Chinese leather jackets

[GioGokin]

I would like to order a B3, but I like the RAF Irvin version with zips on sleeves and belt. Unfortunatelly no B3 RAF on chinese shops !

 

[Ron86]

Just received my Simon’s Leather Togs repro from Taobao (via Superbuy). This is the same jacket as the one sold on Brake House.

I’m 5’10” 180lbs and generally wear 40 in most leather jacket brands. I bought this in XL which fits slightly big for just a T-shirt only fit but should be just right with a sweater underneath. I think the cut and proportions are good.

Initial impressions are that the horsehide is decent but not as shiny and thick as the Shinki I’ve handled on Freewheelers, The Flat Head etc., but it’s not bad. The nylon lining feels cheap, the hardware is just ok.

For a sub-$300 jacket I have no complaints. It fits better than a lot of significantly more expensive jackets I’ve owned.

 

[Knownman]

Hello everyone,
First post here so I'm just getting up to speed. I found this forum from via the algorithm noting me watching Road to Heritage videos. Thought I'd bump this thread and say I've ordered a 30's style from Tailor Brando on the 1st.
https://tailorbrando.com/products/t...de-leather-jacket-motorcycle-short-jacket-man
I hit up Dylan to talk about the sizing and all. Hopefully all will work out. Still waiting on the tracking to show any activity? I've got a number but it looks like it hadn't been received by FedEx. Kind of worried that would mean I paid all the money for a not so fast delivery but let's see if he comes through?

Cheers

 

[Zoro]

Hello everyone,
First post here so I'm just getting up to speed. I found this forum from via the algorithm noting me watching Road to Heritage videos. Thought I'd bump this thread and say I've ordered a 30's style from Tailor Brando on the 1st.
https://tailorbrando.com/products/t...de-leather-jacket-motorcycle-short-jacket-man
I hit up Dylan to talk about the sizing and all. Hopefully all will work out. Still waiting on the tracking to show any activity? I've got a number but it looks like it hadn't been received by FedEx. Kind of worried that would mean I paid all the money for a not so fast delivery but let's see if he comes through?

Cheers

I don't recall how it was when I ordered specifically from there, but it's quite often you get a tracking number before the courier (in this case Fedex) even picks up the parcel, so there's no reason to worry as of now.

I do recall in my case it took quite a few days for my jacket to be shipped, but once shipped it arrived quite fast.

 

[Knownman]

I hope you're right. Dylan said it would be here by the 8th so maybe it's just a weird reading on FedEx's site.

 

[Warren Crone]

Chinese-Made Leather Jackets: Are They Worth It?​

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole​

Over the past six weeks, I’ve fallen down the Chinese leather jacket rabbit hole. I wanted to see whether jackets costing a fraction of the price could really hold their own against the big names that cost many times more.

My conclusion? A clear no—they don’t match the highest-tier jackets. But they’re not junk either. Brands like Brake House, Crush on Retro, and Tailor Brando offer surprisingly decent options, especially for collectors looking for seldom-reproduced styles at a budget price point.

---

Why I Looked at Chinese Jackets​

The whole experiment started with my search for a Buco J-31 reproduction. The RMC J-31 currently retails for around $3,600 USD—way beyond what I can justify. Only a handful of makers—RMC, Lost Worlds, Johnsons—produce them with true quality, and Pakistani versions didn’t inspire much confidence.


That’s how I stumbled on Brake House (BH) and their RMC-inspired knockoff, made by Simons Leather in China.

---

Jacket #1: Brake House J-31 Repro​

• Ordering: BH’s customer service was quick and helpful. For reference, I’m 5'11" and 210 lbs. I ordered a 3XL, which arrived in about three weeks. Total: $377 USD, shipping included, with no extra duties.
• First Impressions: Arrived in a plastic mailing bag. Smelled like leather, not chemicals—always a good sign. Fit was excellent.
• Leather & Build: Mid-weight leather, jacket weighs 4.5 lbs. Stitching was generally solid, though I noticed a few loose threads.
• Lining: Serviceable but cheap-feeling compared to my Y’2 jackets. The checkered lining is coarse; the nylon lining the arms is thin.
• Hardware: Ideal zippers and YKK snaps. Main zip is a #8—sturdy and reliable.
• Leather Selection: Smart use of smaller, grainier pieces in less visible areas. I can’t compare directly to Shinki (never handled it), but overall, the leather felt respectable for the price.
• Fit: I think the pattern looks good.

