Panama Hat Thread

[CRH]

Stetson Medalist

I've finally got around to putting some side dents in my Stetson Panama.

Here it is as I received it sans dents.

I used steam to apply some dents.

Notice the absence of any sort of ribbon decoration. I removed the pug for cleaning and found that a previous owner had glued some sandpaper strips onto the hat, presumably to keep the pug in place.

Well, we ended up with glue on the pug which I think renders it inadequate.

I've found Shushan's which has a wide array of pug type bands and has a burgundy color that could adequately replace the original.

But, in my eyes the largish 2 7/8 snappy brim gives this lid a preponderance of ruralness that might look good with an Strat/OR type of ribbon treatment, say some sort of goldish or light tannish color.

What do you guys think? How should I trim this hat? BTW, your only color choice for the pug is burgundy.

 

[Kkaderly]

Congrats on your new panama Keith (approx 16 x16 wpi?)...may i ask what grade/model this hat is e.g. Medium Fino, Fino, extra fino, super fino, blocked in USA or Ecuador ..etc

cheers, {chink of glasses, with an umbrella}

Yes ... 16x16 wpi (256 WPSI) I can almost measure 17X17 but I am not an expert at this!!! Sorry I don't know the grade maybe a Fino or Extra Fino ... panamabob's website use to say the WPSI for each grade he sales but I can't find it on there anymore! It was blocked in Ecuador and is a Caballero
block as is in the previouse photos but I now have added a little steam and pinched the front more, more dent and rolled the back more to give it a more USA fedora look (also added a wider brown ribbon SEE BELOW Photos)

I had originally orderd a hat via panamabob's website but something got messed up in the order and I changed my mind on what I wanted (ended up spending more money but got more then a anticipated) basically what I would do is e-mail him and see what he has in stock in your size ... I ended up getting a really good deal (I think) on a great hat.

Aureliano those are beautifull Cuenca's!!!!! I didn't know they back wove the brims there either ... The color (might be the photo) seams creamer then other Cuenca's I have seen ... usually the cuenca's are white and have more stiffiner in them .. is it reallly soft?? Very nice ... worth does great hats!

 

[Aureliano]

Yeah, they are natural straw color: creamy. Some Cuenca hats are bleached to be white. I don't remember right now what kind of chemical they use. I know montecristi hats are treated with sulphur. My montecristi is ages long and you can still smell it!

The W&W are very soft and light. Lightest I've felt for a Cuenca. You can only imagine how amazing their montecristis are.

 

[CRH]

...The color (might be the photo) seams creamer then other Cuenca's I have seen ... usually the cuenca's are white and have more stiffiner in them .. is it reallly soft?? Very nice ... worth does great hats!

Methinks the more recent Cuenca's are mostly bleached. Panama Bob can explain this.

The vintage Stetson I posted is indeed a Cuensa but was not bleached. I can't verify that it might have been dropped into a dye vat, though.

 

[Kkaderly]

Yeah, they are natural straw color: creamy. Some Cuenca hats are bleached to be white. I don't remember right now what kind of chemical they use. I know montecristi hats are treated with sulphur. My montecristi is ages long and you can still smell it!

The W&W are very soft and light. Lightest I've felt for a Cuenca. You can only imagine how amazing their montecristis are.

Sweet ... I bet 99% of the folks out there (including me) wouldn't be able to tell yours appart from a montecristi .. I am impressed with W&W for not selling it as such because the quality is clearly there and nearly impossible to tell the diffrence!!

Sulphur ... Ahhh that's what that smell is!!

 

[Aureliano]

Sweet ... I bet 99% of the folks out there (including me) wouldn't be able to tell yours appart from a montecristi .. I am impressed with W&W for not selling it as such because the quality is clearly there and nearly impossible to tell the diffrence!!

Sulphur ... Ahhh that's what that smell is!!

Yeah, very hard to tell the difference without a very close examination. I know the proprietor of W&W and he is one of the most ethical guys I've ever met. He'll never sell a Cuenca as a Montecristi 'cause that's just wrong.

