Montecristi Ultrafino hats on EBAY?

[DanielJones]

Has anybody purchased a Panama hat from the e-bay site Montecristi Ultrafino? If you have what is the quality of their hats?

I had won an Optimo style roll up for about 30clams. they called it a "CLASSIC COLONIAL PANAMA HAT GRADE 9 FINE STRAW" I'm quite sure it isn't the best quality in the world, but it makes a good introductory panama. I take it it may be just woth the 30 smackers paid. They seem quite proud of what they are selling and have great communication after the sale. What are your thoughts?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Looks good to me. The optimo panama was the second most popular straw hat for men in the 1920s and '30s, right on the heels of the straw boater.

 

[Panamabob]

I honestly did buy one. I honestly received a nice fino Cuenca hat. I honestly turned her into the Attorney General of Indiana and filed mail fraud on her. Ask her. I'm sure she remembers.

 

[DanielJones]

Thanks for the heads-up P.B. I'll be keeping my eye out. But I figure for 30 clams I can't go too wrong. I'll be sure to post pics of the hat once I receive it for your review.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Visigoth]

I tried emailing those guys -- wanted some sense of weaves per inch -- and never heard back. Not a great sign.

 

[tonyb]

While I don't like that they suggest they are selling Montecristis (do they indeed come right out and say that, or just imply it through their trade name?) when in fact they are selling Cuencas (according to panamabob, who has the experience to know what he is talking about), I gotta ask: how good are their prices in comparison to what else is available? In other words, did DJ get a reasonably good deal? Thirty bucks seems like a more-than-fair price for such a hat. In light of that, I'm left to wonder why they would even suggest that their product is anything other than what it is.

 

[Panamabob]

The hat I bought was a Cuenca. Some of their higher dollar hats are sure to be Montecristi. I'm dying to see the photos of the hat that DanielJones won.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

A few years back I ordered a Montecristi and what I recieved was a Cuenca hat not a Montecristi Panama hat... I sent it back and got a refund including my shipping.

The hat DJ bought is a Cuenca hat and the shipping charges of $14.50 more than cover the cost of the hat plus any Ebay fees...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2998&item=180024578019

 

[Visigoth]

How can you tell a Cuenca from a Montecristi, by the way? Can it be done even by looking at photographs?

 

[SHARPETOYS]

The style/type of weave. Some pictures you can and alot you can't. I ask for a picture to be sent by email if I'm not sure.

 

[DanielJones]

I figure even if it is a Cuenca, I didn't get too stiffed for the price. Now, if I had forked over a high price tag I would probably have some harsh comments.
The hat sohuld be ariving either today or Saturday. In either case I'll post some pics inside and outside the hat. I'll try to get some clear close-ups of the weave and any other marks as well.
Most folks in this area wouldnt know the difference between a real fine hat and one of those wool el cheapos, so I figure they won't know the difference if it's a Montecristi or a Cuenca either, they'll just see a nice looking hat. Some folks I talk to about finer hats give me that deer in the headlights look and at that point I know I've lost them. And for the time being this one will be good enough for me until I can get a little more scratch put together to get the real deal.

Now, they called it a "CLASSIC COLONIAL PANAMA HAT GRADE 9 FINE STRAW". What is grade 9 fine straw? Is there a rating system for these straws similar to the old 'X' system for felts? Please enlighten me on this subject. Thank you.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[SHARPETOYS]

I've seen this grading on Cuenca hats... The higher the number the finer the hat is woven etc...

Edith for Correction....

 

[DanielJones]

Ah, I see. Ok.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[RBH]

Looks kinda like the one worn by Ryan Oneal in Paper Moon.

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/149/papermoon204gg1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" /></a>

 

[DanielJones]

Jeff Bridges had one very similar to it in Seabiscuit as well, along with Joseph Cotten in A Shadow of a Doubt. Both were worn with a navy blazer and light colored trousers. A great looking combination.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Panamabob]

Any photos of the "montecristi" yet?

 

[Panamabob]

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

 

[Orgetorix]

What's the difference between a Montecristi and a Cuenca?

 

[Panamabob]

Quick List:

Montecristi: Woven of paja toquilla in the villages around Montecristi, Ecuador (coastal Ecuador). Llano weave (herringbone-like). Ivory to Tan with some gray and reddish paja thrown in for good measure. Bleached in a sulphur process. The finest "straw" hats in the world. $$$ at the source because even the cheap ones take several weeks to weave and the most expensive ones take 4-5 months.

Cuenca: Woven in dozens of different styles, but the three main are Llano, Brisa (diamond-shaped), and Torcido (hard to explain). Bleached in a wet oxygenated bath for weeks. White, White, White if not asked for no bleach or half bleach. Cheaper at the source because you can whip one out in a day or two.

 

[Sardou]

Pushing the Point . . .

PBob,

Some follow-ups, if I might:

Are Cuencas woven from Paja Toquilla grown locally? Paja Toquilla trucked up from the coast? Something else? (if so, what?)

Will the Cuenca I have on order from you be White White White? eek: )

What enables Cuencas to be produced in so much less time than Montecristis? The weave? The straw? The finishing?

Any and all guidance greatly appreciated.

Sardou