B10 from BOB DONG

[Thomas Koehle]

B2 you’re kickin’ in Open Doors for me ...

Actually i’m Really convinced with most of the items i already got from China and do not see why spending 4-times the amount of money for a jacket or some garment which is maybe equal in quality if not better than RMC or BR stuff

Besides that i’m convinced that exactly also japanese companies use sources in China for manufacturing their stuff

Off course there is a kind of “evolution” which is recognizable during the last couple of years in terms of quality and details of chinese manufacturers

Still there is sometimes differences in details in between different production runs which is caused by the fact that most of chinese “manufacturers” sometimes swap their subsuppliers even within production-runs

Bottom line for me: there is Chinese “crap” outta there which is comparable with high-end priced Japanese products for only a small portion of the money

Just my 2 cents

 

[colekwok]

B2 you’re kickin’ in Open Doors for me ...

Actually i’m Really convinced with most of the items i already got from China and do not see why spending 4-times the amount of money for a jacket or some garment which is maybe equal in quality if not better than RMC or BR stuff

Besides that i’m convinced that exactly also japanese companies use sources in China for manufacturing their stuff

Off course there is a kind of “evolution” which is recognizable during the last couple of years in terms of quality and details of chinese manufacturers

Still there is sometimes differences in details in between different production runs which is caused by the fact that most of chinese “manufacturers” sometimes swap their subsuppliers even within production-runs

Bottom line for me: there is Chinese “crap” outta there which is comparable with high-end priced Japanese products for only a small portion of the money

Just my 2 cents

I agree, there are some very good quality items which you can source from China, we are lucky here as we have plenty of 'brave' men (and women, just to be politically correct) here who try things out with their hard earn money for us. I am extremely happy with my purchases from the company called Bronson so far. Most of their items are priced reasonably and I can simply wore them without 'nurturing' them as a 1k jacket. We should make use of the fact that the current Chinese industry is very good in copying and 'cloning', and the jackets mentioned here are almost copies of either similar versions of RM or BR.

As for the Japanese, Toyo (BuzzRickson) does have production lines in China, but most of their high end repro jackets are still made in Japan.

The bottom line for buying from Chinese makers is, do a lot of researches before you buy, OR, you take a gamble at a relatively cheap price.
P.S. I got my excellent Bronson B-10 (with one flaw) for £80 and I am very happy with it.

 

[johnwayne]

Returning to the red/rust theme, this was much discussed in this very section back in Oct/Nov last year (yes only a couple of months ago!) and it was suggested by some that no real evidence has come to light that B10's actually existed with such colour knits, however, I have seen fairly recently a pic showing a squadron photographer taking a pic of a take-off and quite clearly the knits are certainly not olive but a noticeable brownish/red on his B10! If I can locate said pic and reproduce it here I will try!!

 

[Thomas Koehle]

had some sparetime leftover and did a comparison between my BOB DONG (khaki with red knitting) and my BRONSON (olive with olive knitting)
the olive jacket has been washed twice already - the BOB DONG jacket is still in its new condition

first obvious difference besides the color of knitting and outer shell is the different color also of the lining

both jackets have the print on the sleeve - size as well as fonts seem to be almost identical but contrast of the BRONSON seems more clear to me (maybe caused by the ground colour)

both BD and BR use zippers with TALON print - on the bottom of the jacket the zipper of the BR is going down to the very end of the jacket but not on the BD (do not have a clue which one is more accurate)

and on both jackets the direction of closure is different (see position of the zipper-thingie)

both jackets do have a inner pocket - BD`s pocket is a thad wider than on the BR

as for the outer pockets the one on the BD are larger than on the olive B10 as well as the buttons - the shape of the BD jacket looks more realistic to me???

the BRONSON B10 has the pencil compartment in the left pocket with the opening at the seam of the flap - BD did not really understand the purpose or the presence of the compartment and just added a seam on the fabric without working in the possibility to store a pen

concerning dimension and strength the knittings on both jackets seem to be almost identical

collars in direct comparison - BOB DONG`s is more "fluffy" and softer

finally comparison of the liners - the BOB DONG one seems more alpaca like to me

generally the BOB DONG jacket is a thad larger than the BRONSON with also longer sleeves and a wider shoulder

for me both jackets are nice and is finally difficult to decide which of both to take

hope my comparison is helpful for you guys

 

[B-Man2]

Thomas
Great comparison.
Really nice photos
I always enjoy seeing comparisons between different makers.
Good job!

How was the comparative prices of the 2 jackets?
Thanks for posting the photos

 

[Steve27752]

Excellent, thank you.

 

[Garylafortuna]

Hi Thomas
This is a great thread showing the subtle differences between these two jackets. I have a Bronson B-10 that I recently purchased from a VLJ member. It has a bit of a chemical smell
to it and I would like to launder it and perhaps fade it a little. You mentioned that your Bronson has been washed a couple of times. Has there been any shrinkage or any fading with your jacket? The color of the knits on your Bronson are the same as on mine but the color of the jacket itself is much lighter on yours, which looks much better. Would you comment a little on your laundering techniques Thomas? Big thank you.

