Five Star Leather Jackets

[Camel24hrs]

Hi, so the first 2 and last 2 are reddish brown horse? I was looking at the 1930s half belt and wanted something mostly brown with a bit of red undertones and this seems perfect. The brandy is too burgundy. Hows the comfort and heft if you don't mind me asking?

Their reddish brown would be what you want. I no longer own any five star jackets. Currently own two Eastman RW A2s and two original G1 jackets. A 1959 LW Foster contract and a 1949 Pritzker contract.

The five star HH I find to be thicker than on the high end repos. Also it is pigmented finished. In other words the color is sprayed on the leather rather than dyed in a vat. Then it gets a heavy topcoat. It produces a very even color to the leather and makes it very resistant to staining and damage. But as a result the leather lacks character. Their military contract repos are right in that they have the general shape of the specific contract but they are loaded with so many inconsistencies.

On a none military jacket I suppose they will be fine as you are not looking for exact details. Just know the leather you are getting is what you are paying for.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

Their reddish brown would be what you want. I no longer own any five star jackets. Currently own two Eastman RW A2s and two original G1 jackets. A 1959 LW Foster contract and a 1949 Pritzker contract.

The five star HH I find to be thicker than on the high end repos. Also it is pigmented finished. In other words the color is sprayed on the leather rather than dyed in a vat. Then it gets a heavy topcoat. It produces a very even color to the leather and makes it very resistant to staining and damage. But as a result the leather lacks character. Their military contract repos are right in that they have the general shape of the specific contract but they are loaded with so many inconsistencies.

On a none military jacket I suppose they will be fine as you are not looking for exact details. Just know the leather you are getting is what you are paying for.

Gotcha, that's a super helpful and informative reply. Really appreciate you taking the time to answer me!

 

[JDarwin52]

I bought quite a few 5* (actually too many for one guy) and was always pretty pleased. Most of them look great to my simple tastes but the one that gets the most mileage is one of the first, 1930s halfbelt in their 1.4mm reddish brown horse.
It’s the cut, they somehow just nailed it on that one. I’d call it a classic HB profile, broadens the shoulder and narrows the hip just enough, nothing exaggerated. A vintage cut, old-fashioned, flattering. I did my sizing and hide research right here of course!
If I ever graduate to the really good nutso-quality stuff, this will have served as nice training ground, and enjoyable.

 

[MrProper]

I bought quite a few 5* (actually too many for one guy) and was always pretty pleased.

That was the case for me too. Until the rose-colored glasses disappeared, and with them the euphoria of novelty and instant gratification. Then even sugarcoating it and pointing out the low price didn't help anymore.
Now I don't have any 5* jackets anymore, but I still have all the others.
Nevertheless, it was a very interesting experience, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun.

 

[ton312]

That was the case for me too. Until the rose-colored glasses disappeared, and with them the euphoria of novelty and instant gratification. Then even sugarcoating it and pointing out the low price didn't help anymore.
Now I don't have any 5* jackets anymore, but I still have all the others.
Nevertheless, it was a very interesting experience, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun.

Well put and I would say the same. It’s funny but I have a similar feeling about all the custom jackets I’ve had made from any maker, barring a few. I’ve definitely found the most happiness in vintage pieces.

 

[MrProper]

Well put and I would say the same. It’s funny but I have a similar feeling about all the custom jackets I’ve had made from any maker, barring a few. I’ve definitely found the most happiness in vintage pieces.

You're in the fortunate position that every damn jacket looks like it was tailor-made for you. lol
If that were the case for me, I'd probably do the same as you.

 

[rockandrollrabbit]

I didn't have a trucker jacket, but my own creation. The shearling was very modest compared to my Aeros. The leather was half as thick as the Aeros. The fur was not very dense. Of course, it may be that they have since improved their shearling.
They didn't remove the fur from the chest pockets, so they were purely decorative. It looks similar with the trucker jacket.
View attachment 747254 View attachment 747255

Which leather is this?

 

[MrProper]

Which leather is this?

It was one of the first shearlings offered by 5*. However, the later versions I had after that were no better. In fact, they were somewhat worse.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

I got a nice half belt in the reddish brown horse (thanks camel24hrs). I am also very interested in either their steerhide or goatskin.

