Custom hat or Akubra?

[gtdean48]

100% Beaver = not waterproof in that it will not repel water totally like an oilskin but water won't hurt it, will last for a few decades if properly cared for especially if a little rain is the worst they'll see.

 

[Dinerman]

A beaver hat does much better in the rain than a rabbit one. Both are good. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Art's hats are made of beaver felt, which will hold out the rain longer, and will suffer less for it, than a rabbit felt (as in Akubra). As I say, as long as the felt itself does not get physically harmed (rips, holes, other disasters), the hat can be kept alive for decades with a little maintenance.

My first Art Fawcett hat, which is now in the area of 7 years old, has seen rain, snow, and a complete soaking in a tornado. As in; a tornado went by my house while I was standing in my driveway. I have not even had to get it cleaned, and it's still like new! I call it Stormchaser, for obvious reasons.

It'll last.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Ok, so let me toss this question out to the crowd.

Is there a custom hat you would be willing to use as an all-weather anytime hat?

Adventurebilt. And Art Fawcett, as long as it's not a light color or particularly dressy in design.

 

[John in Covina]

The comparison is an Apples and Oranges type of thing. An Art Fawcett hat is custom made to the shape of your head. It uses top quality materials and is a great value in comparison to some of the other custom hats and even to some high end off the shelf hats. Art's hat skills continue to amaze and thrill their owners.

That said, Akubra hats are well made and represent a bargain at the price level. They have good to better materials and are well made production hats that rival and surpass other production hats at nearly twice the price. They are hardy and long lasting. If cared for should last a long ting time, when dirty or dusty brush them when soiled do the appropriate cleaning. If they get badly soiled or lose their shape have them professionally cleaned and blocked. They represent an excellent first or second.

I suspect that if you get a hat you like and wear it, at some point you will be bitten by the bug and find you'll need more than one. So either way you go, figure you'll be back for more. If you can't afford the Art Fawcett right now but want a hat, Akubra will be a good choice as a first hat and will give you the luxury of having a fine hat and allow you the tme to save for the Art Fawcett one. If you opt for Art's first there is a chance you follow up with a second hat and an Akubra is no too shabby at all.

Either way you win!

 

[cookie]

A beaver hat does much better in the rain than a rabbit one. Both are good. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

Why? Because that is the beaver's natural habitat is rivers rather than burrows?...ergo the oil is in the fur even after processing or is it just the ruggedness of them therte beaver pelts?[huh]

 

[daizawaguy]

Custom hat or what!!?? It`s like not having a suit and asking - should I get a custom or a cheap ready made suit....there is no comparison. If you opt for the custom suit, get the custom hat. If you would choose the ready made suit for the price, go for the Akubra. Simple. Nothing wrong with the Akubra, but you will know if you will be satsfied by thinking of the suit example. Thats my 2 cents...

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

At this point, my guess is you won't get much wiser from any further comments...they're all pretty much similar and equally worthy.

One thing's for sure: if you opt for an Art Fawcett hat, you gonna be some sharp lookin' dude!

I don't for a moment doubt you'd take care of the hat, either. As long as some drunken Englishman doesn't steal it from you...

Paul

 

[nickn5]

As long as some drunken Englishman doesn't steal it from you...

*evil laugh* now how do I go about intercepting that delivery... lol

N.

 

[avedwards]

Since this is not my first hat but hopefully my last, I think I will not go Akurbra and then Art but straight to Art. And I will ask him to make the hat durable but looking dressy. Also, I could not find and Akubra with a grey felt and black ribbon (only grey hat grey ribbon) so that is another reason to go custom. I know it is a minor detail, but it matter to me if I will wear this day in day out. I am just wary of a factory made hat since all of them that I have previously had have not been right in some way, so even though Akurbra is said to be good I am cautious.

And to stop a drunken Englishman stealing my hat, or someone intercepting the delivery, I will probably have to order a custom vintage revolver with custom ammo (not vintage for fear that the gunpoweder doesn't work).

Thank you for the helpful, though complicated advice.

Alan

 

[nickn5]

And to stop a drunken Englishman stealing my hat, or someone intercepting the delivery, I will probably have to order a custom vintage revolver with custom ammo

lol lol lol

As you look to have decided on the 'Art hat' way, I (and maybe others too) would be interested to know how you get on with the communication, hat sizing, delivery etc. over the coming weeks, so maybe you can keep us updated? I may very well take the plunge for one of those hats myself sometime this year. Thanks.

N.

