FIVE STAR

[fleet16b]

I will also ad that buying a low priced jacket does have certain advantages
Many people buy the expensive jackets and end up being to scared to wear or damage them so they sit in a closet
With a lower end /priced jacket you won’t be afraid to bang them around a bit which imho is good fit the jacket
End not:
In no way am I try I’m g to bash 5Star
For the price, the products look good and I am sure they will continue to grow and improve with bc time .

 

[Bombing IP]

If Five Star improve anymore all the other companies will go out of business . You say for the price they look good ,to me that's an insult to the Five Star Product .If you reverse the statement , that's what you get for that amount of money . I do not see it that way Five Star is very close to being on par with the big boys . I for one do not see $1200 extra on top tier Type A-2 you have to spend being sensible . It makes no freaking sense to pay that amount of money and have to wait patiently with out word for the best part of a year or even 2 years . When Ken of Aero tells us that an A2 can be Made in an Hour + the cost of the KnIts ,hardware and lining and leather . It seems to me that certain consumers of jackets Type A2 can only feel good about the jacket if they are being fucked over on the price .Fleet you are not convinced of the quality of the Five Star product that I can see . Me I thank god there is a company making really good jackets in quick time that do not cost an arm and a leg . Maybe one day the penny will drop ,but its not for me to tell you how to spend your money or what to wear .But to tell people to save up and spend a lot more money on another companies jacket that I do not agree with .To which I say buy Five Star you will be happy with their products . Coming from a guy who has been collecting studying & buying A2 jackets for 40 years Five Star are all that and a bag of chips .

BIP out

 

[foster]

Fleet, I did not take your comments as scolding - I only said that because of other experiences elsewhere which make me a little reserved in that sense. In no way did I intend to imply any awkwardness and I apologize for not wording my comment better.

BIP - I still believe that healthy competition is good for the leather jacket market. I don’t want to see Five Star put the big names out of business any more than I want the established high end makers to shut down Five Star. There is a place for the range of makers and customers.
Five Star is making a lot of progress and I appreciate what others are posting here with photos etc. However, I will respectfully say that I still do not see them on par with the likes of GW, Diamond, ELC, Kelso, or Aero. At least, not at this snapshot of time. But I’m one who obsesses (often to an unhealthy extent) on scrutinizing the details. Not everyone is like me (and this is a good thing),and I don’t expect everyone to notice or care about the minutiae the way I do.
My opinions are subject to change over time, and I do adjust my perspective in light of new information when reviewed. I wish Five Star the best, and I look forward to their continued improvement. There may be a time when I will own one of their jackets, but for now I am quite pleased with the A-2’s I own from GW and Diamond.

 

[Bombing IP]

Foster for the most part I agree with what you say Yes there are great Good Wears and Diamonds etc etc , There are a lot of awful top tier makers jacket out there .I know because I owned them not knowing any better I paid a lot of money it must be good or so I thought .Ok maybe the Five Star is not on par with everyone out there ,but I will say this they are a freight train and there a comin . They have gone from not very good to excellent in a very short amount of time ,much faster than the progress of Good Wear and Eastman .Some of Eastmans jackets were wrong for 15 years before he corrected them .Some of the early Good Wears were not so hot . On an evolution curve 5 Star are moving at a terrific pace .

BIP

 

[foster]

True, every jacket maker has a learning curve, and some move on that curve faster than others. Five Star is moving along very quickly, and there has been a lot of community support for them. They’ve been actively listening and implementing the feedback, as they should.

You do bring up a good point on the power of the name. The big names have made their share of jackets while going through the learning process (not just when they started, sometimes when they make or update a pattern for a new contract). When it comes to the vast second-hand market of A-2’s, some of these ‘learning curve’ jackets pop up at higher prices just because of the name. It doesn’t really serve anyone well when this happens (except whoever is selling the jacket in that moment).

 

[AlexLutov]

Well, that's just my thoughts..Here's another thing, the country in which the a-2 is made, in my opinion this is very important for many members of this forum, as well as potential buyers in general. Someone not in any case will never buy a jacket A-2 made NOT in the United States and in Pakistan, I personally have nothing against this country and the products of 5 stars and Sean ALI . thanks.

