HJ vs. AB

Toldog07 · Post by **Toldog07** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:45 pm

Alright, so i need everyones honest opinions here..which hat is overall better in terms of screen accuracy, material, and durability, the HJ Poet or the Adventure built fedora??

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:09 pm

It's a no-brainer. The Adventurebilt, hands down. With Beaver fur, this hat has materials that are far superior to the rabbit HJ's use. The block is actually accurate, and beaver will hold up in the rain far more than rabbit. Definitely go for the AB. :junior: -IJ

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:15 pm

I have both. Hands down Adventurebilt in everything, Screen accuracy, material, and durability.
I don't think there is a opinion, it's just a matter of fact. If you hold both in your hands the AB wins in everyway.
Adventurebilt is pure beaver making it a better material and more durable. Somehow HJ lost there block as where the Steve Del aka Fedora has got it spot on. Ab being a pure beaver hat will not tapper as fast as the HJ. My AB is a year and a half and has not tappered ( it has seen some rain). My HJ tappered in a couple of weeks and has never been in any bad weather.

GoneSolo · Post by **GoneSolo** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:25 pm

The HJ is THE Indy hat, but the Adventurebilt is the difinitely the better of the two IMHO.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:09 am

which hat is overall better in terms of screen accuracy, material, and durability, the HJ Poet or the Adventure built fedora

Come on

Is that a serious question? - Everything screen accurate on the HJ is the name and the AB exceeds the HJ by so many factor, that this is comparing apples with oranges. (Remember I'm selling the AB-Dlx., so I'm not supporting my own business here - just givin' an honest opinion)

Regards,,

Marc

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:58 am

To be honest, I have trouble seeing how there are three people on this forum who think the HJ is better than the AB in terms of quality accuracy and especially durability. I'm not trying to be inflamatory, but that's just something I don't get. :junior: -IJ

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:19 am

They've probably never seen an AB in person, or the village idiot had his family over for the weekend.

PLATON · Post by **PLATON** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:46 am

I pray to Santa for an AB

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:27 am

They've probably never seen an AB in person, or the village idiot had his family over for the weekend.

buff, you beat me to it.

doc riviere · Post by **doc riviere** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:34 am

I have both, and the AB is a great hat !! ..of course !
but i prefer the HJ, not for the quality, but the name yes , the color and the rabbit felt as the original

Antone · Post by **Antone** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:54 am

Personally I'd love to have one of the early 80s/late 70s poets that Fedora and a couple of other folks here have. The ones that were obviously blocked on the screen accurate blocks are beautiful hats.

Still, even if I had one I'd save it for special occasions and treat it with great care. My AB would still be my hat for daily wear, travel, and general rough treatment.

Antone

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:38 am

I have a HJ and a couple of ABs. The question was which one is the better hat, not which one is your personal favorite. Which one is the better hat is a no brainer.

doc riviere · Post by **doc riviere** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:47 am

Better quality : AB ( felt quality, shape )
better accuracy: HJ ( rabbit felt, color, shape and the name )

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:27 pm

doc, sorry guy but shape???? no way.

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:29 pm

Maybe a vintage HJ might have the right shape but a modern HJ when compared to an AB? no way. :junior: -IJ

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:31 pm

Durability? Isn't this like trying to get a comparision between a tank and a Yugo?

Regards! Michaelson

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:14 pm

Durability? Isn't this like trying to get a comparision between a tank and a Yugo?

yes,

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:29 pm

For that matter, trying to compare the shape is like comparing a ferrari to a tin can. :junior: -IJ

moses · Post by **moses** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:42 pm

I've owned both and I have a very soft spot for the HJ - it has something that is very Indy - maybe it's the colour, I'm not sure. The Ab is a better quality hat with a good block, but to me the HJ is more Indy.

Indiana Lee · Post by **Indiana Lee** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:24 pm

I'm not sure you can even compare an old HJ with a new one....the new ones are so far off the mark. This being said , your poll should specify which one. I don't own an AB.....yet. But I also have an soft spot for my "old HJ". It has held up very well the 18 years I have had it. My new Akubra looks great too...but it looks so different from my HJ. The HJ has always gotten the "nice Indy hat" or "love your hat" comment.....my Akubra has not received the same comments....yet.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:30 pm

i think that what he is doing coparing a new Hj to a Ab.

Toldog07 · Post by **Toldog07** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:03 pm

yeah i am comparing a new HJ to a AB, why would i compare an old HJ, they arent available anywhere, and if they were, im sure they would win easily since it would have the oringinal, and i mean original, shape, color and name. The reason i had this pole was to see how it compared to the new HJ that is available for purchase so that this pole might actually serve a purpose.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:14 pm

Serve a purpose? Well, yes and no.