Does anybody have a jacket in their reddish brown goat? Also curious in the russet or distressed brown steerhide (it looks mossy green which is odd and It's difficult to find images of finished products)

 

[Camel24hrs]

I got a nice half belt in the reddish brown horse (thanks camel24hrs). I am also very interested in either their steerhide or goatskin.

Does anybody have a jacket in their reddish brown goat? Also curious in the russet or distressed brown steerhide (it looks mossy green which is odd and It's difficult to find images of finished products)
View attachment 775386

Your welcome. My experience with their goat was their cheaper Bronco jacket in goatskin. In about two moths the outer part of the leather began to flake off along the edge of the zipper wind flap. Within another two months it was doing it along the collar edge and pocket flaps.
Maybe they have different qualities of goat that goes into different jackets. But the one I got was not very appealing to me even before the outer surface began to flake off.
I own original G1 jackets in goatskin and five star goatskin comes no where close to the quality of that leather. But like I said my only experience was with their cheap Bronco goatskin A2.

Their reddish brown HH is the only color I really cared for. While their HH is very heavily processed and very healthy pigmented finished and lacks character, it is very functional and should last a long time.
Zero experience with their sheepskin fleece jackets, but from what I hear there are lots of compliments.
Their Cape skin….. from the looks in pictures and remarks of guys I know is fantastic. Hands down the best leather they got going into jackets. Their A1 in reddish brown color is awesome.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

Your welcome. My experience with their goat was their cheaper Bronco jacket in goatskin. In about two moths the outer part of the leather began to flake off along the edge of the zipper wind flap. Within another two months it was doing it along the collar edge and pocket flaps.
Maybe they have different qualities of goat that goes into different jackets. But the one I got was not very appealing to me even before the outer surface began to flake off.
I own original G1 jackets in goatskin and five star goatskin comes no where close to the quality of that leather. But like I said my only experience was with their cheap Bronco goatskin A2.

Their reddish brown HH is the only color I really cared for. While their HH is very heavily processed and very healthy pigmented finished and lacks character, it is very functional and should last a long time.
Zero experience with their sheepskin fleece jackets, but from what I hear there are lots of compliments.
Their Cape skin….. from the looks in pictures and remarks of guys I know is fantastic. Hands down the best leather they got going into jackets. Their A1 in reddish brown color is awesome.

thanks for the tip, I might just go for the capeskin in that case. I appreciate you writing this out and saving me from a bad purchase!

 

[MrProper]

thanks for the tip, I might just go for the capeskin in that case. I appreciate you writing this out and saving me from a bad purchase!

I once had a waistcoat made from
‘Cape Skin’. The worst leather I’ve ever come across. It felt more like a piece of plastic film. The premium black goatskin was all right, but the russet one was just as plastic-like. HH was slightly better, but the leather varied greatly in thickness, and the colour was dull and characterless.
Shearling is passable if you’re lucky, but compared to other manufacturers, 5* doesn’t stand a chance.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

I once had a waistcoat made from
‘Cape Skin’. The worst leather I’ve ever come across. It felt more like a piece of plastic film. The premium black goatskin was all right, but the russet one was just as plastic-like. HH was slightly better, but the leather varied greatly in thickness, and the colour was dull and characterless.
Shearling is passable if you’re lucky, but compared to other manufacturers, 5* doesn’t stand a chance.

Oh...well then I'll look elsewhere. I'm pretty happy with the HH, but there seems to be a lot of varied opinions based on previous posts and this one. thanks for your input

 

[Camel24hrs]

Oh...well then I'll look elsewhere. I'm pretty happy with the HH, but there seems to be a lot of varied opinions based on previous posts and this one. thanks for your input

Depends on what you are comparing the leather to. Five star HH I was happy with at the time…..for the price I paid for it. I would say it’s equal to AVI and even Cockpit USA.

But after my wife bought two Eastman A2s in aniline finish…. I got rid of my five star as I realized I’d never wear them again. That much of a difference in leather. Also Eastman and Goodwear are very very good copies of the originals A2s while five star is so so.

Here is a pic of my two Eastman leather A2s. Also a pic of their Weber A2 in their last leather consignment. Looks of the leather varies from consignment to consignment but generally it’s all top notch.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

Depends on what you are comparing the leather to. Five star HH I was happy with at the time…..for the price I paid for it. I would say it’s equal to AVI and even Cockpit USA.

