if you don't like the Fed IV....

[Edward]

I do have a desire to add a nice Stetson to my hat rack soon, or perhaps something from Christys.

I have plenty of desire for a few hats from Christies, also from Lockes, but alas I don't have the cashflow.... lol

Curious as to what is mant by the Fed being "not a true snap brim" - I have two of the MkIII and always understood those to be snap brims? They certainly seem to act like it.... is there something extra that I'm missing, or is this an alteration they made to the Mk IV? (As I understand it, the changes to the Mk IV were intended to get it closer again to Dr Jones' preferred headwear, which, as memory serves, wasn't snap brim).

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I have had several Fed III's but I have only seen the Fed IV's of others. I think one of the changes was to give a less dramatic curl/snap to the IV so that it could be more easily turned into an Indiana Jones hat. It does still have snap, it's just a somewhat flatter flange shape is all.

I when it comes to modern off-the-shelf hats, I think the Fed IV would be my favored choice, as it's the closest I can get in look and quality to the Fed III, which served me well. But it's not for everybody, and does not serve every purpose. What a boring hat world it would be if every modern hat you saw was a Federation.

So, I recommend whatever maker has a good rep and a hat that suits one's desires. As for me, I now favor custom and vintage. I am spoiled.

 

[Dewhurst]

Thanks, Dewhurst. Any particular model? Do you have more than one Biltmore?

I like their models with the Rosellini felt (particularly the center dent and medium pinch like on the Luauro that I have) and the Canadian Suede felt. My Rosellini Luauro has a three pleat bow, good snap, and a leather sweatband to die for. Very dressy, medium stiffness in the felt. I really like the hand finish on the Rosellini felt.

The Canadian Suede is much more malleable and has a different finish (obviously), but I really like both. I am very happy with the pre-creased crowns (which is strange for me).

Very comfortable. Recently I got rid of a few hats and am left with a single Biltmore, but I plan to correct this in the upcoming months with the addition of at least one more Biltmore and possibly two.

I would like to try one of their Golden Pheasant felts eventually. I was also going to buy one of their straw hats this summer but it is beginning to wind down now and I never got around to it. I will try to purchase one before next summer.

 

[Blackthorn]

I like their models with the Rosellini felt (particularly the center dent and medium pinch like on the Luauro that I have) and the Canadian Suede felt. My Rosellini Luauro has a three pleat bow, good snap, and a leather sweatband to die for. Very dressy, medium stiffness in the felt. I really like the hand finish on the Rosellini felt.

The Canadian Suede is much more malleable and has a different finish (obviously), but I really like both. I am very happy with the pre-creased crowns (which is strange for me).

Very comfortable. Recently I got rid of a few hats and am left with a single Biltmore, but I plan to correct this in the upcoming months with the addition of at least one more Biltmore and possibly two.

I would like to try one of their Golden Pheasant felts eventually. I was also going to buy one of their straw hats this summer but it is beginning to wind down now and I never got around to it. I will try to purchase one before next summer.

Thanks Dewhurst, that's a lot of good info. I'll do some web browsing and check those hats out.

 

[babs]

Brings up an interesting topic I tried to spark some interest in.. The different "styles" or "quality levels" or "finish types" maybe of modern fur felt hats...

Keywords (That are currently available for purchase) like the Akubra's.

I have limited experience with seeing good fur felts in person and even as nice as web-browsing is, it can't replace holding the hat and partaking for yourself unfortunately.

Having a new ebay win.. A Biltmore center-dent (built for Miller Hats) with a rather thick but nice felt (betting it'll be a good winter hat), and a vintage Dunlap with a thinner but smooth luxurious "ok I'm a vintage fan now" felt... I don't have much of a frame of reference to go on.

There's no doubt though even as a new which has the higher beaver count and generally just the better hat.. Even if it's probably 50 yrs old and not exactly pristine. Shown here with a milan I won also.

Miller (Biltmore) for comparison of finish, and yep the style is completely different also. The difference from the Dunlap vintage above in fur finish is vast.

I did read one person tell me the Akubra fed could use a little more "pouncing", so being a newb, ok I'm listening and hopefully learning. Having said that though, I'll probably order a Campdraft or Fed someday.

Truth be known.. I wanna be able to buy a hat with the felt and shape like that dunlap in a new hat.. Except in varying brim widths. I'll bet you guys can reply "yeah right.. good luck with that".

 

[gtdean48]

...I did read one person tell me the Akubra fed could use a little more "pouncing", so being a newb, ok I'm listening and hopefully learning. Having said that though, I'll probably order a Campdraft or Fed someday...

I've done additional pouncing on every Campdraft I have bought. The Imperial felt seems very fuzzy to me & needs more sanding. I use some very fine grit sandpaper to knock down the nap & they really take on a nicer hand. After a good rain soaking, I'll brush them well & hit them again with very, very fine sandpaper.

 

[babs]

Ok.. I'm learning something today.

So "pouncing" means "sanding" then. My google fu is strong today:
http://www.adventurebiltdeluxe.com/hats.php .. section on how hats are made.

So I could take that black Miller above and make a smoother hat out of it? If I so dare. About what grit of sandpaper do you use?


And I'm learning a little vocabulary as well:
"Hand" - smoothness of the felt finish, maybe?

... sorry I'm hijacking.. I'll cut it out if you guys tell me.

