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ELC Werber A2 1729
- Thread starter Persimmon
- Start date
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Don't hesitate! Grab one now!
Lorenzo_l
Well-Known Member
Warning: picture heavy!
Early last year I was on the lookout for a pre-war contract repro A-2 and was considering ELC's Werber and HLB offerings. Already owning an ELC RW 27752 that is a pretty slim fit, the somewhat looser fit of the pre-war contracts appealed somewhat to me. I wanted to be able to wear more than just a shirt under the A-2 and thus extend the range of temps and weather conditions I could wear the A-2 in, and from pictures and info I got from this forum, I suspected the HLB would fit the bill. I pestered some members of this forum for pics and fit pics of their Werbers and HLBs (thanks Grant and Andrew for obliging!) and decided to pay Rob and Gary a visit at ELC's HQ in Ivybridge to try on an HLB Corp. A-2 (I used to live in Exeter at the time, a stone's throw away from ELC's HQ). I am pretty much a size 40 for most jackets and upon trying a size 40 HLB on, it felt a bit too big. Unfortunately, they did not have a size 38 in stock, but they did have a size 40 Werber they had just made for a customer and which they let me try on. The fit was much better than the HLB and I decided to pull the trigger and order a Werber right there and then, as ELC was about to hike their prices. Rob told me they would try to make the jacket in a month or two. A few weeks later, Rob emailed me to tell me that the machinist who used to make the HLBs and Werbers (yes, there was only one machinist trained to make these) had had an early retirement and they would not be able to make my jacket until they trained a member of staff again. That was in April last year. More or less at the same time, ELC took the HLB and Werber out of their website.
I forgot about the Werber and just carried on wearing the 27752. Along the way, I got swept by the Platon Dubow craze that swept this forum and lo and behold, I eneded up getting me a Dubow in Russet which is a great jacket and an even better fit and which went a long way to calm my anxiety and anguish about the Werber which might never happen.
Then, in September this year, Rob got in touch to tell me that they had trained a new machinist and the Werber was back in production with a new batch of Warhorse horsehide, in case I was still interested in the jacket. He proceeded to send me a sample of the new Warhorse batch, which was pretty grainy and supple, far more so than my that on my RW 27752. Rob offered to make me a Werber for a slightly higher price than I would have paid when I ordered mine last year (I was not charged then), but significantly lower than the current price and I accepted.
To cut a long story short, I got the size 40 Werber in early November but due to circumstances (I suffered an accident and was in hospital and out of commission for about two months) I had not got around to writing a review of the jacket.
The first thing I noticed upon getting my hands on the jacket is how supple it is. It is almost buttery soft right out of the box, yet not flimsy and full, I mean full of character.
Early last year I was on the lookout for a pre-war contract repro A-2 and was considering ELC's Werber and HLB offerings. Already owning an ELC RW 27752 that is a pretty slim fit, the somewhat looser fit of the pre-war contracts appealed somewhat to me. I wanted to be able to wear more than just a shirt under the A-2 and thus extend the range of temps and weather conditions I could wear the A-2 in, and from pictures and info I got from this forum, I suspected the HLB would fit the bill. I pestered some members of this forum for pics and fit pics of their Werbers and HLBs (thanks Grant and Andrew for obliging!) and decided to pay Rob and Gary a visit at ELC's HQ in Ivybridge to try on an HLB Corp. A-2 (I used to live in Exeter at the time, a stone's throw away from ELC's HQ). I am pretty much a size 40 for most jackets and upon trying a size 40 HLB on, it felt a bit too big. Unfortunately, they did not have a size 38 in stock, but they did have a size 40 Werber they had just made for a customer and which they let me try on. The fit was much better than the HLB and I decided to pull the trigger and order a Werber right there and then, as ELC was about to hike their prices. Rob told me they would try to make the jacket in a month or two. A few weeks later, Rob emailed me to tell me that the machinist who used to make the HLBs and Werbers (yes, there was only one machinist trained to make these) had had an early retirement and they would not be able to make my jacket until they trained a member of staff again. That was in April last year. More or less at the same time, ELC took the HLB and Werber out of their website.
I forgot about the Werber and just carried on wearing the 27752. Along the way, I got swept by the Platon Dubow craze that swept this forum and lo and behold, I eneded up getting me a Dubow in Russet which is a great jacket and an even better fit and which went a long way to calm my anxiety and anguish about the Werber which might never happen.
Then, in September this year, Rob got in touch to tell me that they had trained a new machinist and the Werber was back in production with a new batch of Warhorse horsehide, in case I was still interested in the jacket. He proceeded to send me a sample of the new Warhorse batch, which was pretty grainy and supple, far more so than my that on my RW 27752. Rob offered to make me a Werber for a slightly higher price than I would have paid when I ordered mine last year (I was not charged then), but significantly lower than the current price and I accepted.
To cut a long story short, I got the size 40 Werber in early November but due to circumstances (I suffered an accident and was in hospital and out of commission for about two months) I had not got around to writing a review of the jacket.
The first thing I noticed upon getting my hands on the jacket is how supple it is. It is almost buttery soft right out of the box, yet not flimsy and full, I mean full of character.
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Lorenzo_l
Well-Known Member
The warhorse hide is way more supple than that on either my 27752 or Platon Dubow. Just a pleasure to handle. Also heavier than the other two, but it is also bigger in a size 40...
You can see a lot of grain and marks on the leather, which looks to be original to the leather and not a result of the manufacturing process:
I like the sewn throat hook and latch a lot. And they look very well executed:
I have never handled an original Werber, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the jacket but I can say that this jacket exudes quality in both materials and workmanship.
You can see a lot of grain and marks on the leather, which looks to be original to the leather and not a result of the manufacturing process:
I like the sewn throat hook and latch a lot. And they look very well executed:
I have never handled an original Werber, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the jacket but I can say that this jacket exudes quality in both materials and workmanship.
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Lorenzo_l
Well-Known Member
This Hookless zipper was a bit finicky to get going at first, but once I learned to get the insertion pin fully seated in, there was never an issue getting the jacket zipped again. Definitely not as easy to zip as Talon repro zip to get going, but not an issue either. I like the zipper and rivet reinforcement at the base of the zip:
Knitted cuffs and epaulettes:
Knitted cuffs and epaulettes:
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Flightengineer
Well-Known Member
This is a great jacket!
I also sometimes think about buying another high-level A2 so that it will have more loose fit than my ELC Star ( fit perfect but I can't wear heavy sweater with comfort under it - shirt or longsleeve only).
Waiting for fit pics.
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Looks awesome right out of the box! Super pics too.... Well done.
saucerfiend
Well-Known Member
Looks fantastic! Does it fit as nice as the size 40 you tried on at Eastman's?
Brian
Brian
Lorenzo_l
Well-Known Member
Attachments
Flightengineer
Well-Known Member
If the forum interface allowed me use "like" not one, but 2 or 3 times, I would certainly do it with pleasure.
After breacking it will be a superjacket.
B-Man2
Well-Known Member
I think that’s a perfect fit .. it gives you just a bit of room to wear a jumper. You’ll see more use from it that way than if you could only wear a T-shirt under it. Keep in mind that WWII guys wore long underwear, a long sleeve wool shirt and tie and a sweater under them during the winter months and when they flew at 20,000 feet. That in my opinion is why the jackets looked trim fitting most of the time .
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saucerfiend
Well-Known Member
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Be confident in your masculinity and hit the LOVE..
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Looks amazing worn. Love the colour!