---

Jacket #2: Tailor Brando J-24 Repro​

• Ordering: Cost about $345. Communication and shipping were excellent. Mine arrived Thursday, again in a plastic bag. I ordered a 4XL, which fit a bit looser than the BH but still nice.
• Leather & Finish: Advertised as Italian full-grain teacore cowhide. In reality, not teacore, and probably corrected leather. That said, it’s soft, somewhat shiny, and comfortable—better for fashion wearers than ******** riders.
• Hardware: Solid again, with Talon repro zips and YKK snaps. Main zip is a #8, but reversed compared to U.S. jackets.
• Details: Real mouton collar adds character. Lining is lightly insulated—fine, but pales compared to my Lost Worlds Speed Demon.
• Fit: Again, I think the pattern looks good.

---

So, Are They Worth It?​

Chinese-made leather jackets aren’t for everyone.

• If you’re new to the game: Buy a used Schott, Vanson, or Aero. You’ll get proven quality and heritage for not much more.
• If you’re a seasoned collector: Chinese makers are a smart, low-risk way to explore hard-to-find designs or test-drive styles you’re unsure about (like a Grizzly).

What you won’t get is Japanese-level quality or obsessive craftsmanship at Chinese prices. But you will get jackets that land in the same ballpark—good enough for casual wear—and for a fraction of the cost.


For some styles, that tradeoff makes sense. For others, you’ll still want to save up for the real thing.

Edit: Polished and formatted in ChatGPT using my genuine thoughts!

Crush on Retro J-24 Shearling Collar Moto Jacket.

I’m completely blown away by the quality of this jacket for the price. I was very skeptical that it could be this good, but I’m honestly shocked at how well it compares. I own several very expensive, Japanese-made horsehide jackets, and this one is every bit as good—for less than a quarter of the price. I would buy from this seller again in a heartbeat. The leather is amazing, and the stitching, fit, and overall finish are absolutely top-notch—just look at my photos. This is one of those rare cases where “too good to be true” is actually true.

 

[MadCat]

Crush on Retro J-24 Shearling Collar Moto Jacket.

I’m completely blown away by the quality of this jacket for the price. I was very skeptical that it could be this good, but I’m honestly shocked at how well it compares. I own several very expensive, Japanese-made horsehide jackets, and this one is every bit as good—for less than a quarter of the price. I would buy from this seller again in a heartbeat. The leather is amazing, and the stitching, fit, and overall finish are absolutely top-notch—just look at my photos. This is one of those rare cases where “too good to be true” is actually true.

Looks good! Where did you get it?

 

[Zaten]

Crush on Retro J-24 Shearling Collar Moto Jacket.

I’m completely blown away by the quality of this jacket for the price. I was very skeptical that it could be this good, but I’m honestly shocked at how well it compares. I own several very expensive, Japanese-made horsehide jackets, and this one is every bit as good—for less than a quarter of the price. I would buy from this seller again in a heartbeat. The leather is amazing, and the stitching, fit, and overall finish are absolutely top-notch—just look at my photos. This is one of those rare cases where “too good to be true” is actually true.

Congrats! I have 3 jackets from COR bought in the last 9 months, so far: a Teacore horsehide Hercules repro, a 2mm cowhide js02 repro, and a shearling modified B3 with handwarmer pockets. Was quite satisfied with each. To a point where I stopped coveting much more expensive leather jacket brands, since I discovered COR.
There is, to my eye, still a noticeable difference in quality vs the Japanese high-end (like my RMC and FlatHead), but for my purposes, these Chinese jackets are very well made with excellent leather choices.

 

[Warren Crone]

https://crushonretro.com/products/mens-j-24-shearling-collar-moto-jacket?variant=44113297309750

 

[Warren Crone]

Congrats! I have 3 jackets from COR bought in the last 9 months, so far: a Teacore horsehide Hercules repro, a 2mm cowhide js02 repro, and a shearling modified B3 with handwarmer pockets. Was quite satisfied with each. To a point where I stopped coveting much more expensive leather jacket brands, since I discovered COR.
There is, to my eye, still a noticeable difference in quality vs the Japanese high-end (like my RMC and FlatHead), but for my purposes, these Chinese jackets are very well made with excellent leather choices.

They are crazy good for the price, the Japanese stuff is better but not 4 times the cost better and the extra quality is such a minor improvement fur such a huge cost, after breaking in the jackets I don’t think it would ever make a difference.

 

[Joris818]

They are crazy good for the price, the Japanese stuff is better but not 4 times the cost better and the extra quality is such a minor improvement fur such a huge cost, after breaking in the jackets I don’t think it would ever make a difference.

I just bought the same jacket today. Can’t wait to receive it !!
It’ll be my first ever horsehide jacket !

 

[Warren Crone]

I just bought the same jacket today. Can’t wait to receive it !!
It’ll be my first ever horsehide jacket !

I’m sure you’ll love it mine is amazing, the horsehide is really nice and I have some other Japanese horsehide jackets, they start a bit softer but I actually like the look of this one more and it is breaking in nicely after a month.

