Wested vs. G&B - The battle comes to my living room
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:34 pm
As some of you know from my previous post http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=39166, I was going to trade in my Wested for a G&B expo. The expo arrived today. Here is my comparative analysis.
Keep in mind that I don’t care a fig for screen accuracy. I’m looking for a really, really sturdy and solid leather jacket that will outlive me and only get better with age. There are plenty of discussions elsewhere on SA; I’m only focused on quality, making my personal preference known when applicable.
Also keep in mind that the Wested is cowhide and the G&B is goat. So while it’s not quite apples and oranges, it’s pie made from Fiji apples vs. Granny Smith apples. So the only thing I’ll note on leather is that it feels as if the Wested cow is thicker than the G&B goat. I consider thick good.
The main thing that jumps out at me is the fit. The Wested was a custom job, but it’s basically a 40 Short. Still, even with the side-straps adjusted, the G&B (which is a 40R with the sleeves tucked up) seems to be made for a chunkier man.
The next thing I noticed was the zipper. The Wested zipper feels a lot more substantial than the G&B. I don’t know a lot about zippers, but the Wested has an 8 stamped on the pull while the G&B has a “5Y” on it. My little ruler also says that the teeth are 1mm shorter on the G&B. I don’t know if a heftier zipper translates to strength, but I do like it better. It feels like it would be tougher.
The lining of my custom Wested is cotton body and nylon arms. The G&B is all nylon, which doesn’t feel as comfortable on the body.
This is a big thing for me: the Wested appears to have superior pockets. For one thing, the Wested handwarmer pockets go into the lining of the jacket, so they extend a little beyond the front flap pockets. Not far, but enough to get your whole hand in there. The G&B pocket doesn’t extend beyond the flap pocket, so you have less hand room. Also the Wested pocket is lined with cotton all around. In the G&B, the back of your hand is touching nylon and your palm is resting on leather. Not as warm.
Also on the pockets, I don’t like the snap on the G&B. Two little things. First, the snap-backing is sticking out in the flap pocket, which might snag on something. Also, the female end of the snap is more flush. This means that as the jacket breaks in, you won’t get that little dent of worn leather that shows where the snap is. That’s such a classic look!
The G&B does not have leather facings around the zipper. I don’t care about that one way or the other. Also, the Wested has D-rings and kind of a blunt end on the side-straps. G&B has little rectangular sliders and very sharp ends on its side-straps. I don’t care about that, either.
The way the side straps mount is a little different as well. The Wested has a piece of leather that is just sewn across the top. The G&B kind of goes under the front panel. I’ll grab a picture as it’s hard to describe. I also don’t care about this.
The inside pocket on the Wested has a ton of leather surrounding the inside pocket; the G&B only has a thin leather strip, which I think is the better setup. Plus, I had asked for a second inside pocket and Wested forgot it. If I had asked G&B for a second inside pocket, I have a feeling they would have remembered it. So advantage G&B on this one.
Oh, this has been coming up on the boards of late: the zipper goes down to 1 inch from the bottom of the Wested. The zipper stops 2 inches short of the bottom of the G&B.
Interesting, when I took that last measurement I realized that the G&B is 1.25 inches longer than the Wested. The reason that’s interesting is that I had asked Peter to make the Wested 1” longer, in the style of their old Temple of Doom jacket. Maybe he forgot. Oh those Wested folk…
As far as craftsmanship goes, I’m one of those people who have issues with my Wested thread falling apart in exposed areas. The G&B appears to be exceptionally made. Little details like the pocket construction show the G&B had more care put into it.
I won’t speak about drape; goat needs to be broken in and the cow has had a year of getting knocked around.
So the prognosis: I like my Wested better. I really wanted to like the G&B better. Perhaps if I got a G&B in 39 instead of 40 it would fit a little better. And they could probably change the liner and zipper as a custom job. I don’t know if there’s anything they could do about the pockets, though.
I’m going to keep my Wested (sorry eBay shoppers) and return the G&B. I do, however, strongly endorse G&B. Their customer service was really good and it really is a nice jacket. It’s just not what I’m looking for. I might buy one of their other jackets, depending on how the return policy goes.
