Christy's of London

[gtdean48]

My Foldaway arrived in yesterday's post but I've got last minute Christmas stuff to deal with. I'll get photos & a review up in a few days. I like the color, & they did send a tube so I may have an extra tube on the way. The brim doesn't seem that stiff at all on mine, Alan. [huh]

 

[avedwards]

My Foldaway arrived in yesterday's post but I've got last minute Christmas stuff to deal with. I'll get photos & a review up in a few days. I like the color, & they did send a tube so I may have an extra tube on the way. The brim doesn't seem that stiff at all on mine, Alan. [huh]

I'm glad you like it. Strange about the brim, though the stiffness may only have been compared to the severely weathered hats I have which may have been quite soft from all the repeated rain they survived.

 

[Rick Blaine]

I've said it in the past and'll say it again, I have received nothing other than top flight, A1A service from Hornets.

 

[gtdean48]

Photos to come but here are some thoughts...

I'll post some pictures soon but wanted to write this up before it slips my feeble mind...
The crown on my Foldaway is about 5 inches which limits any creasing at all.
Ribbon is 1 inch wide. It is marked a 61, but is a touch loose, sort of like my Campdrafts when they first arrived.
The brim is my requested 2 5/8 inches wide but very soft & cups considerably. I have ironed it a good bit since taking the photos & am seriously considering doing a dimensional trim on it. 2 5/8 front & back with 2 1/2 on the sides, seems to like brim down all around.
The felt itself has the feel of my ArtLite but the coloring seems inconsistent. The color is lighter just above the ribbon then seems to fade back darker as you go up the crown. There is a dark spot at the top of the crown too.
I think it will serve my purpose of a hat in a tube in my motorcycle saddlebags & possibly one I can pack in a suitcase for air travel. For what I paid for it, I don't think I got a good deal = value/cost ratio seems heavy on the cost side. I did get 2 tubes to help even out a little.
If I had to do over, I would request a 5 1/2 inch crown but not sure how that would work in the tube.

 

[Blackthorn]

I'll post some pictures soon but wanted to write this up before it slips my feeble mind...
The crown on my Foldaway is about 5 inches which limits any creasing at all.
Ribbon is 1 inch wide. It is marked a 61, but is a touch loose, sort of like my Campdrafts when they first arrived.
The brim is my requested 2 5/8 inches wide but very soft & cups considerably. I have ironed it a good bit since taking the photos & am seriously considering doing a dimensional trim on it. 2 5/8 front & back with 2 1/2 on the sides, seems to like brim down all around.
The felt itself has the feel of my ArtLite but the coloring seems inconsistent. The color is lighter just above the ribbon then seems to fade back darker as you go up the crown. There is a dark spot at the top of the crown too.
I think it will serve my purpose of a hat in a tube in my motorcycle saddlebags & possibly one I can pack in a suitcase for air travel. For what I paid for it, I don't think I got a good deal = value/cost ratio seems heavy on the cost side. I did get 2 tubes to help even out a little.
If I had to do over, I would request a 5 1/2 inch crown but not sure how that would work in the tube.

On mine, there is a lot of space at the top of the tube, so either the hat could be higher, or the tube could be a bit shorter, good for backpacks. I wish the crown were higher on mine, too.

 

[gtdean48]

here they are..

The photos as promised...

 

[RBH]

I like the looks of it Tom, but the crown seems a little low.
What is the height of the crown?

 

[gtdean48]

I like the looks of it Tom, but the crown seems a little low.
What is the height of the crown?

Thanks Rusty....

The crown on my Foldaway is about 5 inches which limits any creasing at all...If I had to do over, I would request a 5 1/2 inch crown but not sure how that would work in the tube.

 

[Blackthorn]

Thanks Rusty....

The crown on my Foldaway is about 5 inches which limits any creasing at all...If I had to do over, I would request a 5 1/2 inch crown but not sure how that would work in the tube.

Based on the tube that came with mine, there would be plenty of room for it.

 

[AlterEgo]

GTDean48,

I like the looks of your foldaway. The special-order 2 5/8 brim is a definite improvement over the stock 2 1/4, and the low crown would look just fine on my head. Interesting that the brim on yours is soft whereas others have pointed out that theirs is stiff.

That inconsistency, coupled with the mottled color you mention, plus the order issues, as well as still other problems described by Fedora Loungers, add up to the plain fact that Christys' has poor quality, and so I will therefore pass on this and all its products.

I have an extensive background in TQM/Kaizen/Continous Improvement/Six Sigma, and so can assert with authority that the definition of quality is meeting or exceeding customer requirements. While Christys' does get it right sometimes, it has time and again failed to deliver quality.

I agree with you 100% when you say, "For what I paid for it, I don't think I got a good deal = value/cost ratio seems heavy on the cost side."

 

[Brent Hutto]

Do the problematic Christy's hats tend to be the foldable ones and the "get it right" ones tend to be the plain old fur felts? Or was that just this one case...

