Northwest Hats, Eugene, Ore.

[belfastboy]

Thanks Rogera. Looking fwd to wearing it.

That is one classy looking hat!

 

[Bob Roberts]

That is one classy looking hat!

Thanks! Too classy for its owner.

 

[Frunobulax]

Thanks! Too classy for its owner.

No way.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Sonero]

I recently purchased 4 hats from NW blindly per recommendation of the forum. Recently the sunlight is not in my favor during the time of day that I normally post in the " What hat are your wearing thread. " Instead I took photos of them sitting on my kitchen counter. Eventually I will take photos with an entire look and post those as well.

This was my first attempt at ordering custom hats. I admit that I did not have anything specific that I wanted so I ordered from the custom menu by photos alone. If I was to do it again I would only order a custom hat if there was something specific and not readily available that I wanted. Why ? Because IMO the price doesn't justify the purchase if you can find something similar and mass produced. Some will argue about this with me but it really all depends on what you are looking for.

* Mike was extremely enjoyable to work with. I talked to him on the phone and by email. Response times were more than sufficient and even safe to say perfect.

I requested all hats to be made in Beaver Fur. Some seemed to be higher quality than others. By that I mean by texture and thickness.

Let us begin :

Black Cherry -

Love the color. I asked for a 2" bow and triple pleats. That's what I got. Will go great with a black or brown suit. Felt quality 7 out of 10 IMO. Would have liked the felt to feel thicker. Nice and soft though.

Camel Fedora " Stella "

LOVE THIS BABY -

So elegant. I wear the color chocolate brown a lot. This hat totally compliments the color. Super quality felt.

SilverBelly with chocolate brown bow -

Again great with chocolate brown or tan colors which I wear often. Average felt quality IMO.

Charcoal with Black Bow -

I don't love this hat but I do like it. The photos originally showed the charcoal color being almost black or heather charcoal grey if this makes sense. I wanted a black bow on such a hat. It came out more like a darker shade of carbon grey. The hat is somewhat large on me. I also feel it to be cartoonish looking on my head but maybe I am new to the game and need to grow a pair of B_ _ _ S before I complain about the size.

Felt quality just average...again IMO.


* The fit was spot on all hats minus the charcoal grey which had a much wider brim than I wanted. It's ok though I can grow into it.


So for 4 hats I paid $1000 plus $23 shipping to San Diego.

Would I do it again ? ONLY if I had a specific hat that I wanted and couldn't find it online or in a brick and mortar store. If you are just looking for a "Nice Hat " shop the several retail establishments available. You might do just as well for less money.


I look forward to displaying these on my head for all of you eventually...depending on the sunlight in my photo room.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Sorry to hear you weren't happy with all your purchases.

 

[Sonero]

Sorry to hear you weren't happy with all your purchases.

They are good looking hats and they work for me. I just didn't think the quality of all were worth the price. Nothing against the hats themselves. I like those.....just not the cost.

Compared to some Akubra's I recently received for $145 max shipped from Australia there is room for improvement as far as felt quality goes....or lower the price. Again though I am a newbie and this is IMHO.

 

[Redfokker]

They are good looking hats and they work for me. I just didn't think the quality of all were worth the price. Nothing against the hats themselves. I like those.....just not the cost.

Compared to some Akubra's I recently received for $145 max shipped from Australia there is room for improvement as far as felt quality goes....or lower the price. Again though I am a newbie and this is IMHO.

I have the pleasure to be able to drive to Mike's shop in about 45 min. I commission hats to match a particular historical person or event. Totally customized to my desires. I feel that his work is exemplary. I don't have a lot of experience with bespoke hats from other makers. Of course, there is a big difference in ordering an Optimo for twice or more dollars, but I don't feel that any hatter beats Mike for his eye for detail and finished quality. My humble 2 centavos.

 

[FedOregon]

I think everyone will have different perspectives on quality, and that's great. On felt, I know it can come out different depending on colors , dyes, etc, even from batch to batch from the felting company; usually Winchester here in the U.S.

 

[FedOregon]

My biggest pet peeve is fit. Off the shelf works "ok" sporadically for me. The only perfect fit for me (off the shelf) has been a Cavanagh Homburg in 7-3/8 Long Oval from the '50's; not exactly easy to find.
I have a custom from Mike and it's flawless. You can't even see the stitches holding on the ribbon. You can't say that about a new Stetson even at $300-plus in 100% beaver felt.

 

[FedOregon]

Mike has also worked on 4 older hats as well. Again, the work was perfect. In fact, he continues to exceed expectations. He's converted a total beater western to an outback styled fishing, hiking, camping hat. I had to ask, "Is that Myyyyyyyyyyyyyy hat?" It didn't fit. Now it fit's like a glove. It was ugly and dirty; not now. It looks better than the new Akubra I ordered, and certainly better than the NOS Stetson I bought off ebay.

