Ok, so after watching this coat to see if the price would drop over the Christmas holiday I had to actually pay more (shipping cost) for the jacket but, that?s what I get for waiting!!!It was hard for me to believe that of the more than 170 reviews that there were only about 5 or 6 bad ones and most of those were complaints about size or shipping and not the product. Based on reading many reviews it was hard to determine if I should buy my usual XL, one size smaller or one size larger. From reading American history and looking at old pictures it appeared that most combat flyers wore these jackets on the snug side so I ordered my usual XL and hoped for the best.First let me tell you what my expectations were ? heavy, thick leather (the shipping weight claimed to be over 5 pounds) capable of stopping a somewhat spent bullet combined with unbelievable warmth, character and class ? a great looking and feeling jacket that turned me into a combination of Indiana Jones, Jimmy Doolittle and George Patton.Before I tell you what I got when I opened up the box first let me commend Great Offer Stock for getting my order out to UPS posthaste. The package was well sealed and got to me on the day it was promised, about 9 days after my initial order was placed. This was a pleasant surprise.Now, as to what was in the box, ??..??? First of all, this jacket did not look like the one on the picture. The ?Distressed? leather was not quite the color expected. The extreme leather smell that some complained about was the chemical smell that is used to tan the hide, not the smell of leather. Anybody that has had the pleasure to have smelled a Rawlings or Wilson baseball glove knows what the smell of leather is and how pleasurable it is; and, the leather is not stiff, it is soft and pliable and thicker than most jackets in this price range. I agree with some that the add on collar is poorly held on but, it makes the jacket. Without the collar attached this is just another leather jacket, not a traditional bomber.Size wise I am glad I did not order a larger jacket. I take an XL and that is what I ordered and, it fits perfectly. I believe that some folks may be a little of what my mom would call ?chubby? around the waist if they had to order the next size up. Order your size and you?ll be OK.Overall, I give the jacket 3 stars. It?s worth the money and seems like it will last. Perhaps my anticipation of something much nicer makes me rate this jacket as run of the mill so if you lower your expectations you?ll probably be happier with yours. (My only worry is the way that removable collar is attached with those small rubber bands and that they will eventually dry out and break. They will be easy enough to repair when broken but they won?t last.)