 

[Warren Crone]

Just so you can see the fit...

View attachment 742298

Looks great! Is the leather crazy thick or manageable and how has it broken in? Thanks!

 

[Knownman]

 

[Knownman]

View attachment 766943 View attachment 766944

I had a bit of a disappointing first attempt here. My purchase fell through. I had made the purchase of the above jacket in that lovely red/brown horsehide. I had been told it would deliver a week after I paid. At that time it still wasn't here so I got back to Dylan from Tailor Brando and he said it would not ship for another day or two. I think he said 16 hours or some weird thing. He claimed it was in customs. Anyways I couldn't do much about it so I asked if he took a photo of the specific jacket I was to receive, which is the brown jacket below. I asked about that color shift and he said it was simply the lighting. I kind of don't know that I agree with that and I was still slightly nervous about the chest measurement for that style being 6 cm larger than what I measured on my jackets. Dylan assured me that he's sized 30,000 people and never had a bad fit? I don't even know what to say to that kind of statement. Anyway he told me he would just refund me the entire amount when I expressed my concern over paying the shipping charge they added. I decided that might be best as I wasn't too excited about this deal any longer so I agreed. Fast forward two weeks and there isn't a refund yet. So Dylan asks me to give him my PP account so he can send it from another account? Then he says he thinks he sent it but my account isn't agreeing to that reimbursement. I'm really thinking that is sketchy so I let him know I'd just submit the refund request through PP and he could refund it appropriately. No replies since and it's now 1 month since I originally purchased the jacket and I'm waiting on PP to see if Dylan will even reply to the refund request. Bummer

 

[Zoro]

Not the same experience I had, but not like I'm surprised, it reads like the typical "I've bought from China and went wrong".

I like the color from the pic Dylan shared, but that doesn't take away from the fact it looks completely different than what you've ordered, no matter the lighting.

Sizing 30000 people and never having a bad fit is just BS. Nobody is so right, lot of people might not be properly sized and say nothing or just be between sizes (I'm fairly sure I could had worked with a smaller size other than the one I got).

Lastly, if he's sized 30000 people in the short time Tailor Brando has been running, dude must be loaded yet he's wasting your time to avoid refunding you. I would tell you to charge back before your window for it is over.

 

[Monitor]

Handled one of these made in China J-24's a few days ago and I swear, if I didn't know it was bought on Taobao, without seeing the tag, I wouldn't have even suspected it not being an authentic Real McCoy. Particularly amazing is the leather, how close it is to Shinki.

These things are getting insane. I'm surprised it had taken this long for the rest of the world to start producing virtually indiscernible copies of the J-24 since there isn't really all that much about that jacket to present a challenge but some of the more obscure brands that the reproductions of had began appearing, really worry me.
Nothing will be worth anything at some point, I suppose. Then again, it's just one more thing to let go of, which cannot be a bad thing. . .

 

[JKTman]

Just received my Simon’s Leather Togs repro from Taobao (via Superbuy). This is the same jacket as the one sold on Brake House.

I’m 5’10” 180lbs and generally wear 40 in most leather jacket brands. I bought this in XL which fits slightly big for just a T-shirt only fit but should be just right with a sweater underneath. I think the cut and proportions are good.

Initial impressions are that the horsehide is decent but not as shiny and thick as the Shinki I’ve handled on Freewheelers, The Flat Head etc., but it’s not bad. The nylon lining feels cheap, the hardware is just ok.

For a sub-$300 jacket I have no complaints. It fits better than a lot of significantly more expensive jackets I’ve owned.

Ron86,

Would you share to us the additional handle fee and shipping cost of the jacket to US on top of the listed price ($300) of jacket on Super buy ?
I was told it is another 10% fee and around $65 for shipping .
And how long does it take from order time to receiving the jacket ?
Any additional tariff before jacket was delivered to you ?
Thank you

 

[JKTman]

View attachment 766943 View attachment 766944

Hello,

Is the color that much different or just color ?

 

[Warren Crone]

Handled one of these made in China J-24's a few days ago and I swear, if I didn't know it was bought on Taobao, without seeing the tag, I wouldn't have even suspected it not being an authentic Real McCoy. Particularly amazing is the leather, how close it is to Shinki.

These things are getting insane. I'm surprised it had taken this long for the rest of the world to start producing virtually indiscernible copies of the J-24 since there isn't really all that much about that jacket to present a challenge but some of the more obscure brands that the reproductions of had began appearing, really worry me.
Nothing will be worth anything at some point, I suppose. Then again, it's just one more thing to let go of, which cannot be a bad thing. . .

I have a j24 from crush on retro and it’s AMAZING.