NFL Jersey Materials and Jersey Makers

All right this is going to be a very long winded topic.

I am looking into purchasing a custom authentic jersey though am worried about quality. I have heard the quality of Reebok jerseys has gone down in the past few years and I want some opinions.

Also what can some of you tell me about USA/El Salvador made Mitchell and Ness jerseys, Wilson, Starter, Nike, and old Reebok authentic jerseys in comparison to new Reebok authentic jerseys made say in Korea or Vietnam or even China.

I am looking for very thick material and very thick stitching. Is Pro Brite Nylon/Polyester good stuff?

Welcome to the site John,

A good question and you are right the quality of the Reebok Authentic has not been as good lately, but more often than not they are still a quality item. This is due to the different factories used by Reebok in the fae east.The custom work really depends where it is done. Most is done by EPS (Exclusive Pro sports) or Stahls. Obviously with a custom job the skill level of the tailor is a major factor, but on the whole the end product is very good.

The thickness of the material and construction really depends on the team you are looking for. The cards for example has a thinner construction.

I'm late for work so I'll finish this later.

I would be ordering from FansEdge who uses EPS. The team would be the Raiders? How is their work?

EPS are very good so it should be fine for you. I always think it's a bit of a rip off with single layer number teams, especially the Raiders as they have a classic uniform. When you compare the work that would go into the Chargers jersey for example, you get a bit of a raw deal.

Getting back to your original question. The best jersey days, in my opinion were the pre Reebok monopoly days. All the jersey manufacturers made much better quality jerseys than some of the stuff coming out of Vietnam. But all the ones I have are good. My favourite jerseys are the Wilson ones. They were better when they were all made in the US. The whole counterfeiting thing started on a larger scale when production was moved into the far east. M&N have always prided themselves on their accuracy. I've heard that the quality of the M&N jerseys has slipped a little too over the last couple of years, but I don't have any in my collection at present to compare.

Make sure you post pics when you get the jersey.

A Chargers jersey wouldn't also be a bad idea as well but they are more expensive and aren't some of them printed with an error (NFLPLAYERS instead of NFL PLAYERS).

If I was going to get a Chargers one, it would have to be navy.

I still haven't decided so things could always change. I am sure I will get both at some point.

Did Wilson ever do custom work back in the day?

I'm not aware of Wilson doing custom work in that era, I suppose that they must of done but I've never seen any. You normally didn't get a nameplate on the Authentic's of that time either.

I believe ine of the members here has a Chargers jersey without a space on between the NFL and Players as you mentioned. It's the only one that I know of.

Who has the most layers of twill that you know of? I'm pretty sure the Patriots, Chargers, Eagles, and a few others have three... which other ones do you know of.

Raiders, Colts, and a few others have 1 and who has 2. Is there a list available.

JohnIceStorm wrote:

Who has the most layers of twill that you know of? I'm pretty sure the Patriots, Chargers, Eagles, and a few others have three... which other ones do you know of.

Raiders, Colts, and a few others have 1 and who has 2. Is there a list available.

Good question, there isn't a list, but I could compile one. There are two ways of doing the numbers, layered and kiss cut (KC). Kiss cut is where only a thin strip of twill is added to give the impression of a layer. I have a Rams jersey which has kiss cut numbers. Some teams have different layers for home, road and alternate jerseys.

3 is the most layers, no one in the NFL has above 3.

Here's the list:

3 layer
Ravens
Bills home
Cowboys road
Lions
Dolphins
Patriots
Eagles
Chargers
Buccaneers

2 layer
Cardinals
Falcons
Bills road and alternate
Panthers
Bears
Bengals
Broncos
Texans
Jaguars
Chiefs
Vikings
Saints
Raiders road
Seahawks
Rams
Buccaneers alternate
Titans
Redskins

1 layer
Browns
Cowboys home
Packers
Colts
Vikings alternate
Giants
Jets
Raiders home
Rams alternate
Steelers
49ers

Thanks very much. I have written down the list and framed it. Even though I like watching certain teams over others, I feel if I want to purchase a custom job, I would rather go for 3 layers vs. 1.

wonderfully

Hey Billsfan, you got any more info on kiss cut vs layered? Someone told me that all game worn/in-game jerseys (for every team) are kiss cut, do you know if thats true? I mean I know most consumer authentics are layered, but are the ones the pros wear different?

cyclone2426 wrote:

Hey Billsfan, you got any more info on kiss cut vs layered? Someone told me that all game worn/in-game jerseys (for every team) are kiss cut, do you know if thats true? I mean I know most consumer authentics are layered, but are the ones the pros wear different?

In my experience the game jerseys are not generally kiss cut. In fact none of the game jerseys I've owned have been kiss cut. I would imagine that some have been kiss cut, I would think that it would be down to the team equipment manger which type of stitch they use.