 

[MaydayWei]

Well, that's just my thoughts..Here's another thing, the country in which the a-2 is made, in my opinion this is very important for many members of this forum, as well as potential buyers in general. Someone not in any case will never buy a jacket A-2 made NOT in the United States and in Pakistan, I personally have nothing against this country and the products of 5 stars and Sean ALI . thanks.

I completely agree. Some may avoid 5* solely because their jackets are made in Pakistan and not (say) the USA. Nothing wrong with USA made; but quality products can be made anywhere. A good example that comes to mind are the M1951 Parka and N-1 deck jackets being sold on the Bill Kelso website; they are simply rebranded GIZEMO (made in China) products. If its good enough for BK to sell on their website, you can bet its quality. Likewise, it is a real shame if people are avoiding 5* purely because they are based in Pakistan.

 

[ausreenactor]

Half of What Price Glory's inventory is Pakistan made. If it was not for Jerry and these manufacturers the reenactor community would be going without.

I knew China would rule the World when I saw that T&E mechanisms for WWII .30 cal machine guns were being reproduced. They have the ability to cheaply and efficiently produce ANYTHING. From just an idea in some cases...

Shawn is producing some fantastic jackets and the quality is there... regardless of where it comes from...

 

[Bombing IP]

I want to make a statement on my past postings I have made regarding Good Wear I am in no way bashing Good Wear leather in fact I will go as far as saying they are the best .John took on all the contracts and educated himself to all the little nuances of all the makers jackets .Then went on to offer the biggest range of Type A-2s out there for the buying connoisseur and because of Johns work we are more educated and harder to please . Eastman not so much so but have gotten better because of the competition raising the bar .Five Star have had the help from us and we garnered the information from John . So the way I see it FS got better because of the input of the members knowledge and Shawn being able to get an original to copy but it all started with John Chapman .John has also been forthcoming with information to Shawn ,which is something other makers do not do becuase of their insecurities .So I will say it again JOHN CHAPMAN makes the best jackets now I feel better.

BIP.

 

[B-Man2]

For the most part VLJ is an opinion forum with a bit of “look at this” or “look at that” but basically an opinion forum . Some here will absolutely love 5 Star and the progress thats been made there, while others will never except 5Star for a variety of reasons . That’s their opinions and most of us respect that.
I found this forum back around 2009.By VLJ standards I’m still a newbie here, as I was part of the second stage of VLJs development and while many of the “old timers”are gone, there are still quite a few here who outrank me in both seniority and in knowledge . The only reason that I point this out is because, I’ve been here long enough to realize that every jacket maker goes through a process of development and learning stages when first starting out making jackets . If any of you own early Good Wear, ELC, or Aero jackets and compare them to the same jacket being offered for sale today by those same makers, you” ll see that there are subtle differences in materials , patterns and hides from the earlier ones . Sometimes those changes are good sometimes not, . But these companies evolved over a period of years and with some trials and errors . They certainly just didn’t show up one day with the perfect A2 and drop in our laps. So it’s with a bit of surprise , that I’ve read some posts that are so critical of 5 Star and wonder why many don’t afford Shawn some time to develop and mature as a quality jacket maker, the same as was done with the quality makers, who we all hold in high regard today . 5Star is not in the same league as GW, ELC or Aero , but in a couple of years he could be, but once again, that’s just my opinion .

 

[ausreenactor]

On the money Burt.

There are individual jackets from all of the manufacturers that I woudl say are 'great' jackets. And the best homages to the individual contracts. To generalise and say that all jackets produced by one manufacturer is quite over the top. I mentioned briefly that I realised quite quickly why I sold on my Perry that now has some amazing art on it... There are some BR 23380s that I would never have kept. The one I have now is amazing. I have had bland, lifeless ELC A-2s. The Monarch I have now will probably go into the furnace or the box with me...

