No, not really necessary

My experience with B17 was that of pain, discomfort and disappointment. Although, I gave Brooks another shot with the Imperial and it seems all right so far. It's still harder than I'd like but I hope it'll wear in and the lack of any seams is a plus. Although, I had to file off two of the rivets, they had sharp burrs at the edges, I guess Brooks quality control focuses on the leather not the metal parts. It's a bit too wide though, so the final verdict is till to come.