Akubra Fed Deluxe & JPD side by side

GCR · Post by **GCR** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:32 pm

Well, I was sitting around yesterday and decided to snap a few pictures of my Fed Deluxe next to my JPD, since I realized I didn't do a very good comparison between the two when I posted pics in my initial JPD thread. I realize no one has done a real side by side comp with these two yet, (Chewbacca Jones did a comp with the standard Fed in another thread, but not the Deluxe) and I figured there might be some folks out there who wonder how the two match up.

Plus, a lot of the "newess" factor has diminished on the JPD, since it's been almost 10 days since I first got it. Don't get me wrong, I still love this hat, but now that I've had it a while, I can look at certain things a bit closer and get a better feel for what this hat is all about.

First up, the old Akubra Federation Deluxe. Keep in mind that this hat is over 3 years old, and has been worn a LOT. I have worn it almost every day and many times in very harsh weather or other undesirable conditions. It has never been "officially" reblocked, but I've used household implements to do my own reblocking and tweaking. I've also sanded the brim to make it fit my face a bit better and modified the bow to look a bit better than the "stock" Akubra bow, which I never cared for. The hat has faded a bit, which has made the color a bit lighter on both felt and ribbon. I've sat on and beat the @#$% out of this hat countless times and it keeps coming back for more. Essentially my point is, this hat does not represent what you would get if you ordered a new Fed Deluxe from Hatsdirect, these results were obtained after many years of hard wear and intentional tweakage.

Here's a shot of the hat in direct sunlight.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD007.jpg

Next up, is my new Jimmy Pierce Fedora. I've had it since Feb. 14th. Right out of the box it was stiff as heck, but after a few days of bashing and rebashing it has softened up quite nicely. The brim specs are about the same as on the Akubra, but they seem a bit shorter, perhaps because the felt is stiffer so there is not as much "droop". The ribbon and bow are the standard stock straight from JPD. The crown has been poked, prodded, squashed and stretched, it may not look exactly like what you would get straight from Jimmy, but I'm sure it's still pretty close. It hasn't seen much action yet, the weather in my area has been pretty mild. It has managed to survive a light snow flurry...

Here's a shot in direct sunlight http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD018.jpg

And a shot of the two together in sunlight, for comparison.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD028.jpg

Another shot, his one clearly shows the superior quality of the finish on the JPD vs. the "fuzziness" of the Akubra felt. Keep in mind, that I have brushed, pounced, and shaved that Akubra to try and get that fuzziness in check, and it STILL looks like that.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD030.jpg

Here's a shot of the two hats head on in some sunlight.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD034.jpg

And now, the 360 degree side by side comparison! Akubra on the left, JPD on the right.

You can sort of see how the ribbon on each hat changes the perception of the hat's overall crown height. The Fed Deluxe came with an open crown height of close to 6 inches, the JPD topped out right at 5 1/2. The Akubra however, has a shorter ribbon, just under 1 1/2 inches. The JPD ribbon is 1 5/8 inches. The shorter crown and taller ribbon make the JPD look even shorter when next to the Akubra, which by comparison looks TOO tall for an Indy hat in some angles. Both look good on their own, but side by side the differences in one can mess with the perception of both.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD044.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD042.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD046.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD048.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD049.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD050.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD051.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD052.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD053.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p163 ... JPD054.jpg

So, what's my conclusion? I honestly like them both quite a bit. Each hat has their downside, really. I'd like the Akubra to have a better, more traditional bow style, a better finish and a slightly shorter crown. The JPD could benefit from a darker and narrower ribbon and perhaps just a hair less front and back taper in the blockshape, but overall the blockshape and the entire hat is very good as is. Of course, as we all know, the JPD is a custom hat, so some changes could easily be made if requested. The Akubra comes as is. Overall, I like them both and I would not hesitate to order another of either. But for now, the JPD, since it is still nice and new, is doing "dress hat" duty, while the Akubra has settled nicely into the "adventure hat" role.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

-GCR

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 3:36 pm

Excellent work. Those are some great looking lids.

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 11:29 pm

nice comparison GCR....took a page out of chewie's book.

i can't believe that your akubra has taken all the wear that you described....that thing still looks new in the pics to me.

its funny how JP's ribbons always give off that purplish/plumish hue when photographed. every review of the hat there is always a small nitpick about the ribbon (hint...hint...nudge...nudge mr. pierce

).

i actually tried on my akubra fed reg today and realized just how oversized the brim was compared to my HJ....well at least on my face it was. if you're saying that the JP hat's brim was shorter for you, perhaps jimmy got the specs right then.

thats a fine lot of hats you have GCR.....but where's the TOD fed?

