Panama Hat Thread

[Carlisle Blues]

Hi Guys,
Here, this is the hat I bought thi afternoon. Forgive the crappy pictures. I had to use an old camera because the wife took the good one on a trip. I'm going to post pictures of my other straws after this.

Great hat I like the crown. If you dealt with Orlando how is he doing?? How many wsi?

 

[Aureliano]

Orlando is doing great. He's such a cool guy. He told me the wsi but I forgot. I'll count them afer dinner and post. what is your borsalino wsi

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Yes he is a nice guy. I do not know I will have to count as well. lol

 

[Aureliano]

lol let's count!

 

[Aureliano]

Yes he is a nice guy. I do not know I will have to count as well. lol

240 wsi, I think (12 horizontal x 20 aprox vertical) I always struggle counting the vertical

 

[Panamabob]

The picture of the little boy in the hat...that is a Brisa weave....Aureliano wanted an example.

I'd bet the Montecristi is close to 400 wpsi.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Hi Bob:

That is a Stetson Center Dent never knew it was a Brisa weave thanks. That is my little boy.

 

[Aureliano]

I'd bet the Montecristi is close to 400 wpsi.[/QUOTE]
I'm confused, my Montecristi Bob? the one that belonged to my dad and I posted earlier? (the new hat is not a Montecristi) that one has 520 (or 530?) if I remember correctly my dad told me but those weaves are so tight It gives me a headache just to look at them and think anout counting.

 

[Aureliano]

So if CB's Stetson is a brisa what the hell is my Borsalino? Bob, help please!

 

[Panamabob]

Brisa.

His is an unbleached (or bleached for only a couple of days) and yours is a full soak.

His side by side: Brisa natural (or semi-natural), Llano Liso Ivory Pearl or Bleached (many names from many factories).

Brisa is the weave technique. You see brisa weave, small amounts of llano liso weave and then back to brisa weave.

I asked one of my factories to do an overwelt and they said that they would. We'll see how they look.

The Montecristi is fine, gotta be more than 500. You can tell from the weaving pattern that it probably is from Pile.

 

[Aureliano]

Brisa.

His is an unbleached (or bleached for only a couple of days) and yours is a full soak.

Brisa is the weave technique. You see brisa weave, small amounts of llano liso weave and then back to brisa weave.

I asked one of my factories to do an overwelt and they said that they would. We'll see how they look.

The Montecristi is fine, gotta be more than 500. You can tell from the weaving pattern that it probably is from Pile.

I see. The Borsalino is not actually that white (thank god I hate white ones) it is yellowish/natural. The flash made it white. I'll shoot a pic tomorrow.
Pile is right Bob! you know your stuff. As I said before and was telling Gene, my dad owned land in San Vicente, Manabi. He wore hats all the time. He bought them from Marcial Espinal, I think they used to get drunk together or something... I wonder if he is still alive...
I counted the weaves with a magnifying glass god it is hard! specially vertical.
I got 670 (hit and miss). Again Bob (BTW I know your site, great hats!) you were right, what an eye!
Aureliano-

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Aureliano, your assortment of beautiful Panama hats proves my assertion that they are all good in their own ways. I never tire of seeing these straw hats and I'm glad you posted photos of yours for us to view.

Your new hat is very striking. Great shape and texture from what I can see.

Your father's hat is a real beautiful example of the art form which obviously has value beyond any price tag.

 

[Aureliano]

Aureliano, your assortment of beautiful Panama hats proves my assertion that they are all good in their own ways. I never tire of seeing these straw hats and I'm glad you posted photos of yours for us to view.

Your new hat is very striking. Great shape and texture from what I can see.

Your father's hat is a real beautiful example of the art form which obviously has value beyond any price tag.

thanks Gene. Last night I spent a whole lot of time with my montecristi
Bob got me intrigued about the wsi so the hat was in my hands longer that anytime before. I treat it like an old man (29 years for a hat is a lot, I think).
I was amazed at the art of this thing. Cliche to say it feels like linen. It's gorgeous and, as you said, priceless.

 

[CRH]

What you get for $40 shipped

Or Reflections on a prototypical Panama Hat

It looks like this train has slowed down long enough for this hobo to jump on .

Out of curiosity mostly I purchased for $40 shipped - as is no return - Panama on eBay from panamahatsequador (Panamabob) to see just what one can get for forty bucks.

I was under no illusions. I understood that I would receive a prototypical hat. As it turns out I received a fine looking, on my head, Panama but with characteristic, in the price range dings.

I had to walk through a downpour on the first day that I wore the hat. I took the opportunity to raise the dome and easily reshaped the funked up brim. The rain was too much for the ribbon and I have been unable to fix it.

Before the rain.

Ribbon after the rain.

Significant weaving boo boo. If I pop out the crease there is about a 3-4 cm area where it looks like the weaver ran into some problems. Or maybe it was a hot iron in one spot for too long [huh].

I can say that I would never be happy with a more tightly woven Panama. This hat is probably about as loose as they come and it's still not as ventilated as I would like. The heat indexes have been oppressive here on the Prairie of late.

So... Can I be happy with a $40 Panama? I don't know. Happiness is a pursuit. Will I wear it? Yes, but I'll need to fix the ribbon.

