Am I just being overly nit-picky?

[Hawkeye]

When I recently recieved my new elc Irvin, I noticed a patch of shearling about 3 inches long on the bottom hem of the jacket, to the right of the zipper that seemed fairly sparce compared to the rest of the jacket, its along the fold line of the leather when it folds up to make the hem. I didnt give it much thought at first, but over the last few days its been eating away at me. Its sparce enough that you can see the white skin underneath when the fur moves in certain directions. My fear is that within a year or two there will be a bald patch there, but another part of me tries to say that this is just the nature of a material that came from an animal, it wont be 100% all the time. Am I just being stupid? The rest of the jacket is absolutely fantastic, and you cant really see the problem unless you get up really close, but its still eating away at me. I think I just need an assurance that its no big deal and not to worry about it :?

 

[deeb7]

I think I just need an assurance that its no big deal and not to worry about it :?

It really doesn't sound like a problem, Hawkeye, so ....

It's no big deal ... don't worry about it.

 

[Hawkeye]

I think I just need an assurance that its no big deal and not to worry about it :?

It really doesn't sound like a problem, Hawkeye, so ....

It's no big deal ... don't worry about it.

Thanks, deeb, it may sound idiotic but thats just what I needed to hear.

 

[better duck]

Hawkeye, can't you post a picture? It says more than words and it could well be we are missing a point here.
Some thoughts to to put things in perspective:

• Sheepskin is a natural product, it will always have its uneven patches;
  When they put these jackets together in 1942 they probably wouldn't have left out that piece...
  When you wear your sheepskin jacket hard and / or a lot (as it is meant to be), bald patches will appear anyway, especially on those parts where the wool moves against clothing: my B3 has become quite bald in several places over the years

 

[Anonymous]

Perfection is unnatural. Does it impair the performance of the garment to look at whilst wearing or it's performance ? Probably not so, Yes you are being too picky !!

Dave

 

[John Lever]

I can understand your worry, but it is possible that if you swap the jacket over the replacement may well have another issue. I recently returned my new Broken Finish Anj-4 because the front panels were too shiny and did not match the other areas. The replacement was much better. But under the collar there is a scuff where a needle has scratched the leather. There is a similar scuff on the cuff.
I work with surfaces all the the time and can't help looking for imperfections. I see so many new cars with paint imperfections such as contamination with dust or even good honest paint runs.
Just live with it and when some wear occurs the very small pile crease will blend in.

 

[Jamesp]

Of course the final decision can only be yours. And if it bugs you too much and takes away your enjoyment of the jacket you will have to take a risk and try another jacket, but by this time you may going over it with a magnifying glass.

So I say even if it did eventually go bald ( I would think this would take a very long time) it would look even more like an original assuming the rest of the jacket by this time will be looking nicely worn also.

An Irvin is one of those jackets that looks great no matter what condition they are in, so I would suggest wear it, wear it and wear it some more.

Cheerio

James

 

[MikeyB-17]

As previously stated, if you send it back you could just end up with a jacket with another flaw somewhere else. I know it's not quite the same thing, in that they didn't have to pay out a large wedge of cash for their jackets, but I doubt the blokes who had them issued in WWII would have given two hoots about a bald patch. It would have developed bald patches somewhere anyway-my B-3 had them on the hips where the side adjusters were. It's just part of your jacket's character.

 

[Anonymous]

I thought the imperfections of JC's jackets are what were supposed to make them so like the real McCoy. I appreciate that it's a lot of money but is expecting a totally flawless jacket not perhaps a bit unrealistic ? SOOOO many people on here loathe the ELC jackets because of their lack of grain etc .............

NOBODY else will notice that you are even wearing a WW2 jacket let alone look for faults. ENJOY it - you are a lucky man !

Dave

 

[jacketimp]

whatever you're comfortable with........if it's keeping you awake then email gary and put the matter to rest.......otherwise it's gonna drip drip drip .........

you don't want to leave the matter too looooong before you contact elc to remedy the situation....

personally i expect imperfections in an original.........repros? no experience with that......

 

[jacketimp]

I think I just need an assurance that its no big deal and not to worry about it :?

It really doesn't sound like a problem, Hawkeye, so ....

It's no big deal ... don't worry about it.

Thanks, deeb, it may sound idiotic but thats just what I needed to hear.

don't be so harsh on yourself.........have you decided?

 

[Andrew]

Your reaction is i'm sure very well recognised by almost anyone who has had intense expectations for a new jacket purchase- you begin to believe that it will be perfect in every aspect that you have become familiar with and are expecting to see. It's human nature to want the best with no apparent imperfections. I'm not including you here but I reckon this would be one of any of the Repro manufacturers biggest bug bears- the Client who was so patient and polite has suddenly turned into an expectant ingrate who became a handful because of a particular detail the minute after they received it. I admit to similar feelings myself, and the expectation is that another will be better when it wont in actual fact and may have other issues.

As the other guys have said, if it's a departure from the detail of an original (which you are now aware of) or you think it's possibly an individual fault raise it with Gary, other wise live with it a little while longer and you might find that it no longer matters. My latest GW is the same and after 6 months i'm glad I stuck with it and it's personalized.

For me I'd be more bothered about the crappy plastic tab/tape at the base of the zip and the daggy puller shape than anything else, but that seems to be the only way they make them.

 

[Hawkeye]

Thanks guys, I do feel better. In reality its not really a problem, i'm just magnifying it in my head to be bigger than it is. I'll just go ahead and enjoy the hell out of my jacket.

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks guys, I do feel better. In reality its not really a problem, i'm just magnifying it in my head to be bigger than it is. I'll just go ahead and enjoy the hell out of my jacket.

I am sure you will! Good positive attitude there Hawkeye.

 

[tgd31968]

Thanks guys, I do feel better. In reality its not really a problem, i'm just magnifying it in my head to be bigger than it is. I'll just go ahead and enjoy the hell out of my jacket.

As someone who just recently got his first Sheepskin, I have to agree with everyone.
I had the same reaction when I got my first redskin jacket from Aero. It was great, but the acrylic had a lot of cracks in it right out of the box. Other than the cracks, and the fact that I didn't think I looked very good in the redskin, the jacket was great. I decided to return it and they made another in seal. When that arrived, no cracks, but they, for some reason, had substitued a much thinner, floppier belt material for the collar and waist belts. They had not changed the dimensions of the keepers, so the waist ones flop out every chance they get. Also, the belting is redish on oneside and very white on the other. Just does not look right.
Ironically, after about 3 weeks of wear, guess what, a crack near the arm seam at the cuff.

So, other than the fact that I look better in the darker seal color, all the other problems are a wash. I ended up wasting a lot of time worrying about things that just didn't matter. Unless you have a genuine structural concern, wear it and enjoy.
But I understand what you feel. Some of the other guys here may be totally over the cost of these things, but when I think about what I paid, and look at the crappy belts, I think did I really make a smart move buying this jacket in the first place? I have decided I am glad I did, but it is a natural reaction for something I consider beyond extravagant cost wise.

Terry

Terry