Vanson Model B opinion

[Al 916]

Hi,

I’m interested in your opinion on Vanson model B I recently bought from e-bay for USD282 from Japan including international shipping.

According the seller it’s a Competition weight model B, but beside this he couldn’t provide more information.

I sent a mail to Vanson a week ago with the SN for more information about age and details to the cut but didn’t get a response yet.

The issue I have with it is that it was advertised as condition B, light wear.

But the lining has already several holes, also the leather has many visible wear areas this was all not visible at e-bay. The zipper isn’t that smooth either however I have never seen such a gigantic Zipper. What’s your experience with vanson zippers, maybe that’s normal?

I complained about the condition and the seller would agree to accept a return, but not a discount as I think I will keep it.

I think if the damage and wear would have been advertised and the price would be a bit lower I would be quite happy with it.

What do you think is this is a fair price and good fit, or better return?

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Don't know what price you paid however it fits very well!

I have not had good experiences in buying from Japan, it's painful if the description is 'poor' to send back if the seller accepts as you still (in the UK) lose out on import fees (at least I did).

 

[Tom71]

Looks great, and for the price I wouldn’t worry about the (to my mind minor) damage you posted.

 

[Guppy]

Fits you great. Near perfect. The leather looks like new so it's surprising to see a hole worn in the lining. But it doesn't look like a problem at all. It's high point wear. Japanese sellers usually under-represent the condition of what they sell (I've gotten used jackets advertised as B or C grade that seemed like A grade to me.)

The zipper may just need lubricant.

I think $282 is a fair price, and considering shipping costs, I would not return it. You could also burn your bridge to Japan if the proxy buyer decides you're fickle.

 

[Justhandguns]

Use a zipper lubricant stick on the zipper. As soon as I get a "new to me" jacket it's almost the first thing I do.
There are several options on ebay.

Another quick way is to rub a wax candle along the zipper. It will do the job nicely.

The jacket actually looks pretty good. If you want to hide the holes, you can probably buy the zipper on fleece liner (of the correct size) from Vanson to cover them. You can also try to use some leather balm to see if you can get the 'shiny' look of a new Vanson back, but honestly, I wouldn't care too much.

 

[dubpynchon]

Fits to the nuts, I'd keep it. The leather looks good too.

 

[El Marro]

That jacket fits you well and all of the wear issues you noted are fairly minor. Enjoy it!

 

[El Marro]

Funny to see this thread bumped and see an early post from HH121 from a time before he knew everything about everything.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Jacket looks fine to me, That zipper looks like an original large, (#10) easy to work Vanson.
Others have adequately noted how to make it smoother.
An new one will cost you $700+ so this seems like a decent deal.
Anything ever bought on ebay should be considered buyer beware, especially if your primary language and the seller's are not the same.

 

[TREEMAN]

Looks Great.. You got a good deal !! Enjoy !!

 

[Canuck Panda]

Hi,

I’m interested in your opinion on Vanson model B I recently bought from e-bay for USD282 from Japan including international shipping.

According the seller it’s a Competition weight model B, but beside this he couldn’t provide more information.

I sent a mail to Vanson a week ago with the SN for more information about age and details to the cut but didn’t get a response yet.

The issue I have with it is that it was advertised as condition B, light wear.

But the lining has already several holes, also the leather has many visible wear areas this was all not visible at e-bay. The zipper isn’t that smooth either however I have never seen such a gigantic Zipper. What’s your experience with vanson zippers, maybe that’s normal?

I complained about the condition and the seller would agree to accept a return, but not a discount as I think I will keep it.

I think if the damage and wear would have been advertised and the price would be a bit lower I would be quite happy with it.

What do you think is this is a fair price and good fit, or better return?

View attachment 479404 View attachment 479405 View attachment 479406 View attachment 479408 View attachment 479409 View attachment 479410 View attachment 479411 View attachment 479412 View attachment 479413 View attachment 479415

Fits great.

Price is very reasonable. Brand new ones cost $600 with the 15% discount, $700 without discount.

The wear and tear is not serious, there are lots of life left in this jacket. The only thing is that I assume those wear marks are cigarette burns. Does the jacket smell smokey? It could be a deal breaker for non smokers.

Big zippers are great. Rub a candle stick along the zipper tracks will make it glide like skates on ice.

 

[The Big Kahuna]

Funny to see this thread bumped and see an early post from HH121 from a time before he knew everything about everything.

That seems a bit rude to me ? Also "off topic" in respect to the most recent poster ?

 

[El Marro]

That seems a bit rude to me ? Also "off topic" in respect to the most recent poster ?

I’m terribly sorry to have offended you. As far as off topic posting that is not usually seen as such a big deal around here ?
Have a nice day!

 

[The Big Kahuna]

No worries cobber. I was not offended personally.

I’m terribly sorry to have offended you. As far as off topic posting that is not usually seen as such a big deal around here ?
Have a nice day!

Merely making observations, as I believe some folks in these parts are very thin skinned. No offence taken or intended.

 

[sepa]

Thank you all for your inputs!

As the general consense here is that the jacket is not overpriced for the condition I decided to keep it.
I really like the combination of a trim fitting CR with this heavy black leather.
I polished the plastic bit at the bottom of the zipper and put some candlewax on zipper, now it works pretty smooth again.
The big hole in the lining got fixed with tape to stop getting worse and that the leather has some marks I actually think looks quite cool.

Cheers

 

[navetsea]

That seems a bit rude to me ? Also "off topic" in respect to the most recent poster ?

You misunderstood, the original poster since then had bought like every possible vansons in a spur of time and sold all or some and custom 9oz jacket and then never to be seen again, perhaps the 9oz pinched his typing nerves or liberated him from this circle of samsara

 

[Peter Mackin]

No worries cobber. I was not offended personally.


Merely making observations, as I believe some folks in these parts are very thin skinned. No offence taken or intended.

Absolutely big kahuna,

 

[Harris HTM]

then never to be seen again, perhaps the 9oz pinched his typing nerves or liberated him from this circle of samsara

no, he was banned.

 

[Peter Mackin]

Absolutely big kahuna,

So the question is who dobbed in the big kahuna?:-(

 

[navetsea]

no, he was banned.

Oh i didnt know that must be the time i was away

 

[ChewingWax]

no, he was banned.

Why was he banned? I’ve seen a lot of his old posts.