Fedora Store Beaver Brand Xmas specials

[Fletch]

Steve, was I talking thru my hat ( lol ) about the crown situation? Or is that more or less how things are?

Still sticks in my craw that you don't get to pick your own ribbon width. That, too, might no longer be seen as a style consideration - more simple "correctness," like having 8 useless buttons on your tailcoat.

 

[fiddletown]

Out of all the factories left in the USA , Beaver Brand is the only one that will produce special hats individualy for customers. Stetson , Bollman and Biltmore realy dont want to bother anymore . Part of the reason is that Beaver Brand is a much smaller company. ...

I've no doubt that is true, as far as a factory hat is concerned. Fortunately, there are still a few custom hatters who are considerably more flexible -- but also considerably more costly.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Mine was -- certainly stiffer than my current production Borsalinos and the Biltmores I've seen. Pretty much like a western hat.

I was thinking of compared to Stetson and Akubra.

Modern Borsalino felt has always been softer.

Biltmore felt is usually thinner to my touch than the competition. It's been a while since I've held a modern Biltmore so I'll have to see them again and take more mental notes.

 

[barrowjh]

Fiddletown - Beaver Brand is actually more expensive than the custom hatters unless you catch them in a sale. Beaver Brand custom 100% beaver hats are generally more expensive than say, VS or Buckaroo, less expensive than Optimo (Graham Thompson). BB's custom 'Heritage' felt (I think a hare/rabbit blend) is a fine hat, and when you catch an opportunity to customize one for under $200, those are fine hat deals.

 

[fiddletown]

Fiddletown - Beaver Brand is actually more expensive than the custom hatters unless you catch them in a sale. Beaver Brand custom 100% beaver hats are generally more expensive than say, VS or Buckaroo, less expensive than Optimo (Graham Thompson). BB's custom 'Heritage' felt (I think a hare/rabbit blend) is a fine hat, and when you catch an opportunity to customize one for under $200, those are fine hat deals.

I was actually thinking along the lines of Optimo or Adventurebuilt. I just got a couple of hats from Optimo. They're the softer felt I prefer, and I was able to get exactly what I wanted. I just had to pay for it.

My Beaver custom fedora from the Fedora Store cost a little less than the what I've seen for VS and Buckaroo. I also have a couple of custom hats from Rand that cost somewhat more than my Beaver Brand. The Rand hats are also very nicely made, but again they are the stiff felt in the western fashion.

My Beaver Brand is very nicely made, but is much stiffer than I prefer.

 

[Jauntyone]

This just arrived in the mail yesterday. It's a Beaver Brand hat from the Fedora Store's "design a hat" range. The color is banker gray. The brim is 2 1/2".

Here it is compared to a new Stetson Downs:

And to an old 1940s Mallory Pliafelt:

Inside shot:

On the noggin:

Front view:

I ordered this hat just days before it went on sale:eusa_doh: . I chose the teardrop crown, but if I had it to do over, I'd order it open-crown or with just a center crease. Not that there's anything wrong with the crown shape, it's really well proportioned. It's just that it's too "machine perfect" for my taste. I like messy, home-made creases in my hats. I asked for "normal" stiffness, but it is pretty stiff. I'm sure it'll loosen up with wear. The felt is very smooth and thin. Feels high-quality and the color is absolutely what I was looking for: a beautiful light-grey. The sweat is real leather, good quality but not what I'd call luxurious. The liner is glued in, and the stitiching on the crown ribbon is not hidden. I ordered long oval, but it will still take some "persuading" to conform to my head.
All in all, a really nice hat. I love the felt and the color. I wish I could've had a wind trolley; the folks at the Fedora Store offered to attatch a decorative trolley, but I want a real one or nothing! I think this will be one of my favorites in the future!

 

[metropd]

How tall is the crown?

 

[Jauntyone]

How tall is the crown?

Front pinch: 4 5/8"
Back: 4 1/8"
Highest point on the sides: 5 3/8"

 

[daizawaguy]

Great report :eusa_clap

 

[Spats McGee]

I agree with daizawaguy: Great report.

