STEVE S.
Well-Known Member
I have a really nice Pritzker in my collection but don’t have any labels made to do them. Could be a possibility later on!
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M422 best manufacturer
- Thread starter Thomas Koehle
- Start date
I have a really nice Pritzker in my collection but don’t have any labels made to do them. Could be a possibility later on!
Thomas Koehle
Well-Known Member
Awesome jacket Burt!
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
Hi Otter
That is on the agenda. We have spoken about it, our web guy has done lots of videos in his previous job. Right now he's busy working full time on our new site, there's lot of products to photograph, list etc.
Hopefully the new site will be live very soon, schedule was end of July but................
STEVE S.
Well-Known Member
Well, cats out of the bag.
http://www.vintageleatherjackets.or...ck-m422a-size-40-new.21087/page-2#post-206992
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
Steve
In all honesty was the crisism unfair or unfounded?
Yes I contacted two previous Aero customers who were also VLJ members, Brett being one, to suggest they should request a blind zipper on their M422a and that the pics shown prior to delivery were hardly Prime Maker level.
No ulterior motive .............Aero aren't even in the "Original maker" M422 market, nor ever likely to be in it.
DD It was to John Chapman, a long term old friend and business aquaintance, that I pointed out the shortcomings in the quality of the sewing and construction of your early work, and the detrimental effect that could have on Goodwear's repultation, I have to say you appear to be getting your game together but you've got a very capable mentor.
Was I being unfair? I don't think so. On reflection can either you or Headwind compare your current level to John Chapman, ELC etc
I'm not putting Aero into the argument, as I said, we aren't in the same game.
In all honesty was the crisism unfair or unfounded?
Yes I contacted two previous Aero customers who were also VLJ members, Brett being one, to suggest they should request a blind zipper on their M422a and that the pics shown prior to delivery were hardly Prime Maker level.
No ulterior motive .............Aero aren't even in the "Original maker" M422 market, nor ever likely to be in it.
DD It was to John Chapman, a long term old friend and business aquaintance, that I pointed out the shortcomings in the quality of the sewing and construction of your early work, and the detrimental effect that could have on Goodwear's repultation, I have to say you appear to be getting your game together but you've got a very capable mentor.
Was I being unfair? I don't think so. On reflection can either you or Headwind compare your current level to John Chapman, ELC etc
I'm not putting Aero into the argument, as I said, we aren't in the same game.
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
Steve
If Aero had sent out that Block jacket with the zipper fitted as it is, we'd have asked to have it returned immediately for a refund or remake and we'd fix it properly before putting on the sale page...................not that it would ever have passed QC
If Aero had sent out that Block jacket with the zipper fitted as it is, we'd have asked to have it returned immediately for a refund or remake and we'd fix it properly before putting on the sale page...................not that it would ever have passed QC
STEVE S.
Well-Known Member
Ken, it’s the way you go about it that is the problem. Like I stated, not once have you ever contacted me with advice. Did you not tell someone a few yrs back privately that “you would never do anything to help me? It got back pretty quickly. Also heard the comments made privately weren’t just about requesting the hidden zip & emails have been sent after they have received the jacket. You have to realize, I spend a lot of time thru the process emailing back & forth getting to know my customers, their history & consider them as good friends when the process is completed so we talk a lot, even after the business part is over with. According to them, it’s not flattering at all that you do this & just reflects poorly on you. You are good at ranking everyone else’s stuff but always omit your brand saying you aren’t in the same game, but always seem to inject your “proper jacket factory” & “highly trained people” to poke at others. Just what game are you in & where do you rank yourself? I could comment as I have done repairs/ knit replacements for many years & have had numerous examples of everyone’s work in here, but I don’t criticize that in public or private. I want them to feel as good or better about their jacket as they were when they first received it.
As far as the jacket in question, there is a lot of variance in that spot on the originals I have owned/ handled thru the years. The collars were the same size from size 36 up & when you start customizing measurements to a customers wants, sometimes it may vary a little. Not all are spot on like the picture of JC’s Monarch you posted. Brett was happy with it, so why did you feel the need to get involved, especially on his for sale ad? If you were truly interested in being helpful, you would have contacted me & stated “ hey, did this get by you or is it possibly the photo angle making it look like it does.” There is a right way to go about things & a wrong way, that’s what I am referring to. If you can’t do it the right way, don’t do it at all.
