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Dorfman Pacific - That Bad?

NonEntity

Suspended
Messages
281
Location
Southeastern U.S.
Recently, a pompous ass trying on overpriced new Borsalinos in a local hat store referred to the hat on my head as "Dorkman Horrific." I found that genuinely funny and laughed. Of course, it was intended as an insult, so, looking down at his feet, I shot back by asking if those weren't "Floor Shine" shoes. He did not laugh, as they were probably his best pair, while my hat, at least from a PRESTIGE standpoint, was my worst.

Yes, I appreciate the finer things in life, but I must say, my Dorfman Pacific, a dark green crushable wool felt fedora with a basic center bash and frontal dents, and a fabric sweatband, has proved to be a "Sportman Terrific."

It was almost exactly 12 years ago that I had just been diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes, and, sort of feeling sorry for myself, I ambled into this camping-hiking-canoeing store, thinking that I might find a new knife or gadget to buoy my spirits.

Well, I didn't find any WMDs (weapons of minor destruction) I wanted or didn't already have, but I did locate a superb patch pocket plaid Patagonia shirt, as well as a pair of ruddy Woolrich pleated corduroys that matched the rust in the shirt.

I noticed that it was starting to snow outside, so I hurriedly headed to the cash register when I literally knocked a hat onto to the floor. Picking it up, I could see the dark green picked up the same color in the plaid of the shirt, and that the leather hatband echoed the rust in the cords. Stuck it on my head. It fit. Turned the front brim down and the back up and looked in the mirror. Very nice. OK, I'll get the friggin' hat, too.

It was the owner himself who checked me out, and even he was amazed that I'd found three items in his store that were such a perfect match. Remember, this was an outdoor-gear place, not Brooks Brothers, though its prices were hideously high. At about $40, based on the markup of other merchandise, I figured I paid about double what I should have for the hat.

Anyway, I sweat profusely, especially my head, when I perform any kind of physical activity. And, for a dozen years now, this has been the cool-weather hat I put on when I need headgear I don't care about: Hard hiking (I can hoof all day @ 5 miles/hour) in all kinds of inclement weather. Plinking bottles in muddy creek bottoms, shooting dirty re-loads. Raking leaves when it's dry and dusty, wet and moldy. Facing the bi-annual Hitchcock-like flock of migratory red birds that descend on the holly berries before they ruin my cars with their droppings, which, of course, get on the hat, which is why I have it on, which is better than my hair and face. And so on.

All I've done in the way of taking care of it is to slap the dust or gunpowder out, hang it up to dry when it's wet with sweat or precipitation, and let the mud or bird poop dry, scrape off the worst, hose it down on the sidewalk, then let it dry and a quick once-over with a suede brush. It's never been professionally cleaned. Never will be.

The hat looks 95% as good as it did the day I bought it, and it still fits perfectly. Not bad for a bottom dweller "Dorkman Horrific," I bought on impulse, huh?

Other than this one of my own, I know very little about this brand of hat. What's been your experience with Dorfman Pacific?
 

The Wingnut

One Too Many
Messages
1,711
Location
.
DP: Gateway drug. Like any gateway drug, cheap, available, low quality, not enough to give you your fix after a while, and eventually you find some pretty high-grade stuff that makes what you started with look like kiddie play.

I'm sure MANY of the Lounge's denizens have owned one at one time or another. I've had one. Didn't wear it much, eventually traded it away.

You'll find a lot of cheap woolies in the DP line and as far as I know, no fur felts, or if there are any, they're rare, and still not comparable to most other fur felts in quality of materials, workmanship, or style.



...still doesn't justify the prickish comment from the guy in the hat shop. Modern Borsalinos aren't much of a hat for the price, either...for what they go for in most places, you could get a NICE custom.
 

J.T.Marcus

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,354
Location
Mineola, Texas
I had one for years. Mine was a dark "teal." Got a lot of good wear out of it. Finally gave it away to a delighted recipient.