 

[Anthony Jordan]

Gentlemen,

Grateful for some advice, please. I am looking for a new hat and, having three shades of grey (including blue-grey), beige, brown and green, would quite like a blue one. My budget is very limited and, notwithstanding the issues raised on this thread, a Christy hat through Hornets feels like the way to go. I like the idea of getting the Adventurer for the sake of the open crown, which is still something of a novelty for me (most of my previous hats have been preblocked Herald & Heart/Susquehana Hat Co.s) but passed on the one that I previously owned as I found the crown too high and it made me feel a little self-conscious. The H&H hats, which I like, are smaller all round, open crown height of about 4 1/2", 2 1/2" brims, and I am looking for something a little different. I'm also very keen on contrasting bands and I am considering testing a deep band at the same time. Bearing all this in mind (and taking much inspiration from the contents of this thread) I am thinking of going for the following:

Adventurer
Navy blue
5 1/4" crown
Black 1 3/4 or possibly 2" band
2 3/4" brim, shading to 2 1/2" at the sides
Regular bow

Your thoughts and advice (especially if there are any *really bad* ideas in the mix) would be much appreciated.

 

[gtdean48]

...I am thinking of going for the following:

Adventurer
Navy blue
5 1/4" crown
Black 1 3/4 or possibly 2" band
2 3/4" brim, shading to 2 1/2" at the sides
Regular bow

Your thoughts and advice (especially if there are any *really bad* ideas in the mix) would be much appreciated.

I'd suggest at least a 5 1/2 inch crown & I'd either go 2 3/4 to 2 5/8 or 2 5/8 to 2 1/2 on the dimensional cut brim.

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Well, I received my 'replacement' hat from Christy's/Hornet's this morning and it is EXACTLY as I had originally ordered! It's a lovely hat and I am more than pleased. The fact that I got a second hat out of the deal, despite the time the whole event took, also pleases me. While there are quality and consistency issues aplenty, I do plan on ordering from them again. Given the price, the styles, the price, the availability of adjustments, the price, well, you get the picture. After having spent too much on standard production hats, it is nice to have found a source of reasonably priced lids that I can beat the hell out of without worrying about a $400 replacement cost. Just good, everyday, hats.

I will post pics later.

 

[Anthony Jordan]

I'd suggest at least a 5 1/2 inch crown & I'd either go 2 3/4 to 2 5/8 or 2 5/8 to 2 1/2 on the dimensional cut brim.

Thanks for those thoughts - I take it that 1/2" is probably a bit too much of a difference between the front/back and side brim widths? My thought regarding the crown height was that shaving less than 1/2" off would probably make relatively little visual difference, but I will have another think. I probably need to look again at my Stetson Pinnacle, which is the tallest fedora I own, to see how I feel about it. Do people think the idea of a blue fedora with a black band is tolerable?

 

[gtdean48]

I would like my Pinnacle to be a touch taller in the crown. I have it as high as I can for the front pinch, but I like a more vintage crown shape.
You are talking about a 1/4 inch drop in the dimensional brim but I have 1/8 inch drop in the one that I have ( 2 5/8 front & back, 2 1/2 on the sides). It is subtle enough to give a good line but not too much to be noticeable. JMHO...

 

[Anthony Jordan]

I would like my Pinnacle to be a touch taller in the crown. I have it as high as I can for the front pinch, but I like a more vintage crown shape.
You are talking about a 1/4 inch drop in the dimensional brim but I have 1/8 inch drop in the one that I have ( 2 5/8 front & back, 2 1/2 on the sides). It is subtle enough to give a good line but not too much to be noticeable. JMHO...

I think I will certainly take your advice in respect of the brim drop and revisit the crown height question. This isn't going to be something that I will be doing regularly so I want to get it right! Thank you for your advice.

 

[jlee562]

Gentlemen,

Grateful for some advice, please. I am looking for a new hat and, having three shades of grey (including blue-grey), beige, brown and green, would quite like a blue one. My budget is very limited and, notwithstanding the issues raised on this thread, a Christy hat through Hornets feels like the way to go. I like the idea of getting the Adventurer for the sake of the open crown, which is still something of a novelty for me (most of my previous hats have been preblocked Herald & Heart/Susquehana Hat Co.s) but passed on the one that I previously owned as I found the crown too high and it made me feel a little self-conscious. The H&H hats, which I like, are smaller all round, open crown height of about 4 1/2", 2 1/2" brims, and I am looking for something a little different. I'm also very keen on contrasting bands and I am considering testing a deep band at the same time. Bearing all this in mind (and taking much inspiration from the contents of this thread) I am thinking of going for the following:

Adventurer
Navy blue
5 1/4" crown
Black 1 3/4 or possibly 2" band
2 3/4" brim, shading to 2 1/2" at the sides
Regular bow

Your thoughts and advice (especially if there are any *really bad* ideas in the mix) would be much appreciated.

The last time I emailed them, which granted, was several months ago, they did not have any 2" ribbon in stock. But it's always worth shooting an email to confirm.

 

[Anthony Jordan]

The last time I emailed them, which granted, was several months ago, they did not have any 2" ribbon in stock. But it's always worth shooting an email to confirm.

Thanks for the warning - I am actually fairly relaxed about the ribbon depth, so I think that I will give them both options in the order, so that they can supply me with the one available, without needing to come back for further instruction.

 

[cybergentleman]

Burma felt color

There has been discussion on the forum that Christys changed their felt maker at some point. I also read somewhere this was a myth.
On that note:

The Burma color felt seems to look completely different depending on the retailer:

http://www.villagehatshop.com/christys_foldaway_fedora.html

http://www.dadshats.com/chffurfetrfe.html

http://www.thefedorastore.com/Christys-of-London-Fur-Felt-Foldaway-p/ch19-burm.htm

http://www.millerhats.com/christy's_index/christys2.html

Can some one on here elaborate on this?

What is the true color of the Burma felt?