Who makes the most accurate hi-quality A-2 budget Repro ?

[Greg Gale]

@Kermit3D a slight correction, Bill Kelso does offer custom measurements, not only sleeve and body length. I ordered an A-2 that's a 'size 41', so 40 long with the chest and shoulders being in between the 40 and 42, Andy was super helpful to figure out the measurements.

 

[bozko]

Your guys knowledge is awesome-you're serious A-2 scholars.Just as an aside,why are vintage issue WWII G1's (not G1's-whatever they called 'em in WWII) cheaper than WWII A-2's ?

 

[ausreenactor]

I will say, the possible problem with going GW on the first go-around is that, when you've never worn an A-2 before, you may not know what you want. If so, you (bozko) may find after wearing the jacket for a while, that you wish you'd gone for something different. I might suggest instead that you follow the Fedora Lounge's classifieds section, see if you can find a used GW at a decent price, and see how you like that. You'll learn a lot about what you like in leather jackets from your first jacket. Once you've worn it for a little while, you can then decide from an informed position whether you want to place an order with John and what you contract/details you want.

And you sit twirling your thumbs as you run another course of action or two.

 

[bozko]

Re: Mulcebear quote-"I will say, the possible problem with going GW on the first go-around is that, when you've never worn an A-2 before, you may not know what you want"
Too true Mulce ! What I think I actually need is to walk into a warehouse somewhere (?) that has abt 300 used A-2's and spend a few hours trying stuff on.Wether such a place exists is unknown.
As far as an investment grade piece (1-2K or more),wouldn't an original be a more prudent investment ? I speak only fiscally,because it looks as if GW's tailoring is museum-quality work,and prob higher-level craftsmanship than the actual mass-produced WWII pieces(?).

 

[Chandler]

...when you've never worn an A-2 before, you may not know what you want"

The images I found of the air-crew in A-2s were always my lighthouse -- Yep. That's the look right there. John knows how to make that fit for you -- given the right measurements and input.

But yes, I completely understand the fiscal hesitancy.

 

[Kermit3D]

@Kermit3D a slight correction, Bill Kelso does offer custom measurements, not only sleeve and body length. I ordered an A-2 that's a 'size 41', so 40 long with the chest and shoulders being in between the 40 and 42, Andy was super helpful to figure out the measurements.

Interesting ! I didn't know it was possible, that's pretty good news.

 

[bozko]

Eastman seems to draw a lot of opinions ? -but again, I'm new to this game.

 

[mulceber]

Eastman seems to draw a lot of opinions ? -but again, I'm new to this game.

They do indeed. Everyone agrees they're well-made and the quality of the materials is beyond reproach. They are, however, very expensive and there are questions about their accuracy. Opinions vary regarding how serious those accuracy issues are and how far that should matter when we all agree they're well made. That's the most succinct and even-handed way I can put it.

 

[bozko]

Were there variances on the original A-2 war production jackets ?

 

[mulceber]

Oh, tons - both between different contracts and within individual contracts. It doesn't stop people from picking apart repros. And honestly, if it did, this would be a boring place to visit.

 

[bozko]

It is a very interesting Board and the amount of dedication & scholarship's phenomenal.The only old jacket I've got (that a pal gave me 40 years ago) is an old naval-style leather jacket.I don't know if many folks here are interested in M-422 or G-1 jacket (I can't w/any expertise tell the difference).It's missing it's manufacturers tag & has no USN stamp or perforation so that's a problem.My pals dad worked as a civilian mechanic at the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field in Santa Rosa,CA during WWII. Can I post some pics to see if someone can tell me what & when it is ?

 

[mulceber]

Oh we're very interested in Navy jackets too. Maybe not quite as much as A-2 jackets, but we have a whole guide to identifying them: https://www.vintageleatherjackets.o...-and-later-intermediate-flight-jackets.27377/

 

[Chandler]

Oh we're very interested in Navy jackets too. Maybe not quite as much as A-2 jackets, but we have a whole guide to identifying them: https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/“a-better-fighting-garment…”-a-beginner’s-guide-to-the-us-navy’s-wwii-era-and-later-intermediate-flight-jackets.27377/

Beat me to it.

 

[bozko]

Would I post Pics here or in a Naval Jackets Category ? Thanks

 

[mulceber]

Here is fine - or in the vintage section. We don't really have a navy section.

 

[Smithy]

Were there variances on the original A-2 war production jackets ?

One thing which I've harped on endlessly is that from what I have seen, wartime A-2s were for the most part rather "shonky" compared to today's high-end makers. Most originals have wonky stitching in places, very often one pocket being slightly higher than the other, one pocket flap perhaps larger than the other side or attached slightly off kilter.

I used to work in an aviation museum and we had 3 original combat used A-2s, interestingly on every single one, one pocket was between 1cm to 2cm higher than the other side. All had wonky stitching in places.

To pass inspection to be clear for issue for service, the jacket (like any other piece of military kit) didn't need to be aesthetically perfect, rather with all the right bits in the correct general area and constructed in such a way as to be assessed to be able to perform its function under operational conditions for a reasonable period.

 

[ES335]

Welcome, bozko. You won't find more helpful and experienced people on the subject here. If I may, I'd suggest you buy what YOU want and like the FIRST time, not the second or third. Beg, borrow, or save as you must or buy second-hand. Rob someone, LOL. But do it right the first time. Otherwise, you may end up selling a "cheaper" budget jacket at a substantial loss, and then finally getting a top quality piece when you could have waited and done so in the first place. Good luck!

 

[Greg Gale]

There is a topic that has probably never really been brought up when comparing jacket makers, low or high end: Color.

I'm color deficient a little bit, but somehow my eyes make up for it by being very sensitive to differences in shades. And it goes for jackets too. Even some of the most expensive makers make the mistake of dying their jackets the wrong shade - I had an Eastman seal which I always found a little too dark. I'm not a huge fan of their russet, which is more 'Havana Brown'. I've also seen Goodwears being too reddish. Having the color too vivid/ bright, even just a little bit is a trap that many fall into.
This would be the number 1 reason why I would pick AVI over 5 Star any day, they just have more realistic colors.

Bottom line, my 2 cents, I've only seen BK and Platon's jackets nailing the colors perfectly - I know IRL those varied A LOT, what I mean is their jackets are never too vividly colored.

 

[ZuZu]

There is a topic that has probably never really been brought up when comparing jacket makers, low or high end: Color.

I'm color deficient a little bit, but somehow my eyes make up for it by being very sensitive to differences in shades. And it goes for jackets too. Even some of the most expensive makers make the mistake of dying their jackets the wrong shade - I had an Eastman seal which I always found a little too dark. I'm not a huge fan of their russet, which is more 'Havana Brown'. I've also seen Goodwears being too reddish. Having the color too vivid/ bright, even just a little bit is a trap that many fall into.
This would be the number 1 reason why I would pick AVI over 5 Star any day, they just have more realistic colors.

Bottom line, my 2 cents, I've only seen BK and Platon's jackets nailing the colors perfectly - I know IRL those varied A LOT, what I mean is their jackets are never too vividly colored.

Good point well made but I would disagree with your assessment of BK"s colors- their seal- like ALL the repro maker's seals- is waaay to dark. Except for overdyes most originals seal color was actually closer to a dark russet. I've seen a couple of Aeros with an original dark seal but they were 21996s which actually were a kind of overdye. I have seen 2 or 3 dark seal original 27752s which come close to repro seal but those are the very rare exception.

 

[ZuZu]

2 examples of actual dark seal 27752s:

and this guy:

stitching shows they're not redyes