I was wrong

For the last 2 years, I've been learning how to dress for cold weather. Last winter I spent good money on winter gear and got 2 Pearl Izumi jackets. When I was doing research, I saw a lot of praise for Assos and Castelli. Honestly, I thought it was snobbery. I just couldn't justify spending 300-600 on a jacket. Last week, I saw that Castelli's Espresso Due jacket was on sale at Bike Tires Direct and decided to get it. Today it arrived. I tried it on and instantly noticed a difference. The cut of the castelli jacket fits snug, whereas the PI pro soft shell felt a bit loose. Both jackets are size medium. The second big difference is design. The castelli jacket has a mesh on the back, which lets it breathe. The PI pro soft shell doesn't. The third big difference is the collar. When I zip up the PI pro soft shell, it feels a bit tighter than I would like. In contrast the espresso due jacket is higher and stretches more. The end result is it keeps cold air out without feeling like it's constricting your neck. Tomorrow I'm going to try it out in the cold weather and see how warm it feels. I paid 150.00 for the Izumi jacket and 170 for the Castelli. Both jackets were on sale.