Forgive me if this has been asked before but I a new kid in town. Who makes the best felt fedora? I am looking for a good long lasting crushable felt at a reasonable price. I am tired of having to buy a new felt hat every year or so. I need some direction here please. I am new to the Boston area; does anyone know of hat stores in the area?
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Best felt fedora?
- Thread starter Graywolf
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johnnycanuck
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What you seem to be asking is for the back bone to most collections. The daily use hat that they are not afraid to get wet, dirty, crushed, snowed on or dunked in a lake. Most here will tell you their Akubra Federation (or deluxe) fits the bill.
www.hatsdirect.com
hope that helps.
Johnny
www.hatsdirect.com
hope that helps.
Johnny
indycop
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I would think that would depend on your intended use and the amount you want to spend.
jpdesign
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The killer in your question is the word Crushable. Good fedoras are not usually crushable. If you want something that is really long lasting you need to buy a fedora made of beaver felt. from both Art Fawcett and myself these run approx. $300.
Jimmy
Jimmy
Graywolf said:
Hi, and welcome to the Fedora Lounge!
Well, it looks like you've got two different questions wrapped up in one here.
If the question is what brand of factory-made felt hat is the best value, you'll find that FedLoungers tend to favor three: Akubra, Borsalino, and Stetson.
The Borsalino and Stetson fans often add that the vintage ones (say, pre-1965 or so) were much better than the ones made today. That's not such an easy option for you, though, if your hat size is larger than about 7 1/4.
I've bought more Akubra, Beaver Brand, and Dobbs hats than anything else. More because I liked the way a certain hat looked than out of any brand loyalty, though.
Then there's the second question of who's offering the best crushable hat.
Maybe the hats you've bought in the past have been made of wool felt. I've got a bunch of them. They're inexpensive, but they're not made to be re-shaped again and again if you don't like the look of the crease. They're often soft and floppy, but if you crush them too many times, they stop popping back into shape.
Fur felt hats cost a bit more, but with a little hand-sculpting (and maybe a little steam), they can be re-shaped. Even after a serious crushing, in the case of some brands. I'd trust my Akubra hats to stand up to almost anything I could throw at them. Available from Hats Direct or Everything Australian by online order, if you can't find a hat shop in Boston.
Another option is the new Tilley fedora. It's a fur felt hat designed by a Canadian company who made their reputation designing hats for gardening, hiking, and wearing in the rain and snow. So it's half fedora and half-geeky gardening hat, complete with fold-down ear flaps. It's not nearly as stiff as an Akubra, which is pleasant sometimes. It's also not particularly stylish (though I regularly get compliments when I wear it). Available from Tilley, or possibly at an outdoor outfitter like REI or EMS.
Cheers,
Mark
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Crushable type fedoras are usually Traveling hats that fold up for packing. Borsalino has one but the name escapes me and Akubra has a traveler and a 2nd folder. They should be on the David Mogan website.
tandmark said:
I think David Morgan keep those too - I was wandering around websites last night and found it.
If I was getting another wool hat for travel, I'd consider the Tilley Fedora because of the earflaps, but it seemed to only be available in black, at the shop I visited. A bit of a shame since I don't wear black much, and making it black seems to contradict the more casual style and function of the hat.
We carry a few crushables that can be seen on our website. One is called the Allegro and the other is called the Traveller. Both of them are Borsalnio hats that can be rolled up . There is a hat called the Astuccio that can be rolled up but personally I wouldn't do it although some do.
Steven
www.bencrafthats.com
Steven
www.bencrafthats.com
Rick Blaine
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If you are looking for a crushable fur felt
Lagomarsino Hat Company of Argentina makes crushable fur felts in its "Flexil" line , I recently got the Safari seen above off of OFAS & was suitibly impressed by the style, materials & workmanship. Although they do not explicitly state it is crushable, the finish is called "Flexil" which sounds, well, flexible, the sweat is fabric & the hat is unlined & has a "self" band of the same fur felt of which the body is constructed... the edge is an underwelt that tends to reinforce and supply a certain rigidity to the brim itself... It is quite a nice hat, good proportions, nice feel. And if it travels well, so much the better.