GCR · Post by **GCR** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:02 am

prairiejones wrote:Excellent work. Those are some great looking lids.

Thanks PJ!!!

Indiana G wrote:nice comparison GCR....took a page out of chewie's book.

i can't believe that your akubra has taken all the wear that you described....that thing still looks new in the pics to me.

its funny how JP's ribbons always give off that purplish/plumish hue when photographed. every review of the hat there is always a small nitpick about the ribbon (hint...hint...nudge...nudge mr. pierce ).

i actually tried on my akubra fed reg today and realized just how oversized the brim was compared to my HJ....well at least on my face it was. if you're saying that the JP hat's brim was shorter for you, perhaps jimmy got the specs right then.

thats a fine lot of hats you have GCR.....but where's the TOD fed?

Thanks G!!!

You know, I think Jimmy is currently trying to source out some darker ribbon for his Indy hats, but I kinda like the color of the current ribbon, since it sets the JPD apart from most of the other Indy hats I have / will have (more on that below).

The Akubras seemed to be designed with the "more is more" philosophy in mind. Very high crowns and very wide brims right from the start, with the idea that you can always bash a tall hat a little deeper and you can always cut a little off of a really wide brim to make it fit your face better. That's exactly what I did with my Fed Deluxe, I sanded the brim to get it to fit just right with my face, and I think it worked out. I didn't need to take much off. I actually measured the brim on the Akubra when I was figuring out the specs for the JPD, as I thought those dimensions worked perfect for me. So, technically, the JPD and the Fed D have the exact same brim measurements, but the JPD just seems a hair shorter, because the felt is still sorta stiff. Once it gets to be as floppy as the Akubra, it'll probably look just right.

As for the ToD Fed, well, to be honest, I almost bashed this JPD with a loose pinch, like in ToD and LC, but in the end, the hat just wanted to be a Raiders hat...I couldn't help it. I've got 5 more hats headed my way soon...1 AB Beaver, 2 AB Rabbits (1 brown, 1 gray), 1 HJ by Marc and 1 AB Deluxe from Marc. Out of them all, only the AB Beaver from Steve is going to come pre-bashed as a Raiders hat (and I'm sure both my hats from Marc will end up as Raiders hats as well, once I get my hands on them

) but the brown Rabbit AB might very well get that loose pinch I've been thinking about...maybe

-GCR

Raider · Post by **Raider** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 8:38 am

GCR, that's fantastic comparison! I've finally received my great AB but I'll always claim, Akubra may be a good Raiders hat and it may take A LOT of abuse. That's a great fedora - even as the "regular" edition.

Cheers,

:junior: Raider

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:33 pm

As for the ToD Fed, well, to be honest, I almost bashed this JPD with a loose pinch, like in ToD and LC, but in the end, the hat just wanted to be a Raiders hat...I couldn't help it. I've got 5 more hats headed my way soon...1 AB Beaver, 2 AB Rabbits (1 brown, 1 gray), 1 HJ by Marc and 1 AB Deluxe from Marc. Out of them all, only the AB Beaver from Steve is going to come pre-bashed as a Raiders hat (and I'm sure both my hats from Marc will end up as Raiders hats as well, once I get my hands on them ) but the brown Rabbit AB might very well get that loose pinch I've been thinking about...maybe

regardless of how you bash these incoming hats.....THAT is an awesome hat collection....take it easy GCR...you'll run out of hats to buy! keep us posted when those come in and get the GCR treatment.

cheers

GCR · Post by **GCR** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:32 pm

Raider wrote:GCR, that's fantastic comparison! I've finally received my great AB but I'll always claim, Akubra may be a good Raiders hat and it may take A LOT of abuse. That's a great fedora - even as the "regular" edition.

Cheers,

:junior: Raider

Thanks Raider!!! Hey, how about some pics of the new AB? If it looks anywhere near as good as your old Fed, then it's a hat no-one should miss!

Indiana G wrote: regardless of how you bash these incoming hats.....THAT is an awesome hat collection....take it easy GCR...you'll run out of hats to buy! keep us posted when those come in and get the GCR treatment.

cheers

LOL, yeah...I really dove back into the gear collecting head first (pun intended) when I started to order all these new hats last year. It started off innocently enough, with just 1 AB Beaver and 1 AB rabbit (gray). Two hats. Then there was the $100 AB Rabbit sale. Three hats. Then there was JPDesign's Holiday sale. Four hats. Then Marc's annoucement that he would be making screen-accurate HJ's. Five hats. Then I scored a great deal on an AB Deluxe. Six hats.

