B-Man2
Well-Known Member
INTRODUCTION
Burt:
First off let me say thank you to John Lever for agreeing to write a comparison post of the Eastman, Lightweight Irvin vs . the Aero Lightweight Irvin. John and I agreed to take on this project in part because each of us owned a lightweight Irvin repro, and since these are two new offerings from ELC and Aero we thought we’d share them with the VLJ members for their review and comments . By sharing our ideas and thoughts on each of our new jackets, we think the readers will have a better perspective of each jacket and be able to make an informed decision if they are considering purchasing either the ELC or the Aero. . So with that, let’s take a look at these two Irvin repros. John and I hope you enjoy the review.
Cheers
ELC
AERO
OUTER HIDES :
John:
Eastman has gone for a slightly crazed finish similar to that used by Toys McCoy's on their excellent B3. Dry in finish the colour is a mid chestnut brown less red than some other Eastman Irvins. The main feature is the very light weight that I think comes from selectively bred sheep.
The result is a very light jacket that crumples when dropped, it doesn't stand up like some others do.
Burt :
The outer hide of the Aero is one of the nicest I’ve seen in a repro Irvin. It’s flexible and not the usual stiff hide we are accustomed to seeing on a repro Irvin jacket . The thing that really sells it from my perspective is the overall color of the hide. A nicely done Russett color which is similar to the color of the ELC Irvin. That’s just my opinion, so you guys will have to compare the photos and let me hear your opinions on this point .
ELC
AERO
COLLAR
John:
I think Eastman bases their pattern on a Wareings jacket as opposed to Aero that looks more like a !inks.The collar is quite large and made from more curly luxurious fleece than the body, it has more lustre and is longer. The collar strap is very short.
Burt:
The collar of the Aero Irvin looks spot on to me. It’s slightly rounded at the ends and reminds me of several period photos of original Irvin’s I’ve seen over the years . The fleece is a beautiful mellow, off white color, but I really can’t determine if it’s what would be considered as Merino Fleece . The fleece is shorter and less dense than what we would normally see on a regular Aero Irvin .
ELC
AERO
LABELS
John:
Eastman has used a mix of a military and civilian label. The sizing nomenclature is military but the description looks civilian rather like a label seen on a Sportsman jacket from the 1930's, almost like something Aero would use.
Burt:
The Aero Irvin’s’ label is definitely one of its shortcomings. Aero has the ability to do better. With all of their data and experience, I’m not sure why they dropped the ball on this small area of the jacket. Could it be that the actual Aero company never made Irvin’s during the war, so there’s no true example of an Aero Irvin label ? But if that’s the case, why not just repro a label of an original? It’s always the little things that distinguish a great repro from a mediocre one isn’t it ?
ELC
AERO

SHOULDERS AND ARMS
John:
As expected Eastman have constructed this jacket perfectly, the shape follows that seen on all their Irvins, very wide arms but rather short compared to originals. I think 2 more inches would be perfect, down to the first set on knuckles.
Burt:
The Aero has none of the tubular look that many of the earlier repros have. The overall areas of the shoulders and the arms compliment the look of the jacket, as well as giving it the appearance of a period original . It makes you wonder why Aero went to the trouble of making the jacket look so spot on for an original, and then use a crappy label on the jacket . Ok, I really need to get over the label . LOL!
ELC
AERO
Burt:
First off let me say thank you to John Lever for agreeing to write a comparison post of the Eastman, Lightweight Irvin vs . the Aero Lightweight Irvin. John and I agreed to take on this project in part because each of us owned a lightweight Irvin repro, and since these are two new offerings from ELC and Aero we thought we’d share them with the VLJ members for their review and comments . By sharing our ideas and thoughts on each of our new jackets, we think the readers will have a better perspective of each jacket and be able to make an informed decision if they are considering purchasing either the ELC or the Aero. . So with that, let’s take a look at these two Irvin repros. John and I hope you enjoy the review.
Cheers
ELC
AERO
OUTER HIDES :
John:
Eastman has gone for a slightly crazed finish similar to that used by Toys McCoy's on their excellent B3. Dry in finish the colour is a mid chestnut brown less red than some other Eastman Irvins. The main feature is the very light weight that I think comes from selectively bred sheep.
The result is a very light jacket that crumples when dropped, it doesn't stand up like some others do.
Burt :
The outer hide of the Aero is one of the nicest I’ve seen in a repro Irvin. It’s flexible and not the usual stiff hide we are accustomed to seeing on a repro Irvin jacket . The thing that really sells it from my perspective is the overall color of the hide. A nicely done Russett color which is similar to the color of the ELC Irvin. That’s just my opinion, so you guys will have to compare the photos and let me hear your opinions on this point .
ELC
AERO
COLLAR
John:
I think Eastman bases their pattern on a Wareings jacket as opposed to Aero that looks more like a !inks.The collar is quite large and made from more curly luxurious fleece than the body, it has more lustre and is longer. The collar strap is very short.
Burt:
The collar of the Aero Irvin looks spot on to me. It’s slightly rounded at the ends and reminds me of several period photos of original Irvin’s I’ve seen over the years . The fleece is a beautiful mellow, off white color, but I really can’t determine if it’s what would be considered as Merino Fleece . The fleece is shorter and less dense than what we would normally see on a regular Aero Irvin .
ELC
AERO
LABELS
John:
Eastman has used a mix of a military and civilian label. The sizing nomenclature is military but the description looks civilian rather like a label seen on a Sportsman jacket from the 1930's, almost like something Aero would use.
Burt:
The Aero Irvin’s’ label is definitely one of its shortcomings. Aero has the ability to do better. With all of their data and experience, I’m not sure why they dropped the ball on this small area of the jacket. Could it be that the actual Aero company never made Irvin’s during the war, so there’s no true example of an Aero Irvin label ? But if that’s the case, why not just repro a label of an original? It’s always the little things that distinguish a great repro from a mediocre one isn’t it ?
ELC
AERO

SHOULDERS AND ARMS
John:
As expected Eastman have constructed this jacket perfectly, the shape follows that seen on all their Irvins, very wide arms but rather short compared to originals. I think 2 more inches would be perfect, down to the first set on knuckles.
Burt:
The Aero has none of the tubular look that many of the earlier repros have. The overall areas of the shoulders and the arms compliment the look of the jacket, as well as giving it the appearance of a period original . It makes you wonder why Aero went to the trouble of making the jacket look so spot on for an original, and then use a crappy label on the jacket . Ok, I really need to get over the label . LOL!
ELC
AERO
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