Christys hats and rain

[cybergentleman]

tough life

wish you people would just post ugly nasty horrible photos of these hats so i wouldnt debate buying it.

truth is- it sounds like a great deal- wish more people had a word on them just in general, its a well known brand.

thanks for the photos- looks good


just edited this post- heard from Andy at thehatcompany.com says they can ship international (from the uk) for 15 pounds!

so thats about 65 pounds for the hat ~106 bucks as of today.They can even stitch the bow and ribbon anyway you like evidently. i think my mind is made up for now
thanks for all your help out there.

 

[RP McMurphy]

Uh oh...

lock up the wallet! I'd considered these before when I was still looking for an "Indy" hat... but I went with an akubra for wear value. Akubra's are nice... but the Christy's seem to have more flair, as well as more customization. And I'm thinking of getting another Akubra...

I suppose I'll just have to get both, eh?

 

[cybergentleman]

flair?

what do you mean by more flair?

 

[RP McMurphy]

A bit more style or panache. The Christy's look like a dressier hat with more choice, where as Akubra's seem to have a bit of the rougher "work hat" style. I don't own a Christy's however, so this is just speculation.

Now I am curious however: how does the feel of Christy's felt compare to Akubra's? As nice as Akubra's are, they do lack the soft touch of finer felts. Anyone know?

 

[Tone]

Hey all,

Looks like some crusaders have hacked Imageshack. If you host on their site it's probably time to switch to something else. Just a heads up. I'll be moving my images to another server.

Side note - This has nothing to do with the images themselves but the site hosting the images. Imageshack security apparently got lax. Be advised accordingly. More here: http://mashable.com/2009/07/10/imageshack-hacked/

Wow, Citron! That is something!

Sorry to hear your hat shrunk so much from a light spritz of water like that. That hat tapered up to look exactly the way some hats will when they're oversteamed!

Did you happen to get any before shots when it was straight?

I've had about six or seven of these pass through my hands and haven't seen that effect. They're so easy to shape by hand that it hadn't occurred to me try and shape one with water. They just don't feel like the type of felt that needs it.

It's so weird that many report a sense of knowing the degree of conditions they'd be comfortable in wearing the hat, and still get caught in some weather with no problems, while others narely dribble on one and it's ruined!

Kiltie and Billyspew, that is good news to hear they have held up to moderate weather. I didn't buy mine with the intent of singing "Volare" in a downpour either, but it's nice to hear a few more have done okay when caught.

For comparison I snapped a quick shot of the one I've had from March. I still like it.

Good to know a reblock won't kill it, either. Though I do like it as is.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Here is one my friend Jake steamed before he decided to sell it to someone that wanted to turn it into a Freddy Kruger hat.

Like with most I see, they taper on one side more than the other... the steaming of this felt brought that issue to light in spades.

They seam to stretch one side out far more than the other when blocking. This is probably due to it being a machine that drags the felt onto a block from one side.

 

[Blackthorn]

Here's my Christy's travel fedora after being in the rain with no ill effects:

 

[Matt Deckard]

Does that one already come with the low crown?

I think its the fact that they over stretch the bodies to make Indy stye high crowned hats that causes the problem.

 

[Blackthorn]

Does that one already come with the low crown?

I think its the fact that they over stretch the bodies to make Indy stye high crowned hats that causes the problem.

Yep, it does come with the low crown, to make it easier (I guess) to stow it the red tubes for being carried in backpacks. I think they could do with taller crowns because there is a lot of room at the top of the tube after the hat is inserted.

 

[Tone]

Hornetshats.com sells Christys that don't need water or steam to shape. Very easy by hand. Always. Try them next time. Who's selling these stiff versions that people are having to try to steam in order to shape?

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's not the dealer, it's the Christy's Adventurer.

 

[Tone]

It sounds like the dealer in this case. The Christy's Adventurer doesn't need steam to shape at all. Really, if there's one people are finding they need to steam rather than shape by hand, please let us know. Who's selling those versions?

 

[fenris]

Here's my "tapered" Christy's Adventurer; it took months of my country's tropical summer heat, a few light rain showers, getting accidentally sat on and falling on the ground.

Here it is compared to my Fed IV Deluxe to show the taper...

Comparing it to the red lines, you'll see the amount of taper and shortening of the crown height.

Next up, it's going to the beach with me in 2 days time... Wonder what will happen to it.

 

[Tone]

Can you do a side-view comparison between those two there? Should be a quick setup.

What's that third hat off to the right? How's that compare to the other heights?

 

[fenris]

Hmmm... I never thought about doing that. I'll try to post pics later.

The hat on the right? That's the Peters Brothers. At first I thought it was huge... But I think it was just an illusion. I guess it was because it hasn't conformed to my head yet.

 

[Dave E]

My Adventurer got fairly wet and it has definitely tightened up in fit a little. Not much, but a bit. Haven't had any such problem with my Akubras (got my Stockman absolutely soaked through a few years ago and it is still in excellent condition.) I don't see any change in the shape of the crown, though. Having said that, I can't get it to accept any kind of crease other than a sort of stopvepiped teardrop, you really wouldn't know that it was a fairly high crowned hat to start with.

Now I am curious however: how does the feel of Christy's felt compare to Akubra's? As nice as Akubra's are, they do lack the soft touch of finer felts. Anyone know?

Comparing the couple of Christys I have, the Akubras are definitely nice quality felt. The Christys are fine, but the Akubras have a very definite edge.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Apostasy

Oldie but goodie

My favorite

Never used it.

I'd not ever use this stuff on a vintage lid (they don't need it for one thing). But for a contemporary hat, I have no qualms - and it works, too

 

[Dewhurst]

Comparing the couple of Christys I have, the Akubras are definitely nice quality felt. The Christys are fine, but the Akubras have a very definite edge.

The quality of the felt itself? Or the quality of the applied finish?

I have only owned one Akubra (the Sydney), and the finish was definitely the weakest aspect of an otherwise decent hat.

 

[Dave E]

The quality of the felt itself? Or the quality of the applied finish?

I have only owned one Akubra (the Sydney), and the finish was definitely the weakest aspect of an otherwise decent hat.

The Akubras probably have a slightly rougher surface finish, the Christys have a finer appearance. However, the Akubra felt is more sturdy, feels more substantial, seems to hold a shape better and just generally feels to be of better quality.

 

[Tone]

I don't see any change in the shape of the crown, though. Having said that, I can't get it to accept any kind of crease other than a sort of stopvepiped teardrop, you really wouldn't know that it was a fairly high crowned hat to start with.

Come on now. There's more than a marked difference in the finish between the two. It's not so minimal as an Akubra having a "slightly rougher" finish. Many people have an Akubra and know that thicker, spongy country felt versus a smoother finish felt fedora difference. Still...

With regard to your Christys, what other kind of crease would you be speaking of trying to get it to accept? It sounds like you have it sitting in a crease that is utilized by a majority of people on this forum when it comes to fedoras. How's it look as a fedora with a generalized top dent in it?