Buy a Used Schott Perfecto Instead of a Cheap Knockoff 

Thank you Pete!

Haven’t had a hillside jacket myself, they seem to fly a little under the radar. An acquaintance got one and thought it was a pretty robust jacket and fairly priced

Yeah smell is a good point. I’ve heard using an ozone machine can remove a lot of smells. But a moldy jacket- no thanks!

It’s funny I recently bought a 118 from eBay that was supposedly new vintagewithout tags. It had horrible pictures but wanna really great price. So I took a chance. It arrived smelling like old closet and marajuana. I boxed it back up and returned to the seller as directed by eBay. It ended up coming back to me as the seller had moved and could not be reached. eBay refunded me and told me to keep the jacket. The pot smell faded and after cleaning it up and researching it ends up it was from the late 1980s which is when I was a teen in school and started my love of the black leather motorcycle jacket. I cleaned it up and the pot smell actually disappeared in shipping! The closet smell didn’t but it is now one of my favorite jackets. I have tried ozone machines on some of my musty eBay finds. It has never really worked, only making the musty smell with that of ozone which fades back to the musty smell in time. I thin the ozone works best in cigarette smoke from my experience. Again great channel!

@@spencerdarrow8201 hah that’s a great eBay story. Haven’t used the ozone myself just heard about it…but good to know about cigarette smell. I have hung jackets out under the porch for a week that came with odd smell and it really helped too. Thanks for sharing

I bought a jacket that arrived smelling like a homeless person (piss and body odor). After putting it thru the washer an letting it dry over a week the smell was greatly reduced but still there. I then put it inside a plastic bin and dumped in a box of arm and hammer pet fresh and shook it up. Left it for a week and that got rid of 90% of the smell.

Appreciate it!

Very cool. The history and personal connection make it very special!

Gotta add Lost Worlds! I don’t have all of them currently but would like that too

Merry Christmas Jacob. Also look, I buy used a lot. I think if you prefer to buy new, by all means go for it. It especially makes sense for jackets that can’t be had any other way, or if you have unusual build and can’t fit standard sizes. But buying used can open the door to lots of options you can’t otherwise afford

Nice that you have the ability to mend a jacket on your own. I bet it will make for an interesting piece over time!

Yeah that sounds cool. I’ll put it in my list

I’ve also bought a used one from Japan with good experience! Are you not able to buy from online Schott? I thought they did international shipping?

@@DudsByDel ….the problem I had, and the reason I wanted to find an Australian distributor, was around fit and size. What size do I buy? How is the fit? Given the very expensive pricing for a new one at around AUD$1200.00, it would be wise to at least ‘try before you buy’ … Hence why I bought pre-loved. I took a pure punt, bought a size 40 and luckily for me I struck gold. I’ve since bought another Schott jacket out of Japan…it’s still on the way. Should see it soon.

@@OrnumCR congrats! Cool to hear it worked out for you, I had wondered how things went

@@DudsByDel …yeah the Schott is fantastic…I love it…fits me so well and love the weight of it. Still want to buy a new one when I sail over to New York late next year. Compliments of the season to you and yours. Keep the vids coming. 👍

@@OrnumCR thanks man. Seasons greetings indeed

Thanks man!

Nice. I also got my 370 on eBay. I think for around $500 after tax and shipping

Happy for ya! At this point the challenge may be to stick to just one!

Trying on in person is definitely nice. Make sure to take note of the specific model you're checking out since Schott makes several similar styles that have different fit. As in the 118 and 618 look similar, but the 118 basically fits a size larger (and a bit longer) than the 618

@@DudsByDel Excellent tip. Thanks.

Yeah it’s about to happen! Schott will also occasionally have online sales for 15-20% off but you never know when they’ll do it.

On the low end, that’s a great price!

Congrats dude!

What part don’t you agree with? Basically the point is if you can’t afford the new thing you want, buy the used thing you want. Rather than settling for something you dont really want

I’d be interested to do it but my first impression that it ain’t great. Hard to get one from the custom guys that don’t offer returns

Congrats on the pickup. I think Schott makes great jackets too. I would say that their sizing isn’t just true to size- the 118 and 141 for example are bigger than you’d expect for the tag size. Have a great one

@@DudsByDel Oh okay, I'm sure you're more knowledgeable than myself so I'll take your word for it. My understanding is that the 118 is meant to be a roomier and more comfortable counterpart to the 618? So I'd assume some proportions would be different. I would probably love it, only didn't go for it because my options were limited buying used. I don't really know anything specific about the 141 nor the 613 or other models. I did my research on the classic 618 enough to have a good idea of how it ought to fit and got what I expected. You too!

