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Alpha McGuire

R

rich

New Member
johnny english said:
Anyone have any experience of the Alpha McGuire CWU 45 P ?
They look just like the mil spec Nomex ones in the photos.
Are the sizes the same as the mil spec ?
http://www.armyoutdoor.com/Alpha_45-P_F ... 008C1.html
Click to expand...

Interesting Johnny ........... do you think these might be the very same Alpha McGuire jackets? The seller claims they're
authentic military issue, but I don't know anything about the labels to call it........

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-CREATIVE-CWU- ... 1002wt_902
 
watchmanjimg

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
This is the same jacket we talked about in the earlier CWU-45 thread. So far our consensus is that it looks like an overrun purchased by a aviation shop in the UK, just like the Ebay seller claims. What isn't 100% clear is who ordered them in the first place, but my guess is the Civil Aviation Authority based on the information on the label where the SPO number would be in a US-issued jacket.
 
watchmanjimg

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
Tom in Atlanta said:
Look a little closer on that site and you'll see a Nomex by Isratex advertised for $24.95. Can that be right?
Tom
Click to expand...

Absolutely. It's a version issued to Army helicopter crews and armor crewmen. These jackets are of a different fabric than the CWU, albeit still a fire-retardant Nomex. They've never seemed to command the prices that CWUs can, and in any case the ones offered on this website are an odd size (Medium Long).
 
T

Tom in Atlanta

Member
OK - I see that now - that light colored font on their website is really hard for my aging eyes to read. Still, for $24.95 I may have to give them a try. At 6ft and wearing a size 40 jacket it should (hopefully) be just about right.
Tom
 
J

johnny english

Member
yeah they look like a good jacket for that price
I looked up CVC jacket and it stands for combat vehicle creweman , med long is for height 71" to 75"
 
derleicaman

derleicaman

Member
The Alpha McGuire is a good civilian version of the CWU-45/P. It has the addition of a map pocket inside, which the issue jackets do not have. They are not aramid (Nomex) which the issue jacket is. Aother difference is the lining, which is a nylon type material, not the aramid matte cloth type of the issue jacket. The sizes and fit is identical to the issue jacket. It also has the little black Alpha tag on the sleeve pocket and the Alpha logo on the storm flap. The zipper on the McGuire is labelled Alpha and the zipper on my issue Alpha is an Ideal. The inside label on the issue jacket is the small white one, whereas the McGuire has two inside labels with a greenish background color.

BTW, I just picked up a virtually new CWU-45/P, military issue made by Alpha for $51 on the bay.It seems the seller had not quite listed it properly, as I couldn't believe how reasonably I got it for. I have another one by Propper Industires that I picked up about a year ago for consierably more money. I also picked up a like new military issue CWU-36/P the week before for $25. Real issue jackets seem to range from around $25 to $350 from what I've seen on the bay. For my money, I'll take the real thing every day of the week when there are some real bargains to be found.
 
watchmanjimg

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
Indeed! This is what we discussed in the earlier thread on CWU-45s. Once you know what you're looking at they can be found cheaply if you're patient.
 
D

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
watchmanjimg said:
Absolutely. It's a version issued to Army helicopter crews and armor crewmen. These jackets are of a different fabric than the CWU, albeit still a fire-retardant Nomex. They've never seemed to command the prices that CWUs can, and in any case the ones offered on this website are an odd size (Medium Long).
Click to expand...

Yes, the Nomex is kinda flat, with no sheen at all, and the workmanship is poor ... untidy stitching, loose threads, and a thrown together look.

Guess it's no surprise ....

Isratex, which made millions from the Pentagon, declared bankruptcy in 1995. Most of its top-level management officials—none of whom can now be located—maintain strong ties to Israel.

Those officials include Isratex president Abraham Brin, vice president Yehudah Yoav Brin, and production manager Zoi Rosenthal.

After palming off the cheaply-made, defective suits on the Pentagon, company officials were charged with various OSHA safety violations and an $88,000 fine was levied against Isratex.
 
Atticus

Atticus

Well-Known Member
deeb7 said:
Guess it's no surprise ....

Isratex, which made millions from the Pentagon, declared bankruptcy in 1995. Most of its top-level management officials—none of whom can now be located—maintain strong ties to Israel.

Those officials include Isratex president Abraham Brin, vice president Yehudah Yoav Brin, and production manager Zoi Rosenthal.

After palming off the cheaply-made, defective suits on the Pentagon, company officials were charged with various OSHA safety violations and an $88,000 fine was levied against Isratex.
Click to expand...
Yep. My Isratex CWU-45P reminds me of a Chevy pickup I once owned....use it for an hour, then work on it for two hours. My Alpha and Carter jackets are of far better construction.

...But I have a Isratex M-65 that seems damn near indestructible.

AF
 
J

johnny english

Member
I had a look on the bay and some other surplus shops and new mil spec were around $350 to $450.
The cheapest seemed to be the ones in the UK flagged earlier for £139, but they didn't have my size.

Used ones were plentiful on the bay with a range of $50 to $250 but they had that normal wear and tear caveat which made me wary of buying. Especially as they were all in the US , so a long way to send back.
It's one of the usual dilemmas , if you get a really nice used one , it's a great deal. If you get a crap one then it's used wear and tear so you can't return.

I'll see what the McGuire turns out like, I'll probably end getting a proper mil spec one eventually.
Isn't this allays the case with the jacket collector. start off cheap and up paying for the one you really wanted in the first place.
 
R

rich

New Member
johnny english said:
I had a look on the bay and some other surplus shops and new mil spec were around $350 to $450.
The cheapest seemed to be the ones in the UK flagged earlier for £139, but they didn't have my size.

Used ones were plentiful on the bay with a range of $50 to $250 but they had that normal wear and tear caveat which made me wary of buying. Especially as they were all in the US , so a long way to send back.
It's one of the usual dilemmas , if you get a really nice used one , it's a great deal. If you get a crap one then it's used wear and tear so you can't return.

I'll see what the McGuire turns out like, I'll probably end getting a proper mil spec one eventually.
Isn't this allays the case with the jacket collector. start off cheap and up paying for the one you really wanted in the first place.
Click to expand...

There's a few going here, but as you say you're never sure what you'll get and by the time customs have had their cut
it all starts getting expensive.

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/U-S-MILIT ... QQ_armrsZ1

I went for one of the Alpha's from Mart Aviation in the UK, the jacket looks good from what I can tell. But we're paying well over the odds......
Good luck with the McGuire Johnny, be interesting to see some pics when you have it.
 
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