Lost Worlds-Threee Jacket Try On-Test, Roadmaster, Suburban

I love my LW Ryder. It's really the only leather jacket I wear now. I have an A2, but It's really not very useful for me.

Jwag said:

I love my LW Ryder. It's really the only leather jacket I wear now. I have an A2, but It's really not very useful for me.

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Yeah I'm breaking in my suburban and there's something special about it. It's clothing that actually brings joy every time you put it on. We are so accustomed to just functional,
maybe slightly stylish or trendy clothing that this "joy" factor is often ignored.

Love my Suburban too- simply classic.

Fanch said:

Both jackets are great although the Suburban is by far the better fit of the two.

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x2......

LW is still my fav.

Hi, I am emailing back and forth with LW to buy a test jacket. They suggested that I should order the 46 long as I am 6'5" 257lbs athletic/muscular built, however from what I've read on this forum a 48 would be more appropriate for me. Please if anyone has some advice it would be appreciated. The jacket is quite an investment considering the 20% surcharge for the customization.
Basic measurments
Arm 27"
StS 24"
PtP 25"
Back ~28"

Thank you very much

Rugby said:

Hi, I am emailing back and forth with LW to buy a test jacket. They suggested that I should order the 46 long as I am 6'5" 257lbs athletic/muscular built, however from what I've read on this forum a 48 would be more appropriate for me. Please if anyone has some advice it would be appreciated. The jacket is quite an investment considering the 20% surcharge for the customization.
Basic measurments
Arm 27"
StS 24"
PtP 25"
Back ~28"

Thank you very much

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Finally someone who is also 6.5 tall. ok, a little more muscular
28" back length seems a little long to me? Ideally I have around 27", but also two jackets with 26" (which are almost too short).
But of course it depends on the pattern and personal preferences.

Rugby said:

Hi, I am emailing back and forth with LW to buy a test jacket. They suggested that I should order the 46 long as I am 6'5" 257lbs athletic/muscular built, however from what I've read on this forum a 48 would be more appropriate for me. Please if anyone has some advice it would be appreciated. The jacket is quite an investment considering the 20% surcharge for the customization.
Basic measurments
Arm 27"
StS 24"
PtP 25"
Back ~28"

Thank you very much

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I think you are in between sizes, what type of fit are you looking for?

Rugby said:

Hi, I am emailing back and forth with LW to buy a test jacket. They suggested that I should order the 46 long as I am 6'5" 257lbs athletic/muscular built, however from what I've read on this forum a 48 would be more appropriate for me. Please if anyone has some advice it would be appreciated. The jacket is quite an investment considering the 20% surcharge for the customization.
Basic measurments
Arm 27"
StS 24"
PtP 25"
Back ~28"

Thank you very much

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I'd stick to 46. Might prove to be too roomy even at that size. And yeah, 28" would be too long, I agree. That's a coat length, regardless of your height.

Rugby said:

Hi, I am emailing back and forth with LW to buy a test jacket. They suggested that I should order the 46 long as I am 6'5" 257lbs athletic/muscular built, however from what I've read on this forum a 48 would be more appropriate for me. Please if anyone has some advice it would be appreciated. The jacket is quite an investment considering the 20% surcharge for the customization.
Basic measurments
Arm 27"
StS 24"
PtP 25"
Back ~28"

Thank you very much

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To me the Test is a longer model than the LW motorcycle jackets.
I am 6'2" and my LW MC jackets are all specced at 25.25"/25.50" back, they end just at the middle of my belt.
If i ordered i Test i would want it slightly longer, in the 26"/26.5" range, to get full belt coverage.
Considering you are 3" taller than me i would say 28" back sounds about right for that model.

My advice is to trust Stuart, he knows his system and he knows the jackets he sells.
I ordered 5 jackets from him and he nailed all but one. The one that was IMO too big for me he remade at no charge with an altered pattern to fit me, i had the remake in less than a month.

I have a 6th and final jacket on order and i left all sizing decisions to him, i trust him.

Thank you Carlos840. This really helps. So far I've only had Schott and Taylor jackets.
I appreciate all the advice

Received my new lost worlds test jacket ~5oz horsehide leather. It feels very very stiff and kinda tight at the shoulders. I guess it'll settle to my body better after it's broken in. Funy thing, it's hard bending my arms.
I'm also concerned about the zipper. It feels not as heavy duty as it should for this kind of leather. But I gotta say, the jacket is gorgeous!

