Penman Hats

[dostacos]

I'll rename this thread if we can come up with a name and make this the gallery thread. I'll post pics of my first Penman. I was one of his first ten orders. I ordered back in, I believe, June '08. Post them up, gentelmen! Lets see your Penman hats.

Dave

post picks of your Penman's here.....

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I'll rename this thread if we can come up with a name and make this the gallery thread. I'll post pics of my first Penman. I was one of his first ten orders. I ordered back in, I believe, June '08. Post them up, gentelmen! Lets see your Penman hats.

Dave

Dave, and everyone else; The mods asked us to hold off on the gallery threads while they work on how best to organize them. I say, let this thread remain a casual chat thread, and give Admin time to decide what's what. We don't want to upset them and kill the chances for a real gallery area, right?

 

[hollowpond]

Dave, and everyone else; The mods asked us to hold off on the gallery threads while they work on how best to organize them. I say, let this thread remain a casual chat thread, and give Admin time to decide what's what. We don't want to upset them and kill the chances for a real gallery area, right?

(Hollowpond says casually) Right

 

[TheDarkKnight]

I ordered a Penman. It should be here at the end of next month. I'm not sure what to expect as I've only owned a Fed Deluxe III for 5 years. I've seen a Adventurebilt in person which blew me away. I wasn't a fan of the Fed. at all so I hope this Penman looks a lot better on me.

 

[DR Ulloa]

My Adventurebilt probably won't arrive for another four months or so, but I've compared my first Penman, a Raiders hat, to a number of Adventurebilts and, in my opinion, they are indestinguishable. I'd say that if you like the Adventurebilts then you'll like the Penman.

Dave

Dave

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I ordered a Penman. It should be here at the end of next month. I'm not sure what to expect as I've only owned a Fed Deluxe III for 5 years. I've seen a Adventurebilt in person which blew me away. I wasn't a fan of the Fed. at all so I hope this Penman looks a lot better on me.

Well, I'll tell you... you have barked up the right tree, TDK. The Fed III is great hat, but a little too "one-size-fits-all" in design. But it is basically a factory hat. The Penman, like the AB, takes the same concept that the Fed does, but fine tunes it, and jacks up the quality quotient. This would probably be the right place and time to post some words I wrote recently about my Penman that will likely ease your worries and raise your anticipation;

I was sitting with my new hat the weekend after receiving it, and I realize that something special was happening.
You see, like many here, I'm a "hat guy," which means; a) I like and wear hats. Indiana Jones style and otherwise. b) I have a lot of hats. c) I can get a little ho-hum about hats, even nice ones, sometimes. d) Did I mention I have lots of hats?

Now, I get excited about every new hat as I wait for it. If the hat turns out to be nice when it arrives (I've had a few immediate duds), I'm happy and enthusiastic. The particularly pleasing examples get some extra attention the first day or so; tweaking, trying it on, bashing (if open crown), etc. But every once in a while, something special happens between an old hat veteran and his new lid. That day, I realized that it had happened with the Penman. I've only been this enthused by a new hat maybe two other times. (My dear hatter, you should know who you are and which ones by now). Considering I have over 2 dozen hats in regular rotation at this moment, and have owned at least 10 others that are now gone, and some odd ones around that I rarely wear... that's significant.

I hadn't had a chance to wear it out of the house yet, and I couldn't get enough of it. I put it on for no reason in the house (I don't wear hats inside, usually). I kept playing with it, not to improve the bash, but just to try different ways of tilting it or snapping the brim.

So, why do I love it so much? What makes it stand out? Well...
1. The finish is so luxurious. I have only a couple that feel like this Penman. Nice and even, fairly smooth, with just a touch of length to it that gives the felt a "grain," I guess you might say.
2. The brim responds so well to adjustment by hand. I am amazed by it, really. I haven't encountered this kind of pliability and cooperation in a brim outside of one vintage hat I saw (but alas, did not own). I could just play with this brim all day.
3. The profile of the hat. It's just so classic. It really speaks to me.
4. I can actually wear this hat tipped to toward the back of my head. It's comfortable, it stays put, and I don't look like a total doofus when I do it. No modern hat, custom or otherwise, has looked this good tilted back on my head. [huh]
5. The color. Just... perfect.
6. It just "feels right." I know that at least some of you know what I'm talking about.

John is rather new to this game, but he impressed me, and I mostly wear vintage hats, or those made by a hatter with much more experience.

 

[St.Ignatz]

Wow NoBo with a paean like that the wait should be about 18mo by monday. Wish I'd ordered last week.

 

[dostacos]

I ordered a Penman. It should be here at the end of next month. I'm not sure what to expect as I've only owned a Fed Deluxe III for 5 years. I've seen a Adventurebilt in person which blew me away. I wasn't a fan of the Fed. at all so I hope this Penman looks a lot better on me.

expect a beautiful well made hat, John has a few that were already made and I grabbed a gray 23 3/4" hat complete with a signed, sized and dated completion date for the hat on the inside of the hatband.....

I will be taking pictures this weekend

 

[Colby Jack]

Looking forward to those images DT!:eusa_clap

 

[indycop]

After seeing and holding BoxerKen's Penman I am going to have to get in on one soon! Gotta pay the rest of that cruise off first.
I also see he has some cool hat stands now too.

 

[St.Ignatz]

Did anyone submit "March of the Penman's"?

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Did anyone submit "March of the Penman's"?

:kick:

 

[indycop]

Why not just "Post your Penmans"?

 

[St.Ignatz]

NoBo you are a man of few and sometimes no words. Unless talking about the actual hat.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

NoBo you are a man of few and sometimes no words. Unless talking about the actual hat.

When it comes to expression, I'm a man opposed to mediocrity. Therefore, it's all or nothing!

 

[avedwards]

These Penman's sound fantastic, and are affordable for a custom (price being the biggest concern of mine). My only other major concern with a hat is durability. I know it's beaver, but on the website it says that they are not rain hats. If I were to get a Penman it would have to deal with heavy rain, not whole days of it but at least walking for a few hours in it. Has anyone worn their Penman's in rain? How well did they fare?

 

[bendingoak]

I use Winchester felt and us a naptha based water protection. Rain beads off of my hats. I added that because some of the Indy crowd will stand in the rain for hours to see how long it will take to mess up their hat,
My own Raiders hat that I made for myself has seen a lot of rain ( I live in Oregon ). That should tell you something and it is still looking as it did the day I made it.

Is the price to high?

 

[avedwards]

The price is fine with me, considering it is 100% beaver. I only wanted to know about durability as I don't see any point in a felt hat which can't withstand rain.

And that does sound rain resistant enough for me. I don't wear hats in the rain to see if I can ruin them, but if I am caught in the rain and don't have an umbrella with me, which is usually the case as I prefer my trench coat and a fedora for rain, think Bogart.

I might be getting one these fantastic sounding hats then, once I get round to it.

 

[bendingoak]

Here in oregon you can't help but get caught in the rain.

 

[avedwards]

It's not as bad here in the Midlands in England, but it still rains frequently enough, and sometimes I have to go out in it whether I like it or not, so a rain proof hat is a must.