He replaced the sweat in a NOS Dobbs Temptation, a $200 hat I got for $40... but despite being - to my eye - unused, the sweat was deteriorating and leaving black "grease spots" and flakes of crud on my forehead. Now, not only is there a perfectly placed leather sweat, but the hat fits like a custom. I am a picky SOB when I have someone do work for me. I cannot find anything in Mike's work, on 5 different hats now, to pick at. Again, flawless.

I have 4 customs. Not to knock anything about any other hatter I've worked with, but I already ordered a second custom from Mike, with a special request that it be put into the wait list to complete about April (my birthday) so I can pay some other bills first.

The other thing I'll say is, rabbit felt is available for $200. A custom hat for $200? Rabbit felt makes some pretty good hats... and I'll not compare the rabbit felt hats I have (one is a used custom I got from another FL member) with any Imperial Quality felt from Akubra I've handled. My own Akubra, in Sand, looks as though the felt was made from a shredded slurry of cardboard and glue.

If I was to swear off customs, it would only be to concentrate on spendy vintage hats found at cool prices... and if anything needed mending, well, it would be mailed or driven down to Eugene so Mike can make it perfect for me.

 

[Redfokker]

Mike has also worked on 4 older hats as well. Again, the work was perfect. In fact, he continues to exceed expectations. He's converted a total beater western to an outback styled fishing, hiking, camping hat. I had to ask, "Is that Myyyyyyyyyyyyyy hat?" It didn't fit. Now it fit's like a glove. It was ugly and dirty; not now. It looks better than the new Akubra I ordered, and certainly better than the NOS Stetson I bought off ebay.

He replaced the sweat in a NOS Dobbs Temptation, a $200 hat I got for $40... but despite being - to my eye - unused, the sweat was deteriorating and leaving black "grease spots" and flakes of crud on my forehead. Now, not only is there a perfectly placed leather sweat, but the hat fits like a custom. I am a picky SOB when I have someone do work for me. I cannot find anything in Mike's work, on 5 different hats now, to pick at. Again, flawless.

I have 4 customs. Not to knock anything about any other hatter I've worked with, but I already ordered a second custom from Mike, with a special request that it be put into the wait list to complete about April (my birthday) so I can pay some other bills first.

The other thing I'll say is, rabbit felt is available for $200. A custom hat for $200? Rabbit felt makes some pretty good hats... and I'll not compare the rabbit felt hats I have (one is a used custom I got from another FL member) with any Imperial Quality felt from Akubra I've handled. My own Akubra, in Sand, looks as though the felt was made from a shredded slurry of cardboard and glue.

If I was to swear off customs, it would only be to concentrate on spendy vintage hats found at cool prices... and if anything needed mending, well, it would be mailed or driven down to Eugene so Mike can make it perfect for me.

Hear hear!

 

[T Jones]

I recently purchased 4 hats from NW blindly per recommendation of the forum. Recently the sunlight is not in my favor during the time of day that I normally post in the " What hat are your wearing thread. " Instead I took photos of them sitting on my kitchen counter. Eventually I will take photos with an entire look and post those as well.

This was my first attempt at ordering custom hats. I admit that I did not have anything specific that I wanted so I ordered from the custom menu by photos alone. If I was to do it again I would only order a custom hat if there was something specific and not readily available that I wanted. Why ? Because IMO the price doesn't justify the purchase if you can find something similar and mass produced. Some will argue about this with me but it really all depends on what you are looking for.

* Mike was extremely enjoyable to work with. I talked to him on the phone and by email. Response times were more than sufficient and even safe to say perfect.

I requested all hats to be made in Beaver Fur. Some seemed to be higher quality than others. By that I mean by texture and thickness.

Let us begin :

Black Cherry -

View attachment 62326

Love the color. I asked for a 2" bow and triple pleats. That's what I got. Will go great with a black or brown suit. Felt quality 7 out of 10 IMO. Would have liked the felt to feel thicker. Nice and soft though.

Camel Fedora " Stella "

LOVE THIS BABY -

View attachment 62327

So elegant. I wear the color chocolate brown a lot. This hat totally compliments the color. Super quality felt.

SilverBelly with chocolate brown bow -

View attachment 62328


Again great with chocolate brown or tan colors which I wear often. Average felt quality IMO.

Charcoal with Black Bow -

View attachment 62329

I don't love this hat but I do like it. The photos originally showed the charcoal color being almost black or heather charcoal grey if this makes sense. I wanted a black bow on such a hat. It came out more like a darker shade of carbon grey. The hat is somewhat large on me. I also feel it to be cartoonish looking on my head but maybe I am new to the game and need to grow a pair of B_ _ _ S before I complain about the size.