I understand the point of your poll, but you're asking folks to compare a rabbit fur felt, off the shelf dress hat with a custom made 100% beaver, hand made, hand blocked hat.....so it's an interesting comparison, but not one that's going to really gain you or anyone else much help, as you're comparing apples with oranges.

But, that said, carry on....

Regard! Michaelson

Toldog07 · Post by **Toldog07** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:29 pm

well thats true, but what i really wanted out of this was which hat is closest to the on-screen appearance of the hat. I added the other stuff about the hat just to gain an idea. But it's clear now that the AB is the way to go for everything, since HJ no longer has that same block from the 80's.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:15 pm

toldog, I have both. In everyway the Adventurbilt wins hands down. This is noy a opinon, it's fact. If you had both in your hands you would make up your mind in a secound.

Indiana Cromeens · Post by **Indiana Cromeens** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:22 am

I have both, I've also owned two HJ's, the first one lasted half a year, in terms of durability the HJ is horrible, unless you put in a box, my AB has seen some serious rain in the past couple of weeks I got caught out in the worst storm my city has had in 50yrs. my AB took the rain like a champ.
here's some comparison shots
a HJ that was treated like an indy hat, it has tapered horribly and even torn at the top of the pinch

an AB that's been treated like an indy hat

and a HJ that stays in a hat box

and then a comparison of the two with the AB on the left

doc riviere · Post by **doc riviere** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:12 am

YES ! the AB is best quality. but the new HJ is the name and the color is closiest of the original

look at my HJ

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:24 am

Seriously Laurent do people often mistake you for William Peterson the guy who stars in CSI ?

doc riviere · Post by **doc riviere** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:40 am

YES Dutch_jones....!!! every time !!!

Toldog07 · Post by **Toldog07** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:19 pm

Hey doc, that HJ you have that u kept in a box looks nice. Where did u get it from?

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:56 pm

and then a comparison of the two with the AB on the left

Not bad at all. Looks like a new HJ that has not been rained on yet.(shapewise) I do use a tapered block to make the LC fedoras normally. So, you have taper from the get-go although I tend to crease it out artificially when styleing the hat.

The worst thing the HJs have going for them is they must be used as fair weather hats, or stay on a dummy's head inside(Indy model). To me they are disposable hats, and that is a crying shame. HJ used to make real hats for real use. That has gone the way of the Dodo. I am still infactuated with the name though. Fedora

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:17 pm

What about Indyfedora.com, Fedora? Are their HJ's any better than the ones you speak of? :junior: -IJ

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 4:31 pm

Nope. Those are some of the ones that he is referring to.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:38 pm

And to make things clear, most of the major brands of factory hats suffer from the same thing as the HJ felt. It is not just the HJ felt. It is practically all of the modern factory felt being used. There have been better days for felt that is for sure. Fedora

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:39 pm

I think its the same thing as you see with cars. Makers realize that if they don't make them to last, its cheaper, and you have to buy one from then again sooner. :junior: -IJ

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:03 pm

The technical term is planned obsolescence.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:22 am

For me personally the worst thing on the modern HJs is the way they sew in the sweatband. Tiny, tiny stitches with a sewing machine, that perforate the brim break area to a degree where a reblock is ALMOST impossible. Well, that and the amount of glue they put under the liner.

If they were put together like i.e. an Akubra, Steve and I wouldn't be scared to death to do "the treatment" on them.

Looking at my vintage HJ (Indy era - thanks Dakota) and then on a modern HJ almost makes me cry. They were such nice hats once...

Regards,

Marc

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:25 am

marc, thanks for posting about the stitching. I forgot about that.

Toldog07 · Post by **Toldog07** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:38 am

I know the new HJ is not exactly screen accurate for raiders, but what about TOD and LC?

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:44 am

I believe that they're using the LC block at HJ, so that would give it an excellent screen accuracy if bashed the right way and if the bow is as seen on screen (I wouldn't mess with replacing it, as I would have to dig my way through a pound of hot glue). On most modern HJs the bow is NOT screen accurate. The brim MIGHT need a little trimming on the sides as well though.

Material and durability wise, everything remains the same.

Regards,

Marc

Indiana Cromeens · Post by **Indiana Cromeens** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:32 am

A note on the color of AB's they are purposely made darker by steve and marc because has years go by, and your hat is reblocked and worn everywhere for the rest of your days they will fade some, and look even more indy. A hj would do the same if it could last that long, like steve said, "they are disposable hats"

Indiana Croft · Post by **Indiana Croft** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:03 pm

I have both. AB hands down for over all appearance, duabilty and quality.
Steve re-blocked my HJ to SOC look and my AB is a Ciro look but not SOC.

There is a differnce in felt quality.
Croft

Toldog07 · Post by **Toldog07** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 10:56 pm

what is SOC?

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:55 pm

Streets of cairo

HJ Vs. AB