I try never to degrade another man's hat or wife. :D
 

French

Familiar Face
Messages
73
Location
Connecticut
my two older kids have DPs, they work

Hi. Like JT, I try to never insult anyone's hats (or wives). I purchased my 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son children's DP "Indiana Jones" wool felts because they each wanted a "hat like Daddy wears". My kids abuse those two hats, wearing them for playing and adventuring (similar to how I wear my Stetson Temple), and the DPs are holding up well. I believe it was money well spent, as the kids are enjoying the hats and hopefully I've seeded an interest that they will keep (brimmed hats).

All this being said, I know the Stetson Temple isn't the most highly reviewed hat here, but, I was able to get it for a good price, and, unlike some of the horror stories I've read, it hasn't dripped dye on me when it gets soaked, nor has it tapered (yet). Maybe once the hat tapers I can send it to JT to stretch the taper out with his Christmas present hat stretcher.

One final comment: JT, DelMonico Hatter in New Haven, CT (my local hat shop) has a stretcher very similar to the one you have posted. Very cool.

french
 

MrFusion

One of the Regulars
Messages
258
Location
Columbia, Maryland
I have one too!

It's from their Scala line and it is called the Outback. Looks very western to me. I wear it whenever we have nasty weather and I don't want to subject my nicer hats to that.
In fact, yesterday we had a bit of interesting weather (snow/sleet/rain) and I was wearing my Outback both to work and when I got home and had to shovel the drive (I have a long drive). Kept my head dry and warm. Hung it up to dry and it was ready for me this morning.
It is not my favorite style (I don't think I look very good in westerns), but it does it's job well.
My ultimate plan is to replace the Outback with an Adventurebuilt, but I need to save a bit for that. :rolleyes:
 

Havana

One of the Regulars
Messages
249
Location
South Carolina
I've never met anyone who started out wearing a top quality custom made hat. In the days before the web, many of us had to find our own way and buy what we could find locally. I had a wool felt Bailey fedora that served me well for about 6 years. Eventually, my horizons broadened and I gained knowledge of better things but I never frown on those who are just beginning to explore hats by wearing a wool cheapie. I recently even recommend a wool Scala brand zoot type fedora to a buddy who wants to try wearing hats for the first time. The Scala features a bound brim, leather sweat band and nice looking ribbon for around $40. If my friend sticks with it, I'll have him in an Akubra in a few months. If he doesn't, we do wear the same size. ;)
http://www.thefedorastore.com/Scala-Wool-Felt-Zoot-Large-Brim-Fedora-Prom-Hat-p/wf547.htm
 

J.T.Marcus

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,354
Location
Mineola, Texas
Havana said:
I recently even recommend a wool Scala brand zoot type fedora to a buddy who wants to try wearing hats for the first time. The Scala features a bound brim, leather sweat band and nice looking ribbon for around $40. If my friend sticks with it, I'll have him in an Akubra in a few months. If he doesn't, we do wear the same size. ;)
http://www.thefedorastore.com/Scala-Wool-Felt-Zoot-Large-Brim-Fedora-Prom-Hat-p/wf547.htm

I would love to see a thread on that hat, by someone who has it in hand and on head. Maybe he would loan it to you for a day. :)
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,084
Location
London, UK
But for the cheaper wool hats I started with, I'd never have developed an interest in brimmed hats. Experience for me has been that there's virtually nothing available in fur felt at a price which would lead to an impulse buy or the sort of thing you might give a go when unfamiliar.... Actually, the woollies I had are still grand. Not my go-to hats now I've discovered the fur felts, but I would'nt be too produ to wear them. Preference in style aside, I tend to the view that wool's not so much inferior as just different as a material (of course in practice, wool being a chaper material as far as I know, it's likely to be used on more lower end hats).

