The Best Custom Western Hat maker!!!

[msm007]

Anyone else have a western hat experience that they would like to share?:eusa_doh:

 

[Riot Earp]

Anyone else have a western hat experience that they would like to share?:eusa_doh:

Two words: Akubra Kiandra

Inexpensive, rather handsome, a nice band, and you won't be afraid to dirty it up. Not a custom hat but worthy of mention.

Akubra makes other 'Western' styles also, but the Kiandra is my favorite.

 

[msm007]

No question about it Akubra does make a good hat.

 

[johnnycanuck]

I would trust Art to make me a western hat. He made me a very nice crossover last year.
mine is half way down the page. Post #7
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=47069&highlight=crossover
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/

Another store that uses the conformer (so it fits bang on right out of the box) is Jaxonbilt. Very little is said about this store on the lounge, but what is said is positive.
http://www.jaxonbilthats.com/index.html

I have issues with paying high prices for a hat that is not made for my head. If you know what I mean.

Johnny

 

[coble]

Limpia creek hats, the lady who makes the hats is wonderful, and very talented. She walked me through the house she works in, and showed me her equipment that is from 1890. The felt is in excellent condition, and quality is very fine. She can make the felt stiff or not so stiff. Her felt is 50 percent beaver, 50 percent rabbit, you can also get a 100 percent but it will cost you. here's the link. Highly recommend this company, its also listed in the magazine cowboys and indians, and lucky for me is 25 minutes from the house.

limpia creek hats.com

 

[msm007]

Thanks for the greta info. I have heard lots of good things about them. I am going to have to give them a try.

 

[skyvue]

I've not had a hat made there -- western or otherwise -- but I've been very impressed with every visit I've paid to Shorty's in Oklahoma City, which was mentioned previously in this thread. I got a new ribbon put on my Akubra Sydney there over the holidays, and was very pleased with the work and the service (and it ran me just ten bucks). I'll bet they make a darned fine custom hat.

http://shortyshattery.com

 

[bowlerman]

Limpia creek hats, the lady who makes the hats is wonderful, and very talented. She walked me through the house she works in, and showed me her equipment that is from 1890. The felt is in excellent condition, and quality is very fine. She can make the felt stiff or not so stiff. Her felt is 50 percent beaver, 50 percent rabbit, you can also get a 100 percent but it will cost you. here's the link. Highly recommend this company, its also listed in the magazine cowboys and indians, and lucky for me is 25 minutes from the house.

limpia creek hats.com

I've eyed the derby from their website before. I'm strangely attracted to the flat brim before the pencil roll.

My custom western experience is limited to Knudsen Hats (wool Bat Masterson bowler), Charles the Ebay guy (grey "Megahat")

,

and Montana Peaks Hats (Gus in sand).

While all of them are great lids, the latter is easily the best quality, even though it's only staple felt. Also my most costly hat to date, and like the other two, hardly gets worn. I will say, however, that Laura made it precisely to my specs and did one hell of a job with it: pouncing, shaping, brim curl, everything. Truly a fine specimen. I wish I had more confidence to wear it more regularly!

 

[150719541]

Hi,

Excuse me if this is a repeat. But who do you think makes the best custom western hats, today. I really like Knudsen hats, http://www.knudsenhats.com/

I don´t know much about Westerns" have only 3, but some friends tell of KNUDSEN HATS fron San Francisco, Ca. This one is a Stetson silver belly" 4x , I use westerns only in ranch ¡¡¡

 

[jlee562]

Bowlerman, what was your experience with Knudsen like? Have heard mixed feedback on here. I guess I really should drive my lazy self over there, but still trying to justify getting a western hat. I know Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame often wears his Knudsen on the show....but I really like their Jimmy Stewart hat.

 

[suitedcboy]

I have a Limpia Creek 50X on Ebay for sale and I recently won a 100% beaver Shorty's on Ebay.
I have several 100% beaver westerns and Shorty's is in the top tier of them. Quality of the felt, liner, sweatband, and buckle set on the self felt band are all great. Finish of the felt is great too.
The Limpia Creek hat is a good one too but is too small and sometimes you have to to shed some surplus hats (don't you?). I would rate it not too far below the good 100% beaver lids I have. The sweatband is of a bit lesser quality and it has a medallion to join the self felt band. All completely expected for a 50X hat.

 

[gtdean48]

... I'll bet they make a darned fine custom hat.

http://shortyshattery.com

They definitely do. While in OKC for the NRHA futurity, I stopped by their booth at the show when I saw Shorty there.
She was the only one manning the booth years ago when I bought my first custom from her.
I asked for the price of an exact replacement for what I have & was floored by the amount = pure beaver in natural = $800. Rabbit blend = $600.
My Shorty custom just got more valuable, at least to me!

 

[Cicero]

I wish we had also such excellent hat stores here in Belgium.
I am jealous Guys!

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Stopped in to visit Limpia Creek Hats in Fort Davis, Texas last month. Not at all what one would expect. Nice to see a small outfit that takes pride in their work.