Felt quality just average...again IMO.


* The fit was spot on all hats minus the charcoal grey which had a much wider brim than I wanted. It's ok though I can grow into it.


So for 4 hats I paid $1000 plus $23 shipping to San Diego.

Would I do it again ? ONLY if I had a specific hat that I wanted and couldn't find it online or in a brick and mortar store. If you are just looking for a "Nice Hat " shop the several retail establishments available. You might do just as well for less money.


I look forward to displaying these on my head for all of you eventually...depending on the sunlight in my photo room.

I recently purchased 4 hats from NW blindly per recommendation of the forum. Recently the sunlight is not in my favor during the time of day that I normally post in the " What hat are your wearing thread. " Instead I took photos of them sitting on my kitchen counter. Eventually I will take photos with an entire look and post those as well.

This was my first attempt at ordering custom hats. I admit that I did not have anything specific that I wanted so I ordered from the custom menu by photos alone. If I was to do it again I would only order a custom hat if there was something specific and not readily available that I wanted. Why ? Because IMO the price doesn't justify the purchase if you can find something similar and mass produced. Some will argue about this with me but it really all depends on what you are looking for.

* Mike was extremely enjoyable to work with. I talked to him on the phone and by email. Response times were more than sufficient and even safe to say perfect.

I requested all hats to be made in Beaver Fur. Some seemed to be higher quality than others. By that I mean by texture and thickness.

Let us begin :

Black Cherry -

View attachment 62326

Love the color. I asked for a 2" bow and triple pleats. That's what I got. Will go great with a black or brown suit. Felt quality 7 out of 10 IMO. Would have liked the felt to feel thicker. Nice and soft though.

Camel Fedora " Stella "

LOVE THIS BABY -

View attachment 62327

So elegant. I wear the color chocolate brown a lot. This hat totally compliments the color. Super quality felt.

SilverBelly with chocolate brown bow -

View attachment 62328


Again great with chocolate brown or tan colors which I wear often. Average felt quality IMO.

Charcoal with Black Bow -

View attachment 62329

I don't love this hat but I do like it. The photos originally showed the charcoal color being almost black or heather charcoal grey if this makes sense. I wanted a black bow on such a hat. It came out more like a darker shade of carbon grey. The hat is somewhat large on me. I also feel it to be cartoonish looking on my head but maybe I am new to the game and need to grow a pair of B_ _ _ S before I complain about the size.

Felt quality just average...again IMO.


* The fit was spot on all hats minus the charcoal grey which had a much wider brim than I wanted. It's ok though I can grow into it.


So for 4 hats I paid $1000 plus $23 shipping to San Diego.

Would I do it again ? ONLY if I had a specific hat that I wanted and couldn't find it online or in a brick and mortar store. If you are just looking for a "Nice Hat " shop the several retail establishments available. You might do just as well for less money.


I look forward to displaying these on my head for all of you eventually...depending on the sunlight in my photo room.

Akubras are rabbit fur and the finish on them is something to be desired, hence the $145 price tag. For just a few dollars more, $160, Mike can custom make you one in rabbit felt. I had a couple of Akubras and I wasn't impressed with the quality of the felt finish at all. Rough. You'll also run into the same problem with ordering any mass produced hat online, the pictures just don't give you a true look at what you're actually getting. I bought what I thought was a dark grey Akubra Squatter. When I got it the hat was actually black and I hated that thing. I guess Akubras would be okay for a cheaper priced hat and if you wanted one right away. Check out the prices of the modern reproduction Stetsons and the modern Borsalinos. If you think custom prices are high, check those out! Those are more expensive than Mike's custom Beaver felts. But, you're the one who has to be happy. Like you said, if you have a specific hat in mind, then custom would be the way to go.

 

[RJR]

Akubras are rabbit fur and the finish on them is something to be desired, hence the $145 price tag. For just a few dollars more, $160, Mike can custom make you one in rabbit felt. I had a couple of Akubras and I wasn't impressed with the quality of the felt finish at all. Rough. You'll also run into the same problem with ordering any mass produced hat online, the pictures just don't give you a true look at what you're actually getting. I bought what I thought was a dark grey Akubra Squatter. When I got it the hat was actually black and I hated that thing. I guess Akubras would be okay for a cheaper priced hat and if you wanted one right away. Check out the prices of the modern reproduction Stetsons and the modern Borsalinos. If you think custom prices are high, check those out! Those are more expensive than Mike's custom Beaver felts. But, you're the one who has to be happy. Like you said, if you have a specific hat in mind, then custom would be the way to go.

