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Aero A2 after 20 years of every day use
- Thread starter xarmor
- Start date
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
Xarmor....................not quite as old as yours but almost
This one, on the other hand is nearing 40 years............
This one, on the other hand is nearing 40 years............
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Don't say that... I got in trouble last time.
Smithy
Well-Known Member
Well if you'd be happy with that, go for it.
I've said it a thousand times on here, if you want ultimate accuracy buy an original. If you want a repro then you always have to settle for some degree of inaccuracy. That degree of inaccuracy is up to the individual punter themselves.
Thanks everyone for the comments. To be honest, I was never really interested in 100% accuracy in my A2's. I really appreciate the quality, research, and work that goes into producing those wonderful jackets. I bought these jackets mostly for protection on my motorcycle and because I love the style. 99% of the people that see the A2 have no idea what it is, to most it is just a beat up leather jacket. My friends would poop their pants if they knew how much these jackets cost, but I don't think anybody that ends up on the pavement from a motorcyle crash ever thought to themself "I wish I'd bought a cheaper jacket" as they skidded along the ground.
petermack09
Well-Known Member
Much as I love A2 jackets,,I would never want to ride a motorcycle wearing one,,but if it works for you that’s all that matters.
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
The second jacket (the 40 year old) has aged really well. I'm 90% sure that's because of the leather available back then. Notice how the aging on the arms is visible but not a grotesque permafold zig-zag? Like an aged original. I like the thin leather used on the epaulets and the narrowness of the shoulders in relationship to the body. Really not bad!
The first jacket- your wearer- has aged far more theatrically- not for me but obviously just LOVED here at the forum! You nailed the pockets although as usual they are too low toward the waistband.
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
The 40, year old is the first A-2 I ever made
.................thanks, but here was me hoping you'd spotted the half covered "X" stitch on one one shoulder on y own one. Jacket was made "against the clock" as an exercise
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
You keep saying that but repeating it doesn't really make your argument. There are a few companies out there that make a jacket well nigh indistinguishable from an original. Our modern leather usually gives it away but that's it. Details and fit can be correct. I personally would MUCH rather wear a good repro- the real thing always leads to the stiff "Oh no I'm waring a piece of history!" style of movement. Careful where that seatbelt goes! It's raining- guess I'll wear something else. Etc. A really good copy made to your size is always more fun to wear than a sorta good copy with incorrect details and weird fit. With a good copy you get flashes in the mirror of "Wow! It looks like an original!". Why settle? If so- why not just get the Avirex?
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
Wow- You did do that! Any chance of you making a new jacket with corrected details? Better (or I should say less obvious) stitching? Higher pockets? You have a lot of potential sir!
Smithy
Well-Known Member
See that's where the subjective bit of your argument comes in. It's obvious that a lot of people aren't fussed with all the details, and that's their prerogative just as it's yours to want the ultimate repro. I happen to be slightly detail obsessed to a certain degree but I'm less than I once was.
I'd personally argue that all the really high end repros are over-engineered compared to originals, vastly so in most cases. People like to think that their really high end repro is a facsimile of the jacket it seeks to copy but they're not, they're just nice homages to them.
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
Having seen a high end repro maker at work I can tell you that the “overengineering” only occurs in trying to figure out the actual way a jacket was sewn, stitch patterns, seam allowances, etc. which is what gives every contract that certain look. The more focused the more the repro will look like a WW2 A-2. Come on- this is common sense. There isn’t overengineering there is deconstruction. It’s an art. There are a bunch of companies trying it now- some with jackets at very affordable prices. For you a nice Flight Suits or generic Eastman! That’s fine but don’t denigrate the attempt
Smithy
Well-Known Member
I'm not denigrating anything. I just don't buy into the "my repro is just like the real thing" twaddle which is what it is. Forget the leather, details, etc but one of the overriding things with all the modern, high end repros are that they're made a darn sight better and with more aesthetic consideration than any original, they're over-engineered compared to them.
I don't know how much you've handled wartime military equipment or kit but nearly all of it is exactly the same, regardless of nationality. Unsurprising really because an A-2 was a piece of flying kit, and manufactured to pass inspection prior to issue primarily on the basis of whether it functioned and not solely on what it looked like. That's why nearly every single original A-2 will have some cosmetic flaw to it, wonky stitching, pockets/collars/studs out of alignment, etc, and most jackets have several of these things, if not all of them.
jeremiah
Well-Known Member
Smithy. You make a good point that is often overlooked.
new repros ARE indeed made better and you’d have to start back at the tannery to get things “just like” the originals. Sure you could tan with more primitive techniques but that’s what R&D get you; better results.
so if you wonder why some of the original jackets just can’t be daily wearers. It has more to do with older techniques to tanning and thread life. Now with synthetic threads and more informed tanning, we can have a jacket slow to age and will last many times over the lifespan of the originals.
that said, I do love the look and feel of vintage originals.
new repros ARE indeed made better and you’d have to start back at the tannery to get things “just like” the originals. Sure you could tan with more primitive techniques but that’s what R&D get you; better results.
so if you wonder why some of the original jackets just can’t be daily wearers. It has more to do with older techniques to tanning and thread life. Now with synthetic threads and more informed tanning, we can have a jacket slow to age and will last many times over the lifespan of the originals.
that said, I do love the look and feel of vintage originals.
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
Wow- You did do that! Any chance of you making a new jacket with corrected details? Better (or I should say less obvious) stitching? Higher pockets? You have a lot of potential sir!
I made them both
B-Man2
Well-Known Member
It becomes frustrating after a while to hear a few people continuously complain about the minutia and deficiencies of current repros compared to originals of 80 years ago . It’s been said time and again that 99.9 % of the public wouldn’t even notice the differences if someone sat down with them and explained the nuances of each contract . More importantly .... they wouldn’t care . To coin a Shakespearean quote , It is “we few, we very special few “ who “Agonize “ over these subtle differences.
Smithy (Tim) you are spot on in all of your comments . The bottom line is if complete and total accuracy is what you require, if you are totally detailed oriented and anything less is to be picked apart and trashed, If the differences in wether stitching crosses in the middle of the epaulettes box or below it, then buy an original and in all probability you may or may not be happy with it because each original may have those or additional flaws as well. BUT... you will have an authentic WWII A2 jacket. The down side is that you may not be able to abuse your jacket through continuous wear or by wearing the hell out of it because of its materials and its age, but that’s the trade off you’ll have to live with. On the other hand if you own a decent repro and wear your original on special occasions you may or may not find happiness . It all depends on you and how you view this thread.
Smithy (Tim) you are spot on in all of your comments . The bottom line is if complete and total accuracy is what you require, if you are totally detailed oriented and anything less is to be picked apart and trashed, If the differences in wether stitching crosses in the middle of the epaulettes box or below it, then buy an original and in all probability you may or may not be happy with it because each original may have those or additional flaws as well. BUT... you will have an authentic WWII A2 jacket. The down side is that you may not be able to abuse your jacket through continuous wear or by wearing the hell out of it because of its materials and its age, but that’s the trade off you’ll have to live with. On the other hand if you own a decent repro and wear your original on special occasions you may or may not find happiness . It all depends on you and how you view this thread.
Beautiful! I really appreciate the way they hold up over time. I never regretted buying any of the Aero jackets.