Six hats since October...

It almost sounds like the title to some old Film Noir...

Sometimes I have to remind myself there IS other gear out there to buy...(and bills to pay!!!)

BUT, I'm sure with each of these, the money will be WELL spent...

You can bet my digital camera will be working overtime once more of these hats start to arrive.

-GCR

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:04 pm

Great comparison. I'm still glad I avoided the Fed Deluxe, but I have to hand it to Akubra... those hats just don't die! My first regular Fed is actually better looking after two years of inexperience and abuse. I hope the JPD fairs as well.
Chewie

Post by **Michaelson** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:48 pm

Sorry, but the Fed Deluxe is my favorite of the two, and I was one of the folks involved in their creation!

Softer, more easily malable right out of the box, and wears like iron.

Regards! Michaelson

McFly · Post by **McFly** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 7:05 pm

Michaelson wrote:Sorry, but the Fed Deluxe is my favorite of the two, and I was one of the folks involved in their creation! Softer, more easily malable right out of the box, and wears like iron.

Regards! Michaelson

I agree... looking at those pictures, I think I like the way the ol' Akubra looks, better. The JPD looks a bit stumpy to me. Oh well.

I'm sure it's also a nice hat, but I really enjoyed my Akubra (RIP) and am now partial to their invincibility and quality. I loved that hat.

In Christ,
Shane

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:16 pm

GCR, I think we need a little tutorial on your household item re block of that Akubra. I, for one, think that is the best (Raiders) looking Akubra that I have seen that hasn't been re blocked by Steve (mine). It is so straight sided. It looks just as good.

GCR · Post by **GCR** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:54 pm

prairiejones wrote:GCR, I think we need a little tutorial on your household item re block of that Akubra. I, for one, think that is the best (Raiders) looking Akubra that I have seen that hasn't been re blocked by Steve (mine). It is so straight sided. It looks just as good.

Why, thank you sir!

Although I must say, the things I have done to that old Akubra are NOT for the faint of heart.

There's actually no big secret to it, I just used a common, tupperware-style bucket that was large enough to fit on my head, and had straight sides, and used it as a block. The top was too flat, so I placed a tea cup saucer on the top, which gave it just enough of a dome shape to work right. The only problem was that the bucket is round, not oval, so this causes some distortion to the brim as well as the crown. I soaked the hat with a cold water spray bottle, put it over the "block" and stretched it out. Then I slid a wooden cooking spoon (one of them big ones you always see next to people's stove-tops) up into the back of the hat, and used that to stretch the back of the hat out away from the block, in order to get a bit more of an oval shape and some slight reverse taper when the hat is actually worn.

I practiced this on two older hats that I don't wear anymore and I was impressed with the results, so I worked up the courage to give it a go on the old Akubra and it worked out quite nicely. Of course, the hat you see above has also been further tweaked, sat on, squashed, crumpled up and re-bashed dozens of times since then, so some of that "freshly reblocked newness" is gone, but I think it still looks great, myself.

-GCR

Disclaimer:
:post:

Don't try this at home! Well, unless you really want to...but if you do, and you wreck your hat, it ain't my fault!!!

Indiana Blooze · Post by **Indiana Blooze** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:01 am

Did you block the Miller like this?

GCR · Post by **GCR** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:32 am

Indiana Blooze wrote:Did you block the Miller like this?

I did indeed. The old Miller was one of the two hats I used as guinea pigs. (The other was a hat I bought at Burlington Coat Factory a couple of years ago). The only thing I didn't do to the Miller was the "spoon" treatment, since the Miller didn't have that much extra space in the crown to work with, but I thought it still came out okay. Before I tweaked the Miller, it was really a tapered mess.

-GCR

ttocsic chemical · Post by **ttocsic chemical** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:53 pm

I agree... looking at those pictures, I think I like the way the ol' Akubra looks, better. The JPD looks a bit stumpy to me. Oh well.

I'm sure it's also a nice hat, but I really enjoyed my Akubra (RIP) and am now partial to their invincibility and quality. I loved that hat.

In Christ,
Shane[/quote]

I have come to think that the 6" crown is indeed nicer than the 5 1/2". I much prefer my Fed D. crown height over the JP 5 1/2; makes me wish I had bought Tone's, when it was available! I need to forward a note to Fedora; 6" crown please.

Mola Ram · Post by **Mola Ram** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:17 pm

IndyMcFly wrote: I agree... looking at those pictures, I think I like the way the ol' Akubra looks, better. The JPD looks a bit stumpy to me. Oh well.

I'm sure it's also a nice hat, but I really enjoyed my Akubra (RIP) and am now partial to their invincibility and quality. I loved that hat.

In Christ,
Shane

I agree.

There are so many nice hats out there, with AB's and now JPDd's, but my favorite hat will always be my Akubra. The one that I own is probably around 6 years old now, as I'm the 3rd owner, and it looks great. Though It needs a reblocking, as the pinch is almost wearing through.(gotta have it turned around so the pinch is on the back) This hat has been through so much with me, If I lost it I'd probably loose any sanity I've got left.

As long as the akubra felt stays the way it is, I don't ever plan on buying a hat from anyone else. The price and strength just cant be beat. My new Bushman should be here any day now. It will be the first hat I've owned thats brand new, cant wait to get this thing.

Adam

Abner1925 · Post by **Abner1925** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:52 pm

I'm glad somebody likes a 6" crown height, that means I won't ever have to buy them.

The Raider's fedora had a 5-1/2" crown, so I'll nevr understand why some people want an even taller hat. I'm not knocking your personal choices, I just don't see the point. These things are tall enough already without adding extra height to them.

GCR · Post by **GCR** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:01 am

Abner1925 wrote:I'm glad somebody likes a 6" crown height, that means I won't ever have to buy them.

The Raider's fedora had a 5-1/2" crown, so I'll nevr understand why some people want an even taller hat. I'm not knocking your personal choices, I just don't see the point. These things are tall enough already without adding extra height to them.

I agree with you there...but sometimes getting the crown height to look right on a particular person can depend on factors like hat-size and head / face shape and height (of the person). Just like the brim dimensions can and should change in order to get the overall look of the hat to fit. So sometimes that taller crown really is necessary. BUT I will say, I personally prefer a 5 1/2 inch crown, rather than the 6 inch or even 5 3/4. That height, aside from being accurate to the legendary specs, just looks the best on me. The crown height on the Akubra, for me, was a hurdle from day one. The results I got with my Akubra took a long time and required a LOT of tweaking (as explained above).

But even so, I still love that old hat.

-GCR

Abner1925 · Post by **Abner1925** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:42 am

GCR wrote:
Abner1925 wrote:I'm glad somebody likes a 6" crown height, that means I won't ever have to buy them.

The Raider's fedora had a 5-1/2" crown, so I'll nevr understand why some people want an even taller hat. I'm not knocking your personal choices, I just don't see the point. These things are tall enough already without adding extra height to them.
I agree with you there...but sometimes getting the crown height to look right on a particular person can depend on factors like hat-size and head / face shape and height (of the person). Just like the brim dimensions can and should change in order to get the overall look of the hat to fit. So sometimes that taller crown really is necessary. BUT I will say, I personally prefer a 5 1/2 inch crown, rather than the 6 inch or even 5 3/4. That height, aside from being accurate to the legendary specs, just looks the best on me. The crown height on the Akubra, for me, was a hurdle from day one. The results I got with my Akubra took a long time and required a LOT of tweaking (as explained above).

But even so, I still love that old hat.

-GCR

I agree about getting the right look to fit a particular person's face. But, based on the photo of Mola Ram in his avatar, I just don't see him having a face that is too wide or too tall to use the standard Raiders specs.

3thoubucks · Post by **3thoubucks** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 11:56 pm

GCR, is that pleat in the front dents a real pleat, or just a finger pinch you gave them? Glad to see someone even pays attention to it! (An actual pleat, and trasitioning a little crown into brim in front, both actually take most of the taper out of the front of a hat.

GCR · Post by **GCR** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:25 am

3thoubucks wrote:GCR, is that pleat in the front dents a real pleat, or just a finger pinch you gave them? Glad to see someone even pays attention to it! (An actual pleat, and trasitioning a little crown into brim in front, both actually take most of the taper out of the front of a hat.

It is a real, honest to goodness, fake pleat...

Seriously though, you called it, it's just a finger pinch. I don't mess around with a needle and thread near my hats anymore...I've had one too many bad experiences...

Changing ribbons, reattaching sweatbands, and stiching in pleats are all things I'll leave to the pros...

-GCR