Which one side-by-side comparison of two Leather Jackets

[58panheadfan]

I got an idea for a new thread: It's often difficult to choose one jacket or the other. That's why I opened a new thread with a side-by-side comparison of two Leather Jackets with the possibility for the Forum Members to contribute their inputs. Of course, the quality, the price, the appearance play a role in a comparison... for some more this, for others more that. I'm curious to hear your opinions.

If it's okay, we leave it in this Thread to compare/compete two Leather Jackets with each other

To start with:
Eastman Roadstar vs FiveStar D-Pocket

 

[photo2u]

Wow, Five stars has definitely up their game. Good for them. I bet Stu has something to say. LOL. Personally, I think the jacket looks great.
I just saw your previous post in the five-star tread. The details are great. Specially, the special touch at the wrist. It reminds me of the Cal leather's older cafe racer jackets. That is one of my favorite touches in leather jackets for motorcycle riders.

Regarding value, five stars hit out of the park. Glad to see more companies jumping into the "premium" quality jacket market.

 

[photo2u]

By the way, the jackets look great on you.

 

[ton312]

Both very nice! I have to say my problem with 5 Star is that there was always something slightly off. In every single instance there was some detail that was just off. For the price paid, it wasn't something I couldn't live with by any means....but it was ALWAYS there. So I order more and the same result is delivered again and again. This is ultimately why I stopped ordering from 5 Star. At the end of the day the quality just was not good enough for me to be completely satisfied. I sold every single one and I won't order another (even if the pics of this Buco do make it tempting).

So I will say I know for a fact the ELMC is a much nicer jacket in every way a jacket can be nicer than another.
The 5 Star looks great and from 10' away nobody would be any the wiser about quality differences between the two. But sure as sh!t....they are absolutely there. Not to bad mouth 5 Star, in their lane they really have no competition but I just could never be fully happy with the jackets.

 

[barnabus]

Proportions look better on the Eastman. Relative pocket placement, lapel size, orientation of details.

And the leather looks better.

I'm sure the 5* is excellent, but the Eastman just looks cooler.

 

[Guppy]

I'd give an edge to the Eastman. I don't know if those were shot under identical lighting, assume not, but the black on the ELMC looks cooler to me, purely subjective opinion. I like the 5Star you have, and at first I thought I was looking at a Vanson. I like the ticket pocket and mouton collar. It looks like you nailed the fit perfectly on both of them.

 

[Salmosalar]

Eastman for me - nothing is off and for example the chest pocket placement and proportions in particular gives it the edge…for the money the 5 star is great value though

 

[MrProper]

When I compare both pictures, the Eastman clearly wins. It would be interesting to see the two jackets in identical lighting conditions. However, I think the leather on the Eastman is still better.
For the rest, I agree with Tony. I only have two 5* left and have sold all the others. The two I still have (CR and Shearling vest) are the ones where everything fits and no little things bother me.
But whenever I see new jackets from 5* here, the reflex comes over me to order something again. But I resist and rather order another Aero lol

Edit:
I don't know where the tick at 5* comes from that the chest pockets are always too far up.

 

[58panheadfan]

Wow, Five stars has definitely up their game. Good for them. I bet Stu has something to say. LOL. Personally, I think the jacket looks great.
I just saw your previous post in the five-star tread. The details are great. Specially, the special touch at the wrist. It reminds me of the Cal leather's older cafe racer jackets. That is one of my favorite touches in leather jackets for motorcycle riders.

Regarding value, five stars hit out of the park. Glad to see more companies jumping into the "premium" quality jacket market.

You have a very good eye! Also your comment about the special touch on the cuff shows your eye for details. The FiveStar does feel like a Vanson or Cal (although cut a bit longer). Very comfortable and perfect for motorcycling. The eastman is without a doubt also a niche one, but for me it belongs a bit in the fashion corner, although i will also wear this Jacket for motorcycling especially in warmer summer months.

