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Bill Kelso timeline of leather, with a little wear thrown in...
- Thread starter Skip
- Start date
Brent
Well-Known Member
Now this is starting to sound like the Bill Kelso I know.
Regards,
Skip
Well-Known Member
There is interest in bringing back the victory but the price of it will turn most away so I think this mainly has to do with that hide, not the Liberty.
liberty on the otherhand is far more easier to produce so I suppose it depends on where the tannery is at and how much of the stuff BK orders at a time. I think DD and ELC use the same hide maybe a different process so I guess it really depends on demand, how much the tannery can produce and how many makers are in the pie.
liberty on the otherhand is far more easier to produce so I suppose it depends on where the tannery is at and how much of the stuff BK orders at a time. I think DD and ELC use the same hide maybe a different process so I guess it really depends on demand, how much the tannery can produce and how many makers are in the pie.
Persimmon
Well-Known Member
As a big fan of jacket they produced for me I do hope all is well.
However the staff are giving mixed messages based on the above and causing confusion.
Brettafett
Well-Known Member
Well, I was in touch with them well back into last year about this, still waiting... and all I want is seal liberty. I am not paying for a jacket, when I know theres no stock of leather. I have come 'this' close to buying a BK, but every time I am ready to pull out the CC, they don't have stock. I think their jackets look really good, so am keen to try one. Lets see.
Pilot
Well-Known Member
Agreed, but again, what are the options for this quality of make/grainy HH? (comparing all photos and details shown for recent BK jackets)...Go with GoodWear ...wait for two years...Go with ELC...great make...but sorry from what I see here...: quote : ...their new WarHorse grainy (??) leather??!!!plus the recent price increase ...plus the waiting time ...plus the re-sell price on the fleebay (not even mentioning here...)... BK IMHO...still the best.
Brettafett
Well-Known Member
Yes, although if you are std sizes, ELC's warhorse is fantastic, no wait... but yes the prices have become restrictive. Have you considered an Aero? The Vicenza horsehide is also very nice... And the Aeroleather patterns are right up there. If you don't mind passing on horsehide, theres Diamond Dave. His jackets look very nice. Skip has good things to say about them. Still, I am curious about a BK.... The jackets I've seen pics of, look very good. There are still a couple of civilian BK jackets at American Classics and the leather, workmanship and details do look top notch. Hope I get to try one one day.
Pilot
Well-Known Member
Thx...
again, the last scans shown here on an ELC RW P-1402 HH WarHorse...not so impressive to me (only about the grain...not craftmanship....Great craftmanship great work...but just the new HH WH grain..??). DD??!!!, see my personal experience documented here (please consult my Posts/Reviews/ photos and MOREOVER the VLJ Responses when I tried to sell the super great DD A-2 jacket. (depressed 630 Euro in 2 days).....all documented here with photos etc......) again...not so impressed ( at least)... ALC..OK Vicensa OK...but again not as grainy and no Dubow and no RW 27752...But yes Aero Vincenza is an option.
again, the last scans shown here on an ELC RW P-1402 HH WarHorse...not so impressive to me (only about the grain...not craftmanship....Great craftmanship great work...but just the new HH WH grain..??). DD??!!!, see my personal experience documented here (please consult my Posts/Reviews/ photos and MOREOVER the VLJ Responses when I tried to sell the super great DD A-2 jacket. (depressed 630 Euro in 2 days).....all documented here with photos etc......) again...not so impressed ( at least)... ALC..OK Vicensa OK...but again not as grainy and no Dubow and no RW 27752...But yes Aero Vincenza is an option.
Brettafett
Well-Known Member
To be fair, Eastman's warhorse does vary from batch to batch. Thats the nature of this leather. Each sample I have is different from the last, in both colour and grain... When its good, its great! That said, I am aware that these are samples and do not reflect exactly the leather the jackets themselves will be made from. Thats been one of my issues... Pulling the trigger on a jacket, based on a sample and the jacket I received arrives in a noticeably different hue. Not ideal, esp when you can't return a custom jacket.
