Borsalino Felt Quality

[oble]

Hello all.

I recently picked up a vintage Borsalino “ludoela” on eBay and have really taken to the feel of the felt.

I have a couple nice vintage Stetsons and open road knock offs but none have the softness or the ability to shape like the Borsalino. When it arrived it showed up in a shipping envelope (I was discouraged to see) but when I opened it up it was perfectly fine and was able to shape in any manner.

Is this something that is unique to Borsalino or will other hats “break in” like this with time?

I’d love to find something similar in a darker color but not sure how to find this quality. Would a new Borsalino have these same qualities?

Thank you all for your expertise.

 

[Pellie]

Nice hat! I think @steur or @Daniele Tanto can answer this question the best ;-)

 

[Frunobulax]

Hello all.

I recently picked up a vintage Borsalino “ludoela” on eBay and have really taken to the feel of the felt.

I have a couple nice vintage Stetsons and open road knock offs but none have the softness or the ability to shape like the Borsalino. When it arrived it showed up in a shipping envelope (I was discouraged to see) but when I opened it up it was perfectly fine and was able to shape in any manner.

Is this something that is unique to Borsalino or will other hats “break in” like this with time?

I’d love to find something similar in a darker color but not sure how to find this quality. Would a new Borsalino have these same qualities?

Thank you all for your expertise.

Very nice hat - I am lucky enough to be the caretaker of a Ludeola myself.

Borsalino has been recognized as making some of the best felt hats in the world, and over a long period of time. Their felts maintained a level of quality long after Stetson, Dobbs, etc. fell in quality. Felt quality fell off with the demand for hats in the 1950s, and manufacturers tsarted cutting corners and economizing quality as sales declined.

You don't say what era your vintage Stetsons are, but you can find vintage Stetsons and other makers that rival your new Borsalino.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Your request is much more appropriate in the ponderous and extremely news-rich thread "Borsalino Broherhood". There you will find a lot of information you are looking for regarding your question on the qualities of felt. A single and basic information to clarify. In Europe felt was made with wool, rabbits and wild hares with mixtures of various types. In the US felt was made, largely from beaver and other fur-bearing animals. There are many variations on this theme and you will find a lot on the aforementioned thread.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hello all.

I recently picked up a vintage Borsalino “ludoela” on eBay and have really taken to the feel of the felt.

I have a couple nice vintage Stetsons and open road knock offs but none have the softness or the ability to shape like the Borsalino. When it arrived it showed up in a shipping envelope (I was discouraged to see) but when I opened it up it was perfectly fine and was able to shape in any manner.

Is this something that is unique to Borsalino or will other hats “break in” like this with time?

I’d love to find something similar in a darker color but not sure how to find this quality. Would a new Borsalino have these same qualities?

Thank you all for your expertise.

I don’t think felt will “break in” and change in a meaningful way, at least not in the context of your question.

While Borsalino definitely made some great felt, and arguably the best, there is a lot of competition. The higher grade hats from Stetson, Dobbs, Cavanagh, Mallory, and many others will give Borsalino a run for the crown. However, even most of the higher grade hats from the US made in the mid-1950s or later are not in the running. Borsalino kept making fantastic felt long after the US makers quality fell off a cliff. The modern era Borsalinos do not impress me, but they are still often better than their US counterparts.

Lastly, you can’t speak of the attributes of felt, even when speaking about the same maker and from the same era, as a consistent product. There were many grades and types of felt. I’ve occasionally been a little disappointed by vintage Borsalino felt.

 

[oble]

Very nice hat - I am lucky enough to be the caretaker of a Ludeola myself.

Borsalino has been recognized as making some of the best felt hats in the world, and over a long period of time. Their felts maintained a level of quality long after Stetson, Dobbs, etc. fell in quality. Felt quality fell off with the demand for hats in the 1950s, and manufacturers tsarted cutting corners and economizing quality as sales declined.

You don't say what era your vintage Stetsons are, but you can find vintage Stetsons and other makers that rival your new Borsalino.

