Federation IV

[Fatdutchman]

Anybody have the new Heritage grade Federation IV? And if so, naturally, I want to see them!

Is the felt the same as the previous "Deluxe" felt? Oh, and is the color better than the previous Federation dark gray-brown?

Thinkin' about getting one. As if I need another hat.

 

[indycop]

Anybody have the new Heritage grade Federation IV? And if so, naturally, I want to see them!

Hey Dutch, BobC has one on order I believe.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

The felt grades on both versions of the Fed IV are the same as the old models. They have changed the dye slightly on the standard to get a better brown color, and pouncing has been improved on both versions, especially the deluxe.

I don't own one, but I've seen a few. The crown has a straighter block, and the height is more consistantly 5 1/2" open.

 

[Fatdutchman]

I think I'm just gonna go ahead and order one. What the heck.

 

[BobC]

Anybody have the new Heritage grade Federation IV? And if so, naturally, I want to see them!

Is the felt the same as the previous "Deluxe" felt? Oh, and is the color better than the previous Federation dark gray-brown?

Thinkin' about getting one. As if I need another hat.

Dutch, I have a Fed Deluxe IV in heritage fawn and I have another in moonstone ordered. I can tell you that I love the one I have, hence the order for a second. I doubt that you would be disappointed at all, especially at the prices they're going for now.

 

[Neil]

Just ordered one

So I'll let you know.
I really wanted a custom hat, but I just gave up. Huge waiting lines, no communication, etc. Akubra has a lot in stock, and quick delivery. I wonder about the rabbit felt, but for that kind of money, what the hell.

 

[Fatdutchman]

By all accounts, among rabbit felt hats, Akubra is hands down the best. Their felt (though often considered somewhat "coarse") is easily among the best quality.

The Akubra Squatter that I'm wearing in my avatar is my favorite hat. I have worn it a LOT, outside, winter, spring, summer, and fall. It has held up wonderfully. No real signs of the dreaded "taper". Now, when I got the hat, I got one size too large, and over the two years since I got it, it has shrunk to fit my head. I have removed the strips of felt that I put under the sweatband. I believe the hat shrunk evenly that way (what very little shrinkage there has been), and it doesn't show like if I happened to have a hat that fit perfectly to begin with, and it wasn't able to shrink around the base of the crown, but it could shrink near the top... My theory anyway.

Now, I did get a bad Akubra hat before (bad felt), but overall, I am VERY pleased with Akubra.

This "Deluxe" Heritage grade felt is supposed to be even more resistant to shrinkage, so I think that I probably got a real winner.

Oh, and I just ordered one.

 

[Belegnole]

I am just about to pull the trigger on a Deluxe Moonstone. Though I still am going back and forth on color. Meanwhile I have been conversing with the people at Hats Direct.....direct from them.

"The Akubras always shrink about 0.5 cm and we send foam tape to fill the size in a bit as it shrinks."

 

[Colby Jack]

Dutchman...good to see you back:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap ...hope you stick around...I'm contemplating a Federation...just fighting myself over the color and Dlx or reg....

 

[Mr. Paladin]

After noting the steady flow of praise for the Akubras, and particularly the FED IV, and seeing the great pictures of many members wearing them, I too have been contemplating a purchase. My only fear is the higher crown and lack of any taper will not fit my facial features well. I sure do like the moonstone color though!

 

[Daoud]

Do it! I just got mine yesterday and I love it. I'm contemplating another one, but I can't wrap my mind around the forty dollar difference between the regular and the deluxe. That's half another hat- seems like a big chunk just to get a better grade of felt. At any rate, as far as I'm concerned the regular Fed IV is a great hat at a great price.

 

[Woodfluter]

I've had the Federation IV Deluxe in brown for some time now, and have a moonstone on order. Prices, ya know. Too attractive to pass up. I have other Akubras also.

For the benefit of others, here's what I've observed about shrinkage and felt quality:

(1) There's a very noticeable difference between the Heritage grade (AFAIK, that plus maybe minor differences in finishing is what defines the "Deluxe" part) and the standard "Imperial" grade. You can see it from a distance and you can feel it. Both are good, but yes, I'd say the added cost is worth it. Especially in a fedora as contrasted with a western.