Both very nice! I have to say my problem with 5 Star is that there was always something slightly off. In every single instance there was some detail that was just off. For the price paid, it wasn't something I couldn't live with by any means....but it was ALWAYS there. So I order more and the same result is delivered again and again. This is ultimately why I stopped ordering from 5 Star. At the end of the day the quality just was not good enough for me to be completely satisfied. I sold every single one and I won't order another (even if the pics of this Buco do make it tempting).

So I will say I know for a fact the ELMC is a much nicer jacket in every way a jacket can be nicer than another.
The 5 Star looks great and from 10' away nobody would be any the wiser about quality differences between the two. But sure as sh!t....they are absolutely there. Not to bad mouth 5 Star, in their lane they really have no competition but I just could never be fully happy with the jackets.

I understand you only too well. I had the same experiences for other Jackets I got from FiveStar. The D-pocket turned out very well, I think because I have learned from past Mistakes I made and probably had a bit of luck. The waxed Steerhide is really very nice and cannot be distinguished from more expensive Leathers, at least visually. But as you absolutely rightly pointed out, FiveStar can be very tricky, especially for us, who also own leather jackets from other M

Proportions look better on the Eastman. Relative pocket placement, lapel size, orientation of details.

And the leather looks better.

I'm sure the 5* is excellent, but the Eastman just looks cooler.

Absolutely, I totally agree with you. The Horsehide vs Steerhide are difficult to compare. The Horsehide, albeit lighter, corresponds in feel and look to the Shinki leather of my FW Brakeman. I would compare the Steerhide Leather used by FiveStar with a Schott jacket, but there is a big difference, for example, to the veg tan Cowhide from Thedis. The Tanning process just contributes to a big point (I don't know where FiveStar Leathers tans its leather but there are enough horror examples from the Far East and North Africa where leather was tanned using unspeakable Methods). For me, ordering the FiveStar D-Pocket was more of a challenge to me if I could order a leather jacket the way I wanted it to be. I'm happy with the result and I'll leave it at that.

 

[Will Zach]

Now that you guys started nitpicking, I see that the horizontal zipper is too high on 5*, and the d-pocket is not parallel to the main zip. My OCD would drive me nuts.

 

[Marc mndt]

@58panheadfan do you have a pic of the back of the elmc when worn?

 

[58panheadfan]

Eastman for me - nothing is off and for example the chest pocket placement and proportions in particular gives it the edge…for the money the 5 star is great value though

Absolutely I am with you!

When I compare both pictures, the Eastman clearly wins. It would be interesting to see the two jackets in identical lighting conditions. However, I think the leather on the Eastman is still better.
For the rest, I agree with Tony. I only have two 5* left and have sold all the others. The two I still have (CR and Shearling vest) are the ones where everything fits and no little things bother me.
But whenever I see new jackets from 5* here, the reflex comes over me to order something again. But I resist and rather order another Aero lol

Edit:
I don't know where the tick at 5* comes from that the chest pockets are always too far up.

I see it the same way, the veg tan Horsehide leather is really exceptionally beautiful. With the FiveStar, the price-performance ratio in terms of Leather is absolutely right. I also no longer have any of the previous FiveStar Jackets I ordered. But that was my own fault and not due to FiveStar, they did a good Job. But after all the years with a myriad of Jackets and the corresponding Experience, it's enough for me if a jacket's sleeves are 1/2" too long to pass it on...

 

[58panheadfan]

@58panheadfan do you have a pic of the back of the elmc when worn?

@Marc mndt I didn't but I have done it for you May I ask why you're asking about it?

ELMC back worn open

ELMC Back worn closed

 

[TheDonEffect]

Left.

Fit can be debated and is very subjective, both imo fit you great. The designs and such on both are great. I think most people would be happy with either jacket if it looked like that on them, I know I would be.

