Beaver Brand impressions?

[warbird]

Sorry for going off topic but I received an Akubra yesterday that has a wind cord. At least that's what I think it is. It has a button at one end. How does it work?

I really doesn't. It is just for show mainly. In the old days people would unwind the cord and put the button through the top button of their shirt.

I never take mine loose on any of my hats. A couple of good gusts and they will come loose by my experience.

 

[Neophyte]

I really doesn't. It is just for show mainly. In the old days people would unwind the cord and put the button through the top button of their shirt.

I never take mine loose on any of my hats. A couple of good gusts and they will come loose by my experience.

On my Campdraft it works great. In fact, it saved me from chasing my hat into the Las Vegas Strip no less than three times over New Years. I agree with you though on that most hats nowadays it's mainly for show.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

I really doesn't. It is just for show mainly.

Boy, I have to disagree with you, there. They do work just fine. They've been on hats for decades. I mean, they wouldn't be ON the hat it they didn't work!

 

[azhiker]

Well this one was a link to a fedora, but I see on their website many of their all beaver hats are westerns. You will find this is probably in line with many other all beaver manufacturers. Fact is most western hat buyers pay a whole lot more than that for a custom made all beaver hat. That is the standard that most of those buyers are used to paying and the market sets the prices I suppose. Many custom all beaver hats go for $900 to well over a thousand dollars. A couple of the hat makers here who make westerns, like Mike Moore, are extraordinary deals in comparison. Mike wants people to have nice hats, not just a select few.

It kind of goes back to a issue brought up in another thread about cost and how good a hat is from a hatter. I have felt the hats of some of the best known hatter in the country, ones that cost a huge amount for that buyer. I have handled Mike's all beaver hats. His are as good and as well made as theirs. But, his name isn't out there yet like of of those guys. Mainly they live out west and have been known for quite a while. In the end though they don't have some special blank no one else can get. Most of them are using the same quality felt as the next guy. That said, there are a few who have found a source to get blanks from inferior felters overseas somewhere. But for the most part they are getting their blanks from the same sources. But, they are getting a grand or more for their hats all the same and if people are willing to pay it, why not. Fortunately here we know there are alternatives.

Custom fedora buyers are used to a certain limit and that limit in general is no where close to the limit for custom westerns. Beaver Brands probably considers their hats a deal in comparison, even to some other mas made hats and their costs. It does cost more for a western hat body, there is more felt for a bigger hat and the felt is thicker. But the cost is not that much more. But the difference is the market will bear more and it is true most customers are not aware of the options from lesser known hatters who make as good a product. Granted not everyone making hats out there makes as good a hat either. Some are better than others. Buyer beware.

You have to do your homework and know of the rep of the hatter or company making a hat to know what you are getting. Now, knowing this especially for western hat fans, but hats wearers in general you are getting able to get a heck of a deal from vendors here.

You are so very correct. Several years ago, when it was easier for me to spend $400-$500 for a hat, I bought a Stetson El Patron, 30X, 100% beaver from the Stetson factory in St. Joe MO. I bought this hat for what I considered a steal..$325! I wore it literally twice, as I had bought it for a funeral that I was attending in St. Joe MO. The hat set in a hard hat can I had bought for my other cheaper Stetsons for about 6 years. I recently had it converted, and it is a wonderful fedora. Sorry to get off subject, I too would love to know more about Beaver Brand hats.

 

[Lloyd]

Beaver Brand Peluche

Fresh from the factory.
This is what I would call a factory custom hat. Everything to my specs within their standard options and their standard sizes, although they do offer long oval which made the final stages of getting it to actually fit my egg-shaped long oval head a little easier.

I'm still working on getting the fit proper so no pictures of a finished crown yet.

Specs:
Felt Char Brown Peluche
5.5" open crown
2 5/8" bound brim
16 ligne black ribbon with a 2 loop bow
fake trolley cord. I'm kind of disappointed with that. I thought it was going to be a real one.

I asked them to avoid the lacquer and keep the felt soft. It is considerably softer than other hats of theirs I've owned or handled. But I do think it's still going to need lots of steam to shape the crown.

side view

front view

with my band block for custom fit

felt close ups

sweat

more pics when I get the crown shaped

 

[Hamletsghost]

That be one FIIINE hairy hat
Can't wait to see what you do with it.

