Wolverine all day baby! Jackets, belts, claws, oh my.

hey guys,
so i think it is time i reviewed my heron x-1. i have had the jacket for a few days now and i wanted to wait to review it to prevent a knee jerk reaction. well my initial reaction was excitement. i was so looking forward to this jacket, but i was a little disappointed with it but not because it didn't look good or wasn't well put together but because it was so damn heavy and stiff! a little jacket history from me. i have 4 leather jackets, a lambskin indy wested, a 9th doctor wested, a goat magnoli indy jacket and a goat magnoli x-1. so i am use to lighter weight jackets. so that was a bit off putting. it felt like trying to move while wearing 3 or 4 very thick sweaters. but it feels bomb proof. especially the liner, i dont know what the liner is made of but it in itself feels bomb proof.
the leather is very soft to the touch and i am sure will break in very nicely. not as shiny as some new leather jackets, and has some nice mild predistressing on it.
the fit is very good. the sleeves feel a little long but again once it breaks in and they wrinkle up a bit they will be spot on, and they are clearly made with riding in mind so they dont ride up when reaching for handlebars. the length reminds me of the war of the worlds hero jacket. from the front it has a bit of that a frame opening going on that i don't really like, where the top of the jacket sits closer than the bottom. that might ease up a bit with breaking in but at the moment its not something i really like, it makes me think the jacket looks ill fitting. when zipped up it fits very well also with little or no riding up when i out stretch my arms.
the length is spot on and as you can seen in some of the back photos there looks to be a bit of a duck tail on it carried over from the x-2 pattern.
when zipped up the arms have the bulging biceps things going on that i see even on some vansons so it must be whats meant to happen. i never zip the arms up anyway.

heron got all my requests correct. they added the under arm gussets, and the two internal zippered pockets, the reversed opening external pockets. and the storm flap, which i know is entirely screen unaccurate but i kinda wanted one, not that i intend on riding in a storm or even walking in a storm in this jacket but it kinda makes sense to me, and it is easily cut off if i had to. its something i carried over from the war of the worlds jacket.



i think the colour is spot on, but i am sure some of you will agree its not there just yet pattern wise, sleeves seem curved and the cuffs seem angled and there does seem to be a bit of a duck tail. i am not that much of a stickler for these things but i thought you should know.

i am still not sure how i feel about the jacket,its one of those things. the a frame opening thing, and the weight kinda put me off. also the external pockets, they are tiny on the inside. my magnoli has big pockets even if they are a funny shape, but at least you can put stiff in them or even your hands so they work as hand warmers. but on the heron they are tiny, i can just about fit my hands in them for hand warmers but not much else, its kind of a deal breaker for me.

i had been re wearing my magnoli x-1 recently and i always felt it was a tad small and figured i would get a new one, but now i have this one i find myself loving the magnoli. i have yet to wear the heron anywhere, it even has the tag still on it.
if i can't warm up to it soon i think i will sell it on, can't see the sense in keeping it if i am never gonna wear it. so keep an eye on the junk yard if i ever do decide to sell it.

here are some pics

Well it's great to hear some honest feedback from a new Heron owner, as we haven't really heard anything from a owner in quite a long time. Sorry to hear the stiffness and weight put you off immediately. I helped Heron with this pattern and they decided to keep it this way just for that reason...with riders in mind. As yes, it is NOT screen accurate, but neither is any non-fashion/film jacket like a Vanson or Schott right out of the box, as a dense jacket takes time to break in. A few tips will aid in this for a quicker break-in period. You can PM me if you'd like as I own a Heron X2.

