When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
No one. Absolutely no one makes A-2 repros like the great man himself.
The thing with John is he sees but also most importantly understands all those tiny little quirks and particularities of all the individual contracts and is able to translate these into his repros.
He sees things that I imagine even 99% of us here will never see.
There's some great A-2 makers out there but no one comes close to GW.
Spot on. Many people make good A-2s. No one makes them like John, not even close. His Rough Wears in particular are light years ahead of anyone else’s.
100% to all the above.
The more one learns about these jackets, the more appreciation one gains for John's work.
In every single respect, he is just that much better.
Advice to anyone new to the flight jacket world.
Just place an order & drop your deposit. Get in the queue. Worry about jacket type or contract later.
Then get a budget or secondhand jacket to tide you over, especially to understand your fit preferences.
Learn the details and nuances of the various contacts. Narrow down what you want. You don't need to email John, all the info is on his website and on this forum.
When your time comes, you'll get the best, most WW2 accurate jacket you can possibly get.
Can only totally second all your findings. Just would like to add that John masters all jackets best - far beyond A-2s only. Just think of all the outstanding shearling treasures but also span your view on the cool civilian repros he can accomplish as well as his cloth jackets.
John is a pure miracle with the outmost perfection in all he does, and this focus for perfection is part of each and every single item he builds - he never slows down on any of them or goes for compromises. That is why Brett is absolutely right: what you spend is spent very well and you will never be disappointed.