You take a gamble with the fit all the time, sometimes you speculate what the hide will be like on a brand new jacket you have never handled. But when you can put an 80% guarantee you will be happy on something, at two thirds of the price. You will have a smile on your face everytime... Or you can use that jacket as the test for the perfect fit... and not lose sleep over more than $1000 of wasted time and energy....

 

[CBI]

its great that there is an option for a really awesome jacket, custom ordered that is affordable but still very high quality with little wait time. These is room for everything. Not surprised JC helped Shawn, JC is a first rate guy who makes amazing jackets at the very top of the food chain!

 

[MrProper]

5* shearling vest

 

[busdrivermike]

5* shearling vest
View attachment 51031View attachment 51032

Fantastic Something like That would be great over one my denim jackets like my new to me blanket lined one
I just picked up

 

[Bombing IP]

Burt your on target .

BIP

 

[bn1966]

5* have revitalised the hobby / obsession for me at a time when I was flagging....its got to the point where I can no longer justify to myself a huge outlay on a jacket, I have all seasons covered by ELC anyway. I’m very happy with the G-1 type custom made by 5*, it fits nicely and I wear it..great value for money. I fancied experimenting with some civilian styles and Shawn is currently making me a type 3 deerskin Trucker jacket..the quality of 5* jackets gets better & better and I’ve never found anyone as willing to listen and communicate as Shawn.
5* star have got lots of folk, thinking, talking, planning, designing and having fun...

 

[busdrivermike]

5* have revitalised the hobby / obsession for me at a time when I was flagging....its got to the point where I can no longer justify to myself a huge outlay on a jacket, I have all seasons covered by ELC anyway. I’m very happy with the G-1 type custom made by 5*, it fits nicely and I wear it..great value for money. I fancied experimenting with some civilian styles and Shawn is currently making me a type 3 deerskin Trucker jacket..the quality of 5* jackets gets better & better and I’ve never found anyone as willing to listen and communicate as Shawn.
5* star have got lots of folk, thinking, talking, planning, designing and having fun...

A deerskin trucker jacket ? Now that sounds amazing I love the feel of deerskin
I have an unlined deerskin shirt and love it and had looked at a black deerskin A2
At San Diego leather that I regret not buying as it felt at fit amazing
I did not know @Shawn Ali had deerskin, that gives me ideas especially if he’s got it in black
Your reference to type three is that split suede ?

 

[ausreenactor]

5* have revitalised the hobby / obsession for me at a time when I was flagging....its got to the point where I can no longer justify to myself a huge outlay on a jacket, I have all seasons covered by ELC anyway. I’m very happy with the G-1 type custom made by 5*, it fits nicely and I wear it..great value for money. I fancied experimenting with some civilian styles and Shawn is currently making me a type 3 deerskin Trucker jacket..the quality of 5* jackets gets better & better and I’ve never found anyone as willing to listen and communicate as Shawn.
5* star have got lots of folk, thinking, talking, planning, designing and having fun...

Their customer focus shows some of the bigger players how it should be done. The comms, outputs and lighting fast shipping are peerless. Their FB page is awesome and filled with LOTS of customers buying quality jackets... They have the production facilities to back up their demand too... Good times...

 

[MrProper]

Deerskin Trucker for me too. Ordered some days before

 

[bn1966]

A deerskin trucker jacket ? Now that sounds amazing I love the feel of deerskin
I have an unlined deerskin shirt and love it and had looked at a black deerskin A2
At San Diego leather that I regret not buying as it felt at fit amazing
I did not know @Shawn Ali had deerskin, that gives me ideas especially if he’s got it in black
Your reference to type three is that split suede ?

Shawn has black deerskin which is getting great reviews on TFL, it’s 0.9 to 1.00 mm. I’ve asked for a black silk rayon lining and will be wearing it over a T shirt in the summer as a very light jacket. Type 3 in my case refers to the Trucker design which from what I’ve read the type 3 came out in about ‘62. I like the unlined racing shirt concept & wondered how it would suit a Cafe Racer type design. Could see it working in deer..