Top Quality Biltmore

[Jedwbpm]

I thought these hats you were getting were Open Doors. By the way the Galgary can be ordered open crown if you want it that way. Biltmore has told me that the Open Door and Galgary are the same hat.

Jeff

 

[gtdean48]

I thought these hats you were getting were Open Doors. By the way the Galgary can be ordered open crown if you want it that way. Biltmore has told me that the Open Door and Galgary are the same hat.

Jeff

The Calgary that I saw in OKC was a factory pressed in cattleman crease.
The 2 hats I have from Biltmore, listed on Hats Plus as Open Roads, have no reference to Open Door or Open Road on them.
1 has Wilderness on the tag & Wilderness Collection on the liner. The other has 5X on the tag & Silver Buckle on the liner.
Frank got an Open Door from Miller's a while back & I think sent it back.
All in all, Miller's was always too high price-wise for me, when I could get a Campdraft for under $100.
I do like the brim size on this Biltmores & happy to find they are on par with the Heritage Campdraft Deluxes IMO.

 

[Joshbru3]

I don't know who you guys are talking to but we have Texas Biltmores and we are very pleased with the finish. There are some problems with sizing on some styles but all in all we like them very much. Lets be honest no one here cared about Biltmore's until Hats Plus started selling Miller Hats old stock at dirt cheap prices. God Bless them that they can and did. It's just like the Stetson Nostalgia no one cared until Stetson discontinued the model and we could get them for a song from the Outlet Stores. I am thrilled that Hatco has some financially backed competition.

Jeff

I have to respectfully disagree with you as well, Jeff. I have always cared about Biltmore, as my first real hat was a Biltmore. I have always been impressed with Biltmore's finishes, materials, and workmanship. The problem was, as many have stated, is that I was unaware that a Biltmore could be purchased in a full profile Open Crown. I had checked, and checked, and checked, and was only able to find current offerings from Biltmore with short, tapered crowns just like Hatco. I knew that Miller's hats were made by Biltmore, but their Open Door was not as good as the Open Road. Why do I say that? Well first of all the liner that Miller used was absolutely horrible. In many pictures I have seen of their Open Door the piping inside the liner was always stitched horribly. I hate that they branded the heck out of the hat and took off most of the Biltmore charm. The few that had received the Open Door was unimpressed with the quality as it was made to Miller's specs.

The Open Road that was sold by Hats-Plus was a New Old stock hat that was not offered in Biltmore's catalog since 2006. I know this because the model code is different than the Calgary and I looked through all the prior Biltmore catalogs that they had on their website. Most of the date stamps from underneath the sweatbands of my fellow loungers hats state that the hats were made in 2002. This was before their financial troubles and in my opinion were probably made slightly better.

Here's the bottom line, once Hats-Plus went through their warehouse and found a handful of these hats left, they listed them on their website as a sale item. I checked their website pretty often because I only live 10 minutes from their Chicago store. When I noticed that they had them, I contacted Tom because I know he wanted to buy a Miller Open Door but missed his chance. Loungers didn't buy this hat because it was cheap, because lets be honest, $30 off the list price isn't that much of a sale. They bought the hat because it was made in the same factory that Biltmore had been since 1950, using the same tools and machines that had been used since 1917, and most important because this was the hat that they WANTED to buy from Hatco, but Hatco was unable to make the hat. I am a vintage hat guy through and through and I will be the first one to tell you how important it is to buy American goods, but the Canadian made Biltmores are excellent modern day major production hats.

I have not held a American made Biltmore yet, but from what the vendors tell me, they aren't very good, at least not yet anyway. I have never held a hat made by Dorfman that could hold a candle to a Canadian made Biltmore, and I highly doubt I ever will. That's why I bought the Open Road from Hats-Plus, because its a modern day hat that can stand tall against vintage stuff which is far from the stuff that Hatco is making.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Very well stated Josh.You summed up a lot of the things I think but can never mange to write. I have been in that factory, seen the equipment and talked to ladies that have worked there for 25-30 years. Biltmore is just another brand name now. I have held a new Texas made Biltmore when I was in Toronto at The Hatter last summer. They had just received a shipment of porkpies, and in all fairness it was a nice enough hat, if you like porkpies. They sell a lot of those I guess.
Like you and others have stated, DP doesn't offer the varieties of styles or different finishes.
The last fedora I bought at the factory outlet just afew days before they shut the doors was a Candian Suede finish model BDF5054 -0012. in Limestone. I paid $90.00 for it. It is dated Sept. 2011. It is a beautiful hat with a very nice white liner and Biltmore crest. I almost missed it because it is a 7 1/2. I take a 7 3/8 but I didn't wan't to come away empty handed on my last visit.
I put some sizing foam in and it fits good. I limit its wear as I do now with all my Biltmores as they have become keepsakes. For everyday wear, when my Stetson tires out I will shift to well made and reasonably priced good old Akubra.

 

[danofarlington]

Damn. I just got serious about fedoras and started looking at the Biltmores, and the company in Canada closes. What great timing.

In your part of New York, you could look up custom hatters Dave Brown who i think is in Rochester, and Gary White (I think) at the Custom Hatter in Buffalo. I'd be very pleased to visit either, but they're just too far away for me here in Virginia.

