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As we use our hats differently we value different attributes. I have modern 100% beaver western felt hats made by some excellent hatters. I’ve asked hatters to duplicate the vintage felt qualities and I’ve been told it can’t be done for love or money. I respect and trust their opinions, but don’t expect others to just take my word.
I might change my opinion on the current felt quality if I was on horseback and in the wind. I also gravitate to the smaller brimmed westerns including dress westerns. My favorite brim widths are between 3 and 3.5 inches so perhaps the advantages of a stiffer felt are lost on me.
@Yahoody, my one small bone of contention is your dismissing the less stiff vintage felt I and others like as cheap or “bad felt.” It was some of the most expensive dense felt made and from an era of much better quality hat making, and it certainly wasn’t stiff. If you find what many of us would consider to be grail hats to be a “POS hat” and “subpar and unusable,” then we just live in two different worlds. I wouldn’t think of calling one of your hats a “POS,” and realize it’s just a different style for a different use.
I’m also not trying to convert anyone. I appreciate all sorts of hat styles and types. I can appreciate most anything that is well-made. I enjoy and wear fedoras, homburgs, Panamas, and a range of westerns. I also like caps and even own a few berets. I do, however, have preferences, and I prefer most hats to not be stiff.
I might change my opinion on the current felt quality if I was on horseback and in the wind. I also gravitate to the smaller brimmed westerns including dress westerns. My favorite brim widths are between 3 and 3.5 inches so perhaps the advantages of a stiffer felt are lost on me.
@Yahoody, my one small bone of contention is your dismissing the less stiff vintage felt I and others like as cheap or “bad felt.” It was some of the most expensive dense felt made and from an era of much better quality hat making, and it certainly wasn’t stiff. If you find what many of us would consider to be grail hats to be a “POS hat” and “subpar and unusable,” then we just live in two different worlds. I wouldn’t think of calling one of your hats a “POS,” and realize it’s just a different style for a different use.
I’m also not trying to convert anyone. I appreciate all sorts of hat styles and types. I can appreciate most anything that is well-made. I enjoy and wear fedoras, homburgs, Panamas, and a range of westerns. I also like caps and even own a few berets. I do, however, have preferences, and I prefer most hats to not be stiff.