Club Obi Wan

Good luck guys. I look forward to welcoming you to the club!

Rob, it's getting cool enough down there to finally wear yours, isn't it? Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Rob, it's getting cool enough down there to finally wear yours, isn't it? Regards! Michaelson

Theoretically, yes. In practice, no

OK...finally some good news! The horsehide is in! Gemma sent me the update today....my jacket was/is being cut today!

Bjones wrote:OK...finally some good news! The horsehide is in! Gemma sent me the update today....my jacket was/is being cut today!

Whoo-hoo!

Did you have to email Gemma asking for status, or did she email you?

jeff wrote:Whoo-hoo!

Did you have to email Gemma asking for status, or did she email you?

No she emailed me with the update, I did not prompt Wested this time. It was a very welcome surprise in my inbox today.

Bjones wrote:OK...finally some good news! The horsehide is in! Gemma sent me the update today....my jacket was/is being cut today!

Good for you, Bjones! Glad to hear the news. Looks like we're back in the saddle!

Looking forward to your review. I ordered about a month after you, so I don't know if I'll get in on this batch. Haven't heard from Wested yet.

wemedge

Great news! Very keen to compare and contrast with my own horsehide from the original batch.

Looks like we're back in the saddle!

Yeah, back in the saddle with nothing to ride- they skinned our horse (but it was for a good cause)! But seriously, they should be cutting all of the horsehide jacket orders, regardless of when they were placed, because they have been sitting on the shelf since then.

Thats great news. I had a hard time waiting from August till November for my auth brown goat. I can't imagine how hard it is to wait as long as some of you guys have. I'm looking foward to seeing a few reviews on the horsehide. I might just be ordering myself one.

Adventure Lad wrote:Hi there COW members.
...I think I have the jacket your talking about. I got it from Wested in september, when not only did I find out they existed, but that they're only 15 minutes from where I work! Twas like a dream come true ...I thought I'd post some pics of mine. Theyre not great as my cameras pretty crappy.

...The lambskin just didnt look right when its brand new. The horse looks like its allready seen some adventure....

Adventure Lad

Merry Old England! I think they sell that same brand name camera here in the good old USA, the “Pretty Crappy” brand, having had merged with brand ‘X’ probably sometime in the 90’s. I think they also sell other items here under that same brand or one of their subsidiaries having purchased many items in recent years that weren’t quite as good as expected, but that’s another story...

You’re fortunate to live so close to Wested. One of the major factors as to why I haven’t purchased a Wested as yet is because they ARE in “Merry Old England” which means a long wait, and considerable hassles should there be a need for a return or any alterations, and mostly all the anxiety involved with the whole process.

I’m sure it’s just the camera, but if the color of the jacket didn’t seem so dark, I would have thought that it was Wested’s predistressted cowhide. I guess I’m not the only one who might have thought that. It’s hard for me to imagine horse hide looking that well-worn in that short of time, or, looking that way when you purchased it. But, I’m sure it will give you more wear than the lambskin whichever it is.

As you probably can tell, I’m right on top of things here having just now become aware of your post.

Anyway, a belated welcome!!!

Yikes!!!! Just got an email from Gemma. My Jacket was shipped yesterday!!!!!!

That was very fast turnaround. Gemma is my new best friend

Anyone else get similar good news? wemedge?

Great news! When you get it, you MUST show pics or I'll have to confiscate the jacket.

bink

Rixter wrote:One of the major factors as to why I haven’t purchased a Wested as yet is because they ARE in “Merry Old England” which means a long wait, and considerable hassles should there be a need for a return or any alterations, and mostly all the anxiety involved with the whole process.

You know, I wouldn't let either of those things really worry you.

(i) The 'long' wait. I mean, 'long' is relative. Yes, it's long compared to calling a store in the US and having some monkey pull a pre-made jacket off the shelf and shipping it same day (and we've seen some great examples of just how craptastic those jackets can be, just lately...). No, it's not 'long' compared to getting a custom made jacket anywhere in the world. The shipping, once the jacket is made, is lightning fast.

(ii) The return scenario. In a totally unscientific way, I reckon 9/10 people hit the mark with their Wested order, and pull a jacket from the bag that fits them perfectly first go.

It's all down to whether you have faith or not, I think.

binkmeisterRick wrote:Great news! When you get it, you MUST show pics or I'll have to confiscate the jacket.

bink

Don't worry...there will be a full photo shoot

Great! As I said, I'm very keen to compare with mine.

Bjones wrote: Yikes!!!! Just got an email from Gemma. My Jacket was shipped yesterday!!!!!!

That was very fast turnaround. Gemma is my new best friend

Anyone else get similar good news? wemedge?

Let us know when your jacket arrives, Bjones!

I got an email from Gemma on Tuesday telling me that my jacket was ready to be shipped and to confirm if I wanted snaps on both ends.

Will keep you posted.

wemedge

Yes, you guys must have pics to show us. Don't worry, you'll have your jacket pretty soon. Mine took less than a week to get once it left England.