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but in my experience folks who feel the need to make such snidey comments about what other's have are generally pretty insecure about themselves. Sounds like you got the meaure of him quick enough.
 

besdor

Vendor/Sponsor
Messages
1,727
Location
up north
All I can say about Dorman Pacific is that they are the largest hat company in the USA. They sell more hats than Hatco and Bollman . They import everything with few exceptions. They dont manufacture anything . They sell what the market wants. Dorfman is trying to increase their quality level with the Christys and Scala labels.
They do sell felt hats ,but they are mostly made in China. But for a 75.00 retail , how can one go wrong.




Steven
www.bencrfthats.com
 

Wesne

One of the Regulars
Messages
165
Location
Montana
I've never had a Dorfman Pacific, but my "gateway" hat was even lower down on the scale. It was one of those wool felt "crusher" hats in bright red. Bought it on the spur of the moment one day, because it was there when I needed it, not too far from NonEntity's situation. I was going to go skeet shooting with a friend, and we had stopped at the sporting goods store to pick up some shotgun shells and clay pigeons. It had turned out to be a drizzly day, and I noticed there in the bargain bin some of these red crusher hats, marked down to some ridiculous low price ($4 if I remember correctly). I bought one for each of us with the idea that we could wear them that day and maybe never again.

Need I say that wearing a brimmed hat (even a wool one, as cheap as they come) in the rain was a revelation? The hat became my standard wear for rainy days, and then for snow. I never used an umbrella again. Without really thinking about it too much, I kept it shaped into as much of a fedora as the felt would allow. It kept me dry at a local air show one rainy day when a female friend playfully tucked some sprigs of greenery behind the bow, and this accent remained there for several years until the last bits finally crumbled away. I can't begin to tell you how many compliments I received on that most humble of fedoras. It's the only hat I've ever had a woman tell me was "sexy!"

I wore that hat for about 10 years. Not every day but nearly always in inclement weather. It's seen better days and is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement, but I could never bring myself to toss it. Too many memories in that hat.
 

Not-Bogart13

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,501
Location
NE Pennsylvania
First, let me announce this; 80% of my hat collection is custom made. Now..

The Dorfman-bashing thing really boggles my mind, and I really think that people do it based on experiencing only one of their hats - generally the worst of the brand - or from ignorance.

Now, I'm not saying that Dorfman's are great hats. They are fair at best, but not as bad as most people like to claim. They range from absolute garbage (those stiff-as-cardboard wool felts with genuine cardboard sweatbands) to something roughly equal to a modern fur felt Stetson dress hat (let's not debate the quaility of those at this time, please). I have seen the entire quality range in person. The fur felt DP isn't that bad, but I know I can do better at a similar price. Still, if I specifically wanted one, I would try to find it at a discounted price.

I also own a couple of DP rain hats, which are great, and the wool crushers are nice for wool crushers. Country Gentleman crushers are downright cheesy compared to DP crushers.

In short, that hat was meant to be yours, NonEntity! Wear it with pride, and don't be afraid to tell people what you really think of it. There are peopl who will tell you that Borsolino hats are trash, and have horror stories to go back themselves up. Hat brands, like car brands, are only as good as they perform for you.

So There. :eek:
 

animator

One of the Regulars
Messages
231
Location
Seattle
I compliment everyone I see wearing a fedora.

My first hat was a cheap wool hat I bought 10 years ago after I shaved my head in November... not realizing that's a bad idea if you live in Minnesota. The hat held up very well. It wasn't until I found this lounge I even know how to go about getting a better quality hat... or even how to judge hat quality. I'm still learning.

The value in a hat is how much you enjoy wearing it. How can an outsider know what that hat has been through with you.

A guy who makes a comment like that is not a truly happy person. I feel sort of sorry for him.
 

Delthayre

One of the Regulars
Messages
258
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Deserving what one recieves

I'm surprised that anyone would say such a thing to a stranger for not good reason. I never could comprehend how some people are able to be so casually impolite.
 

