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Welcome To “The Bargain Basement”

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Amazon/ seller screwed up my Sno-Seal order and had to cancel. Found some down the road at a hardware store that I'll pick up later today. Really want to get it going.

Hey did you use brown polish to finish?

Regards,
Hi Brent
Not on this pair . I have used it in the past and had good results however after a period of heavy wear in rain , mud and dirt , they all wind up looking pretty much the same as the boot on the right .
Cheers
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mulceber

Moderator
Here's my contribution to the bargain basement. It's not really a cheaper alternative to something made by one of the big makers, or even really something vintage. Instead, these M-65 trigger mittens fit in really nicely with just about any of the heavy weight flight jackets we typically wear around here: B-10, B-15, but also some of the shearling jackets:

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These mittens are normally quite cheap, and if you buy from Sportsman's guide, you can get them, surplus, for under $30. However, I managed to find them at a local surplus chain, Harry's, for...

...$9.95. o_O

Here's the link, in case anyone's interested: https://www.harrysarmysurplus.net/4393-gi-surplus-leather-trigger-finger-mittens-with-liner.html

Oh and I should mention that Burt's the one who initially pointed me toward the M-65s, so credit goes to him.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Great review Jan...!
This is exactly what we’re looking for, reviews from anyone who thinks that they’ve found a great money savings deal that they would like to share with the rest of us . So don’t feel shy or that your ideas aren’t relevant . We all like to save a few bucks so please post your finds :).
Cheers
 

MaydayWei

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

As this has been going on, I've been contemplating pulling the trigger on a NIFFI submariner in ecru myself.
But I'm a little hesitant on exactly which size to pick.
Do you guys have any input on the sizing? Does it run big? Do you recommend sizing down?
I'm a relatively slim guy, and prefer my sweaters snug but not too tight (like H&M or ASOS models do :rolleyes: )
Any input would be really appreciated! @Smithy @B-Man2 @London Cabbie

And FYI for anyone thinking of pulling the trigger on an outdoorknitwear (NIFFI) sweater, now might be the time.
Outdoor knitwear is having their pre Black Friday sale: 15% with the code: "EARLYBF15"
 

s4rmark

Well-Known Member
I’ve been eyeing the Niffi Das boot sweater, very tempted. I too would like any advice on fitment and sizing of their sweaters.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

As this has been going on, I've been contemplating pulling the trigger on a NIFFI submariner in ecru myself.
But I'm a little hesitant on exactly which size to pick.
Do you guys have any input on the sizing? Does it run big? Do you recommend sizing down?
I'm a relatively slim guy, and prefer my sweaters snug but not too tight (like H&M or ASOS models do :rolleyes: )
Any input would be really appreciated! @Smithy @B-Man2 @London Cabbie

And FYI for anyone thinking of pulling the trigger on an outdoorknitwear (NIFFI) sweater, now might be the time.
Outdoor knitwear is having their pre Black Friday sale: 15% with the code: "EARLYBF15"
I don’t know how the other guys feel about this, but the sweaters have a bit of give to them. I could have gone one size down from my normal size . The sweater would have been a better fit for me .
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Hey guys ... Been riding the boredom train today known as the CV-19 express . So after a bit of thought, I decided to post some “ Bargain Basement “ information that many of my friends on the other side of the ocean may not be aware of, regarding discounted military clothing . So ... before I begin,its story time and I’ll be brief, but as you’ll see it will tie in nicely with the information that I’m about to share with all of you.
As a child growing up in an area of Philadelphia known as South Philadelphia in the early 1950s . My mother was a sewing machine operator at a well known US Government installation named the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot. Sometimes in the early morning hours my Dad would take me and my mom and drive to the front gate of that location and drop her off to begin her work day. She would sit at a heavy duty sewing machine for 10 hours a day, sewing cargo pockets onto M-42 Paratrooper Pants . She worked there from about 1942 until about 1955, during both WWII and the Korean War. Now as collectors of military jackets and clothing, you guys may not have known that about 50% of the military clothing made during those wars came from the Philadelphia Quartermasters Depot. If you’d like to fact check me on that, simply look at any WWII or Korean War clothing you have with a label, or look at some of your repro stuff with a label and most likely you will see at the bottom of that label “Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot”.
Here’s a photo of the front gate back in the early days,
View attachment 46694
Well long after all of the wars ended and many of the machine operators were let go due to decreased production demands, the Philadelphia Quartermasters Depot slowly closed down. After a few years it subsequently had a name change and the complex moved to another area of Philadelphia and was known as the “Defense Supply Center Philadelphia “ or the DSCP . Ok so this is where some of you guys may or may not be familiar with the DSCP.
They stock goods and all types of clothing and military gear at that location . Occasionally when the military no longer needs items stocked there, sales of surplus clothing material and field gear are offered up for sale at really great prices . Surplus buyers bid on quantities of those goods and once they acquire them , put them up for resale at fairly cheap prices on various sites. One of those locations where you can purchase some of this stuff is on EBay . For example, I wanted a USN Watch Sweater , also known as a GOB sweater . Well I went on EBay and punched into the search section “ DSCP Sweaters “ and I found a current USN issued Watch (GOB) Sweater for $19.95 Buy It Now. . So here it is :

