I can't decide ... decision made!

[pastimesteve]

Thanks to the work of G-MANN and response from Alvin at G&B, I will soon be the owner of a G&B Expo goat! Thanks again guys.

This is a great forum with some extremely nice folks.

Steve

[Deleted]

I have just gotten off the Phone with ALVIN at G&B.

They told me that they have been letting orders go through with the prices listed on thier Website.

The site will be Updated In the next day or two. When that happens all new prices will be in effect.


Cheers,
G-MANN

[GCR]

Based on the way you've outlined your situation, I'd lean towards the G&B if I were you.

Keep in mind, I don't currently own a G&B and in fact I never have, but I know if you buy one, you aren't buying crap, either. If you have the money to buy one, and this will be your one and only jacket for quite some time, and you need it to last, get the G&B. It's guaranteed for life (G&B owners can fill you in on the exact details of that guarantee) and it's pretty damn screen accurate to boot (where the U.S. Wings is not). I've never owned a Wings jacket either, so I can't speak ill of them, I only refer to obvious inaccuracies I can see based on the pics of the jacket I've examined. Granted, the price gap is immense between the two, and I can understand how G&B not honoring the web-price would piss you off (that is kind of lame EDIT: I just read G-MANN's post above, that is good news. Buy one now! Hurry, hurry! ;D ) but how much different is the web price vs. the new current price? $40 or $50 bucks, maybe? If you've already got the $400 + stashed away for the web-price, how hard is it to gather up a little more? Anyways, that's my 2 cents on that topic...

Oh, yeah...as for Wested, I'd honestly steer clear right now, they obviously have some issues they need to work out in both their Customer Service (namely communication) & Quality Control. I've ordered 2 jackets from them, one in 1999 and the latest in 2003, both came without any issues. But lately, it seems problems have been appearing on EVERY order, some are small details missed, others are major issues, such as a completely incorrect jacket being sent to a customer. (Just ask Profwex) They make a nice jacket, no doubt, and they are the "authentic" source, in that they did make the originals (albeit under a different company name) for the movies, but until they shape up, I wouldn't take the risk.

-GCR

[Havana]

Which one of us hasn't faced this dilemma? No matter how much we try to stack the deck there's still a bit of guess work and luck involved in getting the jacket that you want. I've never had any problems dealing with Wested but I know quite a few people have. If you send them a long list of modifications, I think that's just asking for trouble. I've seen many of G&B's non-Indy jackets and they are certainly first rate with a price to match. I don't think they offer any modifications so you get what they sell and that's it. The US Wings cowhide would probably be a very good jacket but the fit could be an issue. A lot of that depends on your body type. I would recommend picking a jacket that comes with a generous return policy so you can get your money back if you make a poor choice. As for the material, lamb is very light but can be layered to any degree of warmth. I just wore my Wested lamb in the latest East Coast snow storm two weeks ago in NY. I was fine because I was wearing very warm layering. As it warms up, you can shed some layering and still wear the jacket. Goat is nearly indestructable and is the closest to draping like lamb. It's not really any warmer though. The Indy jacket was designed for looks and movement and not to be warm. If you like a heavier jacket, I would say go for horsehide because it's a novelty but quality cowhide would be just as good. Weight is relative and often in a person's perception. I have an AeroLeather jacket that is heavy to carry but distributes the weight perfectly over the body when worn. Many so called heavy leather jackets don't really seem that heavy if they're worn often and fit correctly. I hope some of this helps. It's kind of rambling advice.

[pastimesteve]

Thanks guys. I just sent a rather frustrated email to my sales rep at G&B and I copied Alvin, because I can't figure out how my rep wouldn't offer me the same deal. In fact, he said they were FORBIDDEN from offering the Web price by management. Do they not want my business?

Steve

[Deleted]

Glad to hear you able to get the Jacket at the Website price. You are probably the Very Last person that will.



Cheers,
G-MANN

[GCR]

Excellent news, Steve! Glad to hear it!

I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the G&B once it arrives. From what I hear, they truly are awesome jackets. Don't forget to post some pics once it gets in!

-GCR

[Ragingblues]

Thanks to the work of G-MANN and response from Alvin at G&B, I will soon be the owner of a G&B Expo goat! Thanks again guys.

This is a great forum with some extremely nice folks.

I'm very glad to hear that you got a jacket ordered, and I hope you are quite pleased with the Expedition! I'm also glad that we (as a group) were able to help out in some way, as that's one of the reasons this place exists. We will want to see photos when it arrives, of course....

Congrats and thanks much for the kind remarks,

Ken

[pitfallharry]

Well, it looks like you got lucky and got the jacket at the old price. So the new price is now $500?

I wonder why the price hike?

[Kt. Templar]

Good for you, they should have to honour the price advertised. If they don't intend that to be the price they should be legally bound to change it as soon as they are aware it is incorrect.