 

[gtdean48]

All learning is good here, don't sweat hijacking...
"Hand" is feel of the the felt, texture & such.
With my CDs I started with a 150 grit sandpaper, as coarse as I would use.
I start with much coarser sandpaper after trimming a brim, then end with the 150 but on the body I start there & go up. I think what I end up with is 1500 grit, almost like notebook paper, sort of a polishing cloth.

 

[Blackthorn]

Ok..

... sorry I'm hijacking.. I'll cut it out if you guys tell me.

There is no such thing as hijacking one of threads, it's just thread evolution. Please carry on!

 

[babs]

Ok.. So I'll have to search in here on "pouncing" of a finished hat. Might take a chance and sacrifice the new miller to experiment and see how it goes. Though inspecting both last night, the dunlap vintage feels a lot denser, which I'm guessing NO amount of pouncing would fix.. Just completely different felt altogether.

Last question I promise on the topic to rein myself back in on the original thread creator's topic.

... I imagine you'd need to remove the ribbon and any feathers, etc to 'pounce' it well all over, correct?

Shutting up now. But nice to know if the Akubra's are a little coarse, you can give them a bit finer/smoother "hand". Would love to read up on success stories and before/after pics of that.

 

[gtdean48]

You can sand a vintage lid if you choose. I haven't since mine have a nice patina developed over the years that gives them character. I have never removed bands to sand a hat, just pop out the crease as much as possible & get close to or actually push down the ribbon when doing the crown. Slide the ribbon up a tad when doing the brim. HTH

 

[Dewhurst]

Miller (Biltmore) for comparison of finish, and yep the style is completely different also. The difference from the Dunlap vintage above in fur finish is vast.

Biltmore has many finishes on many different felts with different quality fur contents, any idea which one you have pictured?

 

[babs]

I picked it up on ebay so I'm not exactly sure, but I'm guessing it's one these:
http://www.millerhats.com/felthats_catalog/felthats3.html
.. maybe the Belfast or the Boston hat below
http://www.millerhats.com/millercd_catalog/millercd3.html

Very hard to tell.. I'll check the hat again to see but I'm fairly sure there's no naming as such in the sweat-band.

I wish the websites were a bit more descriptive about the felt types.

 

[Lefty]

What is it that makes Akubras desirable? I get that the felt is decent and that you can get it in an OR style. What I keep seeing are hats that don't fit - the extreme shown in a recent New Hats post, though there are plenty about stuffing the sweat. Then there are the posts about the finish needing further pouncing.

So what's the rush to buy a $100 hat that doesn't fit, isn't finished well, and takes 3 months to receive? One can buy a better quality/style vintage hat in nearly any size from ebay, wear it for a time, grow tired of it, and re-sell it in 3 months. Is it just the price that's driving these? [huh]

 

[babs]

I guess there's something to be said for being able to pick style / color with the shape, taper, etc of a particular era fed. I'm guessing their fans here consider their fur felt pretty darn good, though maybe not vintage level, but without the risk of finding a moth-hole, stain or other surprises here or there.

My own personal perception is from some very very good pics in here (you guys have some nice cameras). From the pics, they look like superb quality, maybe though might not be as smooth as some would like. Considering the poor pics and single-angle views of new hats on some of these other brand dealer sites, the pics in here from actual end-customers help sell the Akubra's.

On sizing, from my discussions, best is to make sure to let them know your exact size with maybe some known size discrepencies depending on the block of the particular hat. Example, in the fed, I'm pretty darn sure a 59 will fit me great right out of the box. But I'd still exercise some email to discuss with them for confirmation.

I've had good luck with the one true vintage felt I have (the dunlap), but one attraction to me besides the great shape and felt, is the idea of keeping those great old hats alive and kickin'.

 

[gtdean48]

What is it that makes Akubras desirable? I get that the felt is decent and that you can get it in an OR style...
.... Is it just the price that's driving these? [huh]

For me the answer is yes = the price to value ratio is worth it. I didn't know about the "fuzzy" felt before I had already ordered 2 Campdrafts, one in Silver Belly & one in Mid-Brown for EA. While waiting for them, Hats Direct offered a Glen Gray, so I pulled that trigger. I am a notorious OR fan & jumped at the chance to get 3 versions in varying colors at average price of $75. Once getting them & learning what they needed, I still consider them good purchases. Owning custom 100% beaver western hats, I knew the Akubra felt could use some fine tuning. I already had 2 Akubra Outback styles that all I did was wear & wear hard, so I knew these could take it. With an XLO shaped noggin, fiddling with a hat to get it to fit has always been there for me. These offered no additional challenges there. Savy?

 

[memphislawyer]

So, will I notice a difference between the felt on a new Stetson and an Akubra Stylemaster? Since the Akubra will be rarely seen with a suit, will it be okay for semi dress?

 

[gtdean48]

So, will I notice a difference between the felt on a new Stetson and an Akubra Stylemaster? Since the Akubra will be rarely seen with a suit, will it be okay for semi dress?

What kind of new Stetson? I have a new Pinnacle & yes you notice the difference in a 100% beaver felt & a rabbit/hare felt.
The Akubras will be more than okay for semi dress as my CDs were out of the box. I just wanted to tune them up a bit, just like when I get a new revolver that is serviceable out of the box. A good tune up from the gunsmith makes it more enjoyable. Same for the hat.

 

[memphislawyer]

Saxon model

 

[gtdean48]

Saxon model

That would be Royal quality type Stetson. Only having Campdrafts & a Squatter, I'd say the Stetson may have a slightly better finish than the Stylemaster but doubt significant differences.