Vanson leather in 2019 ?

[JMax]

I hear you but a guy a come across sporadically when I ride just bought a new Model E. Brand new build. It was as heavy and thick as my older stuff. Dude also was squeaking around the outdoor bar. I love that sound. Anyways, who knows, it even may be a build to build thing right now.

 

[Vintagestyle]

That is not Vansons leather. That is a leather sourced and supplied to them by Thurston Bros.

edit: However you are right, Vansons comp weihht is grainier than the hide on your jacket (which looks spectacular!)

You are right it seems , i did not know they could use some other type of leathers that were not from their sources but this one really looks like shit to me !
It looks like some trendy leather wore by fashionistas but certainly not like the ol' biker leathers i used to wear .
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vanson-Mod...hash=item287bb57cb3:m:mNFuaAI773VaT2Zhnai7gBA

I don't know howmuch was weighting mine but i would not be surpsised if it was weighting about 5 kg ´s ( i 'll weight it to see ) for a size 42 .
I agree it can chage from a batch to another and even the leather on the same jacket is not all exactly the same grain size as on my particular model F , some part of the jcket had a slightly bigger grain size than on some other parts of the jcket .
So maybe their leather is better than the brown one i showed on the first pictures but the problem is how to be sure to get the leather i like on the one i would order if i can't choose it in a shop unfortunately !
I would like to order another leather pant as well to replace my old one which got damaged protecting me during a slide with a motorcycle and also a vest as my old one got stolen.

 

[JMax]

I had a whole bunch of Vanson jackets over the years and... Well, truth be told, I prefer the leather they were using back in the days. I've handled a few brand new, 201X Vanson jackets and... I guess I have to say that to me, the new leather doesn't really compare to some of the stuff they'd use before. It's plastic-y feeling without much grain or character.

Here are some of my favorite Vanson jackets. All three are so completely different it's hard to imagine they came out of the same company.

The first one, Cheyenne, is made in the kind of hide that I'd dare to compare to the CXL. Equally "flakey", similar smell, weight, texture. It's not as organic but it's absolutely stunning hide and best I've seen by them.

This Cop jacket was complete opposite of how people'd describe Vanson's leather to be right now. It feels and wears completely natural, without even a hint of a plastic-y overcoat. Very, very heavy and really soft and pliable. I deeply regret selling this jacket as it was one of a kind.

This one was somewhere in the middle between the two, except even heavier. Also very nice leather that seemed indestructible.

Those are incredible jackets!!

 

[jacketjunkie]

You are right it seems , i did not know they could use some other type of leathers that were not from their sources but this one really looks like shit to me !
It looks like some trendy leather wore by fashionistas but certainly not like the ol' biker leathers i used to wear .
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vanson-Mod...hash=item287bb57cb3:m:mNFuaAI773VaT2Zhnai7gBA

I don't know howmuch was weighting mine but i would not be surpsised if it was weighting about 5 kg ´s ( i 'll weight it to see ) for a size 42 .
I agree it can chage from a batch to another and even the leather on the same jacket is not all exactly the same grain size as on my particular model F , some part of the jcket had a slightly bigger grain size than on some other parts of the jcket .
So maybe their leather is better than the brown one i showed on the first pictures but the problem is how to be sure to get the leather i like on the one i would order if i can't choose it in a shop unfortunately !
I would like to order another leather pant as well to replace my old one which got damaged protecting me during a slide with a motorcycle and also a vest as my old one got stolen.

I understand your struggle, it kind of sucks to not knowing what exactly the leather will look like. In all fairness though, you knwo that with no company unless you ask for swatches of current batches of the hide in question. One thing you can be sure of, it will not be exactly like the one you currently have. It will be different. You will have to grow to like something new either way. Change sucks, everything was better in the old days and all but ey that's life

Here is some pictures of the grain on the competiton weight leather Vansons I currently own, all pictures taken on the same spot of the sleeve (two of them I'm selling because they don't fit, the ones that fit are among my favourite jackets and will definitely stay and I also own a waxed competition weight (I think they call that x150 now??) Stadium on top of that, so yeah I'm a Vanson fan).

1. Vanson America no flag made in 2018

2. Vanson America with flag made in 2017

3. Vanson Dakota made in 2016

4. Vanson Brown Flight jacket made pre 1998

5. Vanson Remington1 which is not offered like this anymore since the early 2000s, so jacket is atleast early 2000s or 90s

You see, leather looks different (to different extents) on all five jackets but I think they all look good!

 

[Jejupe]

Now look what you did. I had just decided that I won’t buy any more jackets this year, but after reading this thread I placed an order for a Chopper! [emoji51]

 

[Carlos840]

Now look what you did. I had just decided that I won’t buy any more jackets this year, but after reading this thread I placed an order for a Chopper! [emoji51]

Dude you would look like a giant in a Chopper, i'm not sure the world is ready for that!

 

[Jejupe]

Dude you would look like a giant in a Chopper, i'm not sure the world is ready for that!

Can’t be ”worse” than my padded Langlitz cascade. It makes me feel I need to go sideways through doors!

 

[JMax]

Now look what you did. I had just decided that I won’t buy any more jackets this year, but after reading this thread I placed an order for a Chopper! [emoji51]

Which leather? The Octagon or Oxblood would be a great addition to your colorful collection.