+1

 

[Redfokker]

Akubras are rabbit fur and the finish on them is something to be desired, hence the $145 price tag. For just a few dollars more, $160, Mike can custom make you one in rabbit felt. I had a couple of Akubras and I wasn't impressed with the quality of the felt finish at all. Rough. You'll also run into the same problem with ordering any mass produced hat online, the pictures just don't give you a true look at what you're actually getting. I bought what I thought was a dark grey Akubra Squatter. When I got it the hat was actually black and I hated that thing. I guess Akubras would be okay for a cheaper priced hat and if you wanted one right away. Check out the prices of the modern reproduction Stetsons and the modern Borsalinos. If you think custom prices are high, check those out! Those are more expensive than Mike's custom Beaver felts. But, you're the one who has to be happy. Like you said, if you have a specific hat in mind, then custom would be the way to go.

+1

 

[belfastboy]

I recently purchased 4 hats from NW blindly per recommendation of the forum. Recently the sunlight is not in my favor during the time of day that I normally post in the " What hat are your wearing thread. " Instead I took photos of them sitting on my kitchen counter. Eventually I will take photos with an entire look and post those as well.

This was my first attempt at ordering custom hats. I admit that I did not have anything specific that I wanted so I ordered from the custom menu by photos alone. If I was to do it again I would only order a custom hat if there was something specific and not readily available that I wanted. Why ? Because IMO the price doesn't justify the purchase if you can find something similar and mass produced. Some will argue about this with me but it really all depends on what you are looking for.

* Mike was extremely enjoyable to work with. I talked to him on the phone and by email. Response times were more than sufficient and even safe to say perfect.

I requested all hats to be made in Beaver Fur. Some seemed to be higher quality than others. By that I mean by texture and thickness.

Let us begin :

Black Cherry -

View attachment 62326

Love the color. I asked for a 2" bow and triple pleats. That's what I got. Will go great with a black or brown suit. Felt quality 7 out of 10 IMO. Would have liked the felt to feel thicker. Nice and soft though.

Camel Fedora " Stella "

LOVE THIS BABY -

View attachment 62327

So elegant. I wear the color chocolate brown a lot. This hat totally compliments the color. Super quality felt.

SilverBelly with chocolate brown bow -

View attachment 62328


Again great with chocolate brown or tan colors which I wear often. Average felt quality IMO.

Charcoal with Black Bow -

View attachment 62329

I don't love this hat but I do like it. The photos originally showed the charcoal color being almost black or heather charcoal grey if this makes sense. I wanted a black bow on such a hat. It came out more like a darker shade of carbon grey. The hat is somewhat large on me. I also feel it to be cartoonish looking on my head but maybe I am new to the game and need to grow a pair of B_ _ _ S before I complain about the size.

Felt quality just average...again IMO.


* The fit was spot on all hats minus the charcoal grey which had a much wider brim than I wanted. It's ok though I can grow into it.


So for 4 hats I paid $1000 plus $23 shipping to San Diego.

Would I do it again ? ONLY if I had a specific hat that I wanted and couldn't find it online or in a brick and mortar store. If you are just looking for a "Nice Hat " shop the several retail establishments available. You might do just as well for less money.


I look forward to displaying these on my head for all of you eventually...depending on the sunlight in my photo room.

I love that Camel fedora, great combo with the ribbon.

My experience with custom hatters is that the two, Vintage Silouettes and NorthWest, who have used the conformateur have produced hats for me that fit like a glove. The other custom hatters, while making great hats for me have not fit quite as well. They are close but all have been a touch too big or too small. I am happy with them all but some require a bit of a stretch or a shim behind the band to fit well. The ones from Art and Mike fit like a good glove and feel like a real bespoke hat.
My experience with production hats, Stetson, Biltmore etc etc is all over the map. From one size larger than its marked 7 3/8 down to a too tight almost 7 1/4". I assume that risk as I only buy production hats when the price is too good to resist.

 

[Sonero]

Just wanted to clarify that all my hats are beaver felt.

 

[Redfokker]

Well guys, I took one for the team today! Went down to Mike's to check on my Regent hat (which we renamed, more on that later) and he said he had to restart it. There was a tiny flaw in the felt body he was working with, and he didn't want to just hide it. Mike is so detail oriented and meticulous! I told him to just put my hat off until my birthday in January and to use my slot to complete a fellow loungers Christmas hat. Don't even know if this is how that will pan out, but in my mind, it was my gift to some fellow lounger, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, whichever applies.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Nice gesture Red. Im sure someone will appreciate it.

 

[Rogera]

Nice gesture Red. Im sure someone will appreciate it.

Have you gotten yours Bob?

 

[Frunobulax]

Have you gotten yours Bob?

Was wondering the same thing, Rog.