 

[Seth Hawkins]

I have yet do any mods yet but, rest assured I plan on a nice crisp pinch and a possible wider ribbon.

What color is the felt? Is that a matching or contrasting ribbon? How wide is the brim? Do you remember the BB model # for it? Which grade (Heritage, Legacy, or Classic) of felt is it?

Thanks.

 

[Seth Hawkins]

i picked this up a few years ago when NOS was more available. the felt is heavy and nice, it conforms quite well. it has been through all sorts of bad weather and cleans up well with a simple brushing. http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5822024013/a=94441788_94441788/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Peach - what color is the felt? Is it a Heritage or Legacy grade? What is the brim width? Matching or contrasting ribbon?

It's a very nice hat!

 

[Seth Hawkins]

I've had this one for about six years now. Bought it in a little shop in Virginia City, NV. Still enjoy wearing it.

Liner

Cheers!

Dan

Dan - what color is that? Brim width?

Sharp hat!

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Beaver Brand Western Derby

Here’s a quick review of my recent Beaver Brand purchase. I’ve thrown in a couple of pics and at the bottom have a link over to the conversion corral posting that has some others. You’ll have to forgive the lint build-up, it already needs a brushing but I forgot to buy a new brush.

Background

I’ve wanted a formal tall crown hat for quite some time, and although my Stetson Nostalgia was passable in the beginning, it didn’t quite cut it. I also wanted to try out one of the Beaver Brand hats since I thought the whole semi-custom thing interesting; so after taking the time to see what everybody posted over here, I broke down and placed an order for one in mid-October. After seeing Brad Bower’s fantastic William Powell hat thread, I decided it should be a white hat. I purchased mine through thefedorastore. It’s hard to tell from the online color charts exactly how the color is going to turn out, so I emailed Duane at thefedorastore with a couple of questions, which he promptly answered same-day. Then I simply placed my order for a white felt Western Derby, classic grade, with a 6 1/2” open crown, 2 3/8” raw edge brim and 22 linge black ribbon and two loop bow. From the photos it looked to be a very straight crown, and I was pleased that it actually was. From the front, the sides are virtually taper free, and there is only a very small amount of taper in the front and back when you look at it from the side. I should have taken some camera shots, but I just wanted to get to work shaping it.

Packaging

It was shipped in a white cardboard box inside a brown cardboard outer shipping box. I didn’t take any photos but the hat was wrapped in protective plastic, with some extra padding placed over the top of the crown. Instead of simply resting on the cardboard ring inside the box (or on a thin foam ring), there was a glued-up thick foam ring wrapped around the crown at its base that kept the actual hat brim from resting on the box. I thought it was a very nice touch. The box was sized just to fit the hat, much smaller than the other hat boxes I’ve received in the past.

Issues

All my factory made hats have had minor issues; this one’s were far less than anything I’ve experienced with my Stetson or Biltmore fedoras. If you look at the bow shot you can see it doesn’t quite line up perfectly with the ribbon, which isn’t a very big deal, and there was a little thread sticking out from one of the locations where the ribbon was attached, which I simply snipped off. That was it, nitpicky stuff.

The Ribbon and Bow

The bow might not be as fancy as the one that came on my Stetson Nostalgia, but it was more professionally attached, with the thread blending into the ribbon well (unlike any of the modern Stetson hats I’ve purchased). The ribbon also wraps a bit over the point where the crown and brim come together, which in my view just looks better.

Accessories

The hat came with a small Beaver Hats pin and the standard feather, both of which were removed. The pin wasn’t stuck into the ribbon, just attached between the folds of the bow, so it doesn’t mar the hat in any way.

Stiffness

I ordered the hat “less stiff” but still had to use my new handheld steamer to get it into shape. In fact, I don’t think I could have shaped it as I did simply with water. Since then the brim has started to soften up nicely from handling, and I’ve even been able to knock out and reshape the crown a bit. That’s not to say it isn’t a stiff hat, but I find it more workable after playing with it a bit than my introductory grade Biltmore Senator was. I made the mistake of trying to force a tight pinch into it, which wouldn’t take, but aside from requiring significant repeated steaming, it shaped very nicely. The more I work with it, the more the crease lines are beginning to meld into the hat, making it look far less stiff than it is.

