NHD--Akubra Lawson

[bluemoon]

Just ordered one today. I got a great deal on one from NooginTops.com.

I have a Akubra Cattleman that I love. But I find the brim just a hair too wide. It makes it a little cumbersome to wear while driving or taking the train into Chicago. I also wanted an Akubra that was a little less western like. The Lawson is going to be my winter hat.

I am pretty excited. I am hoping the Heritage Collection is worth the extra $$.

 

[KyleK]

I have a Banjo Paterson which is from the Heritage Collection. It's great!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Pictures? We love to see what hats are looking like!

 

[Sam Craig]

After finally getting a Heritage Collection Lightning Ridge, I fail to see anything all that great in the felt.
I mean, it's OK, but I like the Imperial grade as well, if not better.

Don't get me wrong ... I can't say anything bad about the LR, except for the taper to the crown, and I've finally beat this hat into submission ... It knows who is boss now ...

And it is a really well made, comfortable and great looking hat. What else would we expect from Akubra?

I just expected the Heritage to be, well, more 'special,' perhaps more like the vintage hat felts.

Maybe I am just too great a fan of the Imperial line,

Sam

 

[Neophyte]

I think Akubra's explanation of Heritage includes 25% denser felting and a nicer sweatband. I guess it's supposed to be a tougher hat.

Congrats bluemoon! I hope you loke tge Lawson.

 

[gtdean48]

Compared to the 3 Imperial grade Campdrafts that I have, I definitely see the upgrade in felt quality to the Heritage Campdraft Deluxe.
The felt is more dense & finished a great deal better = not near as coarse. My bet is Akubra uses a higher mix of wild hare in with the rabbit fur.
The sweatband is definitively better as well as the ribbon used to bind the brim & make the hatband.
I had a Heritage Banjo & it helped convince me to go with the Heritage CD Deluxe. Whether it merits the price difference is an individual evaluation.
YRMV...

 

[Duper]

I have two Banjo Patersons and agree they quality of felt is better but what I really noticed on first inspection is the better sweatband. I am sure you will like the new Lawson very much. Hurry up post man!

 

[Gromulus]

Of my thirteen Akubra felt hats, three are Heritage Quality. Other than the better sweatband, I "personally" do not feel they are worth the extra $ at today's prices. That being said, the Lawson is a sharp hat and is only offered in the Heritage quality - so enjoy!

 

[jlee562]

My bet is Akubra uses a higher mix of wild hare in with the rabbit fur.
The sweatband is definitively better as well as the ribbon used to bind the brim & make the hatband.

One can simply look up what Hats Direct has to say about the felts instead of relying on speculation:
http://hatsdirect.com/federation/felt.html

Akubra Hats have a reputation as being one of the finest rabbit fur felters in the world. Many are under the impression that the hats are some how stamped out of a roll of felt by a machine or machines. Nothing could be further from the truth.

All Akubra Hats are commenced at the felting stage with the selection of pelts and continue through the factory until complete. This is not a fast process. Akubra produce many 1000's of hats each year and as a result can pass on economies of scale in their pricing.

They offer two grades of Felt - Imperial and Heritage. Within these grades there are some variations to the fiinish however the quality is the same. Both are excellent felts, one very good, the other even better!

To the uninitiated they can look and feel the same, but to those who know felt the difference is noticeable.

Imperial Quality

Akubra Hats reputation for tough wearing qualities and fine fedora styles is based on this grade of felt. It is tough, hard wearing and can take any punishment dished out to it. These hats like hard wearing.

The Heritage Quality

This felt is a relatively recent addition and is made from finer fibres taken from a select part of the rabbit pelt and mixed with the native Hare resulting in a grade which is denser and smoother than the Imperial grade. Parts of the pelt not required are discarded. It is more stable over time and less prone to shrinkage and distortions such as the tapering of the crown.

The Heritage Grade is the closest rabbit fur grade to Beaver Felt.

A simple outline of the process of making an Akubra hat is outlined here http://akubra.com.au/creation.html

 

[gtdean48]

One can simply look up what Hats Direct has to say about the felts instead of relying on speculation:
...

Since that does not reveal percentage of rabbit to hare fur used for the felt, I can continue my speculation....
I think that is how they get "closest" to beaver fur felt...

 

[Sam Craig]

Yeah, I read all that too, and I like my Lightning.

I just don't see the big deal about the felt.

It sure ain't the level of, say, a 1940s Knox ... not to take away from the Akubras.

I REALLY like the Imperial felt in all of my other Akubras.

Sam

 

[bluemoon]

I'll post a photo as soon as I get it...

