Slowly moving away from vintage and on to Akubra exclusively.

[silvershadow]

Akubra and vintage

Hi Folks,

reading the posts asking "where are the vintage Akubras"? They can be found in the usual Newtown, Sydney vintage shops. But unfortunately they are usually too battered for my taste. And considering the styles basically haven't changed in decades, I prefer buying new. The Homburg in my avatar is an Akubra.

The Strand Hatters in the Strand Arcade in Sydney can take care of special order Akubras (they ordered a brown Homburg for me, normally Akubra's Homburgs are black or grey).

We have been spoiled for over a hundred years with their quality hats.

(I have no affiliation with either of the companies mentioned...just a very satisfied customer...and the more of their hats you buy, the longer they'll stay in business!)

 

[renor27]

I do like Akubra too

The hardest part for me is where to find them here in the states and already blocked?
Thye do make a great Out of Africa Hat with their military hat.
David

 

[wenestvedt]

David, what hat are you wearing in your avatar photo? Just curious....

- Will

 

[renor27]

that hat was a gift from a great gal

The hat is a simple Jaxon Iconoclast .
Had to get it down to see what it is and gee needs a good brushing.
I do not have that many hats The Jaxon, a Beaver Brand in tan that Art blocked for me, a really wide brim straw keeps my neck and ears covered when out in the high country or great basin. Then of course a B! wear news boy in brown.
Like to keep my hats simple can only wear one @ a time and live in a very small Art Deco cottage.
David

 

[HamletJSD]

Well, I have pushed me over the edge ...
My anniversary is today and I talked my wife into ordering a couple of Akubras ...
I guess they'll be my first "nice" hats, and I'll let you know what I think sometime next week (or whenever they arrive)!

 

[Aerol]

Beaver??

Akubras are 100% rabbit fur. Does this mean that the hoopla about beaver's superiority is misplaced?

 

[MattJH]

Akubras are 100% rabbit fur. Does this mean that the hoopla about beaver's superiority is misplaced?

Akubras are made from wild hare fur, which, as I understand it, is higher in quality than rabbit fur. There's an over-population of wild hares in Australia, so Akubra hats can technically be considered environmentally friendly.

This is good for me -- while I don't oppose to purchasing vintage fur felt hats as it's already made and you can't do anything about it, I would not purchase a brand new fur felt hat that was constructed from animals reared in a fur farm. Just feels weird. It's certainly possible that Australia has long taken care of the wild hare overpopulation and the hats are once again being constructed from fur farms (both local and imported), but I haven't been able to find any documentation on it.

As far as the quality of beaver goes, this may be better addressed by the custom hat makers here. Beaver is certainly more expensive, but I don't know that it makes a superior fur felt. It might! I just truly don't know the answer. I know that a lot of high-end cowboy hats are made from beaver fur.

 

[RedPop4]

Beavers, being aquatic mammals, it's likely their felt is better, and more resilient especially at shedding water.

 

[MattJH]

I'm actually considering selling off all of my vintage hats at this point. [...] Akubra hats are fantastic and the bonus is that I get to be the one to wear them down into a perfect fit. That whole process holds value for me.

It's been 2 1/2 years since I made this post, and I'm leaning more and more towards this sentiment as time wears on. At the time that I made it, I had jumped the gun a bit, but let me tell you... at this point, as far as vintage, I've got a 7 5/8 Adam Executive, a tartan-lined/boxed 7 5/8 LO MacLachlan, a 7 5/8 Herbert Johnson for Brooks Brothers, a 7 5/8 Cavanagh, and a 7 3/4 LO "tropic weight" Bott. The Herbert Johnson's reddish-brown color is unique, and the felt is so supple and malleable that it's really something exceptional to handle. The Bott is a perfect lightweight spring/autumn fedora and is close to Akubra's moonstone color. The Adam Executive has the whole high-crown thing going for it, and is definitely a 40's leftover. The dark-grey Cavanagh's felt is so dense that it responds like clay. The stingy-brimmed MacLachlan speaks for itself; there are those in the hat industry that rank them above Borsalino.

The thing is, though, they just sit in my closet in their respective hatboxes, protected by plastic covers like unused sets of furniture, doing nothing. It's a shame. The reason? During the warm weather, all I wear (besides baseball caps) is my lightweight natural 7 5/8 LO Vintage Silhouettes by Art Fawcett, and during the cold weather all I wear is my Carbon Grey Standard Akubra Federation IV and my Dark Brown Standard Akubra Federation IV. This isn't necessarily a conscious decision, it's just always where my hand ends up with it goes to grab a hat.