 

[Joshbru3]

Very well stated Josh.You summed up a lot of the things I think but can never mange to write. I have been in that factory, seen the equipment and talked to ladies that have worked there for 25-30 years. Biltmore is just another brand name now. I have held a new Texas made Biltmore when I was in Toronto at The Hatter last summer. They had just received a shipment of porkpies, and in all fairness it was a nice enough hat, if you like porkpies. They sell a lot of those I guess.
Like you and others have stated, DP doesn't offer the varieties of styles or different finishes.
The last fedora I bought at the factory outlet just afew days before they shut the doors was a Candian Suede finish model BDF5054 -0012. in Limestone. I paid $90.00 for it. It is dated Sept. 2011. It is a beautiful hat with a very nice white liner and Biltmore crest. I almost missed it because it is a 7 1/2. I take a 7 3/8 but I didn't wan't to come away empty handed on my last visit.
I put some sizing foam in and it fits good. I limit its wear as I do now with all my Biltmores as they have become keepsakes. For everyday wear, when my Stetson tires out I will shift to well made and reasonably priced good old Akubra.

Thanks very much for the compliment, Hoyt!! I would have loved to take a factory tour, see all the old equipment, and talk to the people who have worked there for 20-30 years. The stories they must have. I would also be interested in hearing their inputs of the differences in hatting/felting techniques through the years.

 

[Joshbru3]

Well I finally got my Biltmore Open Road yesterday.....and WOW. First off I have to say that this hat is better than 99% of the stuff that Hatco is putting out......Period. The felt is very nicely finished with just the right amount of shellac. The crown has a bit more shellac than the brim, but I honestly don't mind that because with a little steaming it keeps shape for a long time. You can still crease the hat without steam, but I like to set my all my creases with steam. The brim snaps just like vintage hats do. There is no "spidering" in the felt or uneven shellac spots. The brim thickness and density is on par with vintage Stetson Open Roads that I have owned. I would honestly say that this hat could easily stand up to a vintage Stetson Whippet any day. I think the felt on this Open Road is finished better than a Whippet, but its just a touch heavier in weight (probably because of the slight use of more shellac).

The ribbon used is on par with the vintage stuff. Its sewn on the hat straight, the binding is perfect, and the bow is done beautifully. The sweatband is obviously not as nice as Vintage 40's/50's Stetsons, but its still very nice. It is real leather that has been sealed on the front and back. I could even make out a leather cutters stamp on the back of the sweatband. I thought the added plastic barrier behind the sweatband was a very nice touch and something I think will come in handy. I compared the liner material to a 1950's Stetson that I had laying around the house and the material is exact. Its not as nice as the stuff used in the 20's, but miles better than the stuff being use today in major production factories. I would say that this Biltmore is built just like a 50's Open Road. Even the way that they attached the size tag is just like a vintage stetson. The sweatband seem was sewn, backed by fabric tape, and the size tag was sewn with the seam.

The rear flange is pretty high and while I always like a higher rear flange than a front flange, on this hat I think the brim should be a bit flatter. I might re-flange it, but for now I'm going to keep the original flange. I honestly have NO complaints about this hat. I have never gotten excited about a modern day factory made hat, but this one really has me smiling. It proves that in modern times, a big hat company could produce a product that can stand tall again vintage 40's/50's stuff. Its really a shame that Biltmore left Canada and that these Open Roads are not being produced anymore. I think everyone that bought one of these hats would agree that its really quite a wonderful hat.

I was fortunate to own a Biltmore that was made in the 40's/50's and let me tell you that this Open Road, felt wise, is exactly the same. The weight, the finish, the density, the amount of shellac, everything is the same. Its pretty incredible that a modern day company can make a very similar product for 60+ years. I guess it helps having the use of the same machines from that time period as well.

I have a ton more pictures that I will try to post later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[gtdean48]

Great review Josh as usual.
One quick question ahead of add'l photos = Silver Buckle or Wilderness liner?

 

[Joshbru3]

Great review Josh as usual.
One quick question ahead of add'l photos = Silver Buckle or Wilderness liner?

Thanks so much, Tom!!

I was really hoping for a Silver Buckle because I love the way they look, and when I opened the box I rejoiced.....

Silver Buckle!!!

I also have a 4X on the sweatband and 5X on the Reorder card.

 

[RBH]

Wow!

 

[gtdean48]

...Silver Buckle!!!

I also have a 4X on the sweatband and 5X on the Reorder card.

Excellent! We'll have to compare my Silverbelly Wilderness with your Silver Buckle one day....
I'm going to stand it up next to my Fawn Silver Buckle soon...

 

[DJH]

Tom, other than the name, would you say the Wilderness and Silver Buckle are the same hat are do you notice differences?

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Nice catch there Josh,Im jealous!

 

[gtdean48]

Tom, other than the name, would you say the Wilderness and Silver Buckle are the same hat are do you notice differences?

That is what I want to really look at David.
I only popped open the Wilderness box & haven't sat down & done a good side-by-side comparison.
I'll try to do it Sunday but may take into next week....

 

[alanfgag]

Great read, Josh... thanks for sharing. I wonder if they knew who they were sending this hat to. Maybe this example is like the meal the food critic is served when the restaurant owner recognizes them or sees through their cover?

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Great read, Josh... thanks for sharing. I wonder if they knew who they were sending this hat to. Maybe this example is like the meal the food critic is served when the restaurant owner recognizes them or sees through their cover?

Could be Alan, but it isn't as though there were a whole bunch in inventory to pick through.

 

[alanfgag]

jest kiddin'

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

jest kiddin'

I knew that.

 

[DJH]

That is what I want to really look at David.
I only popped open the Wilderness box & haven't sat down & done a good side-by-side comparison.
I'll try to do it Sunday but may take into next week....

Thanks, Tom.

My black one is a Silver Buckle. I'm very pleased with it.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

David, the Biltmore looks fantastic, how do you compare it to the modern issue Borsalino Alessandria? I was tempted to order a Borso, but a few PM's told me to go in a different direction! lol! So now, I am awaiting a miracle about to unfold....the arrival of a Biltmore in my size, new, from a fellow Lounger that is showing me some real love, selling me a hat they themselves just received! It just does not get better than that! Gotta love the Fedora Lounge and it's members!