Less than a week sounds pretty fast...I checked my tracking # and it said "left orgin country", so maybe it will get here inside of 7 days..

Anybody had issues with customs?...from reading here its sounds like they may charge you on the spot at delivery or you might get a bill in the mail, or nothing at all.

Currently, as I understand it with Peter's change of carrier, it's a pay as you pickup plan now, with you paying customs charges at pickup at the post office. I don't think anyone's dodging the bullet anymore. Regards! Michaelson

Ah, darn. I was lucky enough to not have to pay any customs fees when I got mine.

Same... it just arrived at the office oneday, and the office manager handed it to me. Now, either she paid the fees (and never told me, which I doubt!), or it just didn't incur any.

Yea, the customs fees are weird. The USPS delivered my jacket and never said a word about any fees.

i live in melbourne, and ive heard the custom fees can be around 185 AUS dollars. now that is simply too much to pay. and although i *might*! get away with it, im not going to take the risk.
It's good to know someone in england =)

Yep, my fees in Adelaide were about that too, and the customs house was in Sydney and wouldn't release the goods until I paid the fees. AND they would charge a storage fee for every day after a grace period (I forget how long, maybe 2 days) that I hadnt paid. It surely added a sour note to what should have been an exciting occassion.

But Rob received his some while afterwards and I did hear that Peter changed courier, so maybe the fees are different? You could email Peter to see?

Well I should be finding out soon....according to online tracking, my jacket has "Arrived at delivery depot"....I think this means my local post office(it arrived in the states on the 7th). Review and pics very soon!

Look forward to seeing the pics, I think I will after get an Horsehide, at some point in time.

Bjones wrote:Well I should be finding out soon....according to online tracking, my jacket has "Arrived at delivery depot"....I think this means my local post office(it arrived in the states on the 7th). Review and pics very soon!

Good stuff!

Bjones, did you ask for the tracking # or did Wested just send it to you in the shipping notice?

wemedge

I had to ask for the tracking #.

My jacket did arrive yesterday, and put up a full review with pics as a new topic, but my post does not show? That really stinks...I spent 1/2 hour writing that. Any of the mods know anything? :evil:

My jacket arrived yesterday, but nobody was here to receive it. So this morning I am going to take a short break from work to pick it up at the post office. I'll post pics and a review this weekend.

Awesome!!! Can't wait to see it.

Okay, here are my initial impressions: heavy... soft... *wow*... The bottom line: You could definitely fight a tank in this jacket. Full review and pics this weekend.

LOL - couldn't resist!

Mine came today at the office, and fortunately the weather here was cool enough for me to wear it.

Most of the sentiments of Bjones et al are echoed here, so some of it has been heard before. This is my first Wested; I hope seasoned hands please excuse a newbie's excitement

My initial impressions are overwhemingly positive. I love the jacket. Nicely matched grain on mine, smooth, soft and heavy. I like it that way.

Color is dark brown. No reddish tint that I can see at this stage.

I was apprehensive that my measurements might be off (due to my inexperience in measuring) but it fits me like it was tailored for me. which of course it was . All my requested features were done (including extra inner pocket, snaps, 80s fit, and omission of handwarmer pockets).

Fast shipping too!

Didn't get away from customs charge, though. Got hit with duties, GST and PST. But it's worth it.

Even with postage, duties, conversions, etc., it still hard to beat in terms of value (to me), when compared to off-the-rack items of similar cost.

Well worth it!

My only regret is the weather will soon be too warm to wear it and I'll have to wait until Fall!

regards
wemedge

OK whip and wemedge....lets see those pics!

Bjones,

my pics won't be as nice as yours Your jacket looks really good.

all I have is the camera on my Treo

I'll try to take some shots soon. I'm just looking for an excuse to wear it. Think I'll sleep in it tonight...

wemedge

I promise to have full outfit pics tomorrow. )

Hope it's ok to resurrect an old thread. Just wanted to say that 4 years on I still love my horsehide Wested Raiders and its holding up like a champ.

No loose bits etc. This jacket is well-made for sure. The only thing I have done is I had a thin leather lining sewn on the inside of my left sleeve to keep my watch from tearing up the inside. The rest of the cotton lining is worn in some places, but that's to be expected. Will have to replace the lining sooner or later.

The leather itself is lightened ever so slightly, slight reddish tint with subtle natural wear spots.

Will report back in four years if I am still alive. the jacket will probably outlast me...

cheers,
wemedge

That's terrific about your jacket holding up. I absolutely love the hide but I've had stitching come loose around a pocket, despite having reinforced stitching after only a few months.

What wemedge? no photos? do we have to wait four more years for them?

RCSignals wrote:What wemedge? no photos? do we have to wait four more years for them?

I'll try, promise...

regards,
wemedge

I just received my horsehide Wested a few weeks ago. Still going through the break in cycle. It's really a steal for a custom horsehide jacket. And it was only two weeks from the time of order to the doorstep in Ohio.