Fedora
Vendor
- Messages
- 828
- Location
- Mississippi
the crowns tend to be lopsided. From talking to a past owner of one I've found that it's not the blocking that's is off, it's just that when they get wet they tend to shrink on one side of the crown. I've seen it in person... I'm thinking it has to do with how Christy's puts the hats on the blocks, maybe a mechanism putting it on from the side rather than actual people, perhaps stretching one side regularly versus the other.
Ok, the Christy is bascially a cheap HJ. I said basically, because, its the same felt, the same ribbon and the same sweatband leather.
Every HJ I ever got in, (around a hundred) has been lopsided on the bow side of the crown. Shrinkage. Prior to it getting to me. These hats are dry blocked instead of steam or wet blocked at the factory, is what I was told by HJ.
I got in two new christys last year for a reblock, and they were identical to the HJ except they were 5 1/2 open crown height, vs, the 5 3/4 of the HJ. And neither of the Christys were lop sided.
Regarding the felt of the HJ and Christy, it is different from Akubra, but it is also their cheapest felt made at this factory. They make higher grades is what I am saying. And this is their lowest grade. The porousity of the felt is the indicator. Loosely felted, instead of a tight felt. Akubra is a much tighter felt, which translates into more durability, over time and wear. The Christy is much easier to sew through, than an Akubra. The old needle test for quaility.
But, I like the looks of a non lopsided Christy, and I like the looks of the Akubras. Akubras can be refurbed many many times, but not so for the Christy. And strictly from a hatters point of view, this tells the true story of any felt, regardless of who makes it. How many times can you rebuild it?
So, if the pricing were the same on both hats, I would go with the Akubra. It is a much better made hat, and has higher quality materials used to make it. Especially the sweatband. The sweat leather used on the Christy is a joke, to a hatter. No one but them use it! Split cowhide, very stiff, with no flange on the sweatband at all. They don't even use a ferrule on the reed. I really wish they would correct this. We have our own sweats from them(sheepskin) flanged by them, so its not like they cant do it. The Christy is made the way it is, along with the HJ with final cost as the prime directive. It, at the end of the day, a cheaply made hat in both craftmanship and materials used. Ask any hatter who knows both the Akubras and the Christys.
Frankly, I am surprised at the fan club it has made. It has to be the price. And you get exactly what you pay for. It is not a hat for an afficionado, or even a serious hat wearer, IMO.
Now, if they are now using that heavier weight felt from the same factory, my opinion would change in regards to the felt. This heavier felt does not suffer from the weaknesses of the lighter weight felt they use. In fact, the extra weight is exactly what this sort of felt needs. The sweats still are bad though. But, they are trying to meet low price points. And do, and this will always sell hats. And create fans. I understand that.
I would love to see Christy, go with the better rabbit felt, use the other leathers available from this factory, and clean up their ribbon work. Pass on that extra cost, say 25 bucks, and I would join the Christy club. I do like the way the thicker felt works, but a tighter lightweight felt would be even better! It would still have the same feel to it, and would not be stiff, unless they messed up and added too much shellac. Then, it might be on the same level in quality as the Akubras.
And if they read this, or one of you fans tell em this stuff, it would just improve the hats from them. Because the factory they use is capable of making a great hat. Compare the craftmanship on a Henry to a Chisty. Then understand both of these hats are made in the same place. We just get their deluxe treatment is all. Our bows are perfect, to the Indy bow.(Raiders) Our sweats are sheepskin and flanged(flared) and we have a very clean bow. But the price difference is large. Mostly because we have Portugal felt shipped in to them to use for our line. But only because we wanted some beaver content in the felt, for the "feel".