As far as the jacket in question, there is a lot of variance in that spot on the originals I have owned/ handled thru the years. The collars were the same size from size 36 up & when you start customizing measurements to a customers wants, sometimes it may vary a little. Not all are spot on like the picture of JC’s Monarch you posted. Brett was happy with it, so why did you feel the need to get involved, especially on his for sale ad? If you were truly interested in being helpful, you would have contacted me & stated “ hey, did this get by you or is it possibly the photo angle making it look like it does.” There is a right way to go about things & a wrong way, that’s what I am referring to. If you can’t do it the right way, don’t do it at all.
STEVE S.
Well-Known Member
I have said my piece & wont comment any further. It serves no positive purpose for anyone. Best advice I can give is an old saying my Grandmother used to use. “ If you keep your own front porch swept clean, you won’t have any time to worry about everyone else’s.” Think about it....
Smithy
Well-Known Member
Seem like this is between you and the other makers involved Ken but it might be worthwhile considering the ethics of a maker contacting another maker's customers privately to critique their work? If you're fine with that then that's your choice but obviously it's a strategy which some might have a big problem with.
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
The "game we are in" is and has been since 1981 is producing jackets that could have been made between the 1920s and 1959.
Not replicas or copies of anyone else's work, not modern interpretations but jackets that could easily have been made back in the day.
There was no "game" back then, Langlitz were carrying on as ever, Avirex were producting military repros and Lewis Leathers were barely surviving and there was Schott, not sure if LW had started or not but that was about it. nobody had used Horsehide for decades.
The only changes in that philosophy was to produce a few military repros and one or two civvy repros over the years.
Would this genre have all kicked off without Aero? probably, almost certainly and eventually but we were directly responsible for the surge of Japanese versions, McCoy BR etc and possibly Eastman as Gary used to spend a lot of time window shopping in The Thrift Shop where Aeros jacket first went on the market
Not replicas or copies of anyone else's work, not modern interpretations but jackets that could easily have been made back in the day.
There was no "game" back then, Langlitz were carrying on as ever, Avirex were producting military repros and Lewis Leathers were barely surviving and there was Schott, not sure if LW had started or not but that was about it. nobody had used Horsehide for decades.
The only changes in that philosophy was to produce a few military repros and one or two civvy repros over the years.
Would this genre have all kicked off without Aero? probably, almost certainly and eventually but we were directly responsible for the surge of Japanese versions, McCoy BR etc and possibly Eastman as Gary used to spend a lot of time window shopping in The Thrift Shop where Aeros jacket first went on the market
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
Even when the two customers in question were also Aero customers who had both asked advice on other matters in the past?
Not wishing to start another spat with you Smithy
Smithy
Well-Known Member
Ken, no need for a dust up because as far as I'm concerned we've buried the hatchet. I just think it's a risky way to go about things and wanted to say it might be worth keeping that in mind. There's probably a few guys who would get prickly about another maker contacting them about a new jacket they'd just bought.
That was all I wanted say, as I said it's between you and the other guys in question.
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
Steve S
I challange you to tell me who I'm supposed to have said anything like this to........................
"Did you not tell someone a few yrs back privately that “you would never do anything to help me? It got back pretty quickly."
Until very recently I was totally unaware of your existence
Ken
I challange you to tell me who I'm supposed to have said anything like this to........................
"Did you not tell someone a few yrs back privately that “you would never do anything to help me? It got back pretty quickly."
Until very recently I was totally unaware of your existence
Ken
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
You Missed this question
and I missed this one from you........
Me, as a designer? I'd rate my work very highly. As a machinist I'm confident I could makes as good an A-2 as anyone if we put a 2 hour limit on completion.
Aero machinists...............
I wouldn't swap Julie for anyone on the planet, she's the best leather machinist I've ever come across.
We've two other ladies who produce stunning work but not in the same volume as Julie.
The two lads who make our sheepskins are peerless.
One of our Military machinists is an utter perfectionist to the point if being aggravating some of the time, she'll know who she is if she hears about this post!
Not that I've got anything but praise for the others!
Maverickson
Well-Known Member
Yes, I currently have an order for a B-G INC 55J14 jacket and have been planning on doing one for some time. That particular jacket's design is much like a M-422A.
A couple of years back I got interested in this same jacket when I sourced a near pristine and for the most part unworn B-G INC in a size 44.
My pristine size 44 had to be taken apart to fix a number of factory anomalies. Those same anomalies kept it from being worn. While apart I took the time to pattern it complete. As a result of my handy work it looks so good I'm afraid to wear it.
Subsequently, I sourced two more B-G INC 55J14's in sizes 40 and 42.
My guess is that these B-G INC 55J14 G-1s are among the most rare USN jackets ever made.
Cheers, Dave
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