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What are the makers that DO NOT 'skiv their leather or use glue'?

high-maintenance

One of the Regulars
Messages
214
Hello

I was wondering if you guys have any info on the makers that do not skiv their leather or use glue when making a jacket.

I know skiving or using glue doesn't mean they are inferior in quality but it's just my personal preference.

And I think I read somewhere that using glue makes it harder to repair the jacket.

Thank you for you help
 

Hh121

Banned
Messages
3,004
If you choose the maker that doesn't skive edge of leather then you don't want to go thicker than 3.5oz or even 3oz, I had Aero heavy steerhide which is extremely uncomfortable due to the unskived seam (shoulder and cuff, it really hurts).
 

zebedee

One Too Many
Messages
1,830
Location
Shanghai
Aero doesn't skive leather- the position is that you're getting less leather for your buck.

Skived leather and glue can make for tighter folds and it will usually prevent the minor splitting sometimes visible at fold lines (as the hide is tamped down). Glue isn't necessarily a bad thing and the kind of glue used is moderately flexible. Likewise with skiving a hide- aesthetically it might look slightly nicer, etc.

Goat doesn't seem to split or abrade when folded.

Generally, though, I'm with you: I prefer to be dealing just with leather and thread. Only my Simmons Bilt ever had glue in it as the others are Aeros.
 

torfjord

Call Me a Cab
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2,505
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Sweden
Tbh I’ve never understood Aero’s position on glue or skiving. They are perfectly normal techniques used by everyone else (to my knowledge at least) that does leather tailoring or leather crafting.
Sure, in theory skiving would mean making the leather weaker as you are making it thinner. But yeah, a jacket isn’t a pair of stirrups and it doesn’t need that strength.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
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4,920
Location
London
Tbh I’ve never understood Aero’s position on glue or skiving. They are perfectly normal techniques used by everyone else (to my knowledge at least) that does leather tailoring or leather crafting.
Sure, in theory skiving would mean making the leather weaker as you are making it thinner. But yeah, a jacket isn’t a pair of stirrups and it doesn’t need that strength.

+1

The idea that with an Aero you get "more leather for your money" because the leather is unksived is ridiculouse.
Yes, you get more leather, but you also get some of the worst patterns currently being made.
Personally i would rather loose 25gr of skived seams and have a jacket that is designed to fit a human body rather than a potato sac.
To each their own i guess...
 

red devil

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,814
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London
Tbh I’ve never understood Aero’s position on glue or skiving. They are perfectly normal techniques used by everyone else (to my knowledge at least) that does leather tailoring or leather crafting.
Sure, in theory skiving would mean making the leather weaker as you are making it thinner. But yeah, a jacket isn’t a pair of stirrups and it doesn’t need that strength.

It is a non issue really, Greg from Fields leathers who used to work for Aero skives his seams. His workmanship is superior to Aero's. I would really doubt that he decided to skive the seams because it is easier.
 

Harris HTM

One Too Many
Messages
1,782
Location
the Netherlands
have a jacket that is designed to fit a human body rather than a potato sac.
To each their own i guess...
So actually those of us who own and enjoy one, two or more of Aero's jackets we simply own "potato sacks" (a term once used by a banned here jacket maker who actually once threatened you personally)? Or our bodies are less "human" as you say to the rest of you?
As a friend I'd advise using less extreme phrasing Carlos because this post is offending.
 

BloodEagle

A-List Customer
Messages
435
Location
UK
Ive never had an Aero which which I could wear likely, I suspect, partly because of the lack of skiving done at the seams. Huge folds of heavy leather in the armpits and on top of the shoulders, just really uncomfortable and borderline painful if youre talking CXL FQHH, to my mind at least. I cant see how its something to insist on - its just a weird/unimportant flex on Aeros part - what difference does it make, none of my (skived, glued) leather jackets are falling apart any time soon.
 
Last edited:
Messages
16,405
My theory is that Aero patterns simply aren't compatible with some people and I think the reason as a matter of fact is the exact opposite of the "potato sack" comparison; Aero jackets are very... Shaped, lacking a better word so this, combined with very heavy leather, can turn into a serious problem for some people.

