Anyone have experience with Fieldsheer products? I'm looking at a new leather jacket made by them but am not sure of their quality. The person I talked with at NewEnough said they changed vendors last year and the quality of their new 2010 stuff is much better. So any imput from you guys good or bad would be of some help.. Thanks
I've been through a couple of their textile jackets over the years. Seemed well built as any. Depends on the item of course, but most of their gear has well thought out features. Never tried their leather, though. Which one are you looking at?
I bought my wife a mesh jacket of theirs on closeout from Motorcycle Superstore. Seems well built, fit is good, etc. She hasn't had a chance to ride with it much since I got it toward the end of the season but I'm happy with it so far. Fit and finish is on par with the Tourmaster and A-Stars stuff I have.
I don't know about the 2010 stuff, but I've owned a jacket and gloves in the past. The quality was average (not good,not bad) and there always seems to be a FS sale going on somewhere. http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com
Brockton Cycles always has a good sale on their stuff. I had a once piece leather race suit from Fieldsheer. Good quality for the money. I currently own a couple other products. I do not know if I would trust them as my waterproof like my stich, but for the money I like them.
I had their "Zero One" (or something like that) adventure type textile jacket and corresponding pant. They were so-so in quality. The spindly little loops that mated the pants liner to the overpants broke almost immediately. Other seam issues here and there. Quality nowhere's near that of my wife's Tourmaster gear or my BMW Rallye gear. However, my wife did a loside with slide with Fieldsheer pants on. The pants ended up getting abraded and a zipper was shot, but the armor and fabric did save her from abrasions and a possible knee injury. We tossed the pants afterwards, but they did their job. Specially since we bought them from New Enough for about $80 or so.
My opinion, having owned some Fieldsheer and tried on some more, is that their target market is making cool looking gear at a low price point to be sold over the web to people who can't check it out first. I'd suggest buying something a little more upscale if possible. Now if the price point happens to be the amount of money you have well go for it what you get for the money isn't that terrible, you are getting what you paid for, nothing more. Their marketing is definitely to make it appear the buyer is getting something worth far more. Also Fieldsheer seems to use multiple manufacturers, their sizing isn't totally consistent from model to model. A Large on one item might be the same size as an Extra Large on something else.
Have mine for over a year now. Quality and materials on par with Tourmaster. My Quattro jacket is very close to the transition. Sizing is better in recent years. Very warm in the winter, and as with most waterproof jackets hot in the summer. Overall I like the Firstgear TPG line better as they are not as bulky but you have to wait for closeouts if you want them cheap.
Fieldsheer is a brand owned by Ansai Sportswear, a garment manufacturer in China. Ansai is the vendor for Tourmaster / Cortech, so they are produced in the same factory....same quality, materials, etc. Ansai also produces for other brands. I am fairly sure they did NOT change vendors. They did change distributors, moving from Western Power Sports to Helmet House, the company that owns the Tourmaster / Cortech brands. The owner is Len Loukaides (sp?) and his son is involved in the business also. Len has been in the moto industry for something like 30 years. He knows the business well. Fieldsheer is positioned as a good mid-market line similar to Firstgear, Tourmaster, Speed and Strength, Joe Rocket, perhaps Olympia, etc. (note: every brand THINKS they are premium, so they would disagree with this...). This is the volume position in the market and the one that the large brands, or the ones that want to be large, aim at. Their position is super competitive, and every mfg in it tries to offer the most features at any gven price point. They had some issues a few years back but has been steadily improving and now make good product. Some customer feedback reflects older product, some newer, and the quality AND the SIZING are much different from year to year. Like any motorcycle, research the model and the year carefully. If you are looking at stuff in this position, Fieldsheer is a good choice. In particular, because of their change in distribution, the previous importer is blowing out their stock at bomber pricing, and you can get some amazing value. You will get a lot of other good suggestions from the community, but in the $100 to $200 range they knock it out of the park. Hope that helps. BP Atomic Moto
Thanks for all the help! Looks like I may be better off going with a more $$ brand. I just like the simple looks of the Fieldsheer airspeed 2.0. Seems like its impossible to find a basic leather jacket of good quality without all the multi-color graphics..
Bought my son a textile Tx jacket. Ordered up one size. Very smart looking and has more than survived an 18 yr old daredevil...plus it was $89. I bought an Aqua Tour one size up because I was looking for a longer parka style. Nearly choked on the $300-500 price tag of so many other brands. Paid $79 from Competition Accessories on sale. Bike Bandit has them for $90. I work for my money and so I had to save to purchase both. I am very happy with the quality and features. As far as leather, you might try Leather Up. Be forewarned that their warranty is only 30 days, even if it is a manufacturing defect. Found this out the hard way. Best of luck in finding a jacket that you like and thus will wear for protection. Dave
I've only tried the textiles and its good quality and features for the price. Items advertised as waterproof and warm performed excellent in heavy rainy 45 degree chilly weather. That said I usually wait for their items to go on closeout. I would never pay full MSRP. Just make sure you buy from a reputable store. I once bought a Fieldsheer item at MSRP from Motorcycle superstore and it ripped after only 6 wears. I complained to them about the product (anyone could see they were barely used) and they accepted a return to vendor which resulted in a refund eventhough I had the item in my posession for 6 months.
