Lewis leather questions

regius · Apr 7, 2019

Been obsessed with Lewis lately, but don’t know any store that carries it here in NY. Got a few questions hoping to get some feedback. One, leather thickness, their three offerings, especially the cow & horse, how thick compared to Eastman’s A2 & Luftwaffe? They have 1.3mm in the web, but how do they feel? Which is question two, stiffness? Three, texture, smooth fashion leather? Oil pull type? Plastic? Four, overall weight & body of jacket, do they feel full & substantial?
another line of inquiry is on fit: they seem to offer complete customization, but as to the arms, are they the slim metrosexual type or has some volume & curve? Say compared with an A2? The Dominator or Corsair, are they boxy Gumby-like, it has some blouson to it? Battle for Britain Luftwaffe jacket appears to be made by Lewis?

Thank you very much!

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Carlos840 · Apr 7, 2019

regius said:
Been obsessed with Lewis lately, but don’t know any store that carries it here in NY. Got a few questions hoping to get some feedback. One, leather thickness, their three offerings, especially the cow & horse, how thick compared to Eastman’s A2 & Luftwaffe? They have 1.3mm in the web, but how do they feel? Which is question two, stiffness? Three, texture, smooth fashion leather? Oil pull type? Plastic? Four, overall weight & body of jacket, do they feel full & substantial?
another line of inquiry is on fit: they seem to offer complete customization, but as to the arms, are they the slim metrosexual type or has some volume & curve? Say compared with an A2? The Dominator or Corsair, are they boxy Gumby-like, it has some blouson to it? Battle for Britain Luftwaffe jacket appears to be made by Lewis?

Thank you very much!

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My Dominator review: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/lewis-leathers-dominator-no-551.74729/

My GFs jacket: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/lewis-leathers-super-monza-no-445l-ladies-review.83257/

Both jackets are made with the old cowhide.
Mine is super smooth and has very little grain, it never really broke in or creased at all, to this day it still looks brand new.
My GFs jacket has an amazing cowhide that broke in in no time, lots of grain, lots of creases, it looks amazing.

Regarding the current leather offering, i think the horse isn't great, IMO they just tried to jump on the horse wagon a couple years ago after hearing weirdos like us ask for HH for years. LL had always been cow before that!
IMO they should have stuck with what they had been doing since the beginning.

The veg tanned cow they also offer as an upgrade is very expensive (+£400 add on i think) but it is what i would go for. It has great grain, great smell, great hand feel, is tea core, it just looked like amazing leather.

Your questions:

1 Thickness is a little bit thicker than eastman leather, somewhere around Vicenza thickness.
2 Both mine and my GFs were super soft from the start. Nothing like CXL or Comp weight.
3 Arms are quite slim, but not metrosexual tight. They are thinner than what you would expect from Aero or Schott, but not annoyingly tight.

Mich486 · Apr 7, 2019

If I had to redo my LL order again I’ll consider sheepskin as that is the traditional LL hide and from the pictures the one that looks best.

With my Cyclone I went with their horsehide and as Carlos says it is nothing special. It’s a deep black rather shiny and dyed through. Rather soft too, no breaking in required. It’s not characterless but for £800 there are better hides.

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regius · Apr 7, 2019

Thank you both! So, arms are thin... the photos don’t look that thin. I wonder if layering is possible. I maybe they can fatten the bicep for me

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Psant25 · Apr 7, 2019

I think I had told you before I got a dominator as a fit jacket from stronghold in LA. Was in sheep. I ened up just sending back for a refund and ordered another langlitz. My plan was to get a custom corsair in Hh. You can adjust the shoulder, waist, chest, sleeve, length. I was not impressed with the sheep at all. And Too much front zipper and zipper tape showing for me. Probably a reason others love it jus not for me. Also, not a fan of the way the zip sleeves do not go to the end similar to aero. I much prefer the way langlitz, JL, vanson does it. I am glad I got to try one on and see in person before biting the bullet.

Fyi getting a refund was a little hassle from stonghold. Seems like their online and brick and mortar are separate and getting an email back and communication was poor in general. I did get full refund so it did work out.

regius · Apr 8, 2019

Placed an order for a Dominator. They say they make two versions of some of the models, a slim version & a regular version. I emphasized my arm size, they can’t adjust the bicep but according to Internet photos, their sleeves are not that thin. I have some thin sleeves jackets & actually fit ok. So let’s see what they say once the measurement process begins.

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handymike · Apr 8, 2019

If you order through the London store/ website you can get it without the logo badge.

Mich486 · Apr 8, 2019

regius said:
Placed an order for a Dominator. They say they make two versions of some of the models, a slim version & a regular version. I emphasized my arm size, they can’t adjust the bicep but according to Internet photos, their sleeves are not that thin. I have some thin sleeves jackets & actually fit ok. So let’s see what they say once the measurement process begins.

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Yes they do offer a “tight fit” for most of their models next to the standard fit. I think that was originally meant for the Japanese market.

Anyhow, they do ask for quite a few measurements and in my case they nailed the fit pretty well.

Wish you luck

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Psant25 · Apr 8, 2019

regius said:
Placed an order for a Dominator. They say they make two versions of some of the models, a slim version & a regular version. I emphasized my arm size, they can’t adjust the bicep but according to Internet photos, their sleeves are not that thin. I have some thin sleeves jackets & actually fit ok. So let’s see what they say once the measurement process begins.