I'll let you know soon as I am headed to Beijing in Dec. & intend to pack this one in my luggage and wear a thin ribboned Borsalino on the journey.
... my .02
Lagomarsino Hat Company of Argentina makes crushable fur felts in its "Flexil" line , I recently got the Safari seen above off of OFAS & was suitibly impressed by the style, materials & workmanship. Although they do not explicitly state it is crushable, the finish is called "Flexil" which sounds, well, flexible, the sweat is fabric & the hat is unlined & has a "self" band of the same fur felt of which the body is constructed... the edge is an underwelt that tends to reinforce and supply a certain rigidity to the brim itself... It is quite a nice hat, good proportions, nice feel. And if it travels well, so much the better.
I'll let you know soon as I am headed to Beijing in Dec. & intend to pack this one in my luggage and wear a thin ribboned Borsalino on the journey.... my .02
Mr. Lucky
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I have the fur felt Borso Traveller - http://www.firststreetleather.com/store/hats_borsalino-ss2.html - second one down on the left. It's a great hat: rollable, packable and pops right back into a shapable open crown. The only problem I have with it is the fabric sweat band, but that's just a minor annoyance. But, then again, it was also 200 bucks, so...[huh]
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Another newbie here with the same question so I am enjoying the posts.
Will wool felt last longer than fur felt?
I just took a fur felt Dobbs Temptation to a hat shop for some shaping because of a warped brim from simply one summer on a closet shelf. I've babied the hat but it's starting to show some "fuzz" on the brim. I also have a pair of cheap Jaxon wool felt crushables that were squished flat into luggage for 12 hours, one of which has already had additional mishaps, yet look like they will wear like iron. I'm confused.
Bill
Will wool felt last longer than fur felt?
I just took a fur felt Dobbs Temptation to a hat shop for some shaping because of a warped brim from simply one summer on a closet shelf. I've babied the hat but it's starting to show some "fuzz" on the brim. I also have a pair of cheap Jaxon wool felt crushables that were squished flat into luggage for 12 hours, one of which has already had additional mishaps, yet look like they will wear like iron. I'm confused.
Bill
The Wolf
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Welcome to the Lounge.
I like your name.
Sincerely,
The Wolf
I like your name.
Sincerely,
The Wolf
leo said:
Hi,
I guess I should have spoken a little more carefully when I said that fur felt stands up better than wool felt, Leo. Should have said "tends to stand up better" or something along those lines.
One or two of the fur felt hats I own wouldn't survive being sat on, I don't expect.
Two of the wool felt hats, on the other hand, have been stuffed into suitcases, even had full suitcases packed *on top of* them, and have come right back from their ordeal seemingly unscathed.
In general, though, and from my own experience, I expect more out of a fur felt hat than a wool felt hat when it comes to being able to surviving most kinds of abuse.
There are definitely lots of variables in play, such as the thickness of the felt, the process used for the felting, the use (or not) of chemical stiffeners, whether the hat was subjected to water, steam, or high humidity along with the mechanical process of crushing. Et ad infinitum cetera.
It'd take one of the Fedora Lounge's many genuine hat experts to untangle some of these variables for you (and for me). Me, I'm just a guy who owns a few dozen hats, and has been buying and generally messing with felt hats for years.
Not a hat newbie, but not a hatmaker or hat scholar either.The nice thing about the Lounge is that there's probably someone here who does know the precise answer to your question, which they can back up with some solid reasons for why it should be so. I strongly suspect that my preference for fur felt is the most common view among hat fanciers, but it'd take a real expert to say why (and whether) this view makes sense.
Cheers,
Mark
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Do a little browsing on the HAT Forum here, please.
Welcome to the new members. I strongly suggest you use the SEARCH feature here and do some fun homework. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
You are asking questions that have either been discussed long ago, at length, or you could simply GOOGLE some of the wonderful hat makers/suppliers out there today.
It all depends on your money, and what you want. We have the full range of vendors, custom and commercial, here at the Lounge.
Good Luck!
PS. You ask who makes the best felt fedora? I think you can't go wrong with Art Fawcett. But then you are asking a question like who makes the best car, best wine, best pizza, best shotgun, best cigar......
That is an impossible question, but it is the "quest" we are all in search of.
Welcome to the new members. I strongly suggest you use the SEARCH feature here and do some fun homework.
