David Morgan 'feather weight panama'

[scotrace]

Ryan - hang around a bit, get a feel for the place, and recognize that many people have a very serious and deep knowledge of hats and the people who sell them here.
Most importantly, please leave forum moderation to the bartenders.

 

[Aerol]

Years ago I learned

that there's Price, there's Quality, and there's Service. The customer gets to pick two.

If you want good Service (Delivery, prompt response to questions, etc.) and good Quality, you're going to have to pay the Price. The only way to save a buck is to give up something.

Sorry, but this is the way the world works.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Gentlemen I have held back on this thread for a number of reasons, the first of which is that I do not bash other's hats unless the "truth" be demanded and this isn't a case where that is needed. I think what is needed here is education for all around and this post is being made in that effort. I see no fraud or misleading advertising here.

I must also put up front that I am biased toward genuine Montecristi panama's and I do block some hats for PanamaBob which could lead some to think towards bias on my part. Please be assured that this is not the case.

Will, thank you for taking your stance on this comparision issue and truly one never knows how fair & balanced the reviewer is going to be. I personally know Bud and know him to be a fair man so in my mind that isn't an issue, but rather the "my hat is better than your hat" mentality. The best hat in the world is one that the customer is satisfied with, peroid.

Robert, I truly wish you had taken a few minutes to put your thoughts to print rather than the "drive by snipe" you did on DM. No, you didn't specifically bash DM, but you DID put out a very mysterious and potentially negative post without giving your reasoning. As an educator I can't imagine you treating students in this way and expecting something positive to result.


Gentlemen, I am not PB when it comes to Panama education and the ins and outs of the specific panama trade but I DO know that there are several types of weaves used in making them. The Brisa weave used in most Cuenca's are considered the easiest to do and therefore are at the bottom of the value ladder. Within that Brisa "ladder" are three quality ranges depending on the weave count, straightness of weave, backweave finishing, all of which lead to value being higher or lower. In the street in Ecuador, Brisa's can be purchased from $6 US to $35-40 US ( I have paid over $60 at times for the right hat) so by the time is reaches our shore the typical retail normally ranges from $75 to $150 depending on the retailers business model and the quality of the weave. If this hat is of high quality or some unusual feature offered by DM then I see no issue with price.

That being said, another factor that is dear to not only my heart but I'm sure also PB's is the fraud that pervades the panama industry. We have all seen retailers ( heck, one of the largest, oldest hat companies in the world) list panama's as "Montecristi"s" where by simple inspection are clearly Cuenca Brisa's. In the case of the italian hat company that seems to be guilty of this the most has been contacted to let them know that their advertising is incorrect and the response is one of "we don't care". There are retailers in the US that routinely list Cuenca's as Monte's therefore getting higher prices and the masses truly don't know any different. I personally consider this outrageous and one that will bring down the industry if not policed.

Here is the bottom line. Panama's as a business is a business where knowledge is everything. With the introduction of the hat on the DM site being as vague as originally posted the cynics among us could clearly jump to wrong conclusions and in this case may have. I again thank you Mr. Morgan for adding detail to the description so that some of this could be more clear and for joining us here on the Lounge to help clear things up. The more details that can be given (without giving away secrets) , the more confidence we as consumers have in your product.

As for the rest of the attitudes? They are unbefitting to the Lounge. This is a GENTLEMENS club, not a school playground. Thought out opinions that are presented with dignity are all welcome here. Let's keep that train on track, please.

 

[Andykev]

Great summary

Well said. Nothing to be added.