 

[ScionPI2005]

These are the other two I mentioned in the post above. Pictures are from the pro. shoot I had taken of my hats a while back. Same weave quality as the previous.
Diamante.

Thanks for posting these pictures. Now I just need to decide which of these to get.

 

[CRH]

...

Sulphur ... Ahhh that's what that smell is!!

Sulfur and roses. You never forget the scent...

 

[Yeps]

That is one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. If I ever saw one of those in real life, I might become afraid of showers, which would be very bad.

 

[Aureliano]

That is one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. If I ever saw one of those in real life, I might become afraid of showers, which would be very bad.

Or very good if you wanted to save the planet's water lol lol

 

[Kkaderly]

Yeah, very hard to tell the difference without a very close examination. I know the proprietor of W&W and he is one of the most ethical guys I've ever met. He'll never sell a Cuenca as a Montecristi 'cause that's just wrong. I see you can't send or receive PMs yet. Would you mind sharing how much you paid for your hat? Mine, as you can see on their website is $155.[/QUOT]

$100 + shipping!!! He had it in stock in my size!!! Lucky me!

 

[Hereward]

I will be receiving a Panama hat from my wife as a birthday present in a month or so and, although she will order the one I want because she doesn't know too much about them, I already feel sure I will want to adjust it somewhat. Having seen mention here of people steaming their Panamas and adjusting them themselves I wanted to ask just how adjustable they are?

The one I will get will be, shall we say, middle of the range in quality.

 

[Aureliano]

Yeah, very hard to tell the difference without a very close examination. I know the proprietor of W&W and he is one of the most ethical guys I've ever met. He'll never sell a Cuenca as a Montecristi 'cause that's just wrong. [/QUOT]

$100 + shipping!!! He had it in stock in my size!!! Lucky me!

Very good deal, indeed!

 

[Panamabob]

Those Montes range from $99 to $135.00. Cuencas similar in weave range from $35.00 to $45.00.

 

[Kkaderly]

I will be receiving a Panama hat from my wife as a birthday present in a month or so and, although she will order the one I want because she doesn't know too much about them, I already feel sure I will want to adjust it somewhat. Having seen mention here of people steaming their Panamas and adjusting them themselves I wanted to ask just how adjustable they are?

The one I will get will be, shall we say, middle of the range in quality.

Mine was pretty easy to "adjust" but I wasn't doing anythng major ... The first thing you will notice is that they are not as easy to steam and mold as a felt hat ... The trick is to mist it with water first then apply steam from an iron and keep enforcing the shape you want till it starts to dry then it should hold... The brim on the other hand seems to be a little more difficult but I haven't worked on it much other then just a little tweeking and most of that dne without steam.

I have read Cuenca hats will not take a diffrent shape at all. Anyone know this for fact or not?

Kkaderly

 

[chippy]

Yes ... 16x16 wpi (256 WPSI) I can almost measure 17X17 but I am not an expert at this!!! Sorry I don't know the grade maybe a Fino or Extra Fino ... panamabob's website use to say the WPSI for each grade he sales but I can't find it on there anymore! It was blocked in Ecuador and is a Caballero
block as is in the previouse photos but I now have added a little steam and pinched the front more, more dent and rolled the back more to give it a more USA fedora look (also added a wider brown ribbon SEE BELOW Photos)

I had originally orderd a hat via panamabob's website but something got messed up in the order and I changed my mind on what I wanted (ended up spending more money but got more then a anticipated) basically what I would do is e-mail him and see what he has in stock in your size ... I ended up getting a really good deal (I think) on a great hat.

thanks for the info Keith, its most valuable and helpfull to know wpsi count and price from a vendor rather than just showing a hat (for those of us shopping at least). it would seem at the $100 mark you spent you got a very nice hat. from looking at PB site it appears somewhere between the bottom 2 level of offerings his monte start at, which presumably speaks well of the higher levels!..