 

[navarre_au]

when new - the difference between heritage and standard (Talking about the felt - ignoring the other "fittings" ) can perhaps be arguable - but give them time and wear - and the Heritage increasingly shows its differences. - Or thats what I have found.

 

[job]

I have a Akubra Down Under that is made of imperial grade felt. I also have a Bogart and Stylemaster made of imperial felt. The Down Under is thick and course while the other two are lighter, smoother, thinner felts. Both are imperial but very different in every way.

 

[Neophyte]

Here's fellow member Wildblue and his Lawson.

So here's what came in--me and my new Akubra. Another little "splurge" while I'm deployed, to retain a sense of normalcy and civilization. Was standard 3 month wait. Air Mailed the whole way from Australia, mate. Akubra Lawson in Loden color.

As I mentioned above, I was worried that the Loden was going to come out a dark green-brown hazel, where I was hoping for a rich chocolate brown. But the color's perfect. It really is a rich chocoloate brown, just like I was hoping, and I can resolve the coloring question that plagued me for a while. I'm now confident that Aussie Bush Hats was correct, when they said the "Loden" is the same as Noggin Tops's "Chocolate". Whether it's the same as David Morgan's "Dark Fawn", I don't know. That one, I might have to see their version in person.

As for the size, I am SO glad that I went with the 62. The 63 would be just simply too big! Since it came in a standard oval shape, it's just a hair tight front and back on my head, but plenty of room on the side. If I push inwards on the sides to shape it to my head, I get plenty of room to play all around my head crown, so it is NOT too small. If anything, I might have even been able to go smaller, but I wouldn't have tried, even if I had known ahead of time, since there's the possibility of shrinkage. Now I just have to tease it into my massive Long Oval head shape, give it a deeper and tighter pinch up front, and I'm set.

This is my first Akubra. I can ABSOLUTELY see why people rave about the Akubra quality. And this is Akubra's premium line, using their Heritage rabbit felt, which is light years beyond my Stetson Temple fedora. I'm definitely a sold Akubra fan now. I don't have any more need of hats for quite some time, (I know... they all say that) but if/when I do, you can bet I'll be looking at Akubras first.

I hope this thread helps someone else that is looking at Akubras, is debating between the Lawson and the Banjo Patterson, is unsure about the Akubra sizing issue, and/or is confused as the rest of us of the Akubra color variances and discrepancies that are published. Let me know if any more info or pictures would help.

And it all came in this groovy free Akubra gift box, double boxed in the shipping box. Ended up going with AussieBushHats.com, and they not only gave the best price, but threw in the free gift box and a braided hat chin strap to be attached at the user's discretion. A bit of nice felt, too, to tuck under the hat band if needed for sizing.

 

[bluemoon]

Received the hat. Love it. Here's my take

Felt is softer and more dense. Not a massive difference...but noticeable

The leather sweat band is a big improvement. Is much more comfortable than my Cattleman

My only complaint is that is the Lawson is much stiffer than my cattleman was out of the box. I guess the hat will soften with time.

NooginTops was great. They basically charged me the same amount as a standard Akubra.

I'll take some photos this weekend.

 

[Sam Craig]

I've got my Lightining Ridge shaped the way I like it now.
The brim is behaving itself and the taper is gone from the crown.

I really like the hat, and I certainly don't want to belabor the point, but after having worked with them both, I prefer the weight and consistency of the Imperial felt.

Which is good, I guess, since that is one of the choices for these terrific hats -- and they ARE terrific.

So far, I haven't seen a clinker in the bunch. And that's a lot more than you could say for just about any other product out there today.

Sam

 

[Riot Earp]

To my eye, there is a noticeable difference between the Imperial and Premium (Heritage) quality felts. Compared to my Kiandra, my Lightning Ridge's felt is much denser, resists the elements better, and holds it's shape *much* better. By the way, the Lightning Ridge makes a very fine quasi Western hat, when given a nice "cowboy" upcurl.

 

[Kirk H.]

I've got my Lightining Ridge shaped the way I like it now.
The brim is behaving itself and the taper is gone from the crown.

I really like the hat, and I certainly don't want to belabor the point, but after having worked with them both, I prefer the weight and consistency of the Imperial felt.

Which is good, I guess, since that is one of the choices for these terrific hats -- and they ARE terrific.

So far, I haven't seen a clinker in the bunch. And that's a lot more than you could say for just about any other product out there today.

Sam

I agree too about not a clinker in the bunch.I have a Fed IV which i was able to shape nicely and also an Adventurer that I am still working on getting the crown taper out to more of a straight crown. Both are the Imperial felt quality.

Kirk