Walter Dyer Leather customer service

[whacko]

Just wanted to post a review about Walter Dyer Leather company. I recently attended a motorcycle expo where walter dyer had a booth. I was in the market for a vest and have to say they treated my well above and beyond with their service. I liked the model 74 vest but it did not have side lacing.......the salesman told me they could custom make the vest with laces and deliver it with no shipping charge in three weeks. Well I got the vest in one week! It came in a couple days ago and is PERFECT. Their leather is awesome quality......soft but incredibly thick! The price was right at $159 where their website sells the un modified vest for the same price and I did not pay shipping! Woudl highly recommend them!

Walter Dyer

 

[horizonchaser]

The quality of the leather is second to none. Like you said, thick but soft. I bought a jacket from them and so did a friend of mine. They went for around $400.00 but you know when you put it on that it is a quality grade of leather. Also, that they are local here in Ma. so I wanted to patronize a local store and not buy a cheap import.
However, I was disappointed in what they told my buddy when his jacket faded badly and you could see the brown leather underneath the dyed black. They told him to spray it with WD40!! Can you believe that? Mine was beginning to fade so I purchased some Doc Baily's. It darkens as well as treats the leather. I wasn't to keen on my jacket stinking of petroleum fluid! Also, my zipper on my jacket, although quality made with thick brass throughout, comes undone! What a royal pain that is to have to slip the jacket over my head to get it off!! I'm not a big guy mind you.( my buddy is a big guy and yeah, he had to have his zipper replaced $$ ) I do have a slight gut but nothing outstanding. And besides, she suggested that I buy the size smaller! Glad I didn't listen to her ( the aforementioned WD40 lady) and went ahead and bought the larger size. Also, the front pockets on this jacket are practically useless. The are good for perhaps holding a thin pair of gloves but other than than you'd be hard pressed to even get your hands in them! Seriously.
Another thing about Walter Dyer, 35 years ago I bought a pair of moccasins from them. They told me the soles were guaranteed for the life of the stiching. Well me being the hoarder that I am and hang onto things for a long time, took my moccasins there after all those years and showed them the hole in the soles but the stiching intact. I reminded her of the guarantee that they told me when I bought them. No deal. She said that there were new owners and the guarantee was null & void.
So yeah, Walter Dyer has great leather and I'm sure your vest is just fine but my own experience with them hasn't been that great.
After reading this forum and hearing the great reviews about Foxcreek, who I never heard of, I regretted that I didn't buy from them with the $400. that I spent! I do take strongly into consideration our forum members opinions who, over the years have earned my respect, and then based on that, make a decision.
Again, this is just my rant on Walter Dyer. I am sure you'll be fine, and I'm glad that you are satisfied!

 

[HDDon]

Thanks horizonchaser, do you know if they offer any warrenty on their products?

 

[whacko]

waranty they told me is that the stitching is guaranteed forever.......whatever that means. I sure hope mine does not fade though! All I can vouch for is that the service of teh new purchase is good......got the vest for the same price as the online catalog with the customizing of the side lacing for free. We'll see over the years if the leather dye lasts!

 

[horizonchaser]

Thanks horizonchaser, do you know if they offer any warrenty on their products?

HD, I just clicked on the link that Whacko provided and I looked at a few items ( motorcycle jackets) and tried to find any mention of a guarantee but couldn't find any. I even clicked the keyword "warranty" in their search bar and no results came up. I wouldn't categorically reject it off hand that they don't offer some sort of a warrany/guarantt based on me just looking for an instant on their site, but I didn't see any.
Just to be thorough, I held off on posting this and called their store and spoke with the sales lady asking her about their most popular jacket, The Morrison, which is the one that I have. I asked if there was any warranty on it and she said just the stitching. I said how about the zipper. She said they don't manufacture the zipper so its not covered but if it broke within a month or so she said they would replace it. Naturally that remains to be seen. When I asked about the color fading she said all leather fades due to drying up.To prevent that use a mink oil or moisturizing agent of some kind. Hope that helps.

 

[HDDon]

If I understand the process leather is either hand dyed or drum dyed. The drum dying process is supposed to get the dye into the leather and not just on top. Anybody have experience with either process? Thanks Whacko.

 

[whacko]

If I understand the process leather is either hand dyed or drum dyed. The drum dying process is supposed to get the dye into the leather and not just on top. Anybody have experience with either process? Thanks Whacko.

Walter Dyer site says they use drum dyed leather. A search of drum dye produced the following:

Drum dying is when the prepared skins are put into a drum barrel and then left to soak up a natural dye. It is left for a period before being 'tumbled' in the barrel to ensure softness and durability. Drum dying is a completely natural finishing process, with no paint being used. It is during this process that the leather will absorb the dye that will give the finished product its final result. Consequently variations may occur due to the dye being absorbed at different rates by the leather.

Horizon.....sorry about your zipper!

 

[Bodeen]

As I have posted before. Fox Creek's customer service is outstanding. I ordered a jacket from them and wasn't happy with the fit. Three jackets later, I got the right one. They didn't mind one bit. I have since bought gloves, chaps, etc.

 

[horizonchaser]

Walter Dyer site says they use drum dyed leather. A search of drum dye produced the following:

Drum dying is when the prepared skins are put into a drum barrel and then left to soak up a natural dye. It is left for a period before being 'tumbled' in the barrel to ensure softness and durability. Drum dying is a completely natural finishing process, with no paint being used. It is during this process that the leather will absorb the dye that will give the finished product its final result. Consequently variations may occur due to the dye being absorbed at different rates by the leather.

Horizon.....sorry about your zipper!

Thanks for the info on drum drying. It makes sense. Glad to hear that they let it soak in a drum. That seems like it would absorb more dye.
So long as I don't wear to much clothing and stress the zipper I can usually unzip the jacket just fine. It's when I bulk up with clothing in the colder weather that the zipper comes undone on the bottom. It's an annoyance but I can live with it.

As I have posted before. Fox Creek's customer service is outstanding. I ordered a jacket from them and wasn't happy with the fit. Three jackets later, I got the right one. They didn't mind one bit. I have since bought gloves, chaps, etc.

As I would too! If a company shows a genuine interest in my concerns I repay that with continued patronage.

 

[whacko]

As I have posted before. Fox Creek's customer service is outstanding. I ordered a jacket from them and wasn't happy with the fit. Three jackets later, I got the right one. They didn't mind one bit. I have since bought gloves, chaps, etc.

I'm thinking about a set of throwover leather saddlebags fo rmy dyna and they make some specifically for a dyna superglide custom......they look great on the website........anybody have any fox creek bags they can tell me about....like or dislike/