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Beaver Brand Hats

ortega76

Practically Family
Messages
804
Location
South Suburbs, Chicago
I must say that I had a very positive, pleasant experience with FedoraStore. I will use them again. And again. And again. Moreover, I will recommend them again and again and again. :)
 

J.B.

Practically Family
Messages
677
Location
Hollywood
BB & TFS

I've got a vintage BB fedora in chocolate and it is prolly my second or third-favorite hat of all time! The color of the felt is the best I've seen. It is a real fine piece of work, and I understand the company is back to producing affordable haute qualit?© hats again!

I darn near broke into tears a few years ago when somehow it picked up a teensee-tynee moth "dent" in the brim... I still retaliate every chance I get by turning on my porch-light in the evening and smashing one or two of those nasty sunzabitchiss into smithereens!!! [bad]

(Sounds terrible, but hey, I'm not as bad as our parish priest that used to shoot a .38 Special out of the rectory window at gophers in the churchyard...) :eusa_doh:

ortega76 said:
I must say that I had a very positive, pleasant experience with FedoraStore. I will use them again. And again. And again. Moreover, I will recommend them again and again and again. :)

Anyway, just for the record -- I admire what both Beaver Brand and TheFedoraStore are attempting to do to rekindle interest in hats. I'm in the process of adding one or two of these babies to my wardrobe via Duane now. :)
 

gekisai29

One of the Regulars
Messages
199
Location
paramus nj
as indicated elsewhere i am a fedora store fan bigtime. let's try to support all lounge vendors as they impart a world of knowledge & help as well as good pricing & service.
 

Prairie Shade

A-List Customer
Messages
394
Fedora Store - Opinion Please

How do the new Beaver Brand Hats compare to say Akubra? I have several Akubras and find them very durable, but they do shrink when wet and fade. How would you compare the felts???
 

Kodiak

A-List Customer
Messages
315
Location
KY/DC
Prairie Shade said:
How do the new Beaver Brand Hats compare to say Akubra? I have several Akubras and find them very durable, but they do shrink when wet and fade. How would you compare the felts???

When I was in Chicago last weekend, my Indy fedora from BB (bashed by Lee Keppler) got not only soaked, but also covered in dust from a restuarant and crushed by a suitcase. It came out without a scratch, the only damage was a slight crease in the side that I could steam out but have decided to leave to give the hat "character". Of course, that was only the second time it's been really wet, but it is still fairly durable. I can't compare to Akubra (yet) but compared to the modern Resistol cowboy hat I have (also in Beaver) this one is much higher quality felt.

Regards,
-Kodiak
 

jimmy the lid

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,647
Location
USA
Kodiak said:
...compared to the modern Resistol cowboy hat I have (also in Beaver) this one is much higher quality felt.

Do Beaver Brand hats actually contain beaver -- anyone know the composition of the felt?
 

Pilgrim

One Too Many
Messages
1,719
Location
Fort Collins, CO
I can testify that my Beaver Milano straw is pretty stout and well-made.

As for felt, I would assume the proportions vary just like every other hat. I suspect Beaver is missing from anything but the high-priced models.
 

Kodiak

A-List Customer
Messages
315
Location
KY/DC
jimmy the lid said:
Do Beaver Brand hats actually contain beaver -- anyone know the composition of the felt?

Yeah they contain beaver fur. The amount varies. I'll ask Lee when I speak with him next. My Indy fedora is in 6X fur, but according to Lee they have been bumped up to 8X fur as one level and 10X fur as the next. You'll have to contact him about prices, but the fur overall seems to be very high quality, especially considering the amount you are paying (according to Lee, about $155 for the 8X).

Regards,
-Kodiak
 

Prairie Shade

A-List Customer
Messages
394
Akubra VS Beaver Brand

Thought that since Akubra was considered a sort of "starter" lid, price wise the BB and Akubra are in the same ball park, might be interesting to compare US vs Australia when it comes to modern hat making. I'm familiar with Akubra, not BB. Anyone have both?? Anyone care to compare??
 

ortega76

Practically Family
Messages
804
Location
South Suburbs, Chicago
To be honest, I've never been impressed with the Akubra hats I've seen at retail. They look good, but not great. I looked around for my original "big fedora" purchase (but had to be under $150) and settled on my Biltmore. Maybe I didn't see the "right" Akubra but it just didn't seem to catch my eye.
 

besdor

Vendor/Sponsor
Messages
1,727
Location
up north
The selection of Akubra hats here in the USA is not the greatest . The one agent in the USA has a lmited selection as the cost to bring them in is high .