actually, i did ask ol Bob just the other day/week and got a reply to my first email but sadly no answer to my second email...basically i was wondering what approximate/ball park (not nit picking numbers) wpsi i could expect for a given price spent/ or his level of grading...from a buyer perspective, its difficult thing when it comes to these Panamas but i am just not comfortable handing over "multi hundreds" of dollars to anyone without this basic info...as time goes on an if you have delt with a person before perhaps there are levels of trust built up but when you dont know somebody you need something more than just a name fino or whatever all the different people are using, that can mean absolutely anything at all depending on the seller....

so almost disappointingly now, I have my new panama, but at the time i didnt get a reply from PB (he may of been away on holiday last week) and i happened to pass by Adelaide Hatters while i was in the city, they had this single one left of what they called their best quality panamas they get in, the cheaper hats didnt interest me at all, but this one looked quite good to me at the time (it still does but i am a bit disappointed thinking i may of been able to have something very special), so i thought, what the hell and bought it, because i was getting tired of chasing all over the internet --a "bird in the hand", so to speak--so i will give it a run and see how it fairs in the practical world, it may prove to be a silly thing (imo for me) to buy expensive panamas if they are ruined too easy or not very durable

at any rate it saved me some money because at the time i was going to spend s e v e r al hundreds and this one only cost me about $200AU (much less than i was going to spend), which i guess equals about US$170 including international shipping..so from that POV i guess its not too bad..if i am measuring correctly it seems to be about 12 or 13 x 13 wpi

i like that hat anyway, its already been put to use and i found it very comfy (almost cant tell its being worn) on a few days standing out in the sunshine watching a football game etc..on the down side it seems to have a few 'hairs' that stick out (normal?) i can only notice if held up to the right light, but it was the last one the hat store stock (end of summer here) and they said i got it on special so perhaps this one was a little bit shop soiled

i took a couple of snaps of the edge brim as well. in reference to a couple of earlier posts, what type is this one?? lol lol

^ top of brim

^bottom of brim

 

[Panamabob]

I have read Cuenca hats will not take a diffrent shape at all. Anyone know this for fact or not?

Not true at all. They are quite malleable if not treated with stiffener, as many are.

i took a couple of snaps of the edge brim as well. in reference to a couple of earlier posts, what type is this one??

Cuenca Brisa.

It's Spring Break, so we took the kids to the Columbus Zoo and COSI (Science museum). I'm back now and wading through the hundreds of emails. You'll probably get an answer back today. I do remember answering questions about the weaves, perhaps it went to the spam box.

We've taken the promise off of our website because one of the weavers and one of the finishers begged me to stop promising on weave count, since things are in turmoil down there.

 

[Kkaderly]

on the down side it seems to have a few 'hairs' that stick out (normal?) i can only notice if held up to the right light, but it was the last one the hat store stock (end of summer here) and they said i got it on special so perhaps this one was a little bit shop soiled

I think your hat looks great so I wouldn't be disapointed in it!! I think Mr. Robert has been busy as of late ... he is a hard guy to catch ... and I was a little sceptical as you are with just handing over money without knowing exactly what your getting ... but I took a chance and it worked out and I would not hesitate getting another hat from him you just have to be persistant and patient.

Yes I think all of them will get a little "hair" from time to time and that is normal.

 

[dnjan]

... I would not hesitate getting another hat from him you just have to be persistant and patient.

I would second that. I contacted Robert (based on the many recommendations here), and told him the style and dollar amount, and asked him what he could do. I did this way in advance of when I wanted the hat (last Spring, for a hat I wanted for this coming summer), and ended up with a much nicer hat than I originally expected.
(by the way, the hat arrived last fall - post number 813 in this thread)

 

[HungaryTom]

We've taken the promise off of our website because one of the weavers and one of the finishers begged me to stop promising on weave count, since things are in turmoil down there.

PHM Montecristi.

Different weavecounts - beauty is not measurable.

Van Gogh: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers. 100x76 cm.
Auctioned at Christie's, London, on 31 March, 1987.
Price: USD 39,921,750.
Sompo Japan Museum of Art.
The norm would be 100x80 cm.