it at a price which allows me to entirely replace the lining and knits, and end-up with a pretty much period-correct A-2 for a sweet price.

There's plenty of posts dating back close to 10 years here showing brand-new Aero's, and other 'expensive' new jackets I own / owned, so I'm in no 'need' to 'resort' to purchasing 'used, 2nd hand' jackets..

 

[lkalliance]

LOL!.. Actually, I quite enjoy purchasing 'used-2nd-hand' jackets... especially $15-1700.00 GW's for $600.00 and under. Most folks take VERY good care of them when purchased new, and the ones I received were indeed in new condition. Others, like the 20+ year old American Eagle Leather A-2 posted above, has most all of the bells & whistles (details) of an original, plus already nicely grained, and broken-in goatskin. I purchased it at a price which allows me to entirely replace the lining and knits, and end-up with a pretty much period-correct A-2 for a sweet price.

There's plenty of posts dating back close to 10 years here showing brand-new Aero's, and other 'expensive' new jackets I own / owned, so I'm in no 'need' to 'resort' to purchasing 'used, 2nd hand' jackets..

Just shows that there are several ways to approach the purchase. I shy away from second-hand purchasing, because I prefer dealing with a seller that can be held accountable more than an individual selling a second-hand item. And my knowledge of the product category is too limited to be confident I'm looking for the right things.

Different people are going to react to these things differently. For instance, I have a girlfriend. My girlfriend to me is the most wonderful, kind, beautiful, fantastic person in the world. That's to me. But to my wife?