Billsfan wrote:

cyclone2426 wrote:

Hey Billsfan, you got any more info on kiss cut vs layered? Someone told me that all game worn/in-game jerseys (for every team) are kiss cut, do you know if thats true? I mean I know most consumer authentics are layered, but are the ones the pros wear different?

In my experience the game jerseys are not generally kiss cut. In fact none of the game jerseys I've owned have been kiss cut. I would imagine that some have been kiss cut, I would think that it would be down to the team equipment manger which type of stitch they use.

Well I have pics of both techniques, I'm gonna try to put together a list based off what I have.

cyclone2426 wrote:

Billsfan wrote:

cyclone2426 wrote:

Hey Billsfan, you got any more info on kiss cut vs layered? Someone told me that all game worn/in-game jerseys (for every team) are kiss cut, do you know if thats true? I mean I know most consumer authentics are layered, but are the ones the pros wear different?

In my experience the game jerseys are not generally kiss cut. In fact none of the game jerseys I've owned have been kiss cut. I would imagine that some have been kiss cut, I would think that it would be down to the team equipment manger which type of stitch they use.

Well I have pics of both techniques, I'm gonna try to put together a list based off what I have.

That will be great, thanks.

Billsfan wrote:

cyclone2426 wrote:

Billsfan wrote:

cyclone2426 wrote:

Hey Billsfan, you got any more info on kiss cut vs layered? Someone told me that all game worn/in-game jerseys (for every team) are kiss cut, do you know if thats true? I mean I know most consumer authentics are layered, but are the ones the pros wear different?

In my experience the game jerseys are not generally kiss cut. In fact none of the game jerseys I've owned have been kiss cut. I would imagine that some have been kiss cut, I would think that it would be down to the team equipment manger which type of stitch they use.

Well I have pics of both techniques, I'm gonna try to put together a list based off what I have.

That will be great, thanks.

Here is the list I compiled based off pics from josportsco.com (A great site for jersey collectors BTW). The years the jerseys are from in the pics differentiate, but I tried to get the latest year they had on the site. Also with Nike getting the uniform contract (they start in 2012), these might change in the next couple years. Click the link (stitching style) to see reference picture. The list is setup as so:

Team Name - Stitching Style (Jersey Style [if applicable]) (Year of jersey in picture)



Arizona - Kiss Cut (?)

Atlanta – Kiss Cut (2007)

Baltimore - Kiss Cut (?) (Main color, then shadow, then outline)

Buffalo – Layered (2010)

Carolina – Layered (2006)

Chicago – Kiss Cut (2009)

Cincinnati – Layered (2010)

Cleveland – Single Layer / Kiss Cut (Alternate)(2003)

Dallas – Single Layer / Kiss Cut (Blue Jersey) (2008)

Denver – Kiss Cut (2009)

Detroit – Kiss Cut (2010)

Green Bay – Single Layer

Houston – Layered (2008)

Indianapolis – Single Layer

Jacksonville - Kiss Cut (?)

Kansas City – Layered (2009)

Miami – Kiss Cut (2009) (Main color, then shadow, then outline) / Kiss Cut (Nameplate)

Minnesota – Kiss Cut (2009)

New England -

New Orleans – Layered (2007)

NY Giants – Single Layer

NY Jets – Single Layer

Oakland – Single Layer (Home) / Layered (Away/AFL Throwbacks)(2010)

Philadelphia – Layered (2009)

Pittsburgh – Single Layer / Layered (Away Nameplate)(2009)

San Diego – Kiss Cut (2010) / Kiss Cut (AFL Throwbacks)(2009) / Kiss Cut (90s-00s Style)(2005)

San Francisco – Single Layer / Layered (90s-00s Style)(2007)

Seattle – Layered (2009)

St. Louis – Kiss Cut (2009)

Tampa Bay – Layered (2009) / Kiss Cut (2005-2008)

Tennessee – Layered (2008) / Kiss Cut (AFL Throwbacks)(2009)

Washington – Kiss Cut (2008)

Updated with teams I didnt have first time around....../\

If you are looking to have your jersey customized with a "kiss cut" application then send it to STT Sports Lettering Co. in Seattle Washington. We call its a "Husky Cut" because the University of Washington football team uses this style, but we specialize in other jerseys as well.
Check out our website or facebook to see examples of our work.
stt-sports.com

Here's an example of a Kiss/Husky cut twill letter:


Here's an old Buffalo jersey we made with 3 color twill layers

Nice work there. What would a home and road new Bills nameplate with BILLSFAN set me back?

Hi Billsfan. If you are supplying the nameplate then it would be $27, but if we have to make a nameplate it would be $37 each. However, I will caution that because there are a variety a retail jerseys out there, we cannot guarantee that we can match the plate to the jersey exactly (we use twill nameplates).

STT Sports Lettering Co.
2232A 1st Ave S. Seattle, Wa 98134
P: 206.903.1951 | F: 206.903.1961