Wested Casino Royale

[DR Ulloa]

I dont spend a lot of time in the jacket section but I do pop in enough to know that Westeds quality control is, well, out of control. I also have read that their custom jackets can be hit or miss but that their off the rack jackets are not bad. Well, I've been looking around for a Casino Royale jacket for some time now and I think that is what I will buy with my tax return. Problem is, I don't know who to buy it from. Magnoli's is quite nice, but I can't find pictures of it worn outside or by a living person at all. The only other one that looks nice enough is Westeds. My question is how good a jacket does Wested make when talking off the rack and is there any difference in quality between this and there Indy jackets. I know this isn't exactly Indy related, so sorry it this isn't the forum for this. Maybe some one can post pictures, if they have of either so I can see them in better detail and make up my mind.

Thanks,
Dave

[Hollowpond]

pm Mags. I bet he can dig something up. My $.02...don't waste time on Wested. I know you Dave, and you are used to quality, as such you won't be happy with anything else.

Travis

[JC1972]

Dave, did you check any of the Bond forums? I know of this one:

http://www.ajb007.co.uk/

[Zoltar]

Im calling in at Wested tommorow I'll check out the Jacket for you and take some Pic's.
While I'm there I'm going to ask them to run a few repairs on the stitching on my 2 month old OTR Raiders so QC is definatly a concern though!

ZOLTAR

[DR Ulloa]

Thank you Zoltar. I e-mailed Wested yesterday and Gemma responded saying that they could change the color for me (I asked if they could do it in charcoal) and that they could make the top pockets smaller but it would have to be a custom order, obviously. Is this worth it? Am I going to be dissapointed. The price is much more appealing than Magnoli's, but I have a feeling Mags' jacket will last me a lot longer than the Wested. Thoughts?

Dave

[binkmeisterRick]

Dave, as Travis stated, you are used to quality. I can tell in your posts that you'd love to go to Wested for the price point, but you have an uneasy feeling due to their quality control issues and the negative experiences a number of folks have had with Wested. Based only on what the numbers and reviews are saying, going with Wested is a bigger risk in terms of them getting your jacket right. Sure, it may be cheaper, but taking into account possible returns and funds spent on shipping, etc., you have to figure if that might eventually add up to the cost of the Magnoli.

As for Magnoli, there are not as many reviews on this board and fewer numbers of his jackets out there in comparison to the number of Westeds on the market, so it's difficult to compare the two on the exact same level in terms of "getting it right." That said, the only reviews I've read for Magnoli's work have been mostly positive and owners of his jackets have been very pleased.

Here's another way of looking at it in a way that might make more sense for you. Let's talk hats for a moment. You go with John Penman because of his quality and customer service. He's nailed it for you with every hat you've purchased from him. Now, assuming you were going to buy a custom hat for the first time and were feeling a bit uncertain in your choices. Would you go with a hatter that has a proven track record, even though the cost is a little higher, or would you go with a hatter who costs less, but the reviews show the chances of getting your hat right are 50/50?

Ultimately, it is your decision. There is risk any which way you go, but you need to weigh the benefits and chances to see which route is worth taking for you. Good luck!

[Zoltar]

No problem DR Ulloa.
I'm spending the weekend with family in London and it's May Day bank holiday over here so It might be Tuesday before I can get back to you.
My Wested experiance is limited to one jacket and like I said it's not really holding up well. I'd say I've worn it 60% of days in the last 2 months since I bought it and the handwarmers (that I've never used) are coming unstitched in the corners. There's loose stitching in a few other places aswell.
Sounds like the usual Wested storey to me, just wasn't expecting problems so soon!

ZOLTAR

[DR Ulloa]

No problem, Zoltar.

Gemma tell me they can make the jacket in the color I want and making the top pockets a tad smaller for twenty pounds, but its not returnable. This worries me. What if the jacket has quality issues that have nothing to do witht eh color or pockets? I'm stuck. I think I'm going with Magnoli for this. I've only heard good things about him and his products. The problem is that I want to see an actual photo of the jacket worn by a real human and I can't find any. Maybe I'll shoot him a PM as I don't know how frequently he stops by this forum.

Rick, that's exactly how I was thinking about this. I like quality and I don't think I can buy a jacket that isn't up to par, no matter the price. Thanks, my friend.

Dave

[binkmeisterRick]

Dave, Magnoli is also part of the site staff, so he stops by here frequently enough.

[DR Ulloa]

Yeah, I've sent him off a PM just a about an hour or two ago. Hopefully he'll get back to me soon as I would really love to order this jacket soon. Thanks for all the help, gentelmen. You have all confirmed what I already knew but was trying to ignore.

Dave

[binkmeisterRick]

SHould I go ahead and close this thread down now?

[DR Ulloa]

Go ahead. I know what I'm getting, now. Unless Magnoli wants to post some pics here of the jacket in question but I doubt many people here are interested in that jacket. He can just PM me those pics. Your call, Rick.

Dave