Steve Nick
Well-known member
I recently purchased two M91 Brass fitted chinstraps from an eBay seller located in Ukraine. I completed a quick summary of my impressions for members who are looking for a supplier of a good quality reproduction. I'll also be sending a modified version of this review to the seller for his consideration.
I’ve been on the lookout for a supplier of good quality reproduction leather chinstraps for a while now. There are several would be “suppliers” in the marketplace but as most of us know they are not very convincing.
A month ago, I spotted a seller on eBay who had what appeared to be a good attempt at a convincing leather M91 chinstrap. After a couple of my questions were answered I took a chance and I ordered two chinstraps from eBay seller larcev 23. He is in Ukraine so I wondered how this transaction would unfold.
Here’s my summary for those who are interested.
Communication was in English and was very prompt.
Price was $23 USD and shipping from Ukraine to Eastern Ontario, Canada was $10 USD. Very reasonable.
My order was placed on August 19th and I received the package with zero duties on September 3rd. Delivery was certainly not an issue.
All in all, this chinstrap is very well done. The reverse side is undyed and comes with an inked Makers Stamp which is an unnecessary embellishment in my view. The obverse side is quite well done. The stitching is convincing as well as the embossed strips along each edge of the strap which look good.
The brass has been patinated convincingly but there is room for improvement in the metalwork.
The most glaring deficiency is the buckle, which “jumped off the page” to me. The buckles are too wide. It’s the first thing I noticed and will put any experienced collector off purchasing these chinstraps. The other metal item is what I call the M91 post swivel. It looks very good from the side view. Looking at it from the top view it’s apparent that it is a very thin gauge.
In summary, these chinstraps have a lot of potential with a couple of improvements. To provide some helpful feedback I chose four original chinstraps from helmets in my collection. They represent three of the four kingdoms so should provide a reasonably reliable cross section of makers. I measured each strap and created the following comparison chart. It makes it apparent that the seller should seriously consider resizing the buckles. The gauge of the M91 Post Swivel should probably be re-sized as well but that’s a less serious concern in my view.
I plan on sending my analysis to the seller framed as constructive criticism in the hope that he canl make his product more appealing to the collecting community. I’ll also suggest that he give some consideration to making a “silver” version of these straps through nickel or silver plating. There’s certainly a market for that variety of chinstrap.
I’ve been on the lookout for a supplier of good quality reproduction leather chinstraps for a while now. There are several would be “suppliers” in the marketplace but as most of us know they are not very convincing.
A month ago, I spotted a seller on eBay who had what appeared to be a good attempt at a convincing leather M91 chinstrap. After a couple of my questions were answered I took a chance and I ordered two chinstraps from eBay seller larcev 23. He is in Ukraine so I wondered how this transaction would unfold.
Here’s my summary for those who are interested.
Communication was in English and was very prompt.
Price was $23 USD and shipping from Ukraine to Eastern Ontario, Canada was $10 USD. Very reasonable.
My order was placed on August 19th and I received the package with zero duties on September 3rd. Delivery was certainly not an issue.
All in all, this chinstrap is very well done. The reverse side is undyed and comes with an inked Makers Stamp which is an unnecessary embellishment in my view. The obverse side is quite well done. The stitching is convincing as well as the embossed strips along each edge of the strap which look good.
The brass has been patinated convincingly but there is room for improvement in the metalwork.
The most glaring deficiency is the buckle, which “jumped off the page” to me. The buckles are too wide. It’s the first thing I noticed and will put any experienced collector off purchasing these chinstraps. The other metal item is what I call the M91 post swivel. It looks very good from the side view. Looking at it from the top view it’s apparent that it is a very thin gauge.
In summary, these chinstraps have a lot of potential with a couple of improvements. To provide some helpful feedback I chose four original chinstraps from helmets in my collection. They represent three of the four kingdoms so should provide a reasonably reliable cross section of makers. I measured each strap and created the following comparison chart. It makes it apparent that the seller should seriously consider resizing the buckles. The gauge of the M91 Post Swivel should probably be re-sized as well but that’s a less serious concern in my view.
Original dimensions in Milometers from chinstraps in my collection | Buckle Gauge | Buckle width | M91 Post Swivel Gauge |
| Chinstrap Baden Life Grenadier | 1.86 | 2.15 | 1.65 |
| Bavarian Eisenblech | 1.70 | 2.75 | 2.08 |
| Saxon Reservist | 1.76 | 2.28 | 2.98 |
| Oldenburg Artillery | 1.48 | 2.76 | 2.10 |
| Average | 1.70 | 2.49 | 2.20 |
| larcev 23 | 1.64 | 3.04 | 1.52 |
I plan on sending my analysis to the seller framed as constructive criticism in the hope that he canl make his product more appealing to the collecting community. I’ll also suggest that he give some consideration to making a “silver” version of these straps through nickel or silver plating. There’s certainly a market for that variety of chinstrap.
