Hat Prices and Quality---Vintage, New and Custom

[Historyteach24]

I like having a hat made with more crown and less taper than most new hats. I also like the ribbon work of a custom.

Sometimes the wait for a custom gets old. That's when I'll buy a (Akubra Campdraft, Federation, etc.) new hat to hold me over till the custom arrives.

That is my only complaint with custom, but my last custom was from Tony and the wait was very minimal. Sadly you and I have experience waiting 6 plus months on some of our hats!

 

[fedoralover]

There may not be a huge difference in actual quality between an off the rack hat and a custom one

Well actually there is, hence the reason for this thread.

fedoralover

 

[Historyteach24]

Well actually there is, hence the reason for this thread.

fedoralover

I agree man! I have never handled an off the rack hat that can compare with my customs

 

[Tomasso]

Well actually there is, hence the reason for this thread.

What is the difference in quality of construction between the 100% beaver Borso and a 100% beaver hat from one of the custom hatters?

 

[job]

You will not find a production hat that has a ribbon treatment as nice as a VS custom or many other custom hatters. The quality of the felt may be less noticeable in a dress weight.
My Custom hats are better pounced than any current production hat I've handled. The hidden stitches on the ribbon are a nice touch.
I have seen some sloppy tack jobs on the ribbons of new hats.

 

[jlee562]

Generally speaking, better sweatbands as well.

 

[DarrelMorris]

Well actually there is, hence the reason for this thread.

fedoralover

OK. I concede this point.

 

[gtdean48]

What is the difference in quality of construction between the 100% beaver Borso and a 100% beaver hat from one of the custom hatters?

I've not held nor seen a 100% beaver Borso but have owned 2 100% beaver Stetson Pinnacles, still own 1.
The finish, ribbon, & sweatband are not up to the quality of my 100% beaver customs.
The customs fit better because I have a LO shaped noggin approaching a XLO.
Stetson only makes Regular Oval fedoras.
So fit, finish, ribbon, sweatband & my input to crown & brim dimensions, color, ribbon treatment, all point to custom over off the rack....JMHO

 

[-30-]

"I have seen some sloppy tack jobs on the ribbons of new hats."
QUOTE: job

The above should be the first give-a-way for a "We don't care to give you the very best." attitude.


Regards,
-30-

 

[tonyb]

"I have seen some sloppy tack jobs on the ribbons of new hats."
QUOTE: job

The above should be the first give-a-way for a "We don't care to give you the very best." attitude.


Regards,
-30-

Either that, or "we assume you don't know enough to know the difference."

The large manufacturers make their calculations. They sell (or hope to sell) many thousands of any and every particular product they offer. If they save a buck here and a couple of bucks there -- cheaper sweatband, so-so ribbon, quick-and-dirty trim work, etc. -- it adds up.

Thing is, that while I don't approve of taking such shortcuts with FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR hats, I don't really fault them for that as much as one might think a custom hatmaker such as myself would. The people buying those 100 percent beaver Stetsons and Borsalinos are getting good hats, certainly a substantial cut above most other off-the-shelf hats. And it's highly unlikely they would be buying a hat I or any of my custom hatter associates made anyway, just as the guys who buy hats from us aren't buying those all-beaver Stetsons and Borsalinos.

And besides, those high-end factory hats leave me feeling all the better about my own offerings. I have no doubt that my hats and those of my friends in the trade, which cost the customer a whole lot less than what those factory lids would set him back, are a real bargain in comparison. The more attention those factory hats get, the better we all look.

 

[Tom-n-Perris]

Either that, or "we assume you don't know enough to know the difference."

The large manufacturers make their calculations. They sell (or hope to sell) many thousands of any and every particular product they offer. If they save a buck here and a couple of bucks there -- cheaper sweatband, so-so ribbon, quick-and-dirty trim work, etc. -- it adds up.

Thing is, that while I don't approve of taking such shortcuts with FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR hats, I don't really fault them for that as much as one might think a custom hatmaker such as myself would. The people buying those 100 percent beaver Stetsons and Borsalinos are getting good hats, certainly a substantial cut above most other off-the-shelf hats. And it's highly unlikely they would be buying a hat I or any of my custom hatter associates made anyway, just as the guys who buy hats from us aren't buying those all-beaver Stetsons and Borsalinos.

And besides, those high-end factory hats leave me feeling all the better about my own offerings. I have no doubt that my hats and those of my friends in the trade, which cost the customer a whole lot less than what those factory lids would set him back, are a real bargain in comparison. The more attention those factory hats get, the better we all look.

+1 I concur with Tony!!

http://gomezhatcompany.com

 

[-30-]

"Either that, or "we assume you don't know enough to know the difference."
QUOTE: tonyb.

Yes, I was one of the above mentioned but only twice; The First, & The Last!
LOL


Regards,
-30-

 

[fedoralover]

What makes me sad, is that many of the vintage off the shelf fedora's were done really well. The quality of materials and workmanship as a whole (yes there were cheap ones then too) was at a much higher level than it is today. As an example, I have about 7 or 8 vintage Borsalino's which are all rabbit fur. The felt is super light and tight. The stitching is immaculate and the sweatbands are great. I've seen many new Borsalino's, the felt is almost porous by comparison. It looks like compressed toilet paper when you put the new next to the old. Sweatbands are cheaper, and the stitching around the edge binding and ribbon is sloppy. Liners are glued in. Most start around $250 and up, with only a few styles being lower. Winchester rabbit felt bodies are miles ahead of it and when finished by a custom hatter will be nicer looking and longer lasting.

I know, you have to chalk it up to today's business standard of lower quality and higher price margins to stay in business. So should we the buyer settle for less for more money? I suppose in cases one doesn't have a choice, but thankfully in the hat world we do. Support your local hatter.

fedoralover

 

[LeFonque]

I have a number of custom made hats including 4 vs that are beautiful in make but I did pick up an off the shelf Stetson fedora last year and I have to say the quality was really good and it was under $ 200 AuD

It is a regular wearer.

 

[tonyb]

I suspect the large manufacturers would offer a better hat at a lower price if they sold more hats. And if George Washington hadn't died he'd still be alive today.

We could get into a chicken-and-egg discussion here. But I'm in the camp that believes that even if the big manufacturers made a much better hat at a much better price, they still wouldn't sell anywhere near as many hats per capita as they did 60-plus years ago. Hence they have very little incentive to do what we'd all prefer they do. So they make a not-so-good (with occasional exceptions) hat that costs 150 bucks or so, and a real POS that retails for 60, and a nice lid priced at (gulp) nearly 500. And they keep the plant running.

If not for the fairly steady Western hat market, which is the major manufacturers' bread and butter, I doubt we'd have any large scale manufacturing of "dress" hats left in this country. I rarely wear a Western myself, and it's even rarer that I make one, but I'm thankful that the market for them has remained strong over the decades since dress hats went into decline, because the demand they generate keeps the suppliers I buy from in business.