 

[Jejupe]

Which leather? The Octagon or Oxblood would be a great addition to your colorful collection.

Just standard black x150. 24helmets.de is selling them Cheaper in Europe (679 € in discount) than Vanson sells them in US.

 

[morrison2951]

Vanson still rules IMO. Enfield is a classic.

 

[Seb Lucas]

This year I bought a Vanson Dakota Barn jacket in firenze leather. No one seems to like Vanson's firenze but this 'medium weight' stuff is heavy - 3oz and my jacket weights 5.5 pounds. Too heavy for practical use for me where winter days are typically 46 to 56 degrees.

Of the roughly 60 jackets I have owned, it's among the best made jacket I have owned or seen - immaculate stitching and beautiful pattern making.

The leather arrives smooth and reminds me of the substantial bike leather jackets that were made back in the 1970's and 80's. It doesn't have 'instant character' like many popular hides these days but will age and develop with time. I suspect my Vanson firenze will look better than my Aero Vicenza in 10 years time if worn regularly.

Only issue I have is the material Vanson uses for lining. The pockets could do with a stronger fabric - the thin poly-cotton isn't substantial enough for hard wear or for an heirloom jacket.

 

[Hh121]

Among any other maker I have been purchase jacket from, Vanson has the worst customer service, and it is only maker who refuse to admit the mistake of their product, and you still believe their bullsxxx about they are using same material, same thickness, same formula about their leather? The new leather is way thinner ( horrible smooth finish) than old competition weight leather because their machinist probably won't be able to make jacket in thicker leather. They are making all kinds of story on Instagram, such as " xx x received his new jacket today", and in fact it is the old photo he posted in here 1 years ago., etc, the company is corrupted.

 

[erikb02809]

I live about 4 miles away from the Vanson showroom/factory and swing by about 3 or 4 times a year. Last time I was there was when they had an open house in late Spring/early Summer, and I was considering a Thunderbird.

The comp weight leather on the Thunderbird I tried on was anything but thin and grainy, and that goes for its neighbors on the rack there that were similarly styled cross zips. It actually reminded me a lot of my old LW Trojan. Super thick and stiff leather with a relatively smooth grain. I actually ended up not buying, for that reason. The LW was a beautiful jacket, literally stitch for stitch perfect, but was a pain in the ass to wear when I wasn't on my motorcycle.

 

[Skanstull]

If this new Model B would have a thinner and wimpier leather than the old ones, I can't imagine how those would wear... even though it fits me great it is still like a straitjacket after a few days wear

...

 

[Guppy]

If this new Model B would have a thinner and wimpier leather than the old ones, I can't imagine how those would wear... even though it fits me great it is still like a straitjacket after a few days wear View attachment 236388 ...

Judging by how the collar looks edge-on, I'd say that looks like the heavy stuff to me.

 

[AeroFan_07]

So it the OP is still looking for thier new jacket, I would highly suggest looking up Lost Worlds, or Langlitz, since they seem quite concerned with the quality of Vanson products these days.

 

[Vintagestyle]

So it the OP is still looking for thier new jacket, I would highly suggest looking up Lost Worlds, or Langlitz, since they seem quite concerned with the quality of Vanson products these days.

what do you mean by " They seem quite concerned with the quality of Vanson products these days " ?

When you say " They " , You mean Lost worlds and Langlitz are concerned with the quality of Vanson ?

Where did you read about that ?

 

[AeroFan_07]

The quote you are reffering to, which I wrote back in May was direclty realted to your original post:

"i have had several Vanson leather jackets and some leather pants and vests in the early 90's and i thought they were some of the best leather jackets in the world , so i wanted to order some again and i went to the shop here in Paris where i was used to buy some back then but it's been several years they tell me they have not ordered some yet cause they can't get Vanson to make some jackets with the leather quality they want "

 

[Vintagestyle]

The quote you are reffering to, which I wrote back in May was direclty realted to your original post:

"i have had several Vanson leather jackets and some leather pants and vests in the early 90's and i thought they were some of the best leather jackets in the world , so i wanted to order some again and i went to the shop here in Paris where i was used to buy some back then but it's been several years they tell me they have not ordered some yet cause they can't get Vanson to make some jackets with the leather quality they want "

thanks for your answer.
Yes , i had understood but it seems i missinderstood that when you wrote " they " , you were speaking about me and not about Langlitz and Lost world ! Lol
It is because it seems in English you can use they for plural ( meaning for several persons ) but also for a singular person ( it seems it was much used from the 14th to 16th century for singular and also more recently with epicene or non sexist language ,when speaking about someone without precising his or her gender ) , whereas in France when i learnt English about 35 years ago , we were only told about They as plural ( so i thought you were speaking about Langlitz and Lost world which might have expressed concerns about Vanson quality ).

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Sure, I understand. No offense taken (nor implied on my end what so ever). I should have been more clear!

So did you decide upon anything as a newer jacket? I do not presently own any Vanson Leathers, however I have owned several both older and quite new in the past. I sold Monitor on this forum a brand-new condition Vanson back in 2017. not sure if he still owns it or not.