But after my wife bought two Eastman A2s in aniline finish…. I got rid of my five star as I realized I’d never wear them again. That much of a difference in leather. Also Eastman and Goodwear are very very good copies of the originals A2s while five star is so so.

Here is a pic of my two Eastman leather A2s. Also a pic of their Weber A2 in their last leather consignment. Looks of the leather varies from consignment to consignment but generally it’s all top notch.


View attachment 776291 View attachment 776292

Yeah, they're really nice. I wanted their rough wear b3, but the skins they have now are extremely dark (looks like the b3 50 cal). My only issue is that they really stick to authentic, specific designs, many of which I have similar jackets to. I hope they eventually get that reddish tan color back in the sheepskin

 

[Camel24hrs]

Got no experience with their sheepskin. I do know their color varies from one leather consignment to the next. Usually not by much but sometimes a lot. Kind of earthing you see in the original A2s. Original A2s the russet color was all over the place. And you got to remember the manufacturers were only responsible for putting the jackets together, the government supplied the leather and all the materials.

Not sure the color variations in the sheepskin.

Keep any eye on Goodwear sales page. He puts up a lot of used jackets for sale sometimes John sales B3s.

 

[gunnarthefeisty]

I just got a cossack in the tan goat suede. It is a little bright. Hopefully it will fade a bit. It is unlined and about 1.5 oz. The jacket is very comfortable and moves well. The suede skins are small so you end up with a seam in the back for a cossack or you need to choose a jacket with multiple panels for the back. Overall, I like it but the skin is not substantial.

Sorry for the reply years later, but do you have a photo of this jacket, and how has it faded?

 

[gunnarthefeisty]

Bottom snaps would be correct for at least one of the Gordon and Ferguson contracts. The only original that is owned by a repro manufacturer is owned by Gary Eastman. It's a G&F, so that's the contract that has been widely reproduced.

View attachment 764976

A. Pritzker Co. also produced the A-1 under contract and Guiterman Bros. submitted test samples, but wasn't awarded a contract. It's also debated at to whether or not Mirabelli Bros Co. had a contract for the A-1. An example popped up on eBay a number of years ago, but IIRC, the authenticity of the jacket was called into question.

You do see examples of jackets with lower buttons in lieu of snaps, but I honestly do not know if these were private purchase jackets or examples from one of the contracts that there were no surviving examples of.

The info below is borrowed from "The Mighty A-2 Guide" on VLJ...

Correspondence about A. Pritzker Co. being an A-1 contractor occurred during fiscal year 1928, the first year of production, when 1,300 jackets were produced, and with Gordon & Ferguson during FY1929 when 500 jackets were produced, but no survivors of either have been located. 3,175 aviators’ jackets were made in FY1930. The only documented military-issued survivor with "Type A-1" on the label is from FY1931, order number 31-800P, though nothing has been unearthed to reliably identify the contractor.

Guiterman bros wasn't exactly "not given a contract" but rather bought up completely and absorbed by Gordon and Ferguson shortly after submitting a sample.

 

[gunnarthefeisty]

Got no experience with their sheepskin. I do know their color varies from one leather consignment to the next. Usually not by much but sometimes a lot. Kind of earthing you see in the original A2s. Original A2s the russet color was all over the place. And you got to remember the manufacturers were only responsible for putting the jackets together, the government supplied the leather and all the materials.

Not sure the color variations in the sheepskin.

Keep any eye on Goodwear sales page. He puts up a lot of used jackets for sale sometimes John sales B3s.

Maybe I'm missing something but every listing there is labeled sold. Is this usually the case?

 

[coolhandluke_7]

Maybe I'm missing something but every listing there is labeled sold. Is this usually the case?

Yes, because John Chapman's listings on his sales page are infrequent and are typically sold within minutes or hours of being posted. It's a byproduct of getting the chance to purchase a Good Wear without the 1.5+ year wait. The demand for his jackets is high enough that many are sold before even being listed.

The jackets that are listed are mostly sizing returns in new condition, pre-owned GW jackets, or originals. Some of his original jackets and jackets from other repro manufacturers don't turn over quite as quickly. There's a Buzz Rickson MA-1 and an original FO M-422A that have been available for a couple months now.