Anyone ever hear of UBI brand hats?

[RockyNomad]

I've been on a long search for my first fedora. I still have not purchased one. I mostly wear wool flat/newsboy caps. I really like the Akubras but that is the upper limit of what I can spend. I found a fur felt hat made by UBI. It's made in China and I'm aware of the opinions of Chinese made hats but again, price is a big concern for me.

I was hoping to get some feedback from anyone with any firsthand knowledge of this brand. The hat is only $63 plus shipping and looks pretty nice in the pics. For some reason I'm not able to post pics. Maybe because I haven't posted enough yet.

Edit: Got it figured out.

 

[jlee562]

Pics have to be posted on an external site such as Flickr or photobucket and then use the img tags they provide. Honestly, I would say you're much better off saving for a quality fur felt. An inexpensive fur felt can shrink and taper and essentially be useless after a good downpour. An Akubra will stand up to the elements and will be able to be reblocked. Heck, it will outlast you if you take care of it.

 

[RockyNomad]

Pics have to be posted on an external site such as Flickr or photobucket and then use the img tags they provide. Honestly, I would say you're much better off saving for a quality fur felt. An inexpensive fur felt can shrink and taper and essentially be useless after a good downpour. An Akubra will stand up to the elements and will be able to be reblocked. Heck, it will outlast you if you take care of it.

jlee562,The store that sells the hat I'm refering to is Berkley Hat which is in your neck of the woods in thethe San Francisco area.

 

[Fletch]

I had a couple of decent low-priced milan straws made by Ubi. They start to darken with perspiration after a few years and nothing can be done about it. But they only cost $20-30 new.

Semper ubi sub ubi. lol

 

[RockyNomad]

I understand the shrinkage in the rain concern. But, I live in a very dry climate and am looming for this to be a fall/winter hat.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Fwiw

I recently bought a Stetson foldable/crushable/packable fur felt from these fellas & even tho' I paid allot it is one of the best buys I have made & the service was six star.

...my .o2

 

[tealseal]

I'm with jlee on this one. Save for an Akubra and you'll be able to wear it anytime during the Colorado fall/winter, not just the sunny days; snow, sweat, drizzle, torrential downpour, nothing hurts an Akubra; and if you get one from HatsDirect or David Morgan, they'll be able to get you one that will fit well, so you avoid losing it in one of those awesome windy/rainy or blizzard days.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Akubra

I did not really address myself to the OP tho'.

You will never ever regret an Akubra.

Look for one used, if you have to control capital outlay, both here & over at COW (you will have to join).

Tell us what your size & preference of brim width/crown style is? Someone here might have it just sitting around or can clue you if they find one.

Ubi is a total unknown.

Akubra - your' grandchildren will be playing with it (sooner than you think, ya' young whippersnapper!)

 

[jlee562]

jlee562,The store that sells the hat I'm refering to is Berkley Hat which is in your neck of the woods in thethe San Francisco area.

Ahh yes, I'm actually Berkeley born and raised, and have bought a few hats from them. Upstanding folk, but brick and mortar store, so their prices aren't always the cheapest one can find online.

I might pop in next week if I have time to see these hats, but I'd still say it's better to save for something you know is quality (Akubra) over gambling on something which may or may not stand the test of time.

 

[RockyNomad]

I did not really address myself to the OP tho'.

You will never ever regret an Akubra.

Look for one used, if you have to control capital outlay, both here & over at COW (you will have to join).

Tell us what your size & preference of brim width/crown style is? Someone here might have it just sitting around or can clue you if they find one.

Ubi is a total unknown.

Akubra - your' grandchildren will be playing with it (sooner than you think, ya' young whippersnapper!)

What is COW?

 

[Rick Blaine]

What is COW?

Club Obi Wan

Indiana Jones nutters.

 

[RBH]

CLUB OBI WAN

 

[tealseal]

Rocky,
If Akubra is at your upper limit, and therefore within reach, I'd strongly suggest you go for it. I do appreciate the desire for getting into fur felts on a budget; I've been there. I also understand that the Lounge may be an intimidating place, since we love hats, and many people here have many, MANY custom hats.
I was at this point once, and I wish I'd found the Lounge before I bought my first hat: I would have gone with the Federation first, instead of messing around with cheaper furs. That $100 fur felt lasted a grand total of six months before it was unwearable, but then again, I don't believe in babying my hats.

Funny thing about Akubra is, almost everyone that gets a new one seems to try to kill it as soon as it's in their hands. They start a bit stiff, but soften up nicely; some folks (myself included) began our relationship with our Akubras by drop-kicking it, throwing it against walls, smashing it in hands, etc. The final result is inevitably a hat that will keep shape, but be resilient to anything.

 

[RockyNomad]

Thanks to all for the replies and I see the argument for saving up for a hat like Akubra. I would still really like to hear from someone who has first hand experience with this hat in order to get some factual feedback.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I think that after a couple days with thread on the hat forum and no one having much experience with hat sould tell one something.

 

[RockyNomad]

I think that after a couple days with thread on the hat forum and no one having much experience with hat sould tell one something.

Yes, and I'm quite surprised.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I am not.

 

[RockyNomad]

Well, I asked the seller about the hat being in the elements and they said they recommend it not get wet, snowed on, etc. So, I guess I'm back to saving for an Akubra.

 

[job]

You can find video of how Akubras are made. It goes through many steps to shrink the felt so it interlocks the fibers real good and hopefully does not shrink after you buy it.