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Daddy, what does XXX mean?
- Thread starter Lorne
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- 14,392
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- Small Town Ohio, USA
Quality
The higher the number of X's, the higher the quality of the felt. or so goes the marketing copy.
The higher the number of X's, the higher the quality of the felt. or so goes the marketing copy.
Aaron Hats
Vendor
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- 539
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- Does it matter?
The more X's the more the pay-per-view movie costs. Oh hats? Yeah, what he said.
Pilgrim
One Too Many
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...And if you do a bit of searching for commentary on the web, you'll learn that the use of X's to designate quality is unregulated, has no common standards, varies a great deal from manufacturer to manufacturer, and is in most respects a highly undependable measure.
You can depend on more X's meaning more fur felt content for that manufacturer - but whether it's coney (rabbit) fur, beaver, or some other fur in the felt also varies.
The older the hat, the more meaningful this probably is. It still has value as a general indication of quality but brand A's XXX may be brand B's XXXXX.
You can depend on more X's meaning more fur felt content for that manufacturer - but whether it's coney (rabbit) fur, beaver, or some other fur in the felt also varies.
The older the hat, the more meaningful this probably is. It still has value as a general indication of quality but brand A's XXX may be brand B's XXXXX.
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EricH
One of the Regulars
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I thought it was XXX, XXXX, then L, then LX etc up to C 
Caveat emptor.
Caveat emptor.
Maj.Nick Danger
I'll Lock Up
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I have seen as many as 10 X's!
The ad said 10X! lol
Looked like a cheap marketing gimmick to me.
The ad said 10X! lol
Looked like a cheap marketing gimmick to me.
- Messages
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Aaron Hats said:
lol lol lol
Magus
Practically Family
- Messages
- 655
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- Southern California
More XXX's more Beaver!
I've seen 25 or even 100X hats...what might have started as a percentage of fur content indication (usually more beaver) soon turned into another marketing ploy that means very little at this point in time. There was a thread on it somewhere here in tha last couple of weeks.
But basicly.. the more XXX's the better the Beaver
(I just couldn't resist...yes...I know...I am SO bad (its why my wife loves me...or so she says)
M
I've seen 25 or even 100X hats...what might have started as a percentage of fur content indication (usually more beaver) soon turned into another marketing ploy that means very little at this point in time. There was a thread on it somewhere here in tha last couple of weeks.
But basicly.. the more XXX's the better the Beaver
(I just couldn't resist...yes...I know...I am SO bad (its why my wife loves me...or so she says)
M
- Messages
- 4,119
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- The Beautiful Diablo Valley
There is no rule
The "X"es used to mean something, like the "Stetson 20" was a $20 hat, and a "Stetson 15" was a $15 hat. Lot of money back in the 30's and 40's, more than 10 times the inflation factor today.
The X's used to also mean that a "10 X" was pure beaver. Then they had "Stetson or "100 X". No way to gauge.
I would go by feel and the hatters reputation. Vintage stuff, the early stuff, is kinda good in adherance to the "X" ratings. But I have seen modern hats full of "XXXXXXX" that were x-ceptionally x-crement.lol
The "X"es used to mean something, like the "Stetson 20" was a $20 hat, and a "Stetson 15" was a $15 hat. Lot of money back in the 30's and 40's, more than 10 times the inflation factor today.
The X's used to also mean that a "10 X" was pure beaver. Then they had "Stetson or "100 X". No way to gauge.
I would go by feel and the hatters reputation. Vintage stuff, the early stuff, is kinda good in adherance to the "X" ratings. But I have seen modern hats full of "XXXXXXX" that were x-ceptionally x-crement.lol
Twitch
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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And if you get sidetracked in Mexico and see XX and XXX on beer bottles these are DosXXX and TresXXX so go ahead and pour a cold one....or 2....or 3...
:cheers1:
About the "X"
Most of my hats (40) have no "X" marked, and are much better that the hats produced today, my hatter is an old man that begin working in this matter in the forties, and I learn very much about hats talking with him, once I asked him about the "X", and he said that in the 50's people begun to leave their hats in their closets and the hat sales decrease dramaticaly, then the hat makers start usig the "X" triyng to recover lost clients, they ensure that each "X" means that 10% of the felt was beaver fur, you know this fiber is the best material, "XX" means 20% of beaver, and "XXX" 30%, mi hatter claims that in those days the maximum number of "X" that can be found in a hat was XXX, obviously more "X" means higer prices, at the end of the 50's and the begining of the 60's the divorce between man and hat was signed, the makers continued adding "X", but now the meaning of this roman number it's different, more "X" only mean more money, if the original idea of the "X" where fallowed, then higer quality in the market will be 10X, 100% beaver fur.