(2) I suspect that Akubras do run a tad large, and that the Imperial grade has a half-size shrinkage potential. So the initial sizing difference may be deliberate. I don't know whether that can be counteracted by repeated stretching after it gets wet and shrinks a bit, times "x". My limited experience with a used Akubra Kiandra leads me to think you can fight that to a standstill, eventually. It seems to have become stable at size 59.5, although it started out at 59 and too small for me.

(3) I suspect that Hats Direct is right about the shrinkage, but probably for the Imperial grade since they sell more of those. I think the Heritage is much more resistant.

I measure 59.5, which is sort of splitting hairs but significant if you're long oval too. Got both the Banjo Paterson and Fed IV in 60 and deliberately shrank them down a half size with hot steam, water and a hair dryer, but let me tell you, this was nowhere near as easy as it would have been with Imperial grade. I almost gave up. The moonstone was ordered in size 59, so I'm going to find out whether that will start out right and I can stretch it enough (on my head) to keep it there.

In any case, a great hat for the money and will keep getting better with age.

- Bill

 

[Fatdutchman]

A size 57 Akubra is just SLIGHTLY too large for me as they come. They fit, but are a bit loose. I know I couldn't go 56. What I have have shrunk to fit my head very well. Akubras also fit my long oval head better than some other hats.

My new hat is supposed to be 5-10 days away! I THINK this one is getting a diamond crease (I already have an Indy AB, another center crease might be redundant...of course having more than a half a dozen hats might already be redundant... ).

 

[Woodfluter]

Two Feds walked into a bar...



(it was apparently a cat bar). One ordered a scotch, the other a screwdriver.

"Hey Brownie, you a Fed?"

"Yeah, what're you, a Moonstone Fed?"

"Uh-huh, just blew into town yesterday. Seven days in the air and on the mail truck. You a Fed III?"

"Nah, I'm a Fed IV."

"You sure about that? I'm a IV. You look kinda tall for a IV."

"Well, I got my orders in early April of this year, see? Came from Hats Direct, arrived in May, and they said I was a Fed IV."

"Lemme see your sweat."

"Ummm...I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Okay."



"Well I'll be pounced...do ya suppose..."

"Hey barkeep, bring that ruler over here! Brownie, I'll check yours, then you check mine...punch yourself real good in the head first. Yeah, what I thought, open crown 6 inches even. You do mine."

"I get 5-1/2 inches Moonie. Ya know, I think I got switched at birth."

"Don't matter a bit Brownie, tall guy like you, and that Porter dude likes you just fine. Said he likes me better this way in gray. Or moonstone, with shades of blue and green and..."

"Moonie, sorry to break it to ya, but you ain't no bluehair. You're just gray, but a real nice gray."

"Hey, thanks pal, you're OK too."


Story by Bill (it was a dark and unstormy night by the time I got to a camera) Porter

 

[Colby Jack]

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap lol :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
That was great Bill!

 

[Woodfluter]

Not sure where is the best place for this - there are so many Akubra threads right now - but I wanted to add some kind of "objective" information about these hats, particularly the regular (Imperial quality) and deluxe (Heritage quality) felt choice.

Some who have owned both have offered these (paraphrased) thoughts:

- Both kinds of felt are too stiff - "like wearing a box" one said.
- The Deluxe felt is a little smoother but isn't worth the extra cost.
- The Deluxe felt is thicker and the hairs on the outside are longer.
- Both are "cowboy felt" and don't mold to your head, can't be re-creased on the spur of the moment, etc.

Here are some weights. All hats are either size 59 or 60. These all include comparable liner and sweatband, so the differences reflect felt alone. All measurements made with a triple-beam lab balance, so aren't approximate!

Federation III Deluxe...............149.6 gm (5.28 oz)
Federation IV Deluxe...............141.3 gm (4.98 oz) slightly shorter crown than III, same brim dimensions on mine
Banjo Paterson (Heritage felt)...141.2 gm (4.98 oz)
Akubra Kiandra (Imperial felt)....175.6 gm (6.19 oz) brim cut down to same as Banjo Paterson
Akubra Rodeo (Imperial felt)..... 177.8 gm (6.27 oz) brim cut down to 2-3/4, tall crown

Conclusion: Hats with comparable dimensions will be around 1 to 1-1/4 ounce lighter in the Heritage (deluxe) grade. This reflects a noticeably less dense, possibly thinner, but eventually more pliable, felt.

Now about pliability. Here is where I suspect we see the difference of opinion arising.