 

[Cobblers161]

Gary,

I recently received a Bronson N-1, upon arrival it too had a chemical smell and what appeared to be some kind of 'treatment' on the outer shell. The lining was the fake aplaca.
I gave it a 40 minute cold wash and it shrank but resolved the issues. Fortunately it's still wearable and now the weave has tightened up and the chemical smell has disappeared it's pretty much my favourite N-1.
I'd say wash very carefully and if shrinkage is not desired give it a 10 to 20 minute cold wash in a machine or perhaps handwash. Whatever you do don't use a modern detergent.

Good luck!

 

[johnwayne]

Not sure id ever wash my B10, id be concerned about the mouton collar plus I wouldn't want any shrinkage! If you want to age it prematurely maybe but to each his own I guess

 

[Thomas Koehle]

Hi Thomas
This is a great thread showing the subtle differences between these two jackets. I have a Bronson B-10 that I recently purchased from a VLJ member. It has a bit of a chemical smell
to it and I would like to launder it and perhaps fade it a little. You mentioned that your Bronson has been washed a couple of times. Has there been any shrinkage or any fading with your jacket? The color of the knits on your Bronson are the same as on mine but the color of the jacket itself is much lighter on yours, which looks much better. Would you comment a little on your laundering techniques Thomas? Big thank you.

Hi Gary,

I give all new garment (also repop items) a wash just to remove the smell some stuff has and also the "brandnew" impression.

Before I wash èm I give them some rubbing with sanding paper (600 grit) on the exposed portions to imitate some wear also to add some months of fielduse to a jacket. You can see on some of the pics the olive shows some bright fading (sleeves eg).

But that`s "expert" mode I needed some "trials" to get to a stage where the effect does not look too overdone.

As for the washer-program i use 30° - NO THUMBLING and i use my wifes standard washing powder for COLOURED garment with some softener afterwards. Too hot most of the garment shrinks ...

Modern repro = modern fabrics so i decided to use standard powder.

After washing with the stuff still wet i gently stretch the sleeves to get the fibers back to their original length (do not know wether it works but seems to). ONLY GENTLE but no ripping or whatsoever.

Finally hang dry somewhere in your garage to give it time for slow drying.

For the Bronson B10 i did not had any remarkable shrinkage but - like you mentioned - the olive of the jacket got a bit lighter which looks fine imho.

Finally said i think i would not dare to do this with a 400 or 500 bucks jacket from BR or RMC. I get the Chinese stuff straight when i get visitors from there without any additional shipping or customs. So the jackets usually are around the 100 bucks mark for me which is - if something would go wrong - by far not as painful as with a more expensive piece.

Hope that helps ...

NEVER EVER USE BLEACH! Depending on the basecolour and chemistry your garment might turn orange or any other colour but no longer olive.

Saludos

Thomas

 

[Pilot]

Very nice, thx for sharing...
Any jacket for sale?

 

[Thomas Koehle]

Very nice, thx for sharing...
Any jacket for sale?

yep

 

[Pilot]

great!
dankeschön

 

[Thomas Koehle]

great!
dankeschön

If you are interested drop me a line

 

[Pilot]

Sure saw your add on ebay-kleinanzeigen.de

 

[dujardin]

good post

thanksssssssssss for taking time to show us this comparison

 

[Cocker]

Looking sharp, Thomas!

 

[stanier]

Thomas’ pics look very good and seem to be very good value. Thanks for them Thomas. I haven’t read all the posts however as I can’t stop my eyes watering with chuckling to myself and the wife keeps asking what’s up!

It’s just that name Bob Dong, really? Did the team in China use the Monty Python marketing guide?

I can just imagine Rodney Trotter bemoaning his lot in the Nag’s Head, “you won’t believe what Del’s got me doing now, he’s got me selling B-10 flying jackets at the gates of Flying Legends with Bob Dong in the label, it puts the punters right off”... sorry to non-Brits that probably doesn’t mean a lot, forgive me.

I can imagine the conversation when wearing one in my usual weekend haunts:

“nice B-10, is it a Rickson or McCoys?”
answer
“No it’s a Dong”.

And then Thomas’ pics in the rest room too! It’s like Carry On VLJ!

Sorry and please, please don’t be offended Thomas (or anyone else). The kit does look very good especially for the price, and I for one appreciate knowing more about these up and coming Chinese brands, it’s just that name that’s had me chuckling since I clapped eyes on this fantastic thread. Funniest thing I’ve seen in ages.

If Buzz Rickson took its name from The War Lover film, I wonder who’d been watching what when Bob Dong was immortalised in rayon.

 

[MikeyB-17]

Just in case members overseas are scratching their heads wondering what the nutty Brits are laughing their asses off about now, the word ‘dong’ is a slang word for the male reproductive organ in the UK-I don’t know if it’s known as that anywhere else. I first recall it being used by the Monty Python boys-for example:-
http://www.montypython.net/scripts/haggis.php
I must confess I fell about laughing when I first saw the name.

 

[stanier]

Thanks for adding the clarity Mikey, I’ve lost the plot after seeing this thread today!