Wear

I was worried it would be a very heavy hat, but it isn’t (at least by my modern hat standards). If I had to say it was comparable in feel to something I own, I’d compare it to my Akubra Federation IV. I’d also say the sweatband seems just as nice, if not nicer, than what was on my basic Federation. I ordered a long-oval and the fit is very nice. Of course I foolishly shaped the brim first so when I did the crown I had to put it on one of my foam heads and accidently nocked it back to be a little more round, but after wearing it for a few hours today it’s gone back to the original fit.

All in all I was very pleased with this hat, and I plan to get another next year with a slightly smaller brim. I just can’t decide whether I should go 1/8” down or a full quarter. It may be stiff, but it was definitely better made than any of my modern Stetson’s, and I rather enjoy wearing it.

More pics:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...rsion-Corral&p=1360196&viewfull=1#post1360196

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?52902-Got-White&p=1360423&viewfull=1#post1360423

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

What color is the felt? Is that a matching or contrasting ribbon? How wide is the brim? Do you remember the BB model # for it? Which grade (Heritage, Legacy, or Classic) of felt is it?

Thanks.

You asked for the color... I have a very good quality large "Beaver Brand" cowboy hat with a partially pencil-rolled brim, and the color looks very similar to this photograph. The color is called "Belgium" (of all things...)

Paul (yes, from Belgium...)

 

[TCMfan25]

I really like the proportions of their Homburgs.

 

[Historyteach24]

I am looking at getting a custom made beaver brand hat. The asking price is around 179 which I think sounds too good to be true. I mean I get to customize EVERYTHING 100 fur felt the whole 9 yards.

 

[Riot Earp]

I am looking at getting a custom made beaver brand hat. The asking price is around 179 which I think sounds too good to be true. I mean I get to customize EVERYTHING 100 fur felt the whole 9 yards.

Me too. I am ordering a custom 8X for $199 U.S.

I want a Stoney River Outback, in a 3-inch brim. Their charbrown looks like a great color.

 

[bowlerman]

I didn't see an option for felt quality besides wool and fur, but at those custom prices, you can't really go wrong, although you could order a rabbit fur from Parker at Falcon Park Hattery for less and I think it would be higher quality.

I'd be interested, still, to hear about the higher BB felt qualities. I have three-- two in 5X Classic and the other in a thicker 5X. I like them. My main issue is that I cant play with them that much before they start to taper and warp, and I can't ever seem to effectively open them up and straighten the sides again. I look forward to messing with my new brim flange, however, to see if I can restore my silver belly's brim.

My 3BBz:

left: sand colored, originally arrived open crown with saddle brim, similar to BJ's and called "derby" by the seller, but it really wasn't. This one is my favorite of them.
middle: Stoney River in Safari Green with pheasant feather band-- nice hat, too snug for me, even after a mild stretch.
right: C crown in "SPCL SIL BELLY" as the tag said. I wish I hadn't messed with this one. It was blocked so nice and cleanly at the factory and I just can't get those straight sides back.

 

[Riot Earp]

I didn't see an option for felt quality besides wool and fur, but at those custom prices, you can't really go wrong, although you could order a rabbit fur from Parker at Falcon Park Hattery for less and I think it would be higher quality.

I am using this page: http://www.cowboyhatsandmore.com/customhats

I clicked on Custom Outback Hats at the bottom.

Does your Stoney River have a tapered crown? It looks pretty vertical in that picture.

 

[bowlerman]

In my haste I merged this thread with the custom hats from thefedorastore.com thread in my imagination... Thanks for the link. My Stoney River has a pretty straight crown, but not tall. I haven't messed much with that one either, only tried once or twice to open it into a Boss of the Plains, but chose to keep the dents. The hats are great, but it's the longevity/resiliancy I'm slightly skeptical about-- at least for 5X classic grade.

 

[Riot Earp]

The hats are great, but it's the longevity/resiliancy I'm slightly skeptical about-- at least for 5X classic grade.

Yeah, I'm not sure if I'd be better off with a Premium (Heritage) felt Akubra. The prices are similar.

 

[bowlerman]

I don't own an Akubra, but their durability is spoken of very highly around here.
btw I went to undergrad in Rochester. I wish I was into hats back then, because I definitely would have paid Dave Brown a visit.

 

[Lloyd]

Since I'm getting my winter hats out of the closet again I thought I'd put up a few pics of my BB Peluche which has become my default rain hat. I have no concerns about the longevity of this one