Case 1: Oh my gosh, my Federation arrived! It is so beautiful. Now I have to bash (crease) it. Let's see, if I gently press here, oops, maybe that was too much or not centered right, let me gently press it back out and try again. There, that's close enough! Now for the pinches. I'll wet it down with a spray bottle, and I'll just squeeze a bit here...OK good enough, don't want to handle it too much or damage the felt. Now I'll let it dry. Oh my, it really is quite stiff. Not sure I like this.

Case 2 (me): Hey, looks good right out of the box, for raw material. For starters, I'm going to punch in the top (whap!) and push it back out, do that over and over for 5 minutes. And then squeeze on the sides all around (scrunch!), and do that over and over. Now I'll work a sort of bent wave around the sides of the crown for the next 5-10 minutes while I listen to the radio or read, to loosen things up. OK, coming along, time to hold onto the brim and flap it up and down while inching around brim, just like I was fanning an imaginary fire. For maybe 5 minutes or more. OK, now I'm ready to start thinking about creasing the crown and shaping the brim with steam. And when I've gotten it shaped and it's dried out again, I'll work the hat over some more, on the crown and brim both, to get it yet softer.

Now I've done that with both kinds of felt, but there's a difference. The Imperial gets softer, but only so far, and it's still basically cowboy-hat like, if you know what I mean.

After beating it up, the Heritage ends up very close to the same pliability and feel as a vintage Open Road (mine is a Stetson 25, weight 5.3 oz same as my Fed III). The OR felt might be a tiny bit thinner, and a finish slightly finer, but not a large difference as far as I can see. With my Fed III, I can reshape it casually from a center dent to have a diamond and it will hold that. I can roll up the sides a bit and they stay, or flatten them back down and they stay. That's the kind of behavior I've seen in vintage hats, although they do it a little better, maybe because the felt has aged.

Shrinkage:
I've shrunk down the base of the crown of an Imperial quality Akubra Riverina so it would be a half size smaller. It shrank down very easily. I've done the same operation on the Fed III and Banjo Paterson, both Herigage grade, and it took many repeated applications of very hot steam followed by a hair dryer (not to mention the spray wetting and blow-drying attempts) to get it down to something a bit less than a half-size smaller. So I am quite certain that the Heritage grade is far more resistant to shrinkage. I'm not sure even Akubra knows how much difference, because I'm probably one of very few crazy enough to do this deliberately.

Appearance:
This is hard to show. An on-camera flash photo is the harshest light, and makes everything look different than it does in real life, but other lighting allows fudging and non-comparable views. So take these with a grain of salt - they are quick captures with a flash, but give you some idea. The differences with hat in hand appear greater, with more coarse hairs and less smooth finish on the Imperial.

Akubra Kiandra (Imperial) fawn closeup:


Akubra Federation III (Heritage) brown closeup:


Akubra Dederation IV (Heritage) gray closeup:


Hope this helps with your decisions!

- Bill

 

[Fatdutchman]

I actually like my hats a bit stiff. Don't like floppy super soft felt.

 

[Woodfluter]

I actually like my hats a bit stiff. Don't like floppy super soft felt.

Know what'cha mean. I can't get the Akubra Heritage felt that soft. The Open Road, which seems comparable to the Federation after the described workover, sure isn't floppy. But I do like them to be soft enough to conform a bit, esp. with my long oval head. I think of the Akubras as "outdoor" felts, but the Heritage grade softens up enough to be quite a bit softer. They're all good.

- Bill

 

[Fatdutchman]

Got mine just yesterday. Think I'm gonna send it back. I may be spoiled by my other straight hats, but that's just the way I am. While this hat is straight sided on the sides, there is a HUGE amount of taper front and back. Way too much for me. I understand that there needs to be some taper somewhere (otherwise, they'd have a hard time getting it off the block!), but this one just has too much. It may just be this particular hat, I don't know.

It's a 57, and it is a tad larger than my other 57's, but would still be fine size wise. The felt is definitely finer than a standard Akubra, that's for sure.

 

[Deputy Jedi]

I just ordered my first fedora today; went with the standard Fed IV in tawny fawn; size 56. I verified the measurements with Hats Direct before I ordered so hopefully I will have little issue with it. I considered the deluxe, but decided against it until I actually have one on my head and am comfortable with the fit. Best to you.