 

[ripford]

Great topic
I have purchased many custom hats (too many)over the last 30 plus years and I can recommend the following with rare reservations as noted

Tom Hirt
Mike Helm’s at Mike’s in Longview TX
Moore at Buckaroo Hatter’s
Tonto Rim
Knudsen’s Hats (22 months to d- long to wait IMHO)
D Bar J
O’Farrell’s ( the old man- RIP) when in Durango. Son now in Santa Fe
Mike at American Hat’s -- bought hats from him for 35 years
Mackey’s Hat’s-- good prices
Jim at River Junction-- will custom
Nathaniel’s in Mancos Co.-- think it had a different name in the early ‘90’s
Michael (blank??) when he worked at hat store in Fort Worth -best Quigley copy
Catalena Hats in Bryan TX
Brad at Star of the West in Rapid City, SD - he makes for the Last Best West site
Jackson Hole Hats when they worked in a house basement. new owner now
Shudde Bros when they were located in the historic wood factory building across from the police station-- sad they moved

Just can’t remember the rest
Going to learn hat making from JW at JW Hats in Salt Lake City next week so I am sure I will have to add him to this list
Wish I could figure out how to post pics of my collection

 

[bowlerman]

Great to see this somewhat comprehensive thread revived, and Jared I apologize for not ever responding to your post!

Buckaroo Hatters is the new top of my list for western customs! I'm not sure I'll go to anyone else for a western again. Mike is a wonderful guy to work with, and as I said in another thread recently, has the most diverse and well-executed repertoire of western hats (particularly with regard to brim curling/shaping) I've ever seen. Not to mention reasonable prices and reasonable wait time.

Had a great experience with D Bar J, too. Stopped into their shop in Vegas last July and David gave me a wonderful tour. I bought an off the shelf hat there, but it was truly a pleasure to see, feel, and try on some of his awesome inventory. Particularly liked the multiple variations on bowler blocks.

Montana Peaks Hats is great-- it was easy and efficient to work with Laura, the master hatter, and not a huge wait time. The hat turned out amazingly.

Tim Bender Hats-- mostly American Civil War reproductions, but great guy and great work-- nothing fancy, but wonderfully rugged and well made to my specs, even though he cringed slightly at the historical inaccuracy of what I asked for. Great value.

Clearwater Hats-- primitive, as they hardly communicate and make you trace your own head shape on cardboard and send it in an envelope, but quality work, not terribly finely pounced, which didn't bother me at all. Sweatbands are wide and unreeded. Great value.

Knudsen Hats-- Seemed more like a large operation when I called them. The wait was FOREVER, but the hat I ordered was absolutely beautiful. I only wish I knew then what I know now, and would have ordered it in fur felt instead of wool.

Charles Carmack-- used to sell his wares on eBay. Still makes hats, but I think you need to contact him privately. He is good value, but at a tradeoff. His felt bodies are BEAUTIFUL, and extremely durable and reshapeable, but his sweatbands are lesser quality and glued in. Mine has a neat blue taffeta paisley liner, and he works fast.

Texas Hatters-- Hard to say much, as they are difficult to communicate with. They made me a sub fino cuenca brisa bowler, and it's very cool and very unique, precisely what I asked for. Got a great deal on that lower grade straw body, and they personalize your sweatband. Their felt prices appear unreasonable.

Baron Hats-- The most difficult of my experiences, but in the end I got my hat-- a helmet stiff dark moss bowler. It took a couple of tries, as they were extremely hurried on the phone and didn't really take the time to get all the details the first time around. The final product is absolutely fantastic.

Now I've been extremely curious about a couple of them, simply from perusing their websites over the years. Has anyone experienced Optimo Hatworks http://optimohatworks.com/ from Arizona? What about Moreno Hats? http://www.morenohats.com/customhats.htm

Moreno is interesting to me because of the vast variety of bowler block and curl they show... in sketches... Curious to see if anyone has actually seen one of their "Old Style" hats in person.

 

[T Jones]

The Last Best Cowboy Hat

I've been wanting to add a good cowboy hat to my collection...a friend of mine told me to check these guys out for a nice wide variety of custom made Western and T.V. and Movie Cowboy hat reproductions...they're also adding fedoras to their list of custom made hats...The Last Best Cowboy Hat...
http://www.thelastbestwest.com/cowboy_hats.htm

 

[bowlerman]

T Jones, that place looks cool too! Canadians, eh? Their Bat Mastersons look great. Does your friend own any of theirs?

 

[bowlerman]

Great topic

Brad at Star of the West in Rapid City, SD - he makes for the Last Best West site

Ripford, welcome! I'm going to head out to the Rapid City area in a few weeks. Does Brad do any of his work locally?

 

[hatband]

Hi Bowlerman,
great pics, after I looked at your Knudsen I went to their website, just wondering which model bowler you ordered as they all look great. Am considering getting one from them.