OK, this is absolutely not a thread for hammering Federations. I love all of mine dearly. My Fed Dlx III is still serving me well, and has recently returned to regular circulation, after a little refurbishment.
I have two Fed Dlx IVs, one in dark brown, and the other in heritage fawn. The heritage one is as stiff as a board, the felt feels rougher, and has a wonderful crown with some reverse taper to it. If I didn't know better, I'd almost think I'd been sold a regular Fed, passed off as a Dlx. It is a size 58, and, unusually for a Federation, arrived fitting me exactly. It has since shrunk very little, which is a relief, but it does the occasional session on a stretcher to keep it my size. The stiffness of the felt means it has retained its shape very well, and I have no concerns about wearing it in the rain now and then. This is something I would not be happy doing regularly with my olf Fed III.
My other Fed IV (the brown one) however, has had its share of problems.
It is a 58, and needed to shrink down to my head size when I got it (I'm 58.4, but you know how oversized Feds tend to be). I shrank it down over a week, before shaping it at all. Initially, the hat was a fantastic shape, and was very comfortable, shrinking to exactly my size and then stopping, never to go further.
However, while out on a shoot a few weeks back, it got caught in a brief, and quite gentle, downpour. It was allowed to dry gradually, and showed no signs of any taper. However, over the following weeks, the whole hat became crooked. I can't explain it better than that. The entire hat began to drift around, as if it was turning itself. The pinch ended up an inch offset, and the brim adopted the sort of swoop Indy fans turn their hats in order to achieve. I'm too anal retentive to wear an assymmetric hat, so I did my best to restore the hat's symmetry. It just would not co-operate. Nothing I did could bring the hat back from its crooked weirdness.
Eventually, I had to go as far as dismantling the hat, and using my newly-made block and flange to completely reblock it. Most of the assymmetry has been eradicated, but now the crown seems quite low. I also see some taper, although this probably isn't helped by the hat sitting next to the heritage fawn, with its delightful mushroom top.
So I guess my question is, has anybody else noticed these variations in quality from the Fed IV? I know there was always a little inconsistency in the previous Feds.
Am I right in thinking the crown height of the Fed IV is significantly lower than the Fed III? If so, I might rethink getting a couple of regular Fed IVs (in grey and brown), since I prefer the taller crown.
What Akubras currently have the higher crowns of the Fed III? Much as I hate brim trimming, I would do it if I thought I could get a higher crowned hat.
Maybe I should just email Mssrs Moore and Fawcett about my long overdue custom hats.
I have two Fed Dlx IVs, one in dark brown, and the other in heritage fawn. The heritage one is as stiff as a board, the felt feels rougher, and has a wonderful crown with some reverse taper to it. If I didn't know better, I'd almost think I'd been sold a regular Fed, passed off as a Dlx. It is a size 58, and, unusually for a Federation, arrived fitting me exactly. It has since shrunk very little, which is a relief, but it does the occasional session on a stretcher to keep it my size. The stiffness of the felt means it has retained its shape very well, and I have no concerns about wearing it in the rain now and then. This is something I would not be happy doing regularly with my olf Fed III.
My other Fed IV (the brown one) however, has had its share of problems.
It is a 58, and needed to shrink down to my head size when I got it (I'm 58.4, but you know how oversized Feds tend to be). I shrank it down over a week, before shaping it at all. Initially, the hat was a fantastic shape, and was very comfortable, shrinking to exactly my size and then stopping, never to go further.
However, while out on a shoot a few weeks back, it got caught in a brief, and quite gentle, downpour. It was allowed to dry gradually, and showed no signs of any taper. However, over the following weeks, the whole hat became crooked. I can't explain it better than that. The entire hat began to drift around, as if it was turning itself. The pinch ended up an inch offset, and the brim adopted the sort of swoop Indy fans turn their hats in order to achieve. I'm too anal retentive to wear an assymmetric hat, so I did my best to restore the hat's symmetry. It just would not co-operate. Nothing I did could bring the hat back from its crooked weirdness.
Eventually, I had to go as far as dismantling the hat, and using my newly-made block and flange to completely reblock it. Most of the assymmetry has been eradicated, but now the crown seems quite low. I also see some taper, although this probably isn't helped by the hat sitting next to the heritage fawn, with its delightful mushroom top.
So I guess my question is, has anybody else noticed these variations in quality from the Fed IV? I know there was always a little inconsistency in the previous Feds.
Am I right in thinking the crown height of the Fed IV is significantly lower than the Fed III? If so, I might rethink getting a couple of regular Fed IVs (in grey and brown), since I prefer the taller crown.
What Akubras currently have the higher crowns of the Fed III? Much as I hate brim trimming, I would do it if I thought I could get a higher crowned hat.
Maybe I should just email Mssrs Moore and Fawcett about my long overdue custom hats.