NonEntity

Suspended
Messages
281
Location
Southeastern U.S.
besdor said:
All I can say about Dorman Pacific is that they are the largest hat company in the USA. They sell more hats than Hatco and Bollman . They import everything with few exceptions. They dont manufacture anything . They sell what the market wants. Dorfman is trying to increase their quality level with the Christys and Scala labels.
They do sell felt hats ,but they are mostly made in China. But for a 75.00 retail , how can one go wrong.




Steven
www.bencrfthats.com

So DP owns Chrystys and Scala? I did not know that.

I recently considered the Chrystys Trilby and found it to be a quality hat. It said it was made in England, so perhaps that accounts for the price just under $200, or maybe they figure they can ask that much based on the historic prestige of the brand. I passed and got an Akubra Sidney: Higher quality hat + Less Expensive = Far better value.

Just from its strong presence in stores, catalogues, and the Web, I knew Scalas must be selling like hotcakes. Never hear anything about them here, so I suppose they're not well regarded by the hat cognoscenti.

Several of you made comments about the pompous ass' psychological state to make such a rude remark to me. Well, after he walked out strutting with the new Borso cocked on his head, the owner apologized on his behalf and said the guy was trying to compensate for an inadequacy.

"Really?" I said. "Do tell."

I've known the owner all my life, and he proceeded with this little story:

"He's a Jew, like me. He's not married, never has been, but dates a lot, though he can't seem to hold a girlfriend. Jews talk, and the word among the ladies is that he has a tiny, you know, tool, and doesn't know how to work it, either. It's great for me though. He's in here once a month buying an expensive hat to make up for his 'shortcoming.'"

Ha!!! We cracked up laughing.
 

MrFusion

One of the Regulars
Messages
258
Location
Columbia, Maryland
NonEntity said:
Just from its strong presence in stores, catalogues, and the Web, I knew Scalas must be selling like hotcakes. Never hear anything about them here, so I suppose they're not well regarded by the hat cognoscenti.

Well my Scala Outback is wool felt, no liner and a fabric band. It's crushable (which is one of the things I was looking for), pretty water resistant and warm. It cost me about $38. I don't regret getting it but I have learned quite a bit since I found this forum and I won't get another. I know I can get a much better hat for not much more money.
My Scala will be used when I don't want to wear one of my nicer hats.

Live and learn I guess. [huh]
 

David Conwill

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,854
Location
Bennington, VT 05201
I've given some thought recently to picking up DP's "officially licensed" Indy fedora - just to have a brown one on hand. I'd probably re-crease it to a diamond or teardrop if it doesn't already come that way (thought I read somewhere it was a center dent). How do DPs compare to my wool Dobbs? I see they're priced about the same.

-Dave
 

Spats McGee

One Too Many
Messages
1,039
Location
Arkansas
I own a Dorfman Pacific. It's straw and I got it just a couple of weeks ago. I like it just fine. As a relative newcomer to the world of NBC (Non-Baseball Cap) hats, I haven't been able to bring myself to invest in a top-rack Akubra or Art Fawcett, beautiful though they are. The question is whether you like the DP, not strangers.

And I have to say that I believe Mid-fogey hit the nail on the head with this:
Mid-fogey said:
...NonEntity.

Laughed at his crappy put-down: 1 point.

Returned effective fire: 1 point.

Score: NonEntity 2; Loser boy 0
lol Well-said, Mid-fogey, well-said.
 

J.T.Marcus

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,354
Location
Mineola, Texas
David Conwill said:
I've given some thought recently to picking up DP's "officially licensed" Indy fedora - just to have a brown one on hand. I'd probably re-crease it to a diamond or teardrop if it doesn't already come that way (thought I read somewhere it was a center dent). How do DPs compare to my wool Dobbs? I see they're priced about the same.-Dave

Your wool Dobbs is probably quite stiff. The DP will be softer. If you get a fur DP, it will be even softer and smoother. :)
 

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