 

[jazzncocktails]

Or Reflections on a prototypical Panama Hat

It looks like this train has slowed down long enough for this hobo to jump on .

Out of curiosity mostly I purchased for $40 shipped - as is no return - Panama on eBay from panamahatsequador (Panamabob) to see just what one can get for forty bucks.

I was under no illusions. I understood that I would receive a prototypical hat. As it turns out I received a fine looking, on my head, Panama but with characteristic, in the price range dings.

I can say that I would never be happy with a more tightly woven Panama. This hat is probably about as loose as they come and it's still not as ventilated as I would like. The heat indexes have been oppressive here on the Prairie of late.

So... Can I be happy with a $40 Panama? I don't know. Happiness is a pursuit. Will I wear it? Yes, but I'll need to fix the ribbon.

Great post, CRH--you've echoed my dilemma. I've been thinking about shelling out $350 or more for a fine Monte from Art/Bob, but find myself hesitant to put that kind of money down on a straw hat...even if it is a work of art. Looking at the beautiful felts on Art's website, I'm having difficulty justifying the straw over a lightweight felt.

AND...

I was just on Bob's ebay site and considering going for one of the low-cost models, reserving the rest of my cash for a lightweight Art creation. But considering what you've gotten from your experiment, I may well just go for another Miller Milan. Anyone want to talk me out of that mindset?

Yeah, I know, I'm speaking blasphemy for this thread. Mea culpa...

 

[daizawaguy]

Monte`s run far more expensive than felts at the top end...it takes days or weeks and months to weave the finest. There is a reason that people pay for that. I bet you won`t be happy with a low end Monticristi - or at least the value felt will be more than proportional to the price as you move up the scale. It`s like a wine, you can get a bottle for $10, but get more than three times the pleasure (however you measure that) from a bottle worth $30. If you don`t feel that way, go for a straw basher. If you feel what I say may be true, save up and get something that will bring you deeper value. There is nothing wrong with a $10 bottle of wine( or straw basher), but if you buy a $12 bottle next in search for something more, you may have been better off with a $22 bottle　in the first place...same with Montecristi`s I imagine - but that may be a controvertial way of looking at things...[huh]

 

[jazzncocktails]

Monte`s run far more expensive than felts at the top end...it takes days or weeks and months to weave the finest. There is a reason that people pay for that. I bet you won`t be happy with a low end Monticristi - or at least the value felt will be more than proportional to the price as you move up the scale. It`s like a wine, you can get a bottle for $10, but get more than three times the pleasure (however you measure that) from a bottle worth $30. If you don`t feel that way, go for a straw basher. If you feel what I say may be true, save up and get something that will bring you deeper value. There is nothing wrong with a $10 bottle of wine( or straw basher), but if you buy a $12 bottle next in search for something more, you may have been better off with a $22 bottle　in the first place...same with Montecristi`s I imagine - but that may be a controvertial way of looking at things...[huh]

Thanks, Daizawaguy--fantastic post. That indeed has been my concern--that I wouldn't be happy with the low-end weave. And the wine analogy is excellent--hadn't thought in those directions, but you are clearly right in my experience with wine. I'll just save up for the rainy day when I can go for the higher weave Monte.
Steve

 

[CRH]

...There is a reason that people pay for that. ... It`s like a wine, ...

Indeed, sir!

Another reason not to buy a cheap Panama - I have been chastised by my wife and sister-in-law for abusing child labor .

But how else will we keep the weavers weaving?

 

[Panamabob]

CRH. Now the hat you bought was a brisa weave, on the lower end of fineness and was pressed in a machine. Taking it through a downpour could puffen up the straw and being that it was not a fine hat, the paja can be more brittle. Those are wide pieces of paja that they're woven with, and they don't soften as easily. The rain can take the cheap Ecuadorian ribbon out of commission, as you've noticed. I think the hat looked quite good in your first two pictures, for a hat that was about $30.00 arrived with shipping and a hat box for about $40.00.

I can guarantee you that an adult was the weaver on that hat, so you don't have to worry about child labor. There aren't child labor problems in the Montecristi region, either, as the kids do it after school, on the weekends, etc. in order to help out their families. Until anyone from here goes down to Pile to see this, all you can do is rely on the stories that I, and others, tell.

Also, all of the talk about tightness of weave is a bit off. A brisa weave hat isn't particularly tightly woven, as you'll notice intentional holes all the way through the hat, except where the llano weave is thrown in. The llano liso and Montecristi weaves are all tightly woven. What you have in the more expensive hats are finer pieces of paja being tightly woven.

If you were curious, you could have written or called and I would have steered you in the direction that your questions would have led me to. Some ebay hats are much better than the others. Each year we experiment with new styles and new sellers in Ecuador.

 

[CRH]

CRH. ...
If you were curious, you could have written or called and I would have steered you in the direction that your questions would have led me to. Some ebay hats are much better than the others. Each year we experiment with new styles and new sellers in Ecuador.

I am curious and I think my next Panama will arrive unblocked :eusa_clap.

I look good in any hat with a brim .

Muchos gracias, Robert, for the info.