Vendor Feedback

Hello wool-clad comrades!

New here and been out of reenacting for a while. Time to refresh my impression. I am shopping for a CS shell jacket. My search found no less that 15 sutlers willing to sell me a coat. I would like to throw out to the forum a request for feedback from folks who have bought shell jackets from any sutler.

When I started many years back, County Cloth kits were held in high esteem by fellows I fell in with in the Maryland US unit. Thinking that would be a good place to go again, I found the web site and started shopping. I was very confused by the limited offerings and what options were available. So I wrote a nice email to the proprietor asking for help. What I got back was a snarky reply that helped me decide to cross that vendor off my list. My thinking was if a vendor is giving you guff BEFORE that have your money, I can't imagine what customer service might be.

Thanks for you time and advice...

Regards,
Jim
The absolute best Richmond Depot jacket that I have found is made by Jim Wareheim and sold by S&S sutlers in Gettysburg. Jim is a member of Co E 2nd MD CS and one of the other members is Les Jensen, now a curator at the USMA, West Point, NY but was a long time curator at the Museum of the Confederacy. Jim was able to copy pieces from the MOC collection.
 
Has anyone been experiencing, shall we say, technical difficulties with Fall Creek recently? I placed a couple of orders with them a few months back (January), and when asked where one order was, which was a hat from Quartermaster Shop, I was told that QS told them that the hat was out of stock, had never sent it to them, nor notified that it was ready. On contacting QS, I was told that that was a load of bull, that they were looking at the hat at that moment with my name on it, and that all ready order notifications were sent to them. Furthermore, for weeks now I have been getting the runaround concerning the other order which had a few different things including a pair of brogans. I get the feeling, after multiple phone calls to them and promises to "get in touch" with me, that I have been cheated out of a total of around $500. Thinking of going ahead and asking for a refund.

I highly advise against having any dealings with Fall Creek.
 
Has anyone been experiencing, shall we say, technical difficulties with Fall Creek recently? I placed a couple of orders with them a few months back (January), and when asked where one order was, which was a hat from Quartermaster Shop, I was told that QS told them that the hat was out of stock, had never sent it to them, nor notified that it was ready. On contacting QS, I was told that that was a load of bull, that they were looking at the hat at that moment with my name on it, and that all ready order notifications were sent to them. Furthermore, for weeks now I have been getting the runaround concerning the other order which had a few different things including a pair of brogans. I get the feeling, after multiple phone calls to them and promises to "get in touch" with me, that I have been cheated out of a total of around $500. Thinking of going ahead and asking for a refund.

I highly advise against having any dealings with Fall Creek.
I have had delays in orders from this outfit...
 
I just received a civilian coat from North State Haberdashery.

I made the order after spending all weekend at the Perryville reenactment with a pard who had just received the same coat. After seeing the fit on him and examining the construction, I ordered one too. We both have ample sized waistlines, and civilian coats seem better suited to our physiques than are shell jackets.

The coat is made of Ben Tart's "boar brown" jean, has hand-sewn button-holes, and 3 exterior pockets and was very reasonable priced. I called in the order on Monday of last week, and it came in the mail on Saturday, as my size was in stock--as attested to on his website.

So, here's a nod to North State Haberdashery.
 
I'm new to the hobby, but for what it's worth I'm pleased with my dealings with RQ. They have gear spanning from mainstream to campaigner, but they were more than glad to point out which was which. I've also had good dealings with S&S and Dirty Billy's. I've had a rather negative experience with another vendor in Gettysburg but don't wish to go into details as its an ongoing dispute.
 
I just received a civilian coat from North State Haberdashery.

I made the order after spending all weekend at the Perryville reenactment with a pard who had just received the same coat. After seeing the fit on him and examining the construction, I ordered one too. We both have ample sized waistlines, and civilian coats seem better suited to our physiques than are shell jackets.

The coat is made of Ben Tart's "boar brown" jean, has hand-sewn button-holes, and 3 exterior pockets and was very reasonable priced. I called in the order on Monday of last week, and it came in the mail on Saturday, as my size was in stock--as attested to on his website.

So, here's a nod to North State Haberdashery.
Yeah Rex Hovey may not have a lot of things but what he does have is top notch.
 
I'm new to the hobby, but for what it's worth I'm pleased with my dealings with RQ. They have gear spanning from mainstream to campaigner, but they were more than glad to point out which was which. I've also had good dealings with S&S and Dirty Billy's. I've had a rather negative experience with another vendor in Gettysburg but don't wish to go into details as its an ongoing dispute.
Anyone else have thoughts on S&S?
 
I have to honestly say that I have had good dealings with all the Gettysburg Sutlers that I have bought things from.If you do the research and learn what the strength of each sutler is, it will be fine. S&S is great for certain leather items, tents and all round goods, Dirty Billy's for caps of course, Sekela's for coats, and pants, Regimental Quartermaster for Tinware, and personal items. Have I had a bad communication? Yes, sometimes it was my fault sometimes not. I have always received a great product though. I can get impatient waiting for that pair of trousers to be made, but if I do as agreed and measure correctly, I am pleased when they get here. Do things happen? Yes they do but making the effort and working it out has worked for me. If you have a bad attitude, well that's a whole different story.
 
Recommending a greatcoat has to do with what makes you satisfied. Where are you in life? Family and kids? Don't believe you have to go totally authentic. I'd rather see young ones having fun and learning about the 19th century( real history) then going broke on trying to be authentic. The fine line is there and I am more motivated by having the young ones around. Regimental Quartermasters up to Sekela or S&S what fits your budjet?
 
I am torn between 2 minds. I like the price of the RQ. Sekela is only showing a jeancloth version at the moment and the S&S was really pricey. Wondering if there were others out there who made good ones for reasonable price and was at least passing as authentic at a glance. (In a prefect world, authentic would be preferred, but I know you pay for it!) Just have a hard time doing that on an item I doubt will be used more than 2x a year....
 
I am torn between 2 minds. I like the price of the RQ. Sekela is only showing a jeancloth version at the moment and the S&S was really pricey. Wondering if there were others out there who made good ones for reasonable price and was at least passing as authentic at a glance. (In a prefect world, authentic would be preferred, but I know you pay for it!) Just have a hard time doing that on an item I doubt will be used more than 2x a year....
http://www.stonybrookcompany.com/ keep an eye on their consignment page. I don't know what they have but it's always worth a look. They've often had great coats at reasonable prices and they are very honest & forthright about what they have.
 
http://www.stonybrookcompany.com/ keep an eye on their consignment page. I don't know what they have but it's always worth a look. They've often had great coats at reasonable prices and they are very honest & forthright about what they have.
I have dealt with Chris at Stony Brook and have only the greatest praise for his customer service. Unfortunately I didn't see any items that matched what I was looking for, but thank you and I will keep looking!
 
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