NEW Robert Mackie Balmorals on eBay

[Father Bill]

I trust you know the rules, Father. Pics or it didn't happen! At least when the process is complete. We're reasonable men, after all.

Wot! Call me on the rules? Have at thee varlet Tobus!


So howd'ya like them pix?

[mookien]

Father Bill: All three pics are a definte GO! I especially like the 2nd one, because it shows off both the good-looking bonnet and the crest badge. Save that last look in case you ever acquire a Ryan Ross bonnet. You and Tobus will definitely make the finals.

John

[thescot]

So here's the side-by-side photo . . . On the left is my Glengarry Hats Balmoral, . . . On the right is the Mackie (?) Balmoral . . . .

You can see that there's quite a difference in size of the crown. And the toorie is significantly larger on the new one as well. I had to fluff it back up, as it was flattened from shipping, but it's still a much larger diameter toorie than my other one.

This is a very good demonstration of my complaint with Glengarry Hats' balmorals. I bought one in khaki a few years ago, and I have noticed on mine and others, that they are a bit, shall we say frugal with their material. It's not a poorly made hat so much as it fits more like a modern military beret, small, close to the head, etc. I like the look of Le Legion's berets, but they aren't balmorals.

I know that modern tams are much smaller than the ones of only a few years back, and I suspect it's for the same reason: economy. Less material means less cost. But that less material in a balmoral makes it fit kind of funny, I think. I don't wear mine for that reason; there's just not enough wool up there for it to look right.

Tobus, your new one is pretty snazzy, as is Father Bill's and Mickey's and just about everyone else's. (I'm sure I forgot someone.) In purple, Father Bill sounds like he's bucking for a promotion to bishop.

[piperdbh]

So howd'ya like them pix?

I like 'em fine, good Reverend. It would look even better with one of these as a badge, don't you think?

[Father Bill]

P'raps some'ut like that indeed!

[Tobus]

This is a very good demonstration of my complaint with Glengarry Hats' balmorals. I bought one in khaki a few years ago, and I have noticed on mine and others, that they are a bit, shall we say frugal with their material. It's not a poorly made hat so much as it fits more like a modern military beret, small, close to the head, etc. I like the look of Le Legion's berets, but they aren't balmorals.

I know that modern tams are much smaller than the ones of only a few years back, and I suspect it's for the same reason: economy. Less material means less cost. But that less material in a balmoral makes it fit kind of funny, I think. I don't wear mine for that reason; there's just not enough wool up there for it to look right.

Tobus, your new one is pretty snazzy, as is Father Bill's and Mickey's and just about everyone else's. (I'm sure I forgot someone.) In purple, Father Bill sounds like he's bucking for a promotion to bishop.

To be fair, that photo was of a 'jocked' Glengarry Hats Balmoral next to a brand-new out-of-the-box Mackie. After the 'jocking' process, the Mackie looks a lot more like the Glengarry Hats one. It's still a bit larger in the crown, but not by much. In other words, the photo above is not an apples-to-apples comparison. I should probably take another photo comparison and take new measurements for clarification.

But yes, the Glengarry Hats Balmoral is slightly smaller and tends to wear more like a military beret than a traditional Balmoral that would be very wide. I actually like that about it, since it suits my head shape better. Mainly, what I like about the Glengarry Hats version is that the area over the cockade lays flatter on my head, where the Mackie tends to want to 'peak' over the cockade. But as to overall size, they're actually pretty close. Some side-by-side photos below:



If there's anything I don't like about the Glengarry Hats version, it's that they use only black ribbon for the trim, cockade, and tails. I wish they'd offer these in matching ribbon colours like the Robert Mackie Balmoral. The black trim does give it a more military look, and it would be a simple enough thing (with virtually no added cost) to just trim it out in colours that match the knitted portion. The second thing I dislike about the Glengarry Hats Balmoral is that the tails are not meant to be tied. They are stitched to the back (and to each other where they touch) in such a way that they angle away from each other. To tie them in a bow, you'd have to remove stitching and possibly remove them completely, putting them back in a different manner. I'm considering doing that, or just replacing them with a narrower ribbon that will make a nice bow. So far, I've worn my Glengarry Hats Balmoral with the tails loose, but they get annoying after a while.

*edited to add:

I don't know how much less material Glengarry Hats uses than Mackie, but I doubt it's much. And I rather tend to doubt that this has much to do with the difference in cost. The Mackies are just more expensive because they're made in Scotland, where the Glengarry Hats versions are made in Asia. That's likely the biggest difference in cost.