Gimme yer top 5

[westportrich]

New to the leather jacket game...So far I have an Aero and a Johnson's leathers. Happy with both! Question to you: What are your top favorite brands (with quality as top consideration)? Thanks in advance gang!

 

[zebedee]

Top four would be Aeros and then SB- I wouldn't pay any more than their prices for a quality jacket and I am familiar with both. In general, Aero is my default.

 

[Fanch]

For me Aero and Good Wear (John Chapman), although I suspect John might have a difficult time keeping up with the demand for his jackets even if he were cloned X 10.

 

[handymike]

Goodwear- have one
Thedi- had one
Freewheelers- lust after one
Himel Bros- tried a few
Real McCoys - tried a few as well

 

[El Marro]

Good Wear
Thedi
Aero
Eastman
Langlitz

 

[Carlos840]

_My current favourite jacket is my Aero Grizzly, Aero is not my favourite brand by any means, but they are IMO a good first step into the leather world.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/aero-leather-grizzly.95411/

_My second favourite, but by my favourite brand is my Freewheelers LaBrea. It is the most perfect leather jacket i own.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/freewheelers-labrea.94219/#post-2432679

_In third place it is my Himel Chevalier, execution isn't as good as the Freewheelers, but no one has nailed the fit like Dave has on this one.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/himel-bros-chevalier-bis.93446/

_Fourth is my Real McCoy Buco JH-1, perfect construction, overall a very nice jacket.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/buco-jh-1.94712/

_Fifth place goes to Vanson, neither my CHP2 nor my Chopper are close to perfect, but they are the most comfortable jackets i own.
They allow for so much range of movement you would feel comfortable doing yoga in one!

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/vanson-chp-2.95458/

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/vanson-chopper.94367/

 

[Peacoat]

Aero, Johnson Leather, Eastman and Vanson (for riding).

 

[Boyo]

Anyone that fits..


Aero- I've owned I think 8 at one time or the other.. and never been disappointed with quality
Eastman- rock solid
Good Wear- I have one and been waiting almost 5 years for my second.. if you can find a way to get one it will be top notch
Himel- reproduces classic jackets
Thedi.. On my list but eveything he does looks really cool.

 

[GregO]

In alphabetical order, not in order ultimate quality:

Aero (own 3 currently, have one more I'm finalizing an order for, have owned 6 in total)
Eastman (own 1, have owned 2)
Himel (own 1)
Thedi (full disclosure - don't own one yet, but that's going to change shortly)
Vanson (own 3, 1 leather, 2 waxed cotton - their waxed cotton offerings are great)

 

[JMax]

In no particular order--

Vanson - for riding no comparison. I own 8.
Lost Worlds - incredible leather and construction. Top tier stuff. I own 2 and will own more.
Cal Leather - something about the leather and look speaks to me. Own 4.
Bates- so easy to spot from a mile away. Great, classic jackets. Own 2.
Pegasus- like Thedi, newer takes on older designs. Own 1.

 

[handymike]

A shout out as well to:
Norshor (Mark is back making jackets)
Greatest Generation
Dave Sheeley
These guys are independent American makers that are doing some great work!

 

[nick123]

Johnson
Aero
Buzz Rickson's
Eastman
Goodwear (have yet to touch one)

*edit to add Aerial Star (now defunct). That was the best value I've ever seen.

 

[zebedee]

Eh, I'd love a Himel Canuck Brakeman in brown, but that kind of money I ain't spending on a jacket, even though I think it's one of the best things I've ever seen. Aero and SB for me (SB for custom work; not so keen on the patterns). I really like some of the LW jackets, too, but I don't like that blue horse stroke-inducing thing.

 

[Superfluous]

As illustrated by the above-responses, the question is difficult to accurately answer. The primary obstacle is lack of firsthand experience with the brands. How can one compare Freewheelers to Aero, or Himel to Vanson, if one has never handled a Freewheelers or Himel jacket? I am told that Lost Worlds, Thedi, Johnson Leathers, Tenjin, Fine Creek Leathers, Toys McCoy, Pegasus, Norshor, Greatest Generation, and Dave Sheeley, among others, make outstanding jackets, but I have no firsthand experience with these brands. Therefore, I cannot accurately access their quality, nor compare them to the brands that I am familiar with. A list of “best quality” jacket manufacturers is inherently limited by the experience of the person creating the list. Moreover, brands with materially larger patronage are likely to appear on more lists, whereas brands with materially less patronage will be on fewer lists (because fewer people have personal experience with the brand).

Separately as we have discussed countless times, what constitutes “quality” and “best quality,” and the components/factors relevant to accessing “quality,” are entirely subjective and there is considerable disagreement about these issues. There is no universal definition of quality, nor even agreement regarding what should be considered when evaluating quality.

Some of the above-responses factor in cost. IMHO, cost is not a component of quality; rather, cost is a component of value.

Based on my personal experience and the factors that I consider when accessing quality, I believe Freewheelers, Himel, Good Wear and Real McCoys make the best quality leather jackets (The Flat Head is also right up there, but I have not handled one of their jackets in a couple of years and do not have sufficient recollection to definitely include them). I look forward to handling jackets made by Lost Worlds and Thedi, among others, so that I might expand my list in the future.

 

[jonesy86]

Good Wear
Good Wear
Good Wear
Good Wear
Good Wear

 

[JMax]

JonesyWear
JonesyWear
JonesyWear
JonesyWear
JonesyWear

I fixed it for you

 

[jonesy86]

I fixed it for you

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I have a top 4 as I think those 4 are sort of in their own echelon.

Freewheelers, Good Wear, Real McCoy's, Himel.

I own at least one jacket from all but Good Wear and I did own a Good Wear for a while.

The Flat Head and Rainbow Country are just below this quality wise, and in terms of overall package, Aero is also a great option.

 

[Monitor]

Impossible to decide. I could just as easily say Hein Gericke as Lewis Leathers or Schott or whatever... There are too many really fantastic makers out there to pick five.

So far, mostly everyone's just listing the priciest makers while I've had jackets by unknown brands that outperformed all the big players in almost every department.

 

[GHT]

I have a top 4 as I think those 4 are sort of in their own echelon.

I too have a top four: Belstaff Turner x 4.