Is this how a CXFXHH jacket should look?

[rob20uk]

Hi Guys,

So I recently paid a bunch of money to have a new CXFXHH Highwayman made. Awesome jacket but I just have a quick question about how the leather should look as the back of my jacket seems to look a lot less smooth than all the other CXFXHH Highwayman jackets I have seen. I really want to get any advice on if this is normal or if I should look at taking about this with the factory (I was planning on buying another in brown but this has put me off a little).

So on to the issue, the back of the jacket seems very grainy and the area in the top right of the back panel seems thinner and more supple than the rest of the jacket along with been very creased in that area. Yes I understand that its an organic product and has a grain to it, the issue I have is my jacket seems to have a LOT more than any of the other I have seen online or in the store. You can see what I mean by looking at the picture below.

Its a fantastic jacket but after looking at lots of pictures online and after handling a few in the store I want to get a little advice about the one I have received. No of the ones I have seen seem to have this very grainy and creased pattern on the back. You can see a few of the other pics I have seen below that don't have this issue. As you can see they seem very smooth in comparison. So should my jacket look like this?

For reference you can see what the front of the jacket looks like with the below pic. You can see in the picture its really nice and smooth. This is the sort of finish I was expecting to see for the back of the jacket.

Any help or advice any of you can give on this jacket would be massively appreciated.

 

[rob20uk]

Sorry I just realised I posted this in flight jacket discussion. Please accept my apologies for this (can a mod move this?)

 

[Southoftheborder]

It is normal for some parts of a fairly large panel to be a bit grainer than the rest. Particularly if the cutter went down more towards the belly. Whether it's okay or not is mainly up to what you think about it. Whether you as the customer think it's too unmatched. But if it's very thin there it could be said to be a problem.

 

[Smithy]

My Aero Barnstormer in CXL FQHH has exactly the same differences in some panels to the others. Honestly don't fret about this as it's actually a very good thing. The panels on your jacket will age and weather in their own particular way which will give the jacket a non-uniform look to the leather. This is a really good thing.

If it fits you nicely just wear it. And don't baby it, throw it in a corner when you're not wearing it, wear it to do some manual labour, in other words just wear it whenever you're doing something which requires a jacket.

Honestly the more you wear it, and the more you wear it hard, the better it is going to look.

 

[B-Man2]

Rob
Smithy is spot on with his response. If you still need some reassurance, we are fortunate in that we have Ken from Aero Leather on the forum here with us. I’m sure once he sees this thread he’ll be responding to you.
Welcome !
Good to have you here.
Regards
B-Man2

 

[jeremiah]

Most people would kill for a hide this grainy. It’s Awesome. Enjoy it and welcome. I don’t think if it’s thin it’s a problem. Horsehide is very robust compared to some other leathers of the same thickness.

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

Hi Rob

Looks like an unanimous agreement, you've got a beauty there..........someone once said "The worst an AeroHorsehide will ever look is the day it comes out of the box"
Fair enough I'd say.

Variations will develop almost daily as it breaks in, if any flatter areas bother you then you can bring the shine up with a spot of matching boot polish and a hard rub with a cloth to remove any residue.
Personally I wouldn't touch it, I can see by the grain this one is going to look amazing after a couple of months hard wear.

Enjoy

Ken

 

[MikeyB-17]

If you sent it back and got another jacket, the new one would almost certainly do exactly the same. Leather does that. Different panels will develop grain in different degrees, because sections from various areas of the horse hide are used. Most of us, presented with a smooth jacket straight out of the box, will start beating the Hell out of it to bring out the grain. It’s character, part of the reason we buy leather jackets. I’d love one like that.

 

[Southoftheborder]

The only thing I would add is that he does say it's thinner there. I've had loads of CXL jackets and coats over the years new and s/h, and most will have this perfectly normal graining in parts. And the hide will vary in thickness too. But if it's been cut to include a very thin part of the hide - then that is something different. Perhaps he can tell us just how thin it is when he comes back.

I bought an Eastman like that a year or so ago and it was lovely and grainy. But a panel was very thin on one side and was clearly cut too close to the belly there. It was almost papery. I paid a lot of money for that jacket and I wanted it to be right. It wasn't so I sent it back.

