Miller/Biltmore "Open Door" review.

[frussell]

It's been a long wait, and I was prepared for the worst, as my dealings with Miller Hats have not left me impressed. I am pleasantly surprised with this hat. The color does not represent well in my photos. It is more "dove" than tan silverbelly. The felt is thin and pliable, more like an older Open Road or a Stratoliner, though not nearly as fine as either. Nicely finished for a factory hat, pretty good pouncing. It will hold a dry crease nicely, which is a plus for me. The sweatband says genuine leather, and looks very nice, but is not fine leather like Art's or Penman's by any stretch. A little fuzzy thread here and there on the binding, and the sweatband stitching is not super precise, but this is a factory hat, so it's not a big surprise. Overall, I'd say it beats my recently owned modern Open Road by yards. One nice surprise, the brim on this one is closer to 2 7/8" than the 2 3/4" listed. 5 1/2" open crown, 3/8" ribbon with Biltmore pin that is already gone. It's made by Biltmore for Miller Hats. If you order one, be SURE they have it in stock before you pay, or you might wait 2 months or more like I did. I won't flame Miller Hats like I was expecting to, since the hat came out pretty nice, but it took bi-weekly email badgering to get this done. I'd pick this one over my Campdrafts, as far as felt hand and moldability, and that's saying a lot. Nice to have a "made in North America" alternative. I'll post more pictures once the hat decides what crease it likes best. Thought a few of you thin ribbon guys might like to know how it turned out. Thanks, Frank

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Front View:

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Ribbon detail and pin:

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Miller Label:

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Genuine Leather from Canada:

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Liner:

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[monbla256]

Frank,
VERY NICE looking hat!! Looks to be well worth the price they sell it for if not more Looking forward to seeing what crease it likes

 

[handlebar bart]

Really sharp Frank. This hat has slipped under my radar.

 

[W4ASZ]

Looks nice to me !

Yes, more pictures Frank.

Will it take the Old Prospector treatment ?

 

[Jauntyone]

Very nice! Thanks for the review and the pictures. Be sure to post pictures of the crease you finally decide on.
How is oval on this one? Is it a very round oval or could it be easily "long-ovalized"?

 

[gtdean48]

Way to hang in there Frank. Seems to be worth the wait. Looking forward to the crease... :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

 

[RBH]

Very nice, I bet it would like a diamond!

 

[Neophyte]

How is oval on this one? Is it a very round oval or could it be easily "long-ovalized"?

:arated:

The hat looks great, and it's good to know that you are satisfied with the hat after a wait that long. Congratulations!

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Really nice Hat! Check the inner side of the sweatband. My Biltmores have the date they were made stamped there. The ink is a little hard to see, but it is there.

 

[hatophile]

Thanks for the critique, Frank. Looks like a decent hat. Let us see more when you crease it!

 

[bowlerman]

gorgeous hat! It's nice to see some actual photos and read reviews of Miller hats, even if it was made by Biltmore. I can't stand those website photos with the blinding white backgrounds, etc. Congrats!
As far as I remember, you can't get a long oval there, right?

 

[VetPsychWars]

I'm going to be interested in the long term review. If it's the same hat body as I received a while back, the sweat-band is prone to extreme shrinkage. Putting it on in the morning over wet hair was not a good idea.

Tom

 

[Memo]

Great looking hat Frank, I can't wait for the head to head comparison to the HERITAGE GRADE Campdraft.
-Memo

 

[frussell]

Jauntyone - I'm a long oval, and it did the usual "long oval taco sides" when I first put it on. If I was wearing it brim up, and not in a cattleman crease, that might be a problem. When in brim down "fedora" mode, it's just fine. If you don't wear a 7 3/4, which is the largest they carry, you might want to order a size up. It's not as round oval as most of my recent Stetson hats, nor as stiff, which helps with "ovaling." Tom, I'll keep an eye on the sweatband shrinkage. If need be, this is a good enough hat for me to send to Optimo or someone else to put a better quality sweat in if I develop some shrinkage. Frank

 

[Jauntyone]

Thanks for the info, frussel. I might have to give one a try. Enjoy your hat!

 

[Jedwbpm]

Good luck with the hat Frank and more Pics please.

Jeff

 

[fmw]

So what's the plan for it? Cattleman's crease like an Open Road or more of a fedora look or maybe something else? One nice thing about that kind of hat is that it is really flexible in the way you shape it. It can look great in nearly any style.

 

[azhiker]

I have been wondering about ordering the exact hat! I have 3 Biltmores, the first one I bought in October. I wear it pretty much every day, and it always goes on over 'damp' hair. It has exhibited no signs of shrinkage yet. It has been sweat in, rained and snowed on so far. I am looking forward to seeing a crease in that one, especially if it is as soft as mine are. Congrats on a fine looking hat!

 

[VetPsychWars]

I have been wondering about ordering the exact hat! I have 3 Biltmores, the first one I bought in October. I wear it pretty much every day, and it always goes on over 'damp' hair. It has exhibited no signs of shrinkage yet. It has been sweat in, rained and snowed on so far. I am looking forward to seeing a crease in that one, especially if it is as soft as mine are. Congrats on a fine looking hat!

That's encouraging news. The ones I have are a few years old, so perhaps if they had a wide-spread problem, it's been corrected.

Tom

 

[fedoralover]

It's been a long wait, and I was prepared for the worst, as my dealings with Miller Hats have not left me impressed. I am pleasantly surprised with this hat. The color does not represent well in my photos. It is more "dove" than tan silverbelly. The felt is thin and pliable, more like an older Open Road or a Stratoliner, though not nearly as fine as either. Nicely finished for a factory hat, pretty good pouncing. It will hold a dry crease nicely, which is a plus for me. The sweatband says genuine leather, and looks very nice, but is not fine leather like Art's or Penman's by any stretch. A little fuzzy thread here and there on the binding, and the sweatband stitching is not super precise, but this is a factory hat, so it's not a big surprise. Overall, I'd say it beats my recently owned modern Open Road by yards. One nice surprise, the brim on this one is closer to 2 7/8" than the 2 3/4" listed. 5 1/2" open crown, 3/8" ribbon with Biltmore pin that is already gone. It's made by Biltmore for Miller Hats. If you order one, be SURE they have it in stock before you pay, or you might wait 2 months or more like I did. I won't flame Miller Hats like I was expecting to, since the hat came out pretty nice, but it took bi-weekly email badgering to get this done. I'd pick this one over my Campdrafts, as far as felt hand and moldability, and that's saying a lot. Nice to have a "made in North America" alternative. I'll post more pictures once the hat decides what crease it likes best. Thought a few of you thin ribbon guys might like to know how it turned out. Thanks, Frank

[/IMG]
Front View:

[/IMG]
Ribbon detail and pin:

[/IMG]
Miller Label:

[/IMG]
Genuine Leather from Canada:

[/IMG]
Liner:

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

This is really a very decent looking off the shelf Open Road Clone. I like the straight sided block. I'd like to see you try a center dent in the crown to see if it makes it taper. If it doesn't this is a real winner.

fedoralover