The quality is the same whether bought here or overseas. I'd buy them from a dealer in Australia . You would get a better selection that way .



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com
 

Prairie Shade

A-List Customer
Messages
394
I have purchased several Akubras, but never a Beaver Brand. Heck, I would rather buy American, but once again, how do they compare?? Felt wise, quality wise, durability, etc. etc. ANYONE???
 

Kodiak

A-List Customer
Messages
315
Location
KY/DC
besdor said:
The selection of Akubra hats here in the USA is not the greatest . The one agent in the USA has a lmited selection as the cost to bring them in is high .

The quality is the same whether bought here or overseas. I'd buy them from a dealer in Australia . You would get a better selection that way .

If ya'll are referring to David Morgan, unless you need it right now, avoid them. I haven't bought from them, so I guess I'm not really being fair to them, but you can get a stockman hat from them at $98 USD plus shipping, while from Everything Australian you can get the same hat for something like $85 USD, including shipping.

And if beaver is not in my beaver brand fedora, then that is some dang fine rabbit fur.
 

SHARPETOYS

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,425
Location
Titusville, Florida
20X has 20% beaver... No beaver in the felt below 20X

SHARPETOYS said:
My guess zero beaver...

Beaver Brand Hats
101 Southgate Highway C
New Haven, MO 63068

Phone: (573) 237-5604
Fax: (573) 237-5610
Toll Free: (800) 428-1860
bbhats@fidnet.com

I called and spoke with Jan...
The 3X is wool felt. The 4X up to the 20X is rabbitt fur felt "No Beaver" in the felt. Did I say no beaver...

Jan, said the Higher the X's = Better the finish. 8X and above are all "hand finished."

"The Only Beaver in there felts is a 20X and it has 20% Beaver in the felt".
 

scotrace

Head Bartender
Staff member
Messages
14,392
Location
Small Town Ohio, USA
:eusa_clap :eusa_clap


If one wants to wear a fine beaver felt hat, the choice of vendor is narrowed very quickly.
If one doesn't mind a little cowboy felt or knowing that he may run into another chap sporting a matching lid in Purple, there are many more options.




Nice scoutin' Sharpey.


.
 

jimmy the lid

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,647
Location
USA
SHARPETOYS said:
I called and spoke with Jan...
The 3X is wool felt. The 4X up to the 20X is rabbitt fur felt "No Beaver" in the felt. Did I say no beaver...

Jan, said the Higher the X's = Better the finish. 8X and above are all "hand finished."

"The Only Beaver in there felts is a 20X and it has 20% Beaver in the felt".


That's what I suspected. The name "Beaver Brand" is a little too convenient -- it implicitly suggests that the company's standard product contains beaver in the felt. Apparently, that's not the case. They may still be good hats, but the name is a tad misleading...
 

shoeshineboy

Practically Family
Messages
500
Location
s/e missouri
there is a reason it's called beaver....

http://www.beaverbrandhats.com/159250.html

If you read the history of the Beaver Brand Hat Company you will find it originated in St Louis. This is known as the "Gateway to the West" for a reason. St Louis was originally established as a trading station, way back when. Pioneers started in St louis and bought thier goods and trecked west. Louis and Clark started here.

I am sure when they were 100% for the longest time, but times change and so did the contents of the hat. However with a simple phone call (as Sharpetoys did) or e-mail, Jan clear it completely.

While I do not know the quality of the hats myself, because I have not felt or owned one, I am planning to take a trip to New Haven, which is a couple of hours away from me. I believe it would be interesting to see a hat factory.

I agree with you about the name being slightly misleading, but just like Anheiser Busch...they ain't no mo anheiser around....just the busch's....

mark the shoeshine boy
 

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