Batsakes Hat Shop in Cincinnati

[RJR]

Beautiful, Jim.

+1

 

[DOGMAN]

Great hat.Makes me wish I was closer to Cincy.

 

[belfastboy]

Just to round it off, here is a comparison shot with the Knox 100. IT's a bit overcast and rainy here today, so the lighting isn't that great, though.

View attachment 52576

Is the colour Bone between Sahara and Natural or is it closer to Sand and Silverbelly?

 

[moontheloon]

awesome Jim
looks damn good on you as well

 

[Bob Roberts]

Just to round it off, here is a comparison shot with the Knox 100. IT's a bit overcast and rainy here today, so the lighting isn't that great, though.

View attachment 52576

I like the color of yours better!

 

[moontheloon]

Jim did you have him purposely not do the twist in the knot?

always loved that detail on certain wide ribbon hats ... I had Michael do one on my whiskey Gannon ... probably my favorite part of that hat

 

[Kirk H.]

Jim, that is beautiful. I am trying not to drool all over the keyboard.

Kirk

 

[KY Crusader]

Love it Fruno: Wonderful color combo and detailing. I'm only a hop, skip, and jump away from Cincy, so I'll have check out this place.

 

[moehawk]

Beautiful hat Fruno!
does Mr. Miller drive a DeLorean? He must if you ordered it 8 days from now and he finished it last Tuesday...

 

[Michael R.]

WOW Fruno ! Gus Nailed It ! Congratulations !

Is the colour Bone between Sahara and Natural or is it closer to Sand and Silverbelly?

It's like this Natural , Sahara , Sand , Bone (no grey tint) , Silver Belly (grey tint) , Bone is the lightest without a grey tint . Thats the order of Tans (lighter Brown Shades) from darkest to lightest .

 

[belfastboy]

WOW Fruno ! Gus Nailed It ! Congratulations !



It's like this Natural , Sahara , Sand , Bone (no grey tint) , Silver Belly (grey tint) , Bone is the lightest without a grey tint . Thats the order of Tans (lighter Brown Shades) from darkest to lightest .

Thank you, I have felt swatches in all those except for the Bone. I have a Sand from NW Hats and it makes for a very light felt colour once hatted.

 

[Frunobulax]

Jim did you have him purposely not do the twist in the knot?

always loved that detail on certain wide ribbon hats ... I had Michael do one on my whiskey Gannon ... probably my favorite part of that hat

It's just a detail he either missed or chose not to emulate. I didn't instruct him not to do it.

Thanks for all the compliments, guys. I now know first-hand that Mr. Miller does great work. This hat wears well and will definitely be a go-to.


Sent directly from my mind to yours

 

[Boris K]

Excellent choice, the hat looks great. Gus is fantastic.

 

[Frunobulax]

Excellent choice, the hat looks great. Gus is fantastic.

A real treasure, isn't he? I saw your Bogart hat in the other thread (nice!). Do you live around Cincy?

 

[Asmo]

Great Batsakes hat!
Gus is a great guy. His staff can come across a bit brusque at times, but it's all part of the charm. I could listen to his stories all day. I think the hat he made for me last year took a whopping two weeks and it's beautiful.

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[RJR]

Great Batsakes hat!
Gus is a great guy. His staff can come across a bit brusque at times, but it's all part of the charm. I could listen to his stories all day. I think the hat he made for me last year took a whopping two weeks and it's beautiful.

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Very nice.

 

[Frunobulax]

Great Batsakes hat!
Gus is a great guy. His staff can come across a bit brusque at times, but it's all part of the charm. I could listen to his stories all day. I think the hat he made for me last year took a whopping two weeks and it's beautiful.
sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Excellent, Asmo! What are the specs on that one?

Gus does make a great hat - I'm wearing mine again today. Yes, only a two week wait. That was great.

There is a sort of charming weirdness about the shop. Some folks have said, yes, brusque. But I've found that if you really engage them, they're very nice. I think they are cautious about looky-loos, though. Once you've been in a couple of times, you're always in store for a good convo, and once Gus makes you a hat, you're an old friend!

 

[Asmo]

Thanks!
Mine is natural beaver with a 2 1/4" brim. Gus made sure it fit perfectly before letting me leave. While telling a story, his wife (maybe?) put the feather in the band, so I thought I'd better leave it.
The first time I was in the shop I had on my Borsalino Alessandria and tried on several other Borsalinos. It was not the most welcoming place until Gus turned around from his bench and said to me, "your hat doesn't fit. You're a long oval. Let me fix that for you." He steamed and blocked it, and then stamped my initials in it. We talked hats and he said he could make one for me. I came back a couple weeks later to put in my order and the whole atmosphere was different. It was like I'd been a lifelong customer.
Sorry for the long post, but it was truly a great experience.


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[KY Crusader]

Drove to Cincinnati yesterday to pick up this custom from Mr. Miller, which he cranked out in about 2 weeks. I'm calling it my "film noir" fedora. Steel colored beaver felt with a 1 5/8" black ribbon. The Crown is about 5 1/2" when open, and I put in the diamond bash myself (I think it may play around with it a little more). I decided to leave the brim raw for this one; width ended up being 2 3/8". I usually go with a brim of at least 2 1/2" for my custom hats; but, hey, variety is the spice of life; and I think this narrower brim works well with the dark color of the felt and the raw edge. The colors in the photos are just a tad lighter than in reality (I had to adjust them that way so some of the details could show up).

The hat is beautifully constructed, and the finish is buttery smooth. Gus Miller is 83 years old, but he is still sharp as a tack, and he certainly knows his profession. If any of you ever make it to the Cincy area, it would be well worth your while to stop in to Batsakes (which is just off Fountain Square at the heart of downtown) and talk to Mr. Miller about making one for you. And that is what you probably will have to do to get a hat from him: He is not on the internet, and I'm not sure whether he would take a phone order (he likes to size people up face to face).

 

[RJR]

Drove to Cincinnati yesterday to pick up this custom from Mr. Miller, which he cranked out in about 2 weeks. I'm calling it my "film noir" fedora. Steel colored beaver felt with a 1 5/8" black ribbon. The Crown is about 5 1/2" when open, and I put in the diamond bash myself (I think it may play around with it a little more). I decided to leave the brim raw for this one; width ended up being 2 3/8". I usually go with a brim of at least 2 1/2" for my custom hats; but, hey, variety is the spice of life; and I think this narrower brim works well with the dark color of the felt and the raw edge. The colors in the photos are just a tad lighter than in reality (I had to adjust them that way so some of the details could show up).

The hat is beautifully constructed, and the finish is buttery smooth. Gus Miller is 83 years old, but he is still sharp as a tack, and he certainly knows his profession. If any of you ever make it to the Cincy area, it would be well worth your while to stop in to Batsakes (which is just off Fountain Square at the heart of downtown) and talk to Mr. Miller about making one for you. And that is what you probably will have to do to get a hat from him: He is not on the internet, and I'm not sure whether he would take a phone order (he likes to size people up face to face).
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You have to be really pleased!