I used to buy FT when I was a student and then I also
thought Derri boots were excellent bike boots :w00t:
Now I buy Hein Gerricke (amongst other brands) and
I think Sidi boots are good bike boots 
But thereās a few things you did in younger days 
that you look back upon and wonder about Mike!
The Frank Thomas Gear I came by was pretty ga5h. 1000% (sic) nylon and not breathable. Awful gear. Sold it for Ā£1 on ebay.
Which of the currently 40% off Hein Gericke textile jackets would you recommend?
Hrm. Just to correct this misinformation about your competitor:
FRANK THOMAS IS STILL TRADING
They were bought by J&S Accessories. It doesnāt behove you to lie about the competition 
You might remember that it was HG who went Bankrupt and stopped trading until they were bought out again by their parent company in Germany after dumping many of their UK liabilitiesā¦
Well either way, I plumped for HG. Very helpful French chap at Hangar Lane kitted me out. Ā£250 reduced to Ā£150. I have yet to try it out in temperatures approaching freezing, but it was pretty toasty on the m1 heading back to Watford at 6 degrees just now. 
I was under the impression that J&S brought the stock, and that FT went completely under.
But there stuff had a shocking reputation for quality.
bought both and as always you get what you pay for - FT at J&S have gone up in quality in my opinion and nice range. Not checked out HG since they went bust - all seemed a bit of a charade as so called closing down sale was anything but a sale - smelt of a prepack arrangement but thats business - glad both FT and HG are still trading now
Cheers pal - I ride past your store most days on my commute up the A3 - but sadly it is closed at those times - but look forward to my cup of tea though when I next pop in:D 
I have had some excellent kit from H&G, including a great vest back protector and some excellent ladies leather and summer jackets that have lasted the distance.
However, I did have an absolutely stunning powder blue ladies leather bike suit from Frank Thomas with matching powder blue gloves and boots. Sadly I sold it when I was going to Afghan in 2008 to a bloke off the KTM forum who wanted it for his wife. I still think back to that gorgeous baby blue suit though with regret and sorrow at having sold it :crying:
Still H&G hasnāt let me down - but you need to lobby for some powder blue suits also please:)
Thatās because everyone brought the Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday made stock!
If you opt for the cheap[er] clothing you should not expect the quality of the premium brands - MOST of them are priced that high for a reason & NORMALLY get the praise they deserve!
I appreciate budgets vary, but sometimes itās worth waiting a month or two longer for a trusted brand you can then afford rather then settling for the cheaper option and not only risk the quality - be it the waterproof/warmth/longevity but most importantly your safety!
(DISCLAIMER) the above is an opinion and not fact, if you donāt like it no one cares as your opinion is not as good!:w00t: I have brought, sold and had training on products from various suppliers whilst working in the trade which is why this opinion is better then yours!! :Whistling: