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Pilot Report: De Brabander A-2

herk115

Active Member
I see after a quick search on this list that these guys have been around for a while, but I'd never heard of them until I saw their wares on eBay a few months ago. Anyway, they sold me two A-2 HH size 46s for $175 USD each! That's dirt cheap here! And surprise, they look pretty good and fit pretty well! Anyway, I put one on and took some photos and will give my report here. I'll assume both jackets are identical.

Manufacturer: De Brabander Mfg Co.
Size: Tagged 46
Pit-to-pit: 24 1/2 inches/62 cm
Shoulder-to-shoulder at back of epaulets: 20 1/2 inches/52 cm
Shoulder Seam to end of cuff: 27 inches/68.5 cm
Neck seam to bottom of rear waistband: 26.5 inches/67.3 cm
Hide: Horse (they say, anyway)
Zipper: looks like a generic Talon, reasonably heavy duty
Turnaround time: two weeks, if that

Stitching and knits appear pretty good. Time will tell. I like the lighter tan knits for some reason. But no matter how you slice it, the price is fantastic, considering what I got. My only complaint, a small one, is that the hide is stiff and will require some break-in, but it's not as stiff as, say, a Lost Worlds. I included a couple of closeups to show stitching and hide texture.

Please don't use these photos as a judge of fit. I'm 65 years old and starting to pack more weight in my upper body (all the men in my family are cursed with this malady). I have to consider comfort as well as fit. But you can get an idea of quality from the photos. Anyway, here you go:

A-2 DB 1.jpg
A-2 DB 2.jpg
A-2 DB 3.jpg
A-2 DB 4.jpg
A-2 DB 5.jpg
A-2 DB 6.jpg
A-2 DB 7.jpg
 

ZuZu

Well-Known Member
Wow- really a kind of cool jacket- especially considering the price. It actually looks a bit like a WW2 Star- in fact I'd say it captures the Star collar better than most really expensive repros out there! Also- the really thin epaulets are reminiscent of Star. The eps are put on over the shoulder seam but that's OK- this isn't supposed to be an exact repro. I'd say this is a much better deal than some of the $450 jackets people are buying and gushing about. Look at the stitching- it's pretty tight- again better than some more famous makers.
 
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