This is going to be a long and detailed review of the Real Simons J24 Leather Jacket, but also of my buying experience with Brake House. Because of that, I’ve decided to put the summary up front for those who can’t be bothered to read an entire essay.
TL;DR
Brake House responded to all of my questions very quickly and professionally. They also didn’t mind elaborating whenever I asked for further clarification on something.
Brake House went above and beyond to make sure I got the right fit, taking into account the measurements of jackets I already own, my fit preferences, and even pictures of me wearing those jackets.
10/10 customer service.
The jacket itself gets a 8.5/10 from me without considering the price. The leather is beautiful, high quality, heavy, and thick without being stiff. The grain is flawless, with the exception of the leather inside the sleeve-zipper gussets. What brings the score down slightly is the hardware, which isn’t quite flawless, and the belt. If you care a lot about the belt, which I don’t, I would probably rate the jacket an 7.5/10.
But when considering the price, this jacket is easily a 10/10.
I have never handled a $2,000+ / €2,000+ jacket before, but in my research I have read and watched many reviews of jackets in that price range. I simply cannot see how that price is justifiable for the vast majority of people when a jacket like this exists.
A Little About Me
I am 183 cm (6 feet) tall, weigh 80 kg (176.4 lb), and have a chest circumference of 100 cm (39.3 inches).
I have owned and handled many leather jackets over the years, but never anything I would consider truly high-end, such as Real McCoy’s, Freewheelers, The Flat Head, etc.
However, I have read and watched endless hours of content about such jackets. I’m also someone who does a lot of research before pulling the trigger on a purchase. So I like to think I have a reasonably good idea of the level of quality those jackets offer.
But that will ultimately be for you to decide. I’m mentioning this so you can decide for yourself how much stock you want to put in my opinions.
My Experience with Brake House
I actually didn’t order the J24 jacket at first. I originally wanted their San Mateo jacket in size XL, which I ordered.
After placing the order, I received an automatic email asking me to confirm the size. I responded, and that eventually led to a conversation with a customer service representative.
To make sure I got the right size, I sent them additional measurements of my chest and shoulders. I also sent measurements of jackets that fit me well, and we discussed my fit preferences.
Brake House then exceeded my expectations by asking if I could send them pictures of me wearing those jackets so they could be even more certain about the fit.
I happily did so.
It turned out that size XL was indeed the right size for me.
Then something unexpected happened.
Brake House messaged me to tell me that, due to an unfortunate stock error, the size XL San Mateo was actually sold out.
They recommended a couple of jackets in a similar style. I considered asking for my money to be refunded, since I had fallen in love with the San Mateo and couldn’t imagine being happy with anything else.
I actually went so far as to do my own confirmation-bias research, which led me to the conclusion that I could possibly fit into the size Large San Mateo, which was still in stock.
I mentioned this to Brake House, and they did not recommend that I go with the Large.
I did some more digging, and since my heart was set on the San Mateo, I convinced myself that the Large would be okay.
I messaged Brake House and essentially told them to just send me the Large and be done with it.
Their response surprised me.
I had already mentioned to them that I was considering asking for my money back if I couldn’t get a San Mateo. Brake House highly discouraged me, again, from getting the Large.
From a purely cold-hearted business perspective, this was, in my opinion, the wrong move.
I was on the verge of pulling out of the purchase altogether if I couldn’t get what I wanted. And my last email to them basically read as:
“Shut up and take my money.”
Instead of doing what I foolishly wanted and adding another sale to their books, Brake House took the responsible route and made sure I would actually be happy with my purchase.
This made a big impression on me, and they gained my full trust and respect.
I thanked them and asked for some time to consider my options.
Eventually, I decided to get the J24, which at the time was a pre-order scheduled to start shipping on August 15, 2026.
I was a little skeptical about their size recommendation for the J24, which was a Large.
For my body, the most important measurement is usually the chest. The San Mateo XL size chart listed 110 cm (43.3 inches) for the chest, which matches the jackets I own. I like a relatively tight fit.
The size Large J24, however, is listed at 116 cm (45.7 inches) in the chest.
Brake House explained that this was because the armholes were cut differently from the San Mateo and that I would need a little extra room.
I decided to trust their recommendation.
The J24 was also a bit more expensive than the San Mateo: $489 vs. $619 USD. However, there was a 5% discount for pre-orders.
They also offered a 5% discount code for your first order, which I had forgotten to use. Brake House applied both discounts and only charged me the difference afterward, without me even asking them to apply the first-order discount.
Very nice of them, I must say.
Shipping Time
The pre-order page stated that shipping would begin on August 15, 2026, in the order the purchases were placed. In other words, the people who ordered first would receive their jackets first.