Rugby said:

Received my new lost worlds test jacket ~5oz horsehide leather. It feels very very stiff and kinda tight at the shoulders. I guess it'll settle to my body better after it's broken in. Funy thing, it's hard bending my arms.
I'm also concerned about the zipper. It feels not as heavy duty as it should for this kind of leather. But I gotta say, the jacket is gorgeous!

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It’s like a saddle

Hi, this may have been asked already, but here it goes. what is the difference between Horween Chromexcel horsehide and Lost Worlds type horsehide. I'm asking because a coworker told me that Johnson Leathers company makes superior jackets to LW, which I find a bit outrageous. Does anybody have experience with both?
Thanks

Lost Worlds is Chrome tanned Horsehide. It's more of an armor plate feel.

Having owned three LW's (two J23's, one Easy Ryder) in 4 - 4.5oz varieties, I found myself preferring Chromexcel FQHH overall. Which "All Horween leather is still traditionally vegetable-tanned the old-fashioned way." (Source: https://www.popovleather.com/pages/horween-leather-chromexcel-leather#:~:text=All Horween leather is still,there and the end product.) Reading the article a bit further we see: After that comes tanning in a chrome solution. Up to this point it’s not all that different from what every other tannery does, although Horween does use its own special formulations at each stage. For everyday leather the next step is dyeing – chrome salts give the leather a bluish tint - and applying the protective finish, but for Chromexcel this is just the beginning. Each batch will go through an incredible 89 separate stages, and it will be nearly five weeks before it’s ready. ...
The key to Chromexcel unique feel is vegetable re-tanning, which enhances the benefits of chrome tanning while overcoming its drawbacks. It’s possible to make leather using vegetable tanning alone, and the result feels amazing, but using both –“combination tanning” – makes for a more durable end product.

Generally speaking, Horween CXL FQHH (and CX Steerhide, to an even greater degree) really softens up as it is worn. This makes sense as there are a lot of waxes stuffed into the hide, and that's exactly how wax behaves. It simply gives the jacket a more interesting character, and even the smell itself is very unique and noticeable. The majority of the CX Steerhide and CXL FQHH jackets I have owned have been Aero's.

I cannot help you on where Mr. Stuart sources his Chrome Tanned Horse Hide, as he does not share it. "Our own tannery" as per his website. The primary reason I moved along all three LW jackets I once owned was the rather flat, even somewhat "dull" finish traits of the leather itself. Others may indeed disagree on this point and so be it. They were very well made, wore like iron (inside & out) and for the purpose of equipment - such as riding a motorcycle, it would be excellent. Certainly, with years of hard use, it will gain character. However the process of getting there take a lot more work and time, ie. commitment. Also their initial jacket pricing and modifications pricing frustrated me.

I'm not into the Comparison game - or "Who makes a better jacket" etc. I respect and appreciate each jacket's maker and respective company as it is. I have moved along most of the other brands I have owned, but then I have moved along quite a few rather nice Aero's too.

Rugby said:

Hi, this may have been asked already, but here it goes. what is the difference between Horween Chromexcel horsehide and Lost Worlds type horsehide. I'm asking because a coworker told me that Johnson Leathers company makes superior jackets to LW, which I find a bit outrageous. Does anybody have experience with both?
Thanks

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I currently own 12 Lost Worlds and 1 Johnson, i like them both.
I disagree that Johnson Leathers makes superior jackets to LW, IMO they are both very good jackets.
Johnson is very good at copying things, i personally think their house models are bland and uninterresting.
One could argue the same thing about LW as they are really a repro company.

My personnal Johnson is really well stitched but i have seen some pretty bad work on some jackets they made that where posted here, saying that i would trust Alan to sort things out if something went really wrong.
LW IMO are some of the best made jackets you can buy, they are IMO the only non Japanese maker that can rival with the Japanese precision seen in Freewheelers, RMC and brands like that.