 

[Thwack]

I agree. If you don't mind I'd like to see what the whole process is like too

 

[Dinerman]

Why? Because that is the beaver's natural habitat is rivers rather than burrows?...ergo the oil is in the fur even after processing or is it just the ruggedness of them therte beaver pelts?[huh]

Tighter, denser felt from the finer hairs.

 

[johnnycanuck]

A friend of mine's father (a farmer) had a nice brown cowboy hat with a square bash in it. It was 100% beaver. Got it when he was 16 years old. He had to get it cleaned, re-blocked and a new sweat band put in it form time to time (every 5-10 years) It still looked good after all those years. The only thing that killed it was the family dog. He wanted to shoot the dog, but his family stopped him. So at the age of 55 he had to buy a new hat. Still 100% beaver but it is black with a modern cattleman's bash. Took a while to get used to seeing him like that. So custom may be a good way to go. Just watch out for the family dog.
Johnny

 

[panama jack]

"Also, I could not find and Akubra with a grey felt and black ribbon (only grey hat grey ribbon) so that is another reason to go custom".

I ordered a medium grey Akubra Stylemaster with a black ribbon from Everything Australian. They will special order it for you at no extra charge.

pj

 

[Jabos]

I've been following this thread with interest since I have pulled the trigger for my first fedora. I've chosen to go the Art way and should receive the conformer and samples in the mail today (I hope). My struggle is in deciding where to go with my first. I think I'll look for something brown, medium brown to whisky in color, and lightweight in the Route66 style. I'm in Oklahoma and figure that by the time I get the hat it will be getting warm-and then hot. I want to wear this one casually and often through the spring/summer/fall if possible. Then I hope to be getting my second hat from him, something more formal and warm. Nickn5 and Thwack-I'll keep you posted on the process if you like. I might be asking some of the "veterans" for advice on selection if you don't mind since I'm just "learning".

 

[nickn5]

Nickn5 and Thwack-I'll keep you posted on the process if you like.

Yes please! I've just ordered a couple of Akubras today so it'll be a few months I imagine before I go for an Art hat (and wait for the UK pound to rise again). Thanks.

N.

 

[Thwack]

thanks Jabos, I appreciate that. I'm just saving my pennies and waiting "patiently"

 

[Stoney]

Well, I love custom hatmakers, but let's not go off the rails.

(A) All hats are made by hand and machine. The only real difference is that custom hatmakers may not own certain machines (like spcialized edge binders), so they do it by hand from force of necessity.

(B) Custom hatmakers will make anything you want, as long as their tiny inventory has the materials (ribbons, hat rawbody weights and colors, and depending on the crease, specialized blocks in your size that can't be hand creased). Ask your custom hatmaker for another type of sweatband and see how far you get. Of course, within the limits of what they have, they'll do whatever you want.

(C) I think you can get as good a fit with a factory hat as with a handmade, and you can either try factory hats on in advance or return them for exchange rather than remanufacturing. How many custom hatmakers have long oval blocks in a full range of styles and sizes? There may be a perception of a better fit with hats made with the Winchester lightweight felts because they are flexible.

(D) This item comes closest to the truth, but I think that it's not so much quality and workmanship as conformance to a particular style of hat and type of materials that those of us in this forum prefer. It comes down to a fashion preference, basically.

Off the rails... I don't think so.

I'm sorry Kabuto, but you're entirely wrong about how most custom hatters make their hats as opposed to how production hats are made. Production hats are formed using a press with a die to shape the crown and brim. They are more or less stamped out by machine into the desired shape. Most custom hatters use a wooden block and hand stretch the hat body over the block. The brim is flanged by hand as well. There are several techniques used by custom hatters to create the break between the brim and the crown and most all of them involve using ones own hands rather than a machine. Again the hat is pounced by hand to the desired finish. The two processes are completely different.

Production hats are factory mass produced while custom hats are hand crafted one at a time. This is the real difference that allows the custom hat maker to produce a superior quality hat.


BTW This is a hat press; Most custom hatters do not own one.

 

[JohnnyB53]

...Also, I could not find an Akubra with a grey felt and black ribbon (only grey hat grey ribbon) so that is another reason to go custom....

Umm, Federation IV?

Available in two shades of grey (moonstone, carbon) with black ribbons.

Get a custom if you want; an Art Fawcett is certainly a good value, but hats can be special ordered with ribbons, or changed later for a lot less than a custom hat. Something to keep in mind if you come across a great vintage hat in a thrift shop where everything's perfect except the color or width of the ribbon.