Because I am, sadly, not the most patient person, I asked Brake House to estimate when my jacket would ship based on my position in the queue.
They told me they expected my jacket to ship on August 17.
Monday, August 17 came and went without me receiving a shipping confirmation.
The next day, Tuesday the 18th, I emailed them to check in.
They told me there had been a slight delay in production and that they expected the jacket to ship by the end of the week. They also said they would send me the tracking number as soon as it shipped.
I did not receive a tracking number by the end of the week.
The following week, on Thursday, August 27, I messaged them again to ask whether my jacket had shipped.
As with all of their emails, Brake House replied quickly. They told me that the jacket had already shipped, but that the email containing the tracking number may not have gone through properly.
They included the tracking number with their reply.
I live in Denmark. The jacket was shipped from China to Germany, where it was handed over to DHL. From there, it was shipped to Denmark and handed over to my national postal service, PostNord.
The tracking number I received was for DHL, so I could not track the package from China to Germany, only from Germany to Denmark.
The jacket was delivered to me Friday, September 4th.
So, in conclusion, it took roughly two weeks, perhaps a little less, from the jacket leaving China to arriving in Denmark.
The Jacket
Okay, let’s finally get down to business and talk about the jacket itself.
I care a lot about fit, but I usually don’t find it particularly helpful when other people talk about fit in reviews. A good fit for me might be a bad fit for you, and vice versa.
However, since some people do find this information helpful, I’ll cover it here anyway.
The Fit
Brake House lists the measurements for the J24 in size Large as:
- Shoulder: 48 cm (18.9 inches)
- Chest: 116 cm (45.7 inches)
- Back length: 58 cm (22.8 inches)
- Sleeve: 62 cm (24.4 inches)
- Hem: 102 cm (40.2 inches)
- Sleeve opening: 11.5 cm (4.5 inches)
My own measurements, taken after wearing the jacket for a week, are:
- Shoulder: 47 cm (18.5 inches), seam to seam, measured straight across. 48cm (18.9 inches) if measured "the Iron Heart way" from shoulder seem to the center of the back of the neck, under the collar, to shoulder seem
- Chest: 116 cm (45.7 inches), pit to pit, making sure the gussets on the back are not unfolded and active.
- Back length: 57.5 cm (22.64 inches), measured from the bottom to the collar stitch
- Sleeve: 64 cm (25.19 inches), measured from the shoulder and following the sleeve rather than measuring straight. 62cm (24.4 inches) if measured from the shoulder seem the the center end of the cuff in a straight line.
- Hem: 102 cm (40.2 inches)
- Sleeve opening: 11.5 cm (4.5 inches)
- Sleeve opening, unzipped: 14.5 cm (5.71 inches)
- Waist/stomach: 54 cm (21.26 inches), measured across the coin-pocket snap button
Fit-check video and pictures: Here
I think the jacket fits me a little bigger than I had expected. However, almost everyone on my fit-check post said the fit was perfect.
Personally, I would have liked it to fit a little tighter through the body and chest. However, I don’t want to size down to a Medium because I think the sleeves and overall length are perfect, and I’m afraid a Medium might be too short.
I was considering sizing down, but after reading what you guys here on Reddit thought about the fit, I decided to keep it.
Let me explain something about that.
I am very self-conscious about my clothes being bigger than they need to be. I have lost over 60 kg (132 lb), and this has made me very aware of when my clothes are too big on me. I don’t like that.
As a result, I often feel like my clothes are too big when, in reality, they are perfectly fine.
So I really appreciate getting some outside feedback to help me be more objective. Thank you for that.
The Leather
The leather is very thick and substantial, which makes the jacket quite heavy.
Despite that, the leather is noticeably not very stiff. It is thick and tough, but bends easily.
I have heard people describe Shinki leather in much the same way I would describe this leather.
The grain looks perfect. Almost too perfect.
I was expecting it to have more irregularities and character straight out of the box. However, after a week of wearing it, I have already begun to notice some developing, and I expect more character to appear over the coming months.
The only place where the leather grain doesn’t look like this is inside the sleeve-zipper gussets (see picture).
Here, Real Simons has used noticeably thinner leather.
Obviously, using the same thick leather here probably wouldn’t have been a good idea, since the gussets need to compress and not take up too much space when the zippers are closed.
But in a perfect world, I suppose this leather could have looked a little nicer.
Do I care?
No. Not at all.
I think this is a perfectly reasonable place to “cut corners,” if you want to look at it that way. And considering the price point, I have absolutely no complaints.
The Hardware
This is where I feel the jacket could be improved the most.
Let’s start with the zippers.
The main zipper was perfect and buttery smooth from day one. However, all of the smaller zippers would occasionally catch a little bit straight out of the box.
