How to tell wool from rabbit/fur felt

[PHIL1959]

yes,he is.
if it says fur felt. it is fur felt.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

If it is made of wool it is very easy to tell. Get caught I the rain that will end the discussion.

 

[Brother cavefish]

I think a big tell for wool vs fur is the smell. Each have a particular smell, especially when wet.

you might be right on this one it stills smells like a wet bunny

 

[Brother cavefish]

Actually...

Rabbit Shortage Forces Akubra to Look Offshore for Raw Hat Materials

It does appear they're doing what they can to continue using rabbit fur, but if they're forced to take what they can get the quality of the felt might slip a bit.

I concur. As I understand it, in Australia Akubras are primarily a working man's hat and, as such, wouldn't need to be as "finished" as a dress hat.

well ****** , they need to get those darn hares humping

 

[Shangas]

Here in Australia, rabbits are a pest because they dig around and uproot stuff and cause soil-erosion. So I'm sure there's a concerted effort to hunt down and remove rabbits from the landscape and put them on our heads.

I suppose one way to tell rabbit felt from wool is to stroke it and dangle a carrot over your hat. If it hops it must be a rabbit.

Speaking seriously though - it's my experience that fur-felt hats are much smoother than wool hats. Wool-felt tends to be a lot coarser and rougher. It's like wearing a hat made of sandpaper.

 

[tuco1963]

dudessssss reallyyyyyyyyyyyy

wool bashing in this day and time
CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG

 

[Rogera]

if it is made of wool it is very easy to tell. Get caught i the rain that will end the discussion.

bingo!!

 

[Shangas]

bingo!!

Absolutely true. Won't disagree with that!

 

[Brian Niebuhr]

I've pounced all of my new Akubras with 800 grit paper. They look and feel so much better after just a light pouncing. General daily wear will smooth the finish too after about a year or so.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Some "woolies" seem to look very pressed and stiff, not sure about the hats from Akubra, but they are well known to be a rugged hat.

 

[Zombie_61]

Some "woolies" seem to look very pressed and stiff, not sure about the hats from Akubra, but they are well known to be a rugged hat.

The four Akubra hats I have currently were all rather stiff out of the box, but handling and wearing them has softened them up somewhat. They still don't have the hand of a vintage or custom fur felt hat, but they're not so stiff as to be uncomfortable.

 

[Brother cavefish]

I got a old one I would imagine its so squishy