I loved the way most of my Aero jackets looked on me even though I could barely raise my arms in most. Though the Cafe Racer felt good it was still somewhat restrictive.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
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4,920
Location
London
So actually those of us who own and enjoy one, two or more of Aero's jackets we simply own "potato sacks" (a term once used by a banned here jacket maker who actually once threatened you personally)? Or our bodies are less "human" as you say to the rest of you?
As a friend I'd advise using less extreme phrasing Carlos because this post is offending.

Let me rephrase, " I have never worn an Aero that IMO felt good to wear and that didn't make me feel like i was wearing a potato sac around my neck".
 

MrProper

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,841
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Europe
Let me rephrase, " I have never worn an Aero that IMO felt good to wear and that didn't make me feel like i was wearing a potato sac around my neck".
Unfortunately, this is true, even if it is pattern dependent. Even though I like my Aeros and enjoy wearing them, the weight in the neck is really noticeable on the Cafe Racer and the Sheene. Hardly at all with the Ridley and not at all with my Coastal Command.
I still maintain that the Cafe Racer pattern was originally designed for shoulder pads. If you pad the shoulders of this pattern a bit, the feel is better. But just a guess.
The thicker seams have never bothered me.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,737
Location
London, UK
My theory is that Aero patterns simply aren't compatible with some people and I think the reason as a matter of fact is the exact opposite of the "potato sack" comparison; Aero jackets are very... Shaped, lacking a better word so this, combined with very heavy leather, can turn into a serious problem for some people.

I loved the way most of my Aero jackets looked on me even though I could barely raise my arms in most. Though the Cafe Racer felt good it was still somewhat restrictive.

Of my Aeros - I think I've owned around ten between those I've kept and those that were moved on - I've never had an issue with the sleeves (or any other, comparable, jackets I've owned), or any of the other issues some folks have described with theirs. Only reason I sold some on was I'd picked up a used jacket that wasn't the right size for me in a particular style. It's like anything else, though - including engineer boots in my particular experience - not every brand's house style is going to be right for every individual person's taste and desired fit. Fortunately we're lucky enough to live in an era when we have a lot of different options to suit different preferences. :)
 

Mich486

One Too Many
Messages
1,668
I think the lack of skiving is more of a time saving/cost cutting strategy than anything else disguised as a more desirable construction technique through the usual marketing blurb.

I don’t understand why it is a relevant factor in deciding on a jacket maker.
 

red devil

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,814
Location
London
its just a weird/unimportant flex on Aeros part

This.

They followed up by generalising that Japanese makers glue and skive their jackets which make them impossible or very difficult to repair. Yet this doesn't seem to be the case, as these jackets do get repaired as we've seen.

I suspect it is the only point they could think of to try asserting some "superior" characteristic of their products.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,920
Location
London
Of my Aeros - I think I've owned around ten between those I've kept and those that were moved on - I've never had an issue with the sleeves (or any other, comparable, jackets I've owned), or any of the other issues some folks have described with theirs. Only reason I sold some on was I'd picked up a used jacket that wasn't the right size for me in a particular style. It's like anything else, though - including engineer boots in my particular experience - not every brand's house style is going to be right for every individual person's taste and desired fit. Fortunately we're lucky enough to live in an era when we have a lot of different options to suit different preferences. :)

Not saying this is the case with you, but to me this was a cas of unknown unknown.
When i first joined TFl it was basically an Aero cult.
I did what everybody else did, i bought some Aeros, and like everybody else i thought they where a great jacket, i thought what i was experiencing was how a leather jacket felt, how it was supposed to feel.
It's only after i had worn a bunch of other jackets that i started realizing how poor the Aero fit was.
Had i only worn Aeros in my life i would never have known better.
After i started wearing Lewis Leathers, Freewheelers, Langlitz, Lost Worlds, RMC, Schott, etc, i knew better.
 

Colin G

One Too Many
Messages
1,194
Location
Canada
1000% this. I really don't get it.

Torfjord, it is quite simple. Wear as thick of an unskived jacket as possible, wear the thickest denim possible, wear only nail-down not stitch-down boots with triple thick sole, eat cold gravel for breakfast and walk to to school backwards up the mountain in -30 weather. You have to earn this shit, man. It is not a costume, its a way of life. Lol.
 

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