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What leather ?

handymike · Apr 9, 2019

Just a few thoughts after visiting Stronghold to try on Dominator jackets...BTW they’re having a sale atm ($1000) on stock jackets.
I am usually a 38, but preferred the slightly larger fit of the 40. The sheep jackets seem to vary greatly from jacket to jacket (hide thickness/ weight). The horsehide surprised me as being really nice- not Horween, but more like Thedi weight but stiffer. I really liked the black and navy HH. They WILL order without badge...if London gives the thumbs up. I thought the collar shape was nice. The stitching was good. The sleeves are slim on the regular fit, and the slim has higher armholes and small sleeve openings.
I’m off to NY in a few days, and will try to see the Fine Creek version at Self Edge...

handymike · Apr 10, 2019

They also now offer a thicker sheep called "Rutland" in black.

regius · Apr 10, 2019

Progress update: received James measurement email. Provided figures. No reply yet, although I replied within their business hour.

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regius · Apr 10, 2019

I ordered the cow, think it’d stretch more at the bicep just in case the sleeves end up thin. I did emphasize the bicep is to grow, & gave 16.75” as the relaxed. They also do ask for bicep measurement so I think they somehow will take care of that.

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handymike · Apr 10, 2019

The ones I tried on didn’t have the stash pocket on the sleeve. I like it better without.

Bender · Apr 10, 2019

I just placed an order for a made-to-measure Corsair via Stronghold. Black sheepskin, black satin lining, beige backing for the zippers, and an inside left-hand pocket.

They actually told me that requesting the badge removal was pointless, that they’ve done it before, and Lewis always says something along the lines of “if it’s good enough for Mick Jagger...”. Personally, I don’t mind the badge. It’s one of those things that looks huge and obtrusive in pics, but in person is actually pretty small, sedate, and... cool. Also, you know, if it’s good enough for Mick Jagger...

Anyway. While I was there, I handled and tried on a few jackets off the rack. None of the arms on any of the models felt particularly tight to me, just average, I’d say.

As for leathers...

I agree with Handyman, the Lewis horse hide is very nice. That said, I’m buying my HH jacket from Aero... either in Vicenza or midweight oil-pull. Lewis HH is very, very nice. From what I’ve seen, Aero’s is better. Just one man’s opinion.

The cowskin actually impressed me the least. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice leather... but there is no distinguishing quality that makes it stand out for me. It’s just a nice simple leather, it could be from any quality jacket maker.

Their sheepskin is tremendous stuff. Great drape, fantastic subtle graining that emerges with wear (my buddy’s is about two years old and breaking in nicely), and a nice mid weight heft. Soft, but not too soft. Seems fairly durable. I feel there’s a reason it’s considered the classic Lewis leather.

Again, just one man’s opinion.

Justhandguns · Apr 10, 2019

Honestly, if you are really looking for creases and characters on your leather, Lewis is probably not for you. I have not seen their upgraded HH (optional?), the Lewis hides are not Shinki HH or something similar, they are renowned to be smooth, supple and matched (well, quality seems to have dropped recently). Sorry to offend many of the TFL members here, some of us are simply too obsessed on how quick the leather should crease and aged, some even say the Lewis cowhides are too plasticky. If you want to age your Lewis, you really have to "wear the hell" out of it.

Edward · Apr 10, 2019

handymike said:
The ones I tried on didn’t have the stash pocket on the sleeve. I like it better without.

I tend to agree. That sleeve pocket first appeared on the Twin Track Bronx, released in 1966 to mark the tenth anniversary of the original Bronx, and then after that appearing across the line. I'm sure I've seen one or two deviations, but for the most part in my experience it has only been on the cross-zip models it appeared, not so much the classic centre-zip Corsair / Dominator types. One day I hope to buy a Lewis Lightning, and when I do I'll be ordering it without the arm pocket, as per the original 1958 Lightning design. I did ask Lesi about this noce in passing, and they were happy to do that.

The logo patches in reality really are tiny, and a little bit of nail polish remover will takeaway the gold paint pretty quickly, making it even less visible. I'd not be happy if logos were to be added to the likes of my Aeros (Ken of course is resolutely against that idea), but tbh I don't really care about it on the Lewis jackets because it's been a feature of them for so long.... I guess I think of it ike objecting to the red tag on a pair of 501s. YMMV, of course. (FWIW, I've never managed to track an exact date for when Lewis started putting them on there, but my best guess is anywhere between 1963 and 1968).

Justhandguns said:
Honestly, if you are really looking for creases and characters on your leather, Lewis is probably not for you. I have not seen their upgraded HH (optional?), the Lewis hides are not Shinki HH or something similar, they are renowned to be smooth, supple and matched (well, quality seems to have dropped recently). Sorry to offend many of the TFL members here, some of us are simply too obsessed on how quick the leather should crease and aged, some even say the Lewis cowhides are too plasticky. If you want to age your Lewis, you really have to "wear the hell" out of it.

It all comes back to what you want out of a jacket. Some folks have gotten into leatherf iwth intage jackets, flying and otherwise, and now seek a repop of a seventy year old jacket that looks seventy years old. For them, a jacket which is designed to age in an accelerated manner is attractive. Those of us who are into the overall vintage look and therefore want to look like it's, say, 1959 and the jacket was bought new in, eh, 1954, would prefer someting that looks broken in, but not carrying six decades' worth of wear. Horses for courses. Me, I'm increasingly liking goat for the simple reason that it breaks in well, but doesn't age prematurely the way some hides are treated to. I'm really not a fan of teacore.

handymike · Apr 10, 2019

When I looked through the swatch book they had of the Lewis hides, my eye went immediately to the dark green sheep...If they could guarantee a thicker hide, it would be a stellar looking (and feeling) jacket.

The navy is sweet too!
...and a bargain when you consider how much @ton312 has spent on all the denim jackets lately

Edward · Apr 10, 2019

The green sheep in Lewis looksamazing in person - though it's definitely not a hide I'd trust in a jacket to be actually worn on a bike. Lovely look to it, though.

handymike · Apr 10, 2019

Agreed, not for a bike.
But...for STRUTTING...Yes!

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