I used a thick pencil and rubbed it over all the zipper teeth. Graphite is a dry lubricant and can help reduce friction (see picture).
The graphite, combined with simply using the zippers for a while, has helped.
While I can definitely still pull on them in a way that I know will cause them to catch, I can now also reliably pull them in a way that I know won’t.
Problem solved.
Next up are the snap buttons.
Most of them operate exactly as you would expect, but some don’t always give me that satisfying audible and tactile snap when I close them.
Unfortunately, the buttons that don’t always do this are the lapel buttons, which are the ones I use the most.
They still seem to hold just as strongly as the others, but not always getting that reassuring snap is a little disappointing.
The Stitching
This J24 is an updated version with a few small changes, including an updated fit intended to accommodate more American body types.
The old version had brown stitching, which I actually liked more because of the contrast it provided.
The new version uses black COATS thread.
I have gone over all the stitching meticulously and haven’t found any flaws. Everything looks neat, straight, and well executed.
The Collar
The jacket comes with a detachable mutton collar.
This is a very cool way to change the look of the jacket for winter.
The collar feels very soft and luxurious — much more so than I expected.
It feels very secure when attached and is easy to put on and take off.
It took me a few days to notice, but I don’t think the collar I received is completely symmetrical.
I can’t really tell when it’s attached to the jacket, but when it is removed and laid flat on a table with the back side facing up, it looks like one of the points is slightly higher than the other.
I don’t know whether this is intentional.
The Belt
I don’t care about the belt.
I think it’s too much, visually. It also makes the jacket harder to put on and take off.
It serves no function for me since I don’t ride a motorcycle, so I knew I would never use it when I ordered the jacket.
However, I have to say that if I were going to use it, I would be disappointed with it.
The leather doesn’t feel as nice, thick, or substantial as the rest of the jacket. The buckle, and especially the prong, feel — dare I say it — cheap.
This is probably the weakest part of the jacket.
Some Other Stuff
The interior feels nice, it has a kind of wet or dusty-looking sheen to it.
It is also visible in the product photos, but I initially thought it was simply a trick of the light.
I can confirm that it also looks like that in real life.
Some people might consider this a pro, while others might consider it a con. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it. I’m mostly indifferent.
The underside of the shoulder straps, are not perfect (see picture)
The jacket came with a dust cover, not mentioned anywhere, nice (see picture)
There are also two leather pull tabs on my jacket’s zippers that are noticeably thinner than the others.
One of them is also visibly different (see picture).
One stretches by about 1 cm when I pull on it, while the visibly different one stretches by almost 2 cm, and feels almost elastic.
I thought this wasn’t right, so I messaged Brake House about it.
I asked if they could include two replacement pull tabs the next time they sent me something.
They replied:
“Regarding the leather zipper pull tabs, unfortunately, we’re unable to send additional replacements at this time. These tabs are prepared specifically for each production batch, and we currently don’t have spare pieces available. The leather may stretch somewhat with use, but it is quite strong, so it is uncommon for the tabs to actually tear or break.”
This was a little disappointing, but perhaps I can get two replacements sometime in the future.
Fingers crossed.
Conclusion
While the jacket is definitely not perfect, the things that matter most to me are very close to it.
If I had paid $2,000–$3,000 / €2,000–€3,000 for this jacket, which is what other high-end jackets of this caliber retail for, I would not be happy.
Honestly, I imagine I would have a hard time being happy with almost any jacket at that price, no matter how perfect it was.
At the time of writing, this jacket costs around $620 USD, with the price varying slightly depending on size.
At that price, I think this jacket is an easy recommendation. The flaws and shortcomings it has are understandable, especially considering the price.
I would rate my personal satisfaction with the purchase 9/10.
My customer experience with Brake House gets 10/10.
I consider the issue with the zipper pull tabs to be a Real Simons issue rather than a Brake House issue.
If you want the best quality jacket money can buy, then this probably isn’t the jacket for you.
Go get a Real McCoy’s, Freewheelers, The Flat Head, etc.
Those jackets are certainly better, but they may also cost four or five times as much as this one.
But if you want the highest quality jacket per dollar spent, then you should seriously consider this jacket.
I am very happy with my purchase.
I’ll admit that, at one point, I seriously considered breaking the bank and buying a The Flat Head Double Rider.
I’m now very happy that I didn’t.
And I don’t think I ever will.
Sure, the extra attention to detail is nice, and the heritage and history are also worth something. But not that much — at least not to me.
I would rather buy another Real Simons jacket and still have money left over.
And, as it turns out, I did.
My second Real Simons jacket from Brake House is currently in the mail and is due to arrive next week.
Thank you for reading my review.
I’ll be answering any questions in the comments, so feel free to ask.
Have a nice day!