:eusa_clap :eusa_clap You are asking questions that have either been discussed long ago, at length, or you could simply GOOGLE some of the wonderful hat makers/suppliers out there today.
It all depends on your money, and what you want. We have the full range of vendors, custom and commercial, here at the Lounge.
Good Luck!
PS. You ask who makes the best felt fedora? I think you can't go wrong with Art Fawcett. But then you are asking a question like who makes the best car, best wine, best pizza, best shotgun, best cigar......
That is an impossible question, but it is the "quest" we are all in search of.
i'm maybe just beyond the newbie stage myself, having bought a couple of hats since joining here.
there are a lot of choices involved and the advice of exploring old threads is a good one.
i recommend starting slow, as in how much you spend, as you learn some of the variables (brim width, crown type, sizing, etc.).
imo it is awfully hard to beat the akubra for the money. actually, it is hard to beat the akubra, period.
there are a lot of choices involved and the advice of exploring old threads is a good one.
i recommend starting slow, as in how much you spend, as you learn some of the variables (brim width, crown type, sizing, etc.).
imo it is awfully hard to beat the akubra for the money. actually, it is hard to beat the akubra, period.
Not-Bogart13
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The advice to explore old threads is agood one, but you should also decide what your specific needs and limits are. Does it have to be crushable / packable? Will it be worn in bad weather? How much are you willing to spend? How long are you willing to wait?
My personal opinions, the best of the best...
For durable, high quality, custom-made, all weather hats; Art Fawcett or Adventurebilt. ($250+ price range, waiting time varies)
For a tough work hat with style; Akubra. ($80-$150 price range, little or no wait time)
Western / Cowboy styles; Akubra or Stetson.
My personal opinions, the best of the best...
For durable, high quality, custom-made, all weather hats; Art Fawcett or Adventurebilt. ($250+ price range, waiting time varies)
For a tough work hat with style; Akubra. ($80-$150 price range, little or no wait time)
Western / Cowboy styles; Akubra or Stetson.
EvilDmitri
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The best felt fedora is one that you will wear 'bout the best advice I can give.
'bout the best advice I can give.
LevendiPaul
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Sorry for posting in an old thread
But just as an update to the knowledge base
Akubra has a crushable travel hat called Cappello
https://akubra.com.au/collections/lifestyle/products/cappello-natural
But just as an update to the knowledge base
Akubra has a crushable travel hat called Cappello
https://akubra.com.au/collections/lifestyle/products/cappello-natural
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Where are you located, Bryan? There are others, like possibly Stetson, of course. Finding and going into a store will hugely help you, if that’s possible.
jlee562
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The Akubra fans might pile on me here, so let me preface with a caveat: Akubra makes good hats and offers an outstanding value for something that is well made and durable.
That having been said, Akubras are inexpensive because they cut corners and use inferior materials. They'll tell you as much if you read between the lines of their marketing speak. The Heritage felts are 'upgraded' versions of their regular hats with more time spent on felting (and higher hare content) finishing, and a roan leather sweatband. Hats Direct - which I acknowledge is not Akubra per se - mentions how they tried to keep the price as low as possible...well you do that by sacrificing the roan leather sweats, spending less time felting, and spending less time finishing.
Again, Akubra does not make a bad hat. But they do not, IMHO, make a top of the line product. They are Honda not Rolls Royce (and I drive a Honda, so no disparagement intended).
Borsalino on the other hand is overpriced for the quality you get and they are coasting on brand reputation.
That having been said, Akubras are inexpensive because they cut corners and use inferior materials. They'll tell you as much if you read between the lines of their marketing speak. The Heritage felts are 'upgraded' versions of their regular hats with more time spent on felting (and higher hare content) finishing, and a roan leather sweatband. Hats Direct - which I acknowledge is not Akubra per se - mentions how they tried to keep the price as low as possible...well you do that by sacrificing the roan leather sweats, spending less time felting, and spending less time finishing.
Again, Akubra does not make a bad hat. But they do not, IMHO, make a top of the line product. They are Honda not Rolls Royce (and I drive a Honda, so no disparagement intended).
Borsalino on the other hand is overpriced for the quality you get and they are coasting on brand reputation.
