Has anyone done business with this company?

[B-Man2]

Has anyone done business with this company?
If so ..what are the jackets like?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AAF-A-2-Leather ... 35e5208d6d

 

[Silver Surfer]

wpg has been around for a while selling repro militaria. the stuff is generic, but usually ok quality. those a-2s used to be offered in militaria catalogues for $125, and when on sale, as little as $25. i had one way back in the day. they were made well, had crappy knits, and they were sized kinda odd, with a short body and orang sleeves. but for $25 what was there to complain about. the old ones were hh or cow, and in a russet.

 

[unclegrumpy]

The jackets are actually made by SM Wholesale out of Southern California.

http://www.smwholesaleusa.com

WPG is the seller, and Silver Surfer is correct, you had to watch the quality and accuracy of some of their products. That said, they fellow who runs the company is terrific to deal with.

http://www.whatpriceglory.com

Both of these companies sell to the movie industry, not always the frontline uniforms, but a lot of uniforms.

I have seen SM Wholesales A-2's before...not this production run, but previous ones, and they are generic as far as contractor. They are pretty good, but not great, and about what you would expect for the price. I think they are made in Mexico, and suffered in the past with inconsistent sizing....meaning the label was not always a good size indicator.

 

[Robman]

I have an SM wholesale A-2 in chestnut and it is a well done generic jacket. Hide is steerhide and it has developed a nice drape and appearance.

 

[plumbline]

I had a WPG Irvin and while the early ones had what appeared to be synthetic facings on the seams ... the latter ones had steerhide/cowhide facings and were a really good budget Irvin ( much better re. authenticity than ALC who own the Irvin brand)

The sheepskin was really good and the colour very nice .. zips were YKK and puritans would take issue with a number of small details ( buckle, belt construction etc. ) but as a cheap ($300 then ... now $395 ) Irvin it was cracking and I didn't mind treating it a lot rougher than my Eastman repro.

Really good basic repro .... and top notch if minute attention to detail and stitch for stitch rerplication isn't your thing ..... GREAT value for money IMHO.

In addition they do GREAT Indiana bags and STUNNING submariner roll neck sweaters for a fraction ($68 vs $150 at Eastman and $130 at Aero) of the other repro maufacturers with little or no difference in quality vs the more expensive versions IMHO.

 

[Marv]

From what I have read, SMWholesale provided the A2s for the movie Unbroken apart from the lead character A2 which was provided by Bill Kelso.

 

[ausreenactor]

SM Wholesale is claiming Fury too?

http://www.smwholesaleusa.com/from-the-movie-fury

And so is WWII Impressions...

http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/

50/50 perhaps?

 

[Flyderf]

I ordered one. For the price had to give it a try. I have to say I'm impressed. I'm not a stitch count nazi....or overly obsessed with minor details. The sizing was accurate to the specs listed on the website. We all know our measurements and what fits. Let me add I have jackets from Goodwear, Gibson & Barnes, Kelso, and Aero in Scotland. I'm not exactly new to the sport of leather jacket collecting.

The pics posted on the ebay listing are pretty accurate. I would add the leather quality is better than depicted. Nice matching of the hides, and very nice quality graining and textures we all love. It's a lighter weight steer hide and has a very nice drape to it. I would put it above my Gibson & Barnes Mk41. The stitching is very well done. No shoddy work noted. The knits are good....I'd say a wool polyester blend, but about par for nice mid range repo. The lining is as nice as any other A2. Snaps aren't bad. It even has a Talon zipper. Overall...this blows away any entry level A2 I've ever seen. It may become one of my favorite daily wears. Can't beat the price. If you were new to this and wanted a quality A2....and didn't want to spend $1200....this is your jacket.