I totally understand the nostalgia linked to vintage hats, not to mention the superior workmanship and felt that went into them. I get it, I promise, I really do. Nonetheless, I can't ignore the fact that I'm just not wearing mine. I really enjoy the process of making a new hat mine. None of my hats fit or look better than the VS and the Akubras. There's no denying it; I'm going to have to unload some of these oldies. I'm sure you fellow bigheads are all very upset to hear this!

Anyone else ever feel the same way as I?

 

[Lefty]

Hey Matt, it's good to know that you're still checking in, and you can be sure that I'll be checking out your Classified listings or auctions.

 

[The Good]

Well, the only fur felt I own is an Akubra Federation IV, but I personally wouldn't mind only purchasing from Akubra, if I were forced to for some reason. They're good, and I will be doing business with them in the future perhaps. I may also try to get a vintage though, maybe from the 1940s or 1950s.

 

[Sam Craig]

There's a responsibility

Not to wax philosophical here, but ...

I own several hats, old and new, including about 10 that I would consider museum quality. That includes a Knox 25 long finish, an early 1900s Stetson Derby, a mint Stetson Whippet, and a Champ fedora in lemon-colored camel down finish.

I wear all of them, in careful conditions, but for daily work wear, I prefer to stick with a converted western fedora, a remodeled Open Road or another new hat, saving the older ones.

In part, I do this because I don't want to have to replace them, but also because I would like to someday pass them on to another generation of hat collectors.

From what I've seen on the Fedora Lounge, there are several Akubras that will fill the vintage hat style very well. I just wish they were easier to find and, frankly, a little less expensive.

They are a great alternative to wearing out a 50-year-old piece of history, though.

 

[Picker]

Regarding the original post, I just received a new Akubra Fedora/Sydney yesterday fron hatsdirect, and it is Bee-you--tee-full!.. I was surprised to see the red liner, and I love it. It is Burnt Oak, which is a rich, Hershey's chocolate color, to me. I have owned many brown hats (Federations, Keppler, Adventurebilt), and to me this one beats them all for my coloring.

I've been wearing an Akubra Fedora in the gray for quite a while, and now I have both. Great hats!!

Picker

 

[Karyl]

I'm about to order a nice open crowned Squatter in moonstone from davidmorgan. I totally dig this colour. You should check it out if you like wide brims and high crowns.

 

[elvisroe]

Just too small!

For me the vintage issue all comes down to size.

We do get vintage hats, Aussie and other, appearing from time to time down here but they are rarely bigger than a 7 which just doesn't cut it with a big noggen like mine. The other problem I've had is after years in the sun or on shelves the size on the tag no longer matches the actual size

I own 4 vintage lids but only one of them fits me. The others have become dress-ups for my daughter.

If I can get new hats I like for a reasonable price, why not?

 

[frussell]

Grommets on David Morgan Squatter

Karyl - Don't know if it matters to you or not, but the Squatter David Morgan sells has one grommet hole on either side of the hat, one under the ribbon and one that shows. May not bother you, did not have any effect on comfort, but some folks don't like it. Hard to see in the photos on the website. I was unaware until after I had already paid. Just FYI. Great hat though, Frank.

 

[elvisroe]

huh!
that's very interesting I'd never noticed that before.
I see their Coober Pedy is also different to the retail model with a thin ribbon rather than a leather band set with a Coober Pedy opal.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I echo the sentiments of others here who say their Akubras are becoming their "go to" hat. I have one Stylemaster that seems to be my default hat most of the time. For the money, Akubras are great choices.

I've actually been slowly debating getting a stingy Akubra for quite some time. I've been looking at these two below:

http://www.hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?view=53&returncat=Fedora+Hats&returnpage=0

http://www.hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?view=54&returncat=Fedora+Hats&returnpage=0

I'm considering these both in black. I know the majority of folks here aren't really into the stingy brim Akubras, but does anyone have any experience with these two?

 

[Havana]

I have a few inherited vintage hats. All are borderline too small but even if they fit perfectly, I don't think I'd wear them out of the house. These vintage 1940's and 1950's lids are like artifacts to me. They're both a piece of cultural history and a piece of family history. Instead of wearing these great vintage hats, I have purchased several Akubras that approximate the same style and appearance. The Akubras are of great quality, affordable and to a certain extent expendable unlike my vintage treasures.

 

[Blackthorn]

I love the quality and the look of Akubra hats. The only negative thing is the limited color choices available in different models. I would have ordered a Bogart long ago if more choices were available.