Panama Hat Thread

[Ordinary Guy]

I agree with Blackthorn.

I also have been waiting for a Monte from PB but have no concerns about what I will receive or what kind of customer service I will receive should there be a problem....

I too am sorry to see PB go, several thousands of hats come and go through his hands yearly and guess what.... That is not his full time job so it is easy to see how a not 100% perfect hat could go out. The real answer is how he handles the issue so that the customer is satisfied and that usually means PB loses money. That leads me to believe he is not in it for the money but for us to be able to afford the hat (s) we want and to keep helping the weavers etc in Ecuador.


I would love to see the numbers on how many hats had a problem versus how many PB bought and sold in one year.....I think the percentage would tell a different story than the number of barbs he receives here on the lounge......

I have 6 of PB's hats and have finally decided to order one from Montecristi. I would not have done that if I didn't trust in the service from him.

I wish him well and will continue to be a customer until he proves my above comments wrong.

 

[monbla256]

I agree with Blackthorn.

I also have been waiting for a Monte from PB but have no concerns about what I will receive or what kind of customer service I will receive should there be a problem....

I too am sorry to see PB go, several thousands of hats come and go through his hands yearly and guess what.... That is not his full time job so it is easy to see how a not 100% perfect hat could go out. The real answer is how he handles the issue so that the customer is satisfied and that usually means PB loses money. That leads me to believe he is not in it for the money but for us to be able to afford the hat (s) we want and to keep helping the weavers etc in Ecuador.


I would love to see the numbers on how many hats had a problem versus how many PB bought and sold in one year.....I think the percentage would tell a different story than the number of barbs he receives here on the lounge......

I have 6 of PB's hats and have finally decided to order one from Montecristi. I would not have done that if I didn't trust in the service from him.

I wish him well and will continue to be a customer until he proves my above comments wrong.

I concur 100%. It's a shame folks speak before engaging the brain, but that seems to be the style nowdays. As some of us "old farts" have learned, words once spoken mean what they say and cannot be taken back. I too will miss Bob. Onward thru the Fog .

 

[Aureliano]

I concur 100%. It's a shame folks speak before engaging the brain, but that seems to be the style nowdays. As some of us "old farts" have learned, words once spoken mean what they say and cannot be taken back. I too will miss Bob. Onward thru the Fog .

Just to end my participation on this particular discussion, I'd like to inquire: when did asking a seller, any seller for consistency in quality control become a statement disengaged from thought and brain?

 

[delectans]

I concur 100%. It's a shame folks speak before engaging the brain, but that seems to be the style nowdays. As some of us "old farts" have learned, words once spoken mean what they say and cannot be taken back. I too will miss Bob. Onward thru the Fog .

Your comment is guilty of that of which you speak! Quite unbecoming, to say the least! This thread is filled with enough emotionally charged responses, and we can all do without further inflammatory remarks.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Back to the OP

Here are two Panamas recently acquired (actually I've had the Stetson a few years, just never did post it). One is a Stetson of indeterminate age but in flawless condition. The second I just received today and seems to be a "San Augustin Hat Co." fino. What do ya'll think?

Stetson:

San Augustin:

Cuenca or Monti? The SA is like butter, like linen and so very light. It'll need some steam, to be sure, but it's a keeper.

 

[Tomasso]

Sounds like you don't check your stuff before you send it away to customers...

The feeling I had when I read this post............

 

[barrowjh]

Rick, those look awesome.

 

[monbla256]

Ricj,
Both hats look to be Monticristi's with the second one being the higher grade I got a WPI of 1054 which is a VERY high quality weave. If it were mine I'd send it out to Tom Gomez to be reblocked and a new sweat put in it. Two VERY NICE Panamas

 

[Aureliano]

Agree, they look beautiful, specially the second one which definitely looks like a MontEcristi (sorry for the correction guys, is the Ecuadorian half of me that has this pet peeve lol)

 

[Rick Blaine]

Sweet

Ricj,
Both hats look to be Monticristi's with the second one being the higher grade I got a WPI of 1054 which is a VERY high quality weave. If it were mine I'd send it out to Tom Gomez to be reblocked and a new sweat put in it. Two VERY NICE Panamas

Thank you my friends!

I am quite excited about them both. The San Agustin deserves a finer finish, I agree.

Thank you too for doing the math! 'cause even though I am from E Tn. I still can't count above 24 (and then only with both shoes off! )

 

[fmw]

Shantung is made from paper. Straw, of course, is a natural fiber.

 

[zetwal]

Has anyone here seen this one in the flesh? It's down in Sigsig, Ecuador.

 

[hatophile]

Thats a big hat, man!

 

[randooch]

I'll bet the sweat on that one is embossed with "Pantagruel."

 

[Rick Blaine]

Woe

Mr. Fawcett told me that, upon inspection (and after a cross-continental trip) he has determined that this will never be a 7 3/8. Ain't. Happenin'.

And that the difference in tone, after eighty years under the tag, is significant due to the differing rates of oxidation/exposure.

I wouldn't mind that at all, actually adds to the charm IMO. I would've tucked it in the sweat as a talking point!
But the tragic news that it is more of a 6 7/8 - that made me sad.

 

[monbla256]

Rick,
Too bad about the size as it looks like it would make a NICE hat to wear. Interstingly wide brim for a hat from 1931, but then it is a Panama and they were meant to be practical in hot climes and shade the head

 

[Rick Blaine]

Rick,
Too bad about the size as it looks like it would make a NICE hat to wear. Interstingly wide brim for a hat from 1931, but then it is a Panama and they were meant to be practical in hot climes and shade the head

Thanks. I am grieving.

Mr. F said of the hat "It's obviously parabuntal but I wasn't aware they were woven this early nor that there was a market in Japan." (para-"fine" + buntal- "straw" in Tagalog-i.e. Filipino).

Look for it soon in a classified section near you. :cry:

 

[Wildblue]

Pardon the double-post from the WHAYWT thread, but I like to contribute to the Panama thread too. After a day of teaching my wife on the shooting range, we changed clothes behind a skeet shot shed and went downtown to a fine restaurant. Only in Alaska. Quite the date night.

I decided to go just a bit more flamboyant with the accessory colors. Given all the rain we're having, and impending fall, I also wanted to take advantage of a final opportunