![TOH :TOH:](./images/smilies/Indy-Hat-Tip.gif)
As we know, Jason has been showing off his particular brand of obsession here to a captive audience. Fans of the Cairo fedora have been following his progress for some time and caving in to popular demand, he eventually offered a HJ all his own.
Now, personally speaking, as a member of this board for some time I have owned some great hats bought from some charming and professional vendors. These have all been great and have brought me considerable pleasure but most of you will know what I am talking about when we look in the mirror behatted and know some things just aren't right. For me it was always acheiving the swoop and concerns about the crown height. Read any post in this section and you'll see the endless list of concerns, its what makes the hobby fascinating.
What I was always in pursuit of was not neccersarily a great, practical fedora that could withstand the elements and/or the test of time - those are wonderful and have their place. No, what I coveted was the same hat I saw on screen. In other words, a prop replica.
It wasn't until screenused surfaced with that very same prop last year that the possibilities became endless. A few precious photos coupled with more furious debate than ever really gave us another insight into adapting the quirks presented into future hat offerings. Months later in a modest thread, a new member casually modelled what could arguably have been the same set used prop. It was there that, having historically enjoyed all the debate and owned (or at least seen) most of the wares in question here I pointed at the screen and said that's the one.
As this is early days for Jason as a vendor, I think I can speak for him when I say he is very sensitive to how his audience and potential customers percieve him. Although his English is much better than he believes it is I also feel he becomes frustrated trying to put his point across about how he garnered the experience and just how deeply he has researched this prop. With the images and commentary presented in this thread i think you'll he has earned both respect and hopefully a full order book.
To that end, when the package arrives it is completely unpretentious. A simple box with no frills, but inside...
![Image](http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Martin-El/DSC_0465.jpg)
![Image](http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Martin-El/DSC_0452.jpg)
![Image](http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Martin-El/DSC_0470.jpg)
![Image](http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Martin-El/DSC_0468.jpg)
![Image](http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Martin-El/DSC_0472.jpg)
![Image](http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Martin-El/CSC_0463.jpg)
...you'll also find that same prop.
With a refreshing waiting time of merely weeks (I don't know how long this will last) you recieve what is, to my eyes, the closest anybody will get to owning the Ford hat. A bold & sweeping statement given the company here, but I emphasise again - the prop as seen on screen. I can't talk about durability, nor quality of felt or resistance to taper and I almost don't care. Jason can fill in the technical blanks but all you need to know is that love (and painstaking detail) has been poured into this offering. Note the placement of the bleach spots, the dirt 'arches' over the ribbon stitching, the pronounced 'gap' in the ribbon over the right side of the crown. All this plus the unmistakable warmth of the 'sable' colour of Herbert Johnson felt.
inside, the lining is simple with the HJ logo embossed in gold and the sweatband is soft with minimal gold accents. Put it on and everything seems to make sense. It feels light as a feather and the fit is unparalelled. So, off to the mirror for the obligatory two hours rubbing, shaping and generally abusing the brim, right?
Wrong - and this is where the quality customer service kicks in.
Apart from a nice letter thanking you for your purchase, you will find an exclusive CD. On the disc is nothing less than a video user manual to get the best shapes out of your hat. I know, who needs telling how to put a hat on, right?
Wrong again! some of the tips demonstrated by Jason in the vid are invaluable and make all the difference between just wearing it and having it look like the prop even from specific scenes!! Raven bar? You got it. Truck chase? Covered. The difference, of course, being that when you dash to the mirror you can apply these techniques rather than floundering for ages and they work.
I've never been happier with a single piece of gear. It ticks all the boxes for me and marks the end of a very long and sometimes frustrating road. It has been made all the more special by the personal touch of Jason who even confessed in an email his stomach was in knots wondering what I might think, knowing what a tough crowd we are.
He need not have worried.