I appreciate your honesty with your review and to be honest back, I think a wind flap is a good move for a touch of practicality and a nod to the WotW jacket owners out there too. Awesome fit, as you said the wrinkling of the sleeves will bring the cuffs to the proper level at your wrist. The slight ducktail is a transfer from the X2 pattern as is the curved sleeves. I've mention this to Jorge on many occasions but it seems he wants to keep these features on his latest X1 pattern.

superDrool said:

Well it's great to hear some honest feedback from a new Heron owner, as we haven't really heard anything from a owner in quite a long time. Sorry to hear the stiffness and weight put you off immediately. I helped Heron with this pattern and they decided to keep it this way just for that reason...with riders in mind. As yes, it is NOT screen accurate, but neither is any non-fashion/film jacket like a Vanson or Schott right out of the box, as a dense jacket takes time to break in. A few tips will aid in this for a quicker break-in period. You can PM me if you'd like as I own a Heron X2.

I appreciate your honesty with your review and to be honest back, I think a wind flap is a good move for a touch of practicality and a nod to the WotW jacket owners out there too. Awesome fit, as you said the wrinkling of the sleeves will bring the cuffs to the proper level at your wrist. The slight ducktail is a transfer from the X2 pattern as is the curved sleeves. I've mention this to Jorge on many occasions but it seems he wants to keep these features on his latest X1 pattern.

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thanks for the feedback. it was your x2 jacket that convinced me to go with heron. i really cant fault the jacket other than the depth of the outside pockets, are yours like this? if i had have thought of it i would have asked heron what the pockets were like. i dont know what they are like on a vanson so i can only compare it to my magnoli. i am still mulling over keeping the jacket. i know it will become more flexible over time and i have a list of things to do to hit to help break it in. it just needs a bit of getting use to. it reminds me everytime i get a new pair of boots. the old ones feel so comfortable and the second you put on the new pair they feel so clunky and stiff and sore and all you want is to go back to your old pair.

kenobibale said:

hey guys,
so i think it is time i reviewed my heron x-1. i have had the jacket for a few days now and i wanted to wait to review it to prevent a knee jerk reaction. well my initial reaction was excitement. i was so looking forward to this jacket, but i was a little disappointed with it but not because it didn't look good or wasn't well put together but because it was so damn heavy and stiff! a little jacket history from me. i have 4 leather jackets, a lambskin indy wested, a 9th doctor wested, a goat magnoli indy jacket and a goat magnoli x-1. so i am use to lighter weight jackets. so that was a bit off putting. it felt like trying to move while wearing 3 or 4 very thick sweaters. but it feels bomb proof. especially the liner, i dont know what the liner is made of but it in itself feels bomb proof.
the leather is very soft to the touch and i am sure will break in very nicely. not as shiny as some new leather jackets, and has some nice mild predistressing on it.
the fit is very good. the sleeves feel a little long but again once it breaks in and they wrinkle up a bit they will be spot on, and they are clearly made with riding in mind so they dont ride up when reaching for handlebars. the length reminds me of the war of the worlds hero jacket. from the front it has a bit of that a frame opening going on that i don't really like, where the top of the jacket sits closer than the bottom. that might ease up a bit with breaking in but at the moment its not something i really like, it makes me think the jacket looks ill fitting. when zipped up it fits very well also with little or no riding up when i out stretch my arms.
the length is spot on and as you can seen in some of the back photos there looks to be a bit of a duck tail on it carried over from the x-2 pattern.
when zipped up the arms have the bulging biceps things going on that i see even on some vansons so it must be whats meant to happen. i never zip the arms up anyway.

heron got all my requests correct. they added the under arm gussets, and the two internal zippered pockets, the reversed opening external pockets. and the storm flap, which i know is entirely screen unaccurate but i kinda wanted one, not that i intend on riding in a storm or even walking in a storm in this jacket but it kinda makes sense to me, and it is easily cut off if i had to. its something i carried over from the war of the worlds jacket.



i think the colour is spot on, but i am sure some of you will agree its not there just yet pattern wise, sleeves seem curved and the cuffs seem angled and there does seem to be a bit of a duck tail. i am not that much of a stickler for these things but i thought you should know.