Anyway, it will likely take me a day or two to return the Expo, so if anyone wants me to take photos of specific parts for comparison, let me know soon.
Keep in mind that I don’t care a fig for screen accuracy. I’m looking for a really, really sturdy and solid leather jacket that will outlive me and only get better with age. There are plenty of discussions elsewhere on SA; I’m only focused on quality, making my personal preference known when applicable.
Also keep in mind that the Wested is cowhide and the G&B is goat. So while it’s not quite apples and oranges, it’s pie made from Fiji apples vs. Granny Smith apples. So the only thing I’ll note on leather is that it feels as if the Wested cow is thicker than the G&B goat. I consider thick good.
The main thing that jumps out at me is the fit. The Wested was a custom job, but it’s basically a 40 Short. Still, even with the side-straps adjusted, the G&B (which is a 40R with the sleeves tucked up) seems to be made for a chunkier man.
The next thing I noticed was the zipper. The Wested zipper feels a lot more substantial than the G&B. I don’t know a lot about zippers, but the Wested has an 8 stamped on the pull while the G&B has a “5Y” on it. My little ruler also says that the teeth are 1mm shorter on the G&B. I don’t know if a heftier zipper translates to strength, but I do like it better. It feels like it would be tougher.
The lining of my custom Wested is cotton body and nylon arms. The G&B is all nylon, which doesn’t feel as comfortable on the body.
This is a big thing for me: the Wested appears to have superior pockets. For one thing, the Wested handwarmer pockets go into the lining of the jacket, so they extend a little beyond the front flap pockets. Not far, but enough to get your whole hand in there. The G&B pocket doesn’t extend beyond the flap pocket, so you have less hand room. Also the Wested pocket is lined with cotton all around. In the G&B, the back of your hand is touching nylon and your palm is resting on leather. Not as warm.
Also on the pockets, I don’t like the snap on the G&B. Two little things. First, the snap-backing is sticking out in the flap pocket, which might snag on something. Also, the female end of the snap is more flush. This means that as the jacket breaks in, you won’t get that little dent of worn leather that shows where the snap is. That’s such a classic look!
The G&B does not have leather facings around the zipper. I don’t care about that one way or the other. Also, the Wested has D-rings and kind of a blunt end on the side-straps. G&B has little rectangular sliders and very sharp ends on its side-straps. I don’t care about that, either.
The way the side straps mount is a little different as well. The Wested has a piece of leather that is just sewn across the top. The G&B kind of goes under the front panel. I’ll grab a picture as it’s hard to describe. I also don’t care about this.
The inside pocket on the Wested has a ton of leather surrounding the inside pocket; the G&B only has a thin leather strip, which I think is the better setup. Plus, I had asked for a second inside pocket and Wested forgot it. If I had asked G&B for a second inside pocket, I have a feeling they would have remembered it. So advantage G&B on this one.
Oh, this has been coming up on the boards of late: the zipper goes down to 1 inch from the bottom of the Wested. The zipper stops 2 inches short of the bottom of the G&B.
Interesting, when I took that last measurement I realized that the G&B is 1.25 inches longer than the Wested. The reason that’s interesting is that I had asked Peter to make the Wested 1” longer, in the style of their old Temple of Doom jacket. Maybe he forgot. Oh those Wested folk…
As far as craftsmanship goes, I’m one of those people who have issues with my Wested thread falling apart in exposed areas. The G&B appears to be exceptionally made. Little details like the pocket construction show the G&B had more care put into it.
I won’t speak about drape; goat needs to be broken in and the cow has had a year of getting knocked around.
So the prognosis: I like my Wested better. I really wanted to like the G&B better. Perhaps if I got a G&B in 39 instead of 40 it would fit a little better. And they could probably change the liner and zipper as a custom job. I don’t know if there’s anything they could do about the pockets, though.
I’m going to keep my Wested (sorry eBay shoppers) and return the G&B. I do, however, strongly endorse G&B. Their customer service was really good and it really is a nice jacket. It’s just not what I’m looking for. I might buy one of their other jackets, depending on how the return policy goes.
Anyway, it will likely take me a day or two to return the Expo, so if anyone wants me to take photos of specific parts for comparison, let me know soon.