 

[Alexander]

The look of this vintage Cxfxhh biker jacket is amazing with such distressed look and rich color tone. I would surely want to get my hands on it to be a center of attention among my peeps. The casual appearance of this irresistibly cool jacket is perfect to stylize on various occasions no matter what age or style you are in. It’s a worthy investment for an attitude style.

 

[rob20uk]

Thanks for all the advice and help guys.

It's not the grain patterns that I have an issue with, I know it's an organic product and with use it will develop its own "personality" for use of a better word. I am fully expecting the rest of the jacket to develop that more moulded look as I use it. It's more the thickness that I want to learn more about.

Ken you are right when you say "The worst an AeroHorsehide will ever look is the day it comes out of the box" I already have an Aero 1950s Flight Jacket in Tumbled Brown CXFQHH. Its one of the best quality jackets I have seen and it's a pleasure to wear it. It is just getting better and better every time use it. With the Flight Jacket the CXFQHH is thick everywhere and I honestly can't find anything to fault or question about this jacket, I can tell it's going to last 30+ years without any issues.

After seeing how thick the CXFQHH was everywhere on the 1950s Flight Jacket the issue I have with the highwayman is more around thickness in the back right hand panel and long term durability as its 50% thiner on the right hand side vs the left. I am planning on keeping this jacket and using it regularly for the next 30 years plus, as such durability is quite important.

I ride a motorbike so with the arms stretching forward the back of the shoulder areas of the jacket are going to get a lot of stresses put on them (I dont ride regularly but at some point this jacket will be used for this). Also I use a rucksack pretty much daily and this will almost always be on my right shoulder and rubbing on what is the thinest part of the jacket. I don't know much about diffrent leathers (hence me asking questions here to learn more) but I do know that as I am planning on keeping this jacket and using it regularly for the next 30 years or so, as such I really want to understand how durable the CXFQHH will be when its thinest point is going to be one that gets a fair bit of wear.

@south of the border, to help be more exact about things I have included a picture of me pinching the leather on the left and right hand sides of the jackets back panel. I also have some skin callipers that I have used to measure the thickness of the leather on each side. The measurements are of the pinched leather so they are about double the actual thickness.

Left side thickness: 4mm

Right side thickness: 2mm

As you can see it's quite a bit thinner on the right.

Left side pics:

Right side pics:

By the way I just want to stress that this is not me complaining, the jacket looks amazing and the construction is second to none, I honestly just don't know much about leather and only having one other CXFQHH jacket as a reference I don't know what I should and should not be expecting. As such I want to make sure that I learn more about it so that I have a more informed opinion etc.

If you guys say don't worry about it and its normal then thats fine.

By the way Ken I had a good look at the Irvin flying jacket you have in your shop (It was this forum when I was looking for an Irvin flying jacket in Jan that pointed me in the direction of Aero), its fantastic quality. When we start getting into autumn I am planning on pulling the trigger and ordering one. After you have seen the real McCoy so to speak you cant help but realise how terrible most peoples Irvin style flying jackets actually look.

Once again thanks for the advice everyone has given.

 

[jeremiah]

Yeah I can understand your issue with the varying thickness. Trust me. I know leather. This jacket will be tough as nails in both areas. Hides vary in thickness. You know you have quality because of that.

If it were say sheepskin it calfskin then the thinner areas would need to be watched carefully.

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

Rob

You really shouldn't worry, Why don't you wear it for a few months, if you are still not happy get back to us once you've put some proper wear on it and if it looks in the slightest bit weak we'll make a new one

 

[Spitfireace]

It`s a jerky mismatch horse hide. Just like the old days.

 

[rob20uk]

Hi Ken,

I knew Aero were a stand up company when they first said they would send out a jacket for free and if I liked it just pay for it.

All the advice I have had from Aero to date has been spot on, and the jacket is an absolute perfect fit thanks to the advice Denny gave. You know more about leather than I ever will Ken and if your advice is that it's going to be fine and just use it regularly to get some proper ware on it then I'll follow that advice. l'll email you guys in a few months to let you know how its going.

When you say "Personally I wouldn't touch it, I can see by the grain this one is going to look amazing after a couple of months hard wear." It's already starting to look amazing and thats only after wearing for a few days, luckily we have had some steady rain so I am sure thats helped.

Thanks for the advice guys.