i am still not sure how i feel about the jacket,its one of those things. the a frame opening thing, and the weight kinda put me off. also the external pockets, they are tiny on the inside. my magnoli has big pockets even if they are a funny shape, but at least you can put stiff in them or even your hands so they work as hand warmers. but on the heron they are tiny, i can just about fit my hands in them for hand warmers but not much else, its kind of a deal breaker for me.

i had been re wearing my magnoli x-1 recently and i always felt it was a tad small and figured i would get a new one, but now i have this one i find myself loving the magnoli. i have yet to wear the heron anywhere, it even has the tag still on it.
if i can't warm up to it soon i think i will sell it on, can't see the sense in keeping it if i am never gonna wear it. so keep an eye on the junk yard if i ever do decide to sell it.

here are some pics
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I'm sorry you don't like it as much as you hoped, but from my perspective, that looks like a pretty good jacket! The fit is good, and the way it's built looks more than close enough...I rather like the overall effect actually...

My Vanson is the thickest jacket I own, and yeah, it takes some getting warmed up to, but they're riders jackets, and for what they're aimed at? The thickness works well for me...I was also an Indy fan before bothering with Wolverine jackets, so I know what you mean about it being a shock, but the Wolverine jacket is still my favourite now..So maybe you'll kind of "grow into it" soon?

Jackets are all about how we feel in them, so if you don't dig it, fair enough, but it looks good, and the design is great I think....I'd wait a while before selling it anyway, just to check that you really DON'T start to dig it...

I'm impressed with the photos...

Regards..

My pockets are a bit shallow, and probably could have gone a little deeper, but I'm not a big dude and they worked fine for me. The ability to put your hands all the way into the pockets is and should be a detail not easily overlooked.
The only question I have about that before I message Jorge, is:
Is there room underneath the bags/pockets for a deeper pocket? Or do they bottom out touching the edge of the jacket?

Just thought some might like this. Click it to see it animated

superDrool said:

My pockets are a bit shallow, and probably could have gone a little deeper, but I'm not a big dude and they worked fine for me. The ability to put your hands all the way into the pockets is and should be a detail not easily overlooked.
The only question I have about that before I message Jorge, is:
Is there room underneath the bags/pockets for a deeper pocket? Or do they bottom out touching the edge of the jacket?

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the bottom of the pockets on mine are in line with the bottom of the zipper angling slightly down. you can see in one of my photos my hand at the bottom of the pocket and you can make out the shape of the bottom of the pocket bag.there isn't really much of a "bag" in there. not very functional in my opinion, maybe they were originally suppose to be vents on the original design for vansons? on the magnoli jacket the pockets are much deeper falling almost to the bottom of the inside lining of the jacket.

The heron jacket is looking fantastic may have to pick one up. Although x2 is still top of my list decisions. Congrats great looking jacket

Kenobibale,
I must have missed it, but did you mention the size of the jacket by chance? If not, may I ask what size?

Kenobibale - I am glad to see you got your jacket and mostly like it. Me, I've got no such luck.

Remember way back a month ago when I said Heron had told me my jacket was fixed? Well, the picture that they sent to show me it was fixed, I wasn't convinced it was the same jacket - the first pic was pristine, and the 'fixed' pic looked like a jacket that had been rode hard and put away wet. So, I asked them to send me a better pic of it and I'd gladly pay my balance on the invoice. Well... I have now sent them SEVEN emails in the intervening month and haven't heard a peep.

I am really, really angry about this, but I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place - where else am I going to get a custom-fit X1 jacket for that price, eh?

Drool, do you think I could bribe you to help a brother out? I don't know what I could offer, but... you're the person here that's had the most extensive contact with Heron as far as I can tell.

Thanks...

I'll try my best to get in contact with Heron about Primo's replies and plans to make the X1 pattern more accurate and deeper pockets.

