Panama Hats

[WineGuy]

As a new guy in town, I could not find a concentration on Panama Hats yet I saw enough posts to bloat a thread, so here goes.

I just received today my Montecristi Gatsby Extrafino. I researched Panama Hats best I could before making the purchase but I'm not sure I got the quality represented. The etailer Ultrafino Montecristi Panama Hats sold this hat for $99 and claimed it was extrafino grade(3rd from their best) and took over 4 weeks to weave. Since there is no real standard to go by and they did not list the "Cuenta" up front, the only info I can give is that on inspection the weave turned out to be 10x12 (120 Cuenta)which most PH retailers would call subfino. Despite the low row count the hat has an interesting pattern in that the top of the crown and the brim both alternate from the Brisa pattern to the Llano(herringbone)see photo attached. Could this be considered a more premium type of weave? Right now I just wanted a good summer hat with respectable quality, does anyone have anything good or bad to say about the price/quality of this hat? Thanks

Note the alternating pattern

Note the weave is at least consistent and symmetrical, just not fine.

 

[carouselvic]

I think you got took.

 

[Slim Portly]

So in the end, you paid more than you should have for a hat that has style and looks good on you. Not the worst ending possible.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

If you like the hat it's not a bad deal. If you were looking for a finer weave, they misrepresented the quality.

 

[Panamabob]

Yep, it's a Cuenca Brisa pattern. All brisas have some llano in there. Looks like grade 0/1 to me. Will PM what I think the price should have been.

 

[Neil]

I'm gonna take a stab at this. . .

About $30.
For anyone to market that as a Montecristi anything, let alone Extrafino, borders on fraud.
But the shape is nice. It looks good on you. Take a look at PB's offerings at $44. They're all over EBay.

 

[Barrelhouse]

I think Slim Portly summed it up excellently....you may have paid a bit much but you have a hat that really looks great on you and should keep you styling for many summers to come. After all, a lid that looks bad on you is truly worthless no matter how great a bargain it may have been.

 

[WineGuy]

Sent it back!

Well, I finally got a call back from Jason at Ultrafino Panama Hats and he did not have a very good explanation for the difference in quality his ad represented versus what he sent me. His argument that the hat took over 4 weeks to make despite the 10x12 WPI just did not hold water. All the input from the forum plus great phone calls with Bob Weber and Brent Black convinced me that I could do better for the same money or a little more.

Meanwhile I'm open to suggestion, Thanks!

 

[carouselvic]

On better hats go with USA blocking, it will be money well spent. On low end hats that you plan to replace frequently(for yard work and such), Ecuadorian blocking is OK.

 

[tinmanzzz]

Stetson Centerdent

The Stetson Centerdent Panama is a great Choice

http://www.delmonicohatter.com/Merc..._Code=IT45&Category_Code=Stetson_Panama_Straw

Holds its shape and has a snap brim. All & all a Good hat.

 

[Goose.]

So in the end, you paid more than you should have for a hat that has style and looks good on you. Not the worst ending possible.

10-4 on what Slip Portly said. It's not as tight as I would've expected based on your original post. The weave looks the same as my Stetson Center Dent.

BUT, it does look sharp on you, You could've done much worse for a note. In other words, not bad at all for that price but certainly not as represented...you might have paid less, but what the hell...it's a nice looking lid.

 

[Panamabob]

Well, the guy really got ripped off. He was told something was extrafino that wasn't. He was told the hat took 4 weeks to weave, when clearly it is less than a day's job for that type of hat.

Tinmanzz still hates me because he got a fine hat that he didn't like, didn't want to go back ot the post office to send it back, or something. Sure, go ahead and pay Stetson $60.00 to $70.00 too much for that hat.

 

[seed]

Wineguy, don't feel embarrassed about the bad turn of affairs. I myself am the type of person who has on more than a few occasions jumped into something before doing the proper amount of research and not getting the best deal. But always, I will then research hard and become extremely knowledgeable about the subject (sometimes even becoming somewhat of an expert) and then use that knowledge to purchase and advise wisely...and customize and repair. And now as I become older and wiser and more patient, I am learning to skip that first mistake impulse purchase more and more.

 

[Neil]

I think Stetson makes a fine hat called the Pinnacle. I bought one from Carter, and it's a gem. Soft and comfortable and good looking.
But a Stetson Panama? Yeee-aaahhhh. I'm gonna go ahead and say no. Cheap, coarse weave. Nice shape, but that's about it.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

My Stetson Centerdent works very well for me. Looks sharp, feels great it is my everyday hat. I paid substantially less than Delmonico was selling it for.

Depending on the occasion I will wear my Montecristi or Borso Cuenca, but, don't count the Centerdent out.

Note, however, that my next panama will be coming from Panama Bob.

 

[CRH]

Looks like a $99 hat to me [huh].

 

[tinmanzzz]

Well, the guy really got ripped off. He was told something was extrafino that wasn't. He was told the hat took 4 weeks to weave, when clearly it is less than a day's job for that type of hat.

Tinmanzz still hates me because he got a fine hat that he didn't like, didn't want to go back ot the post office to send it back, or something. Sure, go ahead and pay Stetson $60.00 to $70.00 too much for that hat.

I will be glad to post pictures of that "Whale of a Great Hat" and let the group decide which looks best or if it has a 300+ weave count.
No I don't intend to buy from you, but you are the one that brought it up.

 

[Panamabob]

We can go through this again and again and you can attack me as you see fit. The hat was exactly as ordered, you were offered a refund, but were too bothered to do it. I can still offer to send the hat to a hatter for a little stiffener, gratis, but I'm sure you're still too bothered to drop it in the mail.

 

[warmentrout]

I am waiting on my first panama, a least expensive model from PB. I don't know much about panamas so I'm going the cheap route till I feel confident spending real money. So, I have a newbie question. Wine Guy's hat has darker straws, that, in the brim especially, form a pattern of alternating arcs. I have seen pictures of other panamas that exhibit the same pattern even more. I understand that the darker straws are considered to lower the quality of the hat and I understand that wpsi is the best measurement for quality with consistency of color and weave being a part of that equation. However, I kinda like that pattern. There is no accounting for taste I guess. Is that a specific weave pattern with a name ? Or if I wanted to buy a hat from PB with that pattern on purpose would I have to say " Bob, I want a hat like the one Wine Guy got that he wasn't real happy with " ?

 

[carter]

Do Some Homework - At Least you'll be better informed.

Not touting any vendor but ... there's a lot of good information on this website.
http://panamahatsdirect.com/