Ebay seller - advise / opinions needed

[Smithy]

Save your money and get a secondhand Aero or Eastman, or if you're after new, I wouldn't rule out SM Wholesale (they made the A-2s for "Unbroken") and they look very good for the price...

http://www.smwholesaleusa.com/ww2-us/army-air-corps/a2-jacket-chesnut-ww2

 

[Roughwear]

Wise advice Tim. Cheep repro A-2s will never compare with high end ones and if you buy one is likely to be moved on quickly.

 

[Roughwear]

Crikey, that AVI leather on FL is awful! Poor fit to say the least, wrong knits, sleeves too long, square boxy shoulders - yuk!
'Steer' clear of one of those, poss the worse A2 Ive seen in a long time, I wouldn't even class it as a 'repro'!!!

Agreed Wayne. I have seen far worse entry level jackets.

 

[Zmit]

And what about this AVI Bronco?

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/avi-lthr-bronco-a-2-jacket-review-pics.92117/

 

[johnwayne]

Now that's much better, looks half decent for the money!

 

[Dr H]

Brett is on here now, ask him directly?

 

[silvio76]

Stanier - thanks for your advise. There is nothing I want or don´t want to hear.As I said - don´t have any experience with A1´s or A2´s. For me it´s very difficult to estimate quality based on some pictures - that´s why I´ve asked experts It´s clear for £80 this will never close to any major players. Do you think any Avirex, Cockpit (china made) or Bronson A1 (chinese), AVILTHR (Denmark) will be much better or it has no sense to go for middle range at all?

If you want to buy Cockpit jacket, do not buy jacket Made in China or Pakistan. Those jackets are from their "cheap line", and quality is poor.

 

[Brettafett]

Hi guys, just saw this...

That first AVI was when they started, nothing compared to the jacket they sell now, this is the current Bronco model offered - www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/avi-lthr-bronco-a-2-jacket-review-pics.20936/page-9
I have two.

A few guys have bought these jackets recently and posted comments and reviews on the forums.

Absolutely agree about saving for a high end jacket, but at the rate of rising costs, these are fast moving out of the reach of many.
Looking for a secondhand Eastman, Goodwear, Aero or BK (Real McCoy, Buzz Rickson etc) is an option, you may be lucky... But just be aware of what you are getting. Ask questions, check photos closely, check measurements.
All three of the above have sale sections on their websites. Still, often not cheap!

And let me tell you, regs secondhand... Wearing someone else's jacket, is one thing, but if it needs some work... trying to refurb a secondhand jacket costs a lot!

But if you want to get a new jacket, at a decent price, these AVI Broncos (https://avilthr.com/webshop/) are great for the money. Read the review above and the others.
If you don't like the jacket or the fit is off, you can return for full refund.
I am a fan, because they are among the first companies to procure an original WW2 jacket, copy the patterns and offer a budget-mid-priced 'original maker' A-2 jacket.
They are trying to go as authentic as they can, and are getting better and better... have decent repro hardware (Talon zipper, Carr snaps etc), really nice goatskin, fit and wear well.

SW Wholesale is an option, some guys like em, but I found mine did not fit me well. These are generic patterns. Some guys have had communication issues... Again, read the reviews...

If you want to pay a little more, read the JA Dubow mfg thread. A really nice looking Dubow 27798 A-2 in horsehide for a fantastic price, made by our 'friend' who started BK.
This jacket is essentially something like what you would get from BK, but cheaper (for now). No one has seen one of these yet, we are all waiting for a review... (BK is no longer offering their house model A-2 it seems)
Beware the terms and conditions, these jackets are non-returnable, and you have to add postage.

Cockpit are good jackets, not cheap to buy new mind you, and are all generic patterns that tend to run short and wide. There are options here, depends where you are. In the US? Then you could try a Cockpit with easy returns, but otherwise have postage, imports and duties to contend with.

There has been some interest in horsehide A-2s out of China. I think there have been a couple of triggers pulled, but... Good luck.

Stay away from the cheapie Ebay jackets... You will only regret it. A little extra cash put towards a decent jacket, will save you lots of regrets...

 

[Brettafett]

And what about this AVI Bronco?
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/avi-lthr-bronco-a-2-jacket-review-pics.92117/

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/avi-lthr-bronco-a-2-jacket-review-pics.92117/[/QUOTE]

This was my first AVI Bronco, patterned off the original WW2 jacket, I love it. It fits great, so easy to wear... the second batch (currently offered) is the one reviewed in the post above. Its basically the same jacket, but with an upgraded M-39 Talon zipper and a slightly more robust goatskin. Really nice jacket imho.
Not an Eastman or Goodwear obviously, but authentic enough, details are there, and you won't have to sell your kidney to afford it.

That first link at the beginning of the thread Pg 1 was a very bad generic A-2 and AVI's first foray into the jacket making market, before they got their original WW2 jacket and their original Korean 55J14 G-1.