Opinions Please

[bd3]

I will be ordering my Fedora this week. From what I read here a fur felt hat is preferred over a wool felt. I'm still on the fence about getting the Jaxon Bogart in gray, which is supposed to be a fur felt, or a Dobbs Strand in gray, which is supposed to be a wool felt. Which one would be the better made hat? I have no experience with the makers so I'm looking for input from people that know both manufacturers.

As always, your suggestions and opinions are appreciated.

Bill

 

[MattJH]

I will be ordering my Fedora this week. From what I read here a fur felt hat is preferred over a wool felt. I'm still on the fence about getting the Jaxon Bogart in gray, which is supposed to be a fur felt, or a Dobbs Strand in gray, which is supposed to be a wool felt. Which one would be the better made hat? I have no experience with the makers so I'm looking for input from people that know both manufacturers.

As always, your suggestions and opinions are appreciated.

Bill

There are really only four very basic things you need to know when initially shopping for a hat:

01) Fur felt is significantly higher in quality than wool felt
02) Vintage fur felt is almost always higher in quality than modern fur felt
03) Akubra is the best modern fur felt hat producer if you ask the majority of participants here, including myself
04) If it doesn't look good on you, it doesn't matter what it's made of or who made it or how much it cost

If you're shopping for a new, modern hat and you're paying under $100, it genuinely doesn't matter what you get, as long as you think it looks good on you. In that price range, the differences in quality from hat to hat aren't significant enough to fuss over. If you have a choice between wool felt or fur felt, choose fur felt without question.

Keep in mind, though, that due to the excellent AUD -> USD exchange rates, you can get an Akubra for under $100. Check out HatsDirect to start with if you're interested in exploring this option. If you don't mind me interjecting an unprompted opinion, I truly believe that you'll be wasting your money if you choose the Dobbs or the Jaxon. It's not because they're bad hats, it's because you could spend the same or slightly more and get an Akubra during an outstanding economic window and in a quality that is leaps and bounds higher than either of the ones you're looking at.

My intent isn't to discourage you from the two choices you've narrowed yourself down to, I promise... I'm just trying to offer some information that I wish I had at my disposal when I first started buying hats. The first two I got? The Jaxon Rocky and the Jaxon Bogart, both of which I promptly returned. They didn't look good on me.

 

[jec]

I totally agree. I think the advice from DJ is right on the mark.

I have two vintage Stetsons and four modern Akubras. All are superior to the wool outback hats that got me started. The wool hats I have just don't hold their shape. The felt hats keep getting nicer as they age.

The Akubra Stylemaster that I recently ordered from Australia - after shipping - was maybe 20$ more than the cost of the cheap wool outback, but it was worth every penny of the difference. The Akubras are a bargain right now, if you can stand to wait for them to arrive.

 

[KY Gentleman]

Hey bd3- welcome aboard! I can tell you that there are no good brick and mortar hat stores to be found around Lexington or Louisville. Buying on-line will be the best option. It sounds like you have what you want in mind so good luck! Keep us posted on what you end up with.
BTW, those pesky Vols beat us so Phil has an unblemished record versus the 'Cats, darn it! Bring on the basketball team!!!!