Do any Aussies have a 'Henry'??

[darthbish]

Anyone??..

[darthbish]

I'm guessing not...

[BendingOak]

I was hoping to see at least one.

[Texan Scott]

Are you asking from the standpoint of wanting ot know more about the hat, or just wondering if there was anyone in your neck of the woods that had one?

[DR Ulloa]

I think I see what bish is getting at. Reading about a hat and actually holding it in hand are two different things. We constantly hear about how great Penman and AB hats are but you don't really know until he have one in hand and pull it through the ringer.

Dave

[darthbish]

I'm just curious is all.

I know the board has a few Aussie members, and was wondering if any had bitten the bullet and purchased one.

[Texan Scott]

Maybe the best all around Indy hat in terms of price and features--color & durability of the felt, SA ribbon and the most comfortable one I own.

[Stefan]

Guess you're the first Aussie owner of a Henry! Congrats

[Texan Scott]

Yea, roito' mate! Fair dinkum cover. Time for another walk about.

[darthbish]

COZ
I'VE
GOT ONE!!!!!!

[Texan Scott]

..review....?

[darthbish]

Ok…I don't know if I'm knowledgable enough to give a review.

But I'll tell you what I think.

I now understand what people mean when they say that comparing the Fed and the Henry is like comparing apples and oranges.
You just cant do it.
The Fed is a beautiful hat, a 'living fossil' if you like, shaped on a block that was actually from the time of Indy and made by a company that IMHO has a reputation as good as if not better than any hat maker in the world....
As for the Henry..Well there's far wiser people on this board that can explain the whys and wherefores of this gorgeous hat, and that's certainly what it is, 'Gorgeous'.
Soft and pliable it's an Indy hat, no question. I just love the way it looks.

In short…..if you want to spend $108AUS, get a Fed. It's a sensational hat and you won't do better for the price
If you wanna spend $160AUS, get a Fed Deluxe. It's a sensational hat and you won't do better for the price
If you wanna spend $290US, get a Henry. It's a sensational hat and you won't do better for the price.

[gwyddion]

Hey Bish, a long time ago I told you that if you got one you would probably love it. I am glad I was right about that and you don't regret getting one in any way Wear it in good health!

Oh, and keep the Akubras in rotation. Not that I doubt you will, right?

Regards, Geert

[Fedora]

Maybe the best all around Indy hat in terms of price and features--color & durability of the felt, SA ribbon and the most comfortable one I own.

I can take no credit for the Henry. The credit goes to Marc. Sure, we discussed what we wanted in a factory hat, but he did all the work in getting it made.

To me personally, it is the most vintage like new Indy fedora that is made today. Because of the way the felt looks and reacts. My own Henry is holding up so well, and still does not need to be reblocked. And honestly, I was surprised by this. I expected it to react to the elements the way that a factory rabbit hat generally reacts. Sure, it has enough beaver to present the beaver "feel" but is still 80 per cent rabbit fur.

One thing that I do love about the Henry is while it is a 100 per cent factory made hat, and is made by the same factory that makes the Christy and HJ, the Henry has to be the best looking factory hat I have ever seen and owned. From the felt to the craftmanship on the bow. Hard to believe the same factory makes this hat as the HJ! But, this factory, besides making the 30 dollar Christy and HJ, ALSO makes most of the higher end hats available in Europe. Now granted, they don't make many of the high end hats, but they are quite capable of doing so, and the Henry shows this to be true.

Marc told me the folks at the factory love making the Henry, and it gives them an opportunity to make really good hats, along with the el cheapos they are known for. I think Marc was dead on when he decided NOT to use their in house felt, but rather to have the Henry felt made in Portugal and shipped to the factory as raw bodies. That is something this factory was not used to doing. I was surprised that they would even do it actually. And kudos to Marc for doing this extra step in order to make what we think is the best factory Indy fedora in the world. Indeed that was our grand plan, and Marc pulled it off in spades.

The Henry does retail more than other factory Indy fedoras. But our costs to have it made, using Portugal felt, is so much more than other hats this factory makes. Just the body used to make this hat costs more than a complete HJ, from the same factory. Believe it or not, our costs for having it made exceeds the retail for most factory made fedoras. And that is why the Henry retails for what it does. It isn't your 30 dollar hat. Now, not dissing the 30 dollar wholesales hats, as those serve a market too. And glad that niche is filled by Christy. It allows even those with a low budget to own a good looking Indy fedora. And, going by the looks of this hat and the HJ, I actually like em myself, lookswise. So not dumping on those hats at all.

If Indy 5 is made, we are considering using the Henry as the starting point for the film hat. It would be much faster to take a Henry, do a reblock with the CS block, instead of handmaking the hats. Of course, that call would be up to Bernie....but I have started the ball rolling on a change of felt color for the Henry, including a change of color for the sweat, to a choc brown. So it would match the CS hat more accurately. It already comes with the plain white liner. But, that won't happen until next year. We want to have it in place by 2011, because I figure that if the Indy 5 is not made next year, it won't be made. No inside info on this, just considering Ford's age is all I am doing.

Plus if we can use the Henry as the starting point for the next film hat, we would not have to handmake the after film sales hats. Which would keep the Henry at its current retail, and be easier on your pocket book. With short lead times. So neither Marc or I ever get in more orders than we can handle. Less stress for you and us. All we would have to do is to let that factory replicate my CS block to use with the hats.

[Texan Scott]

There you have it, a review from the man himself.

Happy to have one of these. It's a keeper. Thanks to Marc for doing the legwork and for you two, to bring this hat to market! Please don't change the sweat band. It's the most comfortable one I own.

[Fedora]

Please don't change the sweat band. It's the most comfortable one I own.

Oh not to worry. The new one is even better! My Henry is one of my more comfortable hats to wear as well. While the current sweat in the antique roan color is very comfortable, it tends to lose color after you sweat in it for awhile. The choc one should correct that. Marc sent me a sample of the new leather and honestly, it is even better than what we are using now. Feels like soft glove leather, just like what you have in your hat. It never was like us to sit on our laurels, with our hats. Any changes we will make will be an improvement, or we would not touch it! Once we make those changes next year, the hat will not be changed again. Fedora

[Jones Boy]

So Bish . . . . . . how about some photies!!

[darthbish]

How's this??

[cowboy827]

Perhaps this comment belongs in the Henry Review thread, but I wanted to add my two cents to Fedora's comments regarding the sweatband in the Henry.

I agree with Fedora that it is one of the most comfortable sweats I've ever worn. And personally, I really like the lighter color. However, my sweatband is changing colors quite a bit from wear. Additionally, I will sometimes wipe it down with a damp towel to clean it, and the roan color comes off on the towel. Makes me wonder about residue that it may leave on my forehead.

[Texan Scott]

...looks as though the highway department striped your forehead?

[cowboy827]

Nothing so obvious, thankfully.