ahh that’s tough. The shipping costs certainly don’t help either! I feel ya on the high alert mode…scrapping for deals is a tough way to be all the time

Hey Kevin! Yeah Schott prices increase every year ish by about 5%. Fox Creek and Hillside are less expensive but maybe a step down in quality? Haven’t handled them myself. I like Vanson, they tend to be a little less than Schott and they do 10% sales from time to time. Also Schott has an annual factory sale, but you have to go in person…

thanks del. do you know when the factory sale is ? i happen to live in n.y.@@DudsByDel

@@kevinwalsh9483 yep it’s supposed to be 10/21

thanks.@@DudsByDel

A good question. I think probably past $1000 you’re paying for luxuries like unique design, higher quality hide, more beautiful stitching etc. Nailing the exact curve of diminishing returns is kinda tough…also consider that some jackets have a thriving resale market compared to others. Popular or sought-after models and makers you can get more back out of the jacket if you decide to move it later

Nice price! Are the zippers broken? Or the tape ripped? What’s the problem?

I wonder what specific models you got. The Schott 118 for example fits a size bigger than a Schott’s 618. The Vanson Enfield fits a size bigger than the Royale Enfield. And so on. Point being the tag size alone is not the best indicator as to whether a particular model will fit you. Learning measurements, or asking for advice at a place like the Fedora Lounge can help a lot.

Best value is probably something like a used Schott, Vanson, or Aero. Possibly Cockpit / Avirex, old LL Bean flight jackets are also good quality for less money. There are too many possibilities to list. These makers all have a pretty large used market

Fair chance I can. Send pics of the labels, front and back of jacket, look inside the little coin pocket for small white tag include that too. Easiest to DM me on Instagram dudsbydel

Early Wilson I’ve heard can be good. But for many years not so much. Not familiar with Arizona leather

Well because of you del and your videos I finally just bought a schott, all your points are valid and honest and I appreciate your videos

@@luckybguy congrats man! Thanks for letting me know, I really do my best to be honest and clear

Something like 6 or 7. I have a Schott Western fringed suede jacket that was less than $300

Shinki produces a wide variety of hides. The two rainbow country jackets I’ve gotten are Shinki horsehide and both have been extremely comfortable. I briefly had a Simmons Bilt jacket in some kind of Shinki hide that was fine comfort-wise, but was too short and I sold it. So I dunno. Think a lot depends on the type of leather and how the maker uses it

​@@DudsByDel Thanks for the response and the expertise, Del. That's good to know. I'll have to look into some of their other offerings. You're almost certainly right that there's a horsehide leather jacket out there somewhere that's right for me.

Understandable to seek makers that are more available to you in Australia. Seems like a common but still frustrating issue for yall.

Yeah there are so many fashion brands, I really don’t keep up with the bulk of them. Slowly working my way through the “heritage” makers. I’ve had several Aeros but the fit never quite worked…

Rips on the leather or the lining?

@@DudsByDelleather. Thanks!

@@meganr25 then big discount definitely warranted. There no real recovery from that. Though it can look good if you’re into it.

⁠@@DudsByDelthank you

Fair enough. I checked out a Milwaukee jacket a while ago but feel like return to it is in order. I paid $350 for my 618 used. Clearly more than $100 but a far cry from $1000

True dat man!

Have to recommend a used Schott or Vanson motorcycle jacket plus a little patience. Follow the Finds and Deals thread over at FedoraLounge

@@DudsByDel thanks 👍

Heyoooo

Too late for you 😢

Probably oddly. They create space for the bust, and the cuts are generally more cropped. The arms are slimmer too

@@DudsByDel thanks

Hey I drive a Ford, I endorse this message

Me too actually! But I own that overpriced jacket and I actually like my Pakistani made Unik better,lol. I’ve had them both for over 10 years.

@@stevenkalfakis4165 I can only give my own perspective. I think Schott jackets are great. If the asking price for new is too high, then buy used. But many of the made in Pakistan jackets I’ve seen and the few I’ve handled have all been inferior in different ways. There’s a huge thread on (and clear following for) Five Star jackets on FedoraLounge.

Does yours still have a strong leather smell? Mine barely does anymore, but the Unik makes the room smell like a cow factory,lol.

@@stevenkalfakis4165 hah! I will have to ask since I lost most of my sense of smell in my 20s