I do love the seal and dark seal Liberty samples I received from BK last year... Will the next batch be the same? I hope so.
Which contract would be going for in a BK? I would be keen on trying a Dubow 1755.... Maybe the classic RW27752. Dep on fit....
I do love the seal and dark seal Liberty samples I received from BK last year... Will the next batch be the same? I hope so.
Which contract would be going for in a BK? I would be keen on trying a Dubow 1755.... Maybe the classic RW27752. Dep on fit....
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Pilot
Well-Known Member
Agreed and I like (and thanks for) your comments on the ELC HH WH...but..again, seeing what has been shown here recently about the "new generation of ELC WH "...sorry..not my cup of tea...plus all other issues discussed here about increased prices (& try to resell one of these...for references check the fleebay and look for “Hangar Queens”...) etc...
Coming to BK A-2´s ...looking at latest sales on fleebay...same Level as Goodwear or RMC Japan...just are just facts..... IMHO, without any (bad) experience with BK... hence give them your chance/try regardless of the jacket of your choice...... and see you in 3-4 months (12 weeks delivery time+++ ...quote...in case of GW its more...) and we talk again... Sure they BK are watching all this... so BK...please do your best...here is your chance to impress all of us ..Again IMHO and judging from all comments here and elsewhere...
...BK was never blamed for not delivering...
...in general...Its just a matter of what and when...So far BK always delivered ( politics and stinker comments asside) quality and more or less in time...
No politics..just facts...
Coming to BK A-2´s ...looking at latest sales on fleebay...same Level as Goodwear or RMC Japan...just are just facts..... IMHO, without any (bad) experience with BK... hence give them your chance/try regardless of the jacket of your choice...... and see you in 3-4 months (12 weeks delivery time+++ ...quote...in case of GW its more...) and we talk again... Sure they BK are watching all this... so BK...please do your best...here is your chance to impress all of us ..Again IMHO and judging from all comments here and elsewhere...
...BK was never blamed for not delivering...
...in general...Its just a matter of what and when...So far BK always delivered ( politics and stinker comments asside) quality and more or less in time...
No politics..just facts...
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M3Cavalry
Member
I have very limited experience, but my sense is that the quality/grain of the leather is a total crapshoot. I got one ELC house A-2 with terrible, no-character leather. Returned it and ordered three different contracts. Kept the Star with its great thin, characterful leather and returned the rest. Seems to me that you want to either order a returnable jacket or be able to buy exactly the one you see (e.g. used here or on EBay). The Russet Liberty sample I got was mediocre. However, I keep seeing BK jackets with excellent leather and am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
Skip
Well-Known Member
Ok, gents. More samples from BK finally arrived, see the pics below. The background leather is my Werber in Antique russet, with there samples running in order down are russet, seal, dark seal. Of each type on the left is the new sample, on the right is the old sample that I have weathered quite substantially with hot water treatment, rubbing with hands, scrunching the leather and an ever so fine sand with 1000 grit. The bits where you see the raw leather coming through is where I had the sample wrapped around my phone and rubbed vigorously with my hands, just want ted to see how it would look on each. After washing/drying again a thin coat of pecards went on each.
Bottom pic is both of the russet, new sample on the left, weathered sample on the right. the leather does produce nice grain when worked, and also from the new sample there is already some grain inherent in it without me doing anything. You may notice that the tone of the left sample is slightly more redder so it looks like it will very between differing shipments of leather that not only BK receive but all makers of course.
Bottom pic is both of the russet, new sample on the left, weathered sample on the right. the leather does produce nice grain when worked, and also from the new sample there is already some grain inherent in it without me doing anything. You may notice that the tone of the left sample is slightly more redder so it looks like it will very between differing shipments of leather that not only BK receive but all makers of course.
Brettafett
Well-Known Member
Matt, did you literally just receive these samples? Are you ordering a jacket?