View attachment 46717
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Ok so now here’s where the cost comparison comes in . If you chaps are interested in a USN Watch (GOB) Sweater, like this from one of the top tier makers over in the UK ... who shall remain nameless :rolleyes: , you will have to cough up about 129 BPS for a well made repro . So with a little basic math conversion , that’s about $170.00 US vs .$19.95 for a current day original USN sweater
Savings= $150.05.
Now keep in mind that there are all types of sweaters as well as other types of clothing available , made for the US military at low discounted prices . So have a look and decide for yourself . It’s your money ....... It’s your call!
View attachment 46701
Just to add to the information contained in this post . If you simply enter “DSCP “ into the EBay search function, a complete listing of various new and pre owned military clothing and other items will pop up for sale or bid . To include USN Pea Coats , G-1 jackets , and various other types of clothing and items .
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
I'm a relatively slim guy, and prefer my sweaters snug but not too tight (like H&M or ASOS models do :rolleyes: )
Any input would be really appreciated! @Smithy @B-Man2 @London Cabbie

I’ve been eyeing the Niffi Das boot sweater, very tempted. I too would like any advice on fitment and sizing of their sweaters.

Hope this helps you guys...

For reference, I'm 6'2'' and 165lbs and with a true 31 inch waist measurement. I weight train though so I'm pretty big in the upper body and upper arms.

For the Submariner I went for the Large and it's perfect. I couldn't have gone smaller due to my height anyway. Bear in mind that these weren't meant to be super fitted and they look better and more period if they're not - well that's my opinion anyway.

Conversely my Das Boot is a Medium and I think it's spot on. These seem to be a little larger in the upper body and the Medium fits me perfectly. It's also a shorter style than the Submariner and sits a little bit lower than my waist. It's a very flattering fitting jumper.

HTH,

Tim
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Hope this helps you guys...

For reference, I'm 6'2'' and 165lbs and with a true 31 inch waist measurement. I weight train though so I'm pretty big in the upper body and upper arms.

For the Submariner I went for the Large and it's perfect. I couldn't have gone smaller due to my height anyway. Bear in mind that these weren't meant to be super fitted and they look better and more period if they're not - well that's my opinion anyway.

Conversely my Das Boot is a Medium and I think it's spot on. These seem to be a little larger in the upper body and the Medium fits me perfectly. It's also a shorter style than the Submariner and sits a little bit lower than my waist. It's a very flattering fitting jumper.

HTH,

Tim
I have to ask .... never saw a Das Boot sweater . Is that the same as the submariner?
 

Officer Dibley

Well-Known Member
Hope this helps you guys...

For reference, I'm 6'2'' and 165lbs and with a true 31 inch waist measurement. I weight train though so I'm pretty big in the upper body and upper arms.

For the Submariner I went for the Large and it's perfect. I couldn't have gone smaller due to my height anyway. Bear in mind that these weren't meant to be super fitted and they look better and more period if they're not - well that's my opinion anyway.

Conversely my Das Boot is a Medium and I think it's spot on. These seem to be a little larger in the upper body and the Medium fits me perfectly. It's also a shorter style than the Submariner and sits a little bit lower than my waist. It's a very flattering fitting jumper.

HTH,

Tim

You slim devil you !! :cool:
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
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