Thank you for the thoughtful response. That makes sense about the timeline and felt quality. I’d say the Stetsons are from the late 40s-50s and they are very nice. Just not as soft and supple as the ludoela. Cheers on the beautiful hats!

 

[oble]

Your request is much more appropriate in the ponderous and extremely news-rich thread "Borsalino Broherhood". There you will find a lot of information you are looking for regarding your question on the qualities of felt. A single and basic information to clarify. In Europe felt was made with wool, rabbits and wild hares with mixtures of various types. In the US felt was made, largely from beaver and other fur-bearing animals. There are many variations on this theme and you will find a lot on the aforementioned thread.

Thank you! I will do a deep dive in that thread and hopefully learn more.

 

[oble]

I don’t think felt will “break in” and change in a meaningful way, at least not in the context of your question.

While Borsalino definitely made some great felt, and arguably the best, there is a lot of competition. The higher grade hats from Stetson, Dobbs, Cavanagh, Mallory, and many others will give Borsalino a run for the crown. However, even most of the higher grade hats from the US made in the mid-1950s or later are not in the running. Borsalino kept making fantastic felt long after the US makers quality fell off a cliff. The modern era Borsalinos do not impress me, but they are still often better than their US counterparts.

Lastly, you can’t speak of the attributes of felt, even when speaking about the same maker and from the same era, as a consistent product. There were many grades and types of felt. I’ve occasionally been a little disappointed by vintage Borsalino felt.

Thank you for this helpful information. I was curious if the felt would change feel over time. Good to know that it does not.

I think I will have to do research on higher quality felts and see what else compares with the Borsalino. Any recommendations on where to start? Thank you!

 

[jlee562]

Thank you for this helpful information. I was curious if the felt would change feel over time. Good to know that it does not.

I think I will have to do research on higher quality felts and see what else compares with the Borsalino. Any recommendations on where to start? Thank you!

Just as a generalization, the older, the better. Felt quality is a whole big can of worms, but prewar hats are favored by many.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Just as a generalization, the older, the better. Felt quality is a whole big can of worms, but prewar hats are favored by many.

Your point of view, Jared, is perfect for trying to debunk myths. I speak from my personal experience concentrated 95% on European felts, many after the war and until a few years ago are excellent and do not always come from Borsalino or Italian producers. Some French and German or Central European have been great, no doubt

 

[steur]

Hello all.

I recently picked up a vintage Borsalino “ludoela” on eBay and have really taken to the feel of the felt.

I have a couple nice vintage Stetsons and open road knock offs but none have the softness or the ability to shape like the Borsalino. When it arrived it showed up in a shipping envelope (I was discouraged to see) but when I opened it up it was perfectly fine and was able to shape in any manner.

Is this something that is unique to Borsalino or will other hats “break in” like this with time?

I’d love to find something similar in a darker color but not sure how to find this quality. Would a new Borsalino have these same qualities?

Thank you all for your expertise.

A beautiful hat you've got there. As others have said; there are no general rules as there are so many variables where felt is concerned. One thing that wasn't mentioned is the way the shellac behaves. Over time hats generally do indeed "break-in" and become softer, until you steam them and reactivate the shellac that's inside the felt and stiffen the hat up again. The less shellac was used originally the softer the hat will be but also the less likely it will keep its shape.

 

[One Drop]

A beautiful hat you've got there. As others have said; there are no general rules as there are so many variables where felt is concerned. One thing that wasn't mentioned is the way the shellac behaves. Over time hats generally do indeed "break-in" and become softer, until you steam them and reactivate the shellac that's inside the felt and stiffen the hat up again. The less shellac was used originally the softer the hat will be but also the less likely it will keep its shape.

I had one of my ‘50s Borsas reconditioned, it had been almost handkerchief soft and didn’t hold a crease if you handled the crown. My other is very similar but less worn and has a very supple and easy to hand-crease stiffness, and holds a crease very well.

The reconditioned one is now the slightly stiffer one, just from the steaming, they didn’t add any stiffener, at my request.

Take what you will from these few data points.