Saludos from Mexicali
Most of my hats (40) have no "X" marked, and are much better that the hats produced today, my hatter is an old man that begin working in this matter in the forties, and I learn very much about hats talking with him, once I asked him about the "X", and he said that in the 50's people begun to leave their hats in their closets and the hat sales decrease dramaticaly, then the hat makers start usig the "X" triyng to recover lost clients, they ensure that each "X" means that 10% of the felt was beaver fur, you know this fiber is the best material, "XX" means 20% of beaver, and "XXX" 30%, mi hatter claims that in those days the maximum number of "X" that can be found in a hat was XXX, obviously more "X" means higer prices, at the end of the 50's and the begining of the 60's the divorce between man and hat was signed, the makers continued adding "X", but now the meaning of this roman number it's different, more "X" only mean more money, if the original idea of the "X" where fallowed, then higer quality in the market will be 10X, 100% beaver fur.
Saludos from Mexicali
SHARPETOYS
Call Me a Cab
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- 2,425
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- Titusville, Florida
Dollar signs....
Fortino37 has hit the nail on the head...
The hatters I know don't play the X game. There felts are pure beaver, rabbitt, or a blend.
Hell, I've seen on the net a Virgina hat seller was selling a millionX and now he has dropped down to a 3000X of course he is the Jerry Springer of hatters...
Fortino37 has hit the nail on the head...
The hatters I know don't play the X game. There felts are pure beaver, rabbitt, or a blend.
Hell, I've seen on the net a Virgina hat seller was selling a millionX and now he has dropped down to a 3000X of course he is the Jerry Springer of hatters...
gekisai29
One of the Regulars
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- 199
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- paramus nj
These days the number of x's only has meaning as it relates within a particular brand but a 5x for one might be infinitely superior to anothers 10x. the system seems to be important with western hats
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I first heard it explained pretty much the way Fortino37 tells it. At one time, the X was the Roman numeral 10, and each X stood for 10 percent beaver. So XXXX was 40 percent beaver. But that got corrupted to the point that it means nothing anymore. Hell, I've seen cheap straw hats with 15 or 20 Xes stamped on their sweatbands, and those lids never came within a hundred miles of a beaver.
By the way, Fortino37, it's great to have a new guy aboard who brings significant knowledge and experience to the conversation. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.
By the way, Fortino37, it's great to have a new guy aboard who brings significant knowledge and experience to the conversation. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.
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- 10,940
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- My mother's basement
More praise for Fortino37:
For a non-native English speaker, you sure are poetic in the Queen's tongue. I just may have to steal that "divorce between the man and hat was signed" line of yours.
For a non-native English speaker, you sure are poetic in the Queen's tongue. I just may have to steal that "divorce between the man and hat was signed" line of yours.
Thank you
Thank you Tonyb, you and the rest of the members are very kind, it's a real challenge to me triying to explain my self in your language, when some body ask me if I speak english my answer is always the same: -"I have no problems speaking in english, are the north americans who has problems to understand me" -.
About the poetry, well I belive that when somebody speakes about something that awakes his passion, words and passion becomes to poetry.
This forum fits me like a hat, feel very lucky to found a place like this where can comment, discuss and share anything about hats.
It's a real pleasure being here.
"Any body can wear a base ball cap but not everybody has te courage to wear a fedora".
Fortino37
Saludos from Mexicali
Thank you Tonyb, you and the rest of the members are very kind, it's a real challenge to me triying to explain my self in your language, when some body ask me if I speak english my answer is always the same: -"I have no problems speaking in english, are the north americans who has problems to understand me" -.
About the poetry, well I belive that when somebody speakes about something that awakes his passion, words and passion becomes to poetry.
This forum fits me like a hat, feel very lucky to found a place like this where can comment, discuss and share anything about hats.
It's a real pleasure being here.
"Any body can wear a base ball cap but not everybody has te courage to wear a fedora".
Fortino37
Saludos from Mexicali
