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Leather Jackets: Traditional, Military, Moto, Heritage Brands and Reproductions

hoodog

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Anyone with any experience of the "Vicenza" Italian horsehide that Aero uses? How does it compare to FQHH in quality? Will it age as well as regular FQHH?
 

Justhandguns

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Thanks for the info. I tried to ask Aero when Thurston came out with the pre-ordering of their Buco J-100 but was turned down for a local UK order. I could not even pay Thurston and get my jacket delivered from Scotland to avoid the VAT and custom.

As for the Buco label, I understand that Toy only has the right for the helmets, but at the same time, Real McCoy's Japan has a few Buco repro in their lineup at the moment. I guess they must have paid Sean Kelly to use the label.
 

avsmusic1

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Anyone with any experience of the "Vicenza" Italian horsehide that Aero uses? How does it compare to FQHH in quality? Will it age as well as regular FQHH?

I don't have direct experience but I suspect @ChrisGold will chime in on that front. I have done a fair amount of research on that hide though and have heard great things. It's veg tanned so it's likely to absorb rain and spot temporarily vs bead it off. But it's supposed to be a fantastic weight - around 2.75 to 3oz if I'm not mistaken. I've also seen exceptional grain in pics of those hides. If you're riding the FQHH may be a better option though
 

ChrisGold

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Thanks for the info. I tried to ask Aero when Thurston came out with the pre-ordering of their Buco J-100 but was turned down for a local UK order. I could not even pay Thurston and get my jacket delivered from Scotland to avoid the VAT and custom.

As for the Buco label, I understand that Toy only has the right for the helmets, but at the same time, Real McCoy's Japan has a few Buco repro in their lineup at the moment. I guess they must have paid Sean Kelly to use the label.


Exactly right. And typically licensing agreements are very specific, so Aero's must have only covered North America, or only been available for North America.
 

ChrisGold

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Anyone with any experience of the "Vicenza" Italian horsehide that Aero uses? How does it compare to FQHH in quality? Will it age as well as regular FQHH?


Very different leathers since the FQHH is combination tanned and handles the weather extremely well, while the Vincenza is vegetable tanned and will spot and absorb water. With that said, one of my Vincenza jackets has been soaked and it dried (slowly, at room temperature) with absolutely no issues.

The CXL FQHH is slightly heavier and definitely stiffer at the beginning than Vincenza, and generally has less grain, although Vincenza can be specified as "less grain" or "heavy grain" and Aero will select the appropriate hides. CXL FQHH starts off relatively smooth and then develops its character as it ages. It handles the weather beautifully, with owners from Scotland posting pics of jackets that look incredible after being out in the weather day after day, rain or shine.

With Vincenza, we don't have enough history to see jackets that have been broken in for a long time. Carrie from Thurston did post at one point an older jacket from another manufacturer using the same leather, and it was pretty amazing. My older jacket went through one winter and is still looking very new. It should be noted that Thurston worked with John Chapman of Goodwear Leather to source the Vincenza, and John is one of the most obsessive jacket perfectionists in the world. So that should tell you something, as he has a two year waiting list for his jackets.

Edit: I just noticed you asked about quality. They are both top of the line, very well made leathers, so quality is not an issue for either. With Vincenza, you are paying an uncharge (a reasonable one IMO) for a fully vegetable tanned jacket leather that simply takes much longer to produce. The colors on the Vincenza (I own seal and Russet) are beautiful, but then again so is the brown on the FQHH, not to mention the tumbled brown. Decide how you are going to wear the jacket, and what style you are thinking of having made and your decision may become easier.
 
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hoodog

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Very different leathers since the FQHH is combination tanned and handles the weather extremely well, while the Vincenza is vegetable tanned and will spot and absorb water. With that said, one of my Vincenza jackets has been soaked and it dried (slowly, at room temperature) with absolutely no issues.