I ordered these dog tags for 15 dollars, They are great for the money, however they are smaller than the dog tags I bought from weaponxdogtags.com. These are from moonfirecharms.com.


Also, just a jacket update. I am still very happy with my Origins jacket and I have gotten a few comments on it. After reading recent posts I am glad Heron never contacted me back about an X-1. I really hate you guys are having such a hard time with them I know what wanting for a jacket can feel like,a company should carter more to its customers. I am hoping that wolverinejacket.com eventually makes the other versions of the Wolverine jacket.

PrimoOptimoso said:

Kenobibale - I am glad to see you got your jacket and mostly like it. Me, I've got no such luck.

Remember way back a month ago when I said Heron had told me my jacket was fixed? Well, the picture that they sent to show me it was fixed, I wasn't convinced it was the same jacket - the first pic was pristine, and the 'fixed' pic looked like a jacket that had been rode hard and put away wet. So, I asked them to send me a better pic of it and I'd gladly pay my balance on the invoice. Well... I have now sent them SEVEN emails in the intervening month and haven't heard a peep.

I am really, really angry about this, but I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place - where else am I going to get a custom-fit X1 jacket for that price, eh?

Drool, do you think I could bribe you to help a brother out? I don't know what I could offer, but... you're the person here that's had the most extensive contact with Heron as far as I can tell.

Thanks...

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aw dude that sucks. i hope they can get it sorted soon.

Just thought you might like this

superDrool said:

I'll try my best to get in contact with Heron about Primo's replies and plans to make the X1 pattern more accurate and deeper pockets.

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dude you are a saint among men (to Heron I am Dave rather than my screen name, course, to eliminate confusion)

In case anyone is wondering, here is a before and after of the photos of my jacket - on the left is the great looking jacket but with the pocket askew, and on the right is what Heron sent me after they fixed it. I understand vast differences in photo quality can happen, but the 'after' jacket looks way less brand-new to me and I was not even sure it was the same jacket.


And all I asked for was a similar quality photo to the first before I'd pay my remaining balance. I referred to it on 12/13 and outright asked for the new picture on 12/14, and have not even received an acknowledgement of that or the 6 followup emails I've sent since then. Bear in mind, this jacket was due to be finished on 10/15 and I didn't get the first pics indicating a finished jacket until 12/9.

Aside the lighting and photo quality pertaining to leather coloring I see no real difference between the two. I'm not I even see the skewed pocket. Is it the left side (right side in photo)?

I think they're the same jacket, for sure...The lines where the leather falls naturally are the same in a couple of spots, and the collar especially...Making the same shapes..That's not something you'd find with a different jacket..

But I can see the slightly dropped pocket...The right is a touch lower (Right chest, so left in the photo).....Actually, on the second photo, it looks the same? I can't see any noticeable change...

This proves that if this was back in the day, Nicholson would have made a great Wolverine. This movie is practically just that lol

superDrool said:

Aside the lighting and photo quality pertaining to leather coloring I see no real difference between the two. I'm not I even see the skewed pocket. Is it the left side (right side in photo)?

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I thought it was the right side pocket being too low (left of the photo) but instead they apparently fixed the one you see.

Now that I see the two pics at the same size side by side it looks much more similar with different lighting; the original photo size was much larger and you can see much more of what I thought was wear or damage when compared to the pristine earlier photo.

Still - they can't be arsed to email me back, EVER?

fifthchamber said:

I think they're the same jacket, for sure...The lines where the leather falls naturally are the same in a couple of spots, and the collar especially...Making the same shapes..That's not something you'd find with a different jacket..

But I can see the slightly dropped pocket...The right is a touch lower (Right chest, so left in the photo).....Actually, on the second photo, it looks the same? I can't see any noticeable change...

Click to expand...

Well I know it's the same jacket pattern, I just didn't know if it was my custom-fit one in both shots. As for the pocket, they moved the other one down, instead of moving the one you're looking at up. That got me at first too.