Leather wise, CXL and LW leather are different, i would not say one is superior to the other.
CXL is a very waxy leather that is designed to lose it's top coat fast and gain patina quickly.
LW leather is basically the opposite, it is a very dry leather (little wax and oils), with a thick top coat that is designed to look the same for many years to come. Stuart's goal is for you to be able to trash a jacket for 10 years and still have it look "brand new". If you wear a LW a lot you will gain a lot of creases and grain but verry little patina.

Here is a quick comparison:

Both are CXL HH, same batch, as you can see there is a lot of variation between hides.
The brown undercoat seen on the left one is what you should expect to happen as the top coat wears down and gets thinner.
In time the right one might look similar.




Here is a Johnson Leathers, also CXL, although this one is tumbled:




And LW, brand new:



And after a few months wear:



And a few shots of another broken in LW, personally i really don't get people who find this leather dull, it has IMO some of the best grain found on modern leather, it evolves in a great way if you actually do wear it and it is tough as nails.

^^ Yep, I would not call that one "dull" at all.

tmitchell59 said:

I owned a LW HH Jean Jacket with detachable collar wich I really wanted to keep, but just too big. Also had a HH Cafe racer; too big also. I just saw a size 44 Heavy Steer LW Suburban on ebay that sold on one Bid for $400. Seemed to be be a bargain. It was also Brown. I have never had his steer or brown. Just the Brown Vest.

I need to get that zipper fixed on my Suburban. Problem is finding someone who will sew that heavy leather. I would think I could just have the pin side done if I can source that side.

I like the Roadhouse which has shown up here by a proud owner.

Thanks for the Video compliments! Perhaps I should have Beer while I'm doing them. I did at least three others that day. They will be coming out soon. They will be starring a Good Wear and some Vintage Black HH jackets.

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Couple of things Terry:

The steer is squeaky as all get out. I have owned several and all of them were unbearable.
As far as zips you might ask Stuart if he could replace it for you.

OTH

oneterrifichog said:

Couple of things Terry:

The steer is squeaky as all get out. I have owned several and all of them were unbearable.
As far as zips you might ask Stuart if he could replace it for you.

OTH

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Wow didn't realize this was an older post that I was replying to.

My Bad,

OTH

Carlos840 said:

I currently own 12 Lost Worlds and 1 Johnson, i like them both.
I disagree that Johnson Leathers makes superior jackets to LW, IMO they are both very good jackets.
Johnson is very good at copying things, i personally think their house models are bland and uninterresting.
One could argue the same thing about LW as they are really a repro company.

My personnal Johnson is really well stitched but i have seen some pretty bad work on some jackets they made that where posted here, saying that i would trust Alan to sort things out if something went really wrong.
LW IMO are some of the best made jackets you can buy, they are IMO the only non Japanese maker that can rival with the Japanese precision seen in Freewheelers, RMC and brands like that.

Leather wise, CXL and LW leather are different, i would not say one is superior to the other.
CXL is a very waxy leather that is designed to lose it's top coat fast and gain patina quickly.
LW leather is basically the opposite, it is a very dry leather (little wax and oils), with a thick top coat that is designed to look the same for many years to come. Stuart's goal is for you to be able to trash a jacket for 10 years and still have it look "brand new". If you wear a LW a lot you will gain a lot of creases and grain but verry little patina.

Here is a quick comparison:

Both are CXL HH, same batch, as you can see there is a lot of variation between hides.
The brown undercoat seen on the left one is what you should expect to happen as the top coat wears down and gets thinner.
In time the right one might look similar.

Here is a Johnson Leathers, also CXL, although this one is tumbled:

And LW, brand new:

And after a few months wear:

And a few shots of another broken in LW, personally i really don't get people who find this leather dull, it has IMO some of the best grain found on modern leather, it evolves in a great way if you actually do wear it and it is tough as nails.

Click to expand...

Carkos840, Thank you for the comparison. Love how your LW "ages".
I have only owned Taylor, police jackets, and Schott. I just acquired a LW test jacket which is great in every respect, except that the sizing was off and the jacket ended up a bit small for me. But luckily my son loves it as well and he's keeping it. So, I'm going to order the suburban or the horsehide ryder for myself but this time make sure the sizing is done right. I'm also thinking about the downtown car coat as well.
I asked about Johnson because they send you a mock jacket first for final sizing which I find a very good idea.