The CXL FQHH is slightly heavier and definitely stiffer at the beginning than Vincenza, and generally has less grain, although Vincenza can be specified as "less grain" or "heavy grain" and Aero will select the appropriate hides. CXL FQHH starts off relatively smooth and then develops its character as it ages. It handles the weather beautifully, with owners from Scotland posting pics of jackets that look incredible after being out in the weather day after day, rain or shine.

With Vincenza, we don't have enough history to see jackets that have been broken in for a long time. Carrie from Thurston did post at one point an older jacket from another manufacturer using the same leather, and it was pretty amazing. My older jacket went through one winter and is still looking very new. It should be noted that Thurston worked with John Chapman of Goodwear Leather to source the Vincenza, and John is one of the most obsessive jacket perfectionists in the world. So that should tell you something, as he has a two year waiting list for his jackets.

Ok, so basically it sounds like a pretty perfect and amazing leather for fashion use. Thanks for the input once again Chris!
 

hoodog

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Thanks for the info. I tried to ask Aero when Thurston came out with the pre-ordering of their Buco J-100 but was turned down for a local UK order. I could not even pay Thurston and get my jacket delivered from Scotland to avoid the VAT and custom.

As for the Buco label, I understand that Toy only has the right for the helmets, but at the same time, Real McCoy's Japan has a few Buco repro in their lineup at the moment. I guess they must have paid Sean Kelly to use the label.


Exactly right. And typically licensing agreements are very specific, so Aero's must have only covered North America, or only been available for North America.

Is all this just to have a Buco label inside the jacket? I mean, Aero could just as well do the exact design and then just stick an Aero label on the inside?
 

ChrisGold

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Is all this just to have a Buco label inside the jacket? I mean, Aero could just as well do the exact design and then just stick an Aero label on the inside?


Yes, this is all just for the label. The design itself is fair game.
 

hoodog

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Yes, this is all just for the label. The design itself is fair game.

That's crazy. Are people that shallow? I guess that label costs extra for the end customer as well...
 
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avsmusic1

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That's crazy. Are people that shallow? I guess that label costs extra for the end customer as well...
One man's shallow is another's nostalgic
wink.gif
 

hoodog

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One man's shallow is another's nostalgic
wink.gif

Yeah, you're probably right. IMHO it seems pretty superficial though. I mean, you could get the exact same jacket and with the same specs, just with another tiny label inside, and probably at a better price too.
 

avsmusic1

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Ok, so basically it sounds like a pretty perfect and amazing leather for fashion use. Thanks for the input once again Chris!
I think this is a good way of thinking of it but, and Chris can correct me if I'm wrong, you can expect it to be notably thicker/heavier than most "fashion" leathers. Along the continuum of fashion leather to true work leather, it's a sweet spot in the middle.
 
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ChrisGold

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I think this is a good way of thinking of it but, and Chris can correct me if I'm wrong, you can expect it to be notably thicker/heavier than most "fashion" leathers. Along the continuum of fashion leather to true work leather, it's a sweet spot in the middle.  


I'd say that's a good way of putting it, and of course it is horsehide, which is a rarity in fashion leathers. The seal brown Highwayman I just bought is of the smooth grain variety and the hide reminds me of a high end fashion jacket, with almost an absence of imperfections. My russet, on the other hand, has some really deep grain and the natural marks from the life of the horse. I like having the variety.
 

ChrisGold

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Yeah, you're probably right. IMHO it seems pretty superficial though. I mean, you could get the exact same jacket and with the same specs, just with another tiny label inside, and probably at a better price too.


Those that are very into reproductions like having things as exact as possible. I'm not sure how much the label uncharge is, but to them it's worth it.
 

hoodog

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Those that are very into reproductions like having things as exact as possible. I'm not sure how much the label uncharge is, but to them it's worth it.

You're right. I realise now that my comment earlier was pretty arrogant. I mean, there are probably lots of people who think that I've dished out an incredible amount of money over the years for what they would consider "shallow" and "superficial" stuff. It's all pretty subjective in the end.

It's just that I can't figure out the reason to pay an upcharge for an entirely identical product, just because of a label inside the jacket that is barely visible. To each his own, I guess.
cheers.gif
 
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