Jauntyone, that's a really sharp hat. I've had my eye on the BB "Design-a-hat" at The Fedora Store for some time & it's nice to see them compared to some other lids. You did well in that design. Very sharp! :eusa_clap

 

[Duper]

:eusa_clap Jauntyone, nice hat. Maybe I have to roll a similar one into next years hat budget. The proportions really suit you.:eusa_clap

 

[RobFedoraField]

Sharp hat!

do you have a campdraft? aside from the 1/4" brim difference, how does it compare?

there's a $100 price difference and I was wondering if it was worth it.

 

[Jauntyone]

do you have a campdraft? aside from the 1/4" brim difference, how does it compare?

there's a $100 price difference and I was wondering if it was worth it.

I do have a Campdraft--three in fact. There are some differences: first, the Campdraft comes open-crown, though the Beaver Brand can be ordered open-crown. The felt on the Campdraft has a slightly rougher finish, the Beaver Brand is extremely smooth and regular. The Campdraft has a much softer sweat and a functional wind trolley. The sweat on the Beaver Brand is okay, it's real leather. The Beaver Brand can be ordered in long oval and there are a lot of colors to choose from. The Campdraft has a very tall, un-tapered crown and a nice tight curl in the brim. The Beaver Brand has a slightly shorter crown but still very little taper and a flatter brim.
Both are great; My Campdrafts have little stiffener in the crown and can be creased to look higher or lower with no steam or water, just chop, pinch, and go! The Beaver Brand is pretty stiff and would take a lot of work to crease if the open-crown version had as much stiffener.
Here are a few pics:

Frankly, if the 2 3/4" brim looks good on you and you are happy with one of the three colors offered, go with the Campdraft. If you want a slightly dressier hat in a different color or brim width, spend the extra money and get a Beaver Brand. Hope this helps .

 

[mayserwegener]

This just arrived in the mail yesterday. It's a Beaver Brand hat from the Fedora Store's "design a hat" range. The color is banker gray. The brim is 2 1/2".

I ordered this hat just days before it went on sale:eusa_doh: . I chose the teardrop crown, but if I had it to do over, I'd order it open-crown or with just a center crease. Not that there's anything wrong with the crown shape, it's really well proportioned. It's just that it's too "machine perfect" for my taste. I like messy, home-made creases in my hats. I asked for "normal" stiffness, but it is pretty stiff. I'm sure it'll loosen up with wear. The felt is very smooth and thin. Feels high-quality and the color is absolutely what I was looking for: a beautiful light-grey. The sweat is real leather, good quality but not what I'd call luxurious. The liner is glued in, and the stitiching on the crown ribbon is not hidden. I ordered long oval, but it will still take some "persuading" to conform to my head.
All in all, a really nice hat. I love the felt and the color. I wish I could've had a wind trolley; the folks at the Fedora Store offered to attatch a decorative trolley, but I want a real one or nothing! I think this will be one of my favorites in the future!

Jauntyone, That is a very nice looking hat! :eusa_clap

 

[daizawaguy]

I agree with daizawaguy: Great report.

:eusa_clap

And an even greater comparative report! many thanks :eusa_clap

 

[RobFedoraField]

...Frankly, if the 2 3/4" brim looks good on you and you are happy with one of the three colors offered, go with the Campdraft. If you want a slightly dressier hat in a different color or brim width, spend the extra money and get a Beaver Brand. Hope this helps .

Thanks, I love my campdrafts, but my wife likes a smaller brim and I've been wanting a grey hat. Thanks for the comparison!

 

[Jauntyone]

Thanks, I love my campdrafts, but my wife likes a smaller brim and I've been wanting a grey hat. Thanks for the comparison!

My pleasure! The gray color I ordered is really nice; it's lighter than a steel gray, but just a shade darker than a pearl gray. It seems as though it'll go with earth tones or blues.
I love the Campdraft, too, but sometimes it just seems like too much hat on me! If they would make it with a 2 1/2" brim I would be a happy camper (pun intended!).

 

[gtdean48]

....
I love the Campdraft, too, but sometimes it just seems like too much hat on me! If they would make it with a 2 1/2" brim I would be a happy camper (pun intended!).

Have you met HPGene the Bound Brim Slasher????