I'll expound on what @ton312 has said, although I think it's not so much a craftsmanship/workmanship/quality thing, but to his point it's more of an attention to detail thing. 5* builds jacket to a spec sheet and goes about it in a workmanlike way, not a craftsman/artist way. So while they're technically proficient and produce a well made product (generally), they're just something about them that lacks character.

The proportions of the chest pocket, location relative to the d pocket, the design of the belt loops, the angles on the bottom edge of the d pocket, the general proportions of the d pocket relative to the jacket, the pleating on the sleeve, you can tell someone took time to make the small adjustments here and there to get it to look right, while the other was reading through the spec sheet and delivered and what was asked.

It's like tying a tie, you always need to know how to tie it in more than one way, some ties make a tighter smaller knot requiring you to double knot to get a more proportionate knot, and also straightening it. Details.

And that's before we get into the leather character, it's not even close.

In a vacuum and not in a side by side, I would celebrate that 5*, it's a piece worthy of admiration especially the way it fits on you. But if we're doing a critical side by side, I think we can clearly see where the extra dough goes.

 

[Marc mndt]

May I ask why you're asking about it?

I asked because I think you're not benefiting from the extra back length of the 5* because it lands on your hips (just like the elmc).

This is because both jackets have quite a narrow opening (bottom hem width).

The elmc benefits from a small front drop, whereas the 5* is blunt cut.

 

[58panheadfan]

Now that you guys started nitpicking, I see that the horizontal zipper is too high on 5*, and the d-pocket is not parallel to the main zip. My OCD would drive me nuts.

I'm with you on the positioning of the horizontal zipper. With regard to the slope of the d pocket, the situation is different. There are many examples where the D-pocket zipper is not parallel with the main zipper. Edit: But there were also examples with parallel zippers as well.

Leathertogs:

Cycle Champ:

Trojan:

Buco J82:

 

[Marc mndt]

There are many examples where the D-pocket zipper is not parallel with the main zipper

Hercules

 

[58panheadfan]

I asked because I think you're not benefiting from the extra back length of the 5* because it lands on your hips (just like the elmc).

This is because both jackets have quite a narrow opening (bottom hem width).

The elmc benefits from a small front drop, whereas the 5* is blunt cut.

View attachment 490108 View attachment 490110 View attachment 490111

Good eye @Marc mndt
I ordered a back length of 61 cm with a front drop of 2.5 cm from FiveStar. Actually the back length is 62 cm with a front drop of 1.5 cm. The ELMC has a back length of 60 cm and a front drop of ~2 cm. These 2 cm do make a difference, less so when wearing the jacket every day, but when I'm on my motorcycle, I have an upright riding position. The FiveStar is probably a bit too long. I'll find out when I drive it for the first time. There's a reason why leather jackets used to be cut shorter, the guys knew what they were doing back in the days. For a motorcycle Jacket in an upright sitting position, the length above the waistline would be perfect. Therefore you can see on vintage Motorcycle Jackets they don't cover the Belt on Pants, so if the Jacket itself has a belt, you will see two belts on top each other. It's different with the Cafe Racers, where you sit leaning forward, which is why these jackets have a longer cut.

FiveStar:

ELMC:

 

[58panheadfan]

What bothers me about the ELMC is the tight cuff opening when zipped. I have very slim wrists but I can hardly zip the Jacket properly. The cuff opening is just 3.55" (9 cm) when zipped!

 

[Guppy]

I'm with you on the positioning of the horizontal zipper. With regard to the slope of the d pocket, the situation is different. There are many examples where the D-pocket zipper is not parallel with the main zipper. Edit: But there were also examples with parallel zippers as well.

Leathertogs:
View attachment 490113

Cycle Champ:
View attachment 490114

Trojan:
View attachment 490115

Buco J82:
View attachment 490116

I don't think a D pocket zipper SHOULD be parallel to the main zip on a cross zip jacket. It should be vertical, parallel to the wearer's spine. Or slightly inclined like on the J82 so that entry via the right hand is easier.