KWIK: new zipper option at Eastman!

[havocpaul]

http://www.eastmanleather.com/Kwik.htm

Nice to see this addition, so there are Talon, Crown and now Kwik zippers on Eastman jackets, well done Gary!

 

[Roughwear]

This is excellent news. It will be perfect on his Cable A2s. I wonder which other jackets it will be available on. Kwik zips were only used on very few A2 contracts.

 

[Clark J]

Hope they work better than their Crown repo!

 

[Tim P]

probably on whatever his next 'maker' A-2 jacket turns out to be. It would make good business sense to do that.
Existing jackets that are suitable for a Kwik are of course going to benafit from a detail enhancement. The newer shade Cable with a true to type zip in that grainy goat gets a fella thinking......And to think I was in the queue at DX with one in my hand last year as better duck and cliff will testify.

 

[Roughwear]

Providing the Kwik zippers prove robust I love to have one on my ELC Cable. So are we going to see them on all many of the current ELC offerings?

 

[havocpaul]

I tried to see what jackets they were an option on but it doesn't seem that they have updated the pages yet. I too would love a Cable with the Kwik zipper. problems with their Crown, didn't know there had been any, I had two jackets with the Crown and they worked perfectly and felt very robust, it was the Hookless I was apprehensive about as it did feel 'difficult' at first. How many makers used Kwik zippers?

 

[Roughwear]

As far as I know Kwik zippers were mainly used on Cable A2s. I have seen them used on a few other jackets, but can't remember which ones at present. Kwik zips appear to be the rarest zips used on A2s and even Cable Raincoat used Conmars more often than Kwik zips if the number of surviving examples is a guide.

 

[havocpaul]

Quite a few years back I bought a Dubow which had a Kwik, it wasn't a great experience as when I got the jacket from the ebay seller it was in poor condition, one arm was separated from the shoulder seam and there were small holes in the leather, the seller wasn't willing to take it back (I've learnt alot since then about eBay rules!) but offered to pay for repair costs so off it went to Aero; despite the Kwik zip being sound or so I thought it came back to me with a replacement Talon as Aero said the Kwik was faulty(?); decided to sell it and cut my losses, decided it was a jinxed jacket!

 

[Swing]

http://www.eastmanleather.com/Kwik.htm

Nice to see this addition, so there are Talon, Crown and now Kwik zippers on Eastman jackets, well done Gary!

When the ELC Cable came out years ago, they had reproduction Kwik zips on them, but that didn't last very long (I think the sliders were coming apart) and they went back to Talons. Hope they have the issues with the Kwik now sorted out.

~Swing

 

[deeb7]

When the ELC Cable came out years ago, they had reproduction Kwik zips on them, but that didn't last very long ...

See this example with pictures ... Acme Depot, January 2003.

http://www.acmedepot.com/a2jacket/eval_ELCcable.shtml

 

[Roughwear]

These old repro Kwiks were very weak and the pullers were rectangular. The new ones have more of a bell shaped puller and look quite robust, but time will tell. I still have an ELC Kwik puller in a box which might become collectable in 50 years time!

 

[Persimmon]

Andrew,
Just out of interest, how did you find out about the new zip.
Your initial link takes to an Eastman page advertising it.
However when I look at their web site I just don't see it flagged up.
Have you got a secret door to the new products section ??
Alan

 

[Roughwear]

Andrew,
Just out of interest, how did you find out about the new zip.
Your initial link takes to an Eastman page advertising it.
However when I look at their web site I just don't see it flagged up.
Have you got a secret door to the new products section ??
Alan

Paul flagged it first. If you log on to the ELC site it is there on the home page above the B-6 50 Cal.

 

[Persimmon]

How strange,
When I go to the home page only the B6 - 50 Cal is there.
No sign at all
I must be seeing things or not as the case may be.

 

[Hawkeye]

If it turns out be be a robust zip then this is great, however those teeth look pretty rough, looks like it could be pretty dry and raspy.

 

[Grant]

The Kwik puller I've seen in originals always had a small rectangular puller. The Kwik puller pictured on ELC's website is a rough reproduction of Kwik pullers I've seen in flight kit bags.

 

[Roughwear]

The Kwik puller I've seen in originals always had a small rectangular puller. The Kwik puller pictured on ELC's website is a rough reproduction of Kwik pullers I've seen in flight kit bags.

I have seen this one used as you say on flight bags on very very occasionally on an A2. The last was a pre-War Aero. Here's the link to the correct Kwik for the Cable.

http://www.acmedepot.com/a2jacket/a2ima ... e_zip1.jpg

 

[havocpaul]

I have seen the ELC-style Kwik on original jackets, also found this link to one...

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur ... s%3Disch:1

On the ELC home page the ad for the zips is at the top, can't miss it!

 

[Grant]

If anyone has a photo of the ELC Kwik in an A-2 it'd b cool to see. As I said, I've never seen it in an A-2 before (not to say it doesn't exist).

 

[Roughwear]

Here's a pic of a similar style Kwik zip on an original Aero.