Differences in Men's Hat Quality?

[Mark Seitelman]

Rabbit fur felt is the "entry level" fur felt. These are generally priced in the $300's.

Beaver fur felt is better and goes for $500's to $600's. Supposedly, beaver is stronger, more water resistant, keeps its shape better, etc. In the "old days" quality hats were made of beaver.

Optimo of Chicago is a great hatmaker, no question. The workmanship and materials are impeccable. I have a fedora. But it is like going to a Savile Row tailor. EXPENSIVE. I recently priced a trilby. They were $900+. In comparison, Lock & Co. and Worth & Worth are about $367.

Among hat-wears they have their little, secret makers hidden away in out of the way places. These are not the well known names, such as Borsalino, Lock, and Stetson. In New York there is a newcomer, Bellissimo Hats (https://bellissimohats.com/). There is Worth & Worth (www.hatshop.com). Borsalino has two stores in Brooklyn which caters mostly to the religious Jewish community.

I never heard of Hornskov Hats. Thanks, Mr. Monty, for this information.

If you have a hat store in your store or a nearby town, go there. It is best to work one on one with a hatmaker or salesman who can guide you.

 

[DorianGreen]

Rabbit fur felt is the "entry level" fur felt. These are generally priced in the $300's.

Beaver fur felt is better and goes for $500's to $600's. Supposedly, beaver is stronger, more water resistant, keeps its shape better, etc. In the "old days" quality hats were made of beaver.

Optimo of Chicago is a great hatmaker, no question. The workmanship and materials are impeccable. I have a fedora. But it is like going to a Savile Row tailor. EXPENSIVE. I recently priced a trilby. They were $900+. In comparison, Lock & Co. and Worth & Worth are about $367.

Among hat-wears they have their little, secret makers hidden away in out of the way places. These are not the well known names, such as Borsalino, Lock, and Stetson. In New York there is a newcomer, Bellissimo Hats (https://bellissimohats.com/). There is Worth & Worth (www.hatshop.com). Borsalino has two stores in Brooklyn which caters mostly to the religious Jewish community.

I never heard of Hornskov Hats. Thanks, Mr. Monty, for this information.

If you have a hat store in your store or a nearby town, go there. It is best to work one on one with a hatmaker or salesman who can guide you.

I'm not a hat expert, my passion is quite recent, I only have some fedoras from Borsalino, thus I can't compare their quality with other brands. I'm planning to try also other producers, and Optimo, I took a look, seems very promising.

 

[suitedcboy]

Hufvud hats is a Swedish hatter and his hats have gotten great reviews. In the US, specifically Oregon but not because beavers hang out there, there is Northwest Hats and Michael Gannon hats. Both of these guys turn out very nice hats and are less than $500 for 100% beaver. I do agree Optimo hats are top shelf. I have had 2 of them. They were just not a good color for me, my fault, and I didn't wear them so I sold them. There was another great Oregon hatmaker, Art Fawcett, but he retired and I have not seen reports on the hats from the guy that bought his business. I have expensive hats and 100% beaver great hats that were much less money. I know which is which but even hat aficionados I know often do not know the $1700 hat from a $425 hat. Both of these are 100% beaver and will weather torrential downpour and 100% water soaking but I'd take the $1700 off and get my head wet or go find a dry cleaner plastic bag before I'd get it wet. The more expensive hat had a lot more pouncing time (sanding steps that takes the felt from fuzzy to fine to velvetty feel and appearance) can lose some of its extra quality appearance when soaked thoroughly), so what did the extra money get me other than more worries? The same can be said about bespoke suits that were less than stellar or from suiting that didn't age well (fashion aspect not actual wear) vs. a well tailored attractive OTR. My hat experience with fedoras and western hats has taken me back to good quality hats from the custom makers with color and feature choices that make them mine and wear it every chance with no worries.

 

[DorianGreen]

Here are three of my Optimo felts:
View attachment 1745875 View attachment 1745878 View attachment 1745880

Top left is custom Dearborn in Blue Pearl beaver felt. Top right is a custom Dearborn in brown beaver felt. Bottom left is a custom copy of a Stetson Stratoliner in a vintage alabaster beaver felt body.

I especially like the brown one.

 

[DorianGreen]

My Borsalino "The Bogart" Cut 2 in a lovely beige.

 

[JFWR]

Sincerity be told, chrome hearts trucker hat are just like any other product: you get what you pay for. Despite what you may believe, the greatest beaver felt is not cheap; the cost of raw ingredients is one thing. Like many other things, the level of care used in the manufacture, finishing, and after-sales service is reflected in the price.

Why would anyone buy that trashy looking **** that looks like a lids knockoff for 300 dollars?

 

[Blakesby]

Rabbit fur felt is the "entry level" fur felt. These are generally priced in the $300's.

Beaver fur felt is better and goes for $500's to $600's. Supposedly, beaver is stronger, more water resistant, keeps its shape better, etc. In the "old days" quality hats were made of beaver.

Then there's also nutria/coypu, which shares just about all the same properties as beaver, but with the benefit of being the most sustainable premium option on the market, as the animal is an invasive pest. Historically nutria was used as an alternative to beaver, somewhere around the 1910s-1920s, when beaver populations were dwindling (there are many Stetsons from around this time which were crafted from nutria).

My favourite descriptor is that beaver/nutria is the gold standard in hat-making, with rabbit being the silver standard.

There was another great Oregon hatmaker, Art Fawcett, but he retired and I have not seen reports on the hats from the guy that bought his business.

I'm not quite sure than anyone actually bought Art Fawcett's business, but I do believe someone was learning from him around the time he retired, but I'm unclear what's become of that.
However, I did buy up the remainder of his felt stock. Somewhere just over 100 felts. Mostly beaver, lighter colour tones, and predominantly American-made featherweight beaver. Interestingly about a half-dozen featherweight moss green nutria felts too, which seem to also be from the American manufacturer, despite them not typically offering nutria.

 

[Veremund]

I have several from Sterkowski and am very happy with them. https://sterkowski.com/

 

[Terrence O'Connor]

I have several from Sterkowski and am very happy with them. https://sterkowski.com/

 

[Terrence O'Connor]

Polkap, Skoczow from Poland.
Over Twenty years old and still going strong.

 

[Tried and True]

A well fitted hat (brim/crown dimensions in proportion to your facial structure) is much more important than a well made hat. Just as the fit of a suit trumps quality of make and materials. The easiest way to determine one’s best fit is to visit a well stocked hat shop and try on hats with all the various brim/crown combinations. You would be surprised what a 1/4 inch +/- in brim/crown size can make.