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ELC and Bill Kelso roughwear 27752 comparison

Marv

Well-Known Member
Both jackets look great, your ELC RW looks very similar to mine, as for the BK sleeves not tapering enough seems to be a pattern issue as it seems to be on all their ww2 jackets. I have a BK G&F M422a and the sleeves are the same with not much taper at the cuff end.
 

P-47 thunderbolt

Well-Known Member
Both jackets look great, your ELC RW looks very similar to mine, as for the BK sleeves not tapering enough seems to be a pattern issue as it seems to be on all their ww2 jackets. I have a BK G&F M422a and the sleeves are the same with not much taper at the cuff end.
I think personally that the ELC perhaps has too much taper around the wrists and the BK not quite enough, although i've seen period photos of both baggy and tight wrists.
 

Clark J

Well-Known Member
About knits I have owned a half dozen Eastman A-2s still have 2 and have always thought their knits are the weakest part of their jackets. I remember back when JC was ramping up he was have a heck of a time finding knits. I purchased one of his first run goat Dubows that had kind of a ribbed set of knits they looked just fine and wore great but I think he changed shortly after that.Some one here from the UK ended up with it maybe if they didn't sell it they could post a pic of the knits.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
About knits I have owned a half dozen Eastman A-2s still have 2 and have always thought their knits are the weakest part of their jackets. I remember back when JC was ramping up he was have a heck of a time finding knits. I purchased one of his first run goat Dubows that had kind of a ribbed set of knits they looked just fine and wore great but I think he changed shortly after that.Some one here from the UK ended up with it maybe if they didn't sell it they could post a pic of the knits.
Here ya go Clark...
This is an early GW Roughwear with those ribbed knits.
5894373C-9ECB-471D-981B-379AABD248D6.jpeg
36B8DC96-ABE1-4FBD-8065-8763A758A444.jpeg
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
I fret when I wear the Monarch at night. I often take off the bulky watch. Always cautious when taking off the ELC jacket. Never in panic mode with BK, BR or GW.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
That’s for sure . Never understood the weak knits ELC uses on their jackets . I’m sure they have other options available to them but for some reason they continue to use inferior knits. Oh well...... what do you expect for $1200 dollars :rolleyes:
 

mulceber

Moderator
My going theory is that they ordered in bulk and want to clear out their stock of the crappy knits before they upgrade.
 

Showerfan

Active Member
Re-upping this thread as I have both ELC RW and a BK ARCO on order. Do you think the ELC knits have been improved by now?

also, what do those of you who know think about the Warhorse vs the Liberty hides?
 

mulceber

Moderator
Congrats on your orders - I have a Star from BK on the way myself.

The most recent jackets I've seen coming out of Eastman have had the same knits they've had for a while now, and I imagine with the state of the economy in East Asia right now, Gary has more things to worry about than fixing the knits he seems convinced are just fine.

Regarding hides, both are excellent. Most people I talk to seem to think Liberty's a bit better - at least for the price. Comparing my RWs from BK and Eastman, both are gorgeous, though the Eastman had a head start, as it's a 2017 purchase that I bought used (and very broken in) last year. My BK I've had about 6 months. It's starting to break in, but is still rather stiff, although the grain has really started to pop. The Eastman Warhorse is very supple and generally feels lighter, at least to me. I'll be interested to hear how you compare them out of the box.

On the whole, I prefer Kelso: better knits, and the sleeves are less tapered. Other than that, they're mostly of a piece with each other.
 
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Brettafett

Well-Known Member
Had both and many others.

So many ELCs... Currently 3 BKs. I have owned around 7 or 8 ELC RWs, 27752s and 1401s (plus 2 GW RWs). ELC jackets have evolved a lot over the years since my first RW back in 2001/2. Todays versions are a lot more consistent than the earlier versions, patterns are much better. Can say the same for BK from what Ive seen.

Weirdly enough, the best ELC RW27752 I had was one I gave the old hwt too back in 2003/4. The jacket fit like a glove, the colour lightened, looked great, but... sleeves became way to short, knit stretched out and it had to go. But it was a joy to wear aside from that.
Currently my BK RW23380 is the best RW I have owned. Not putting ELCs or GWs down, far from it, but this jacket fits me like a glove, it looks like so many originals, the colours are right on the money, the collar is not overly 'clown', etc...

Today, I think both versions offer a highly accurate original maker repro, but ELCs prices are crazy.

I like them all, they are are all similar, yet slightly different in their own ways.
I never really had 'issues' with my ELC's knits, but they did seem to stretch out after a while, esp after getting wet... my BKs are still holding strong.

I love both the warhorse and Liberty hides, (also Platon's Dubows hides are great), but my BK Seal Liberty is all time fav. Just love the hue, they got that so right. To me, this seal brown comes across so much like so many originals Ive seen. I would love to try a russet.
The warhorse often has a lot of variation per batch.... can sometimes feel a bit thinner, sometimes has lots of grain and creases, other times less so, colours can vary slightly. Adds to its character.
Liberty has been almost identical, every sample I received, to the 3 jackets I currently have. Lots of grain. The thickness has been relatively consistent also. Not heavy at all.
Both hides drape well, and loosen up in good time.
I think the finishes are slightly different, ELCs warhorse tends to show variations in hue right out the box (also Platon's), whereas BKs Liberty may appear a bit more opaque at first. I was told my Liberty would wear-in quickly as Liberty is apparently designed to do, but so far my jackets have only shown normal wear, and are wearing in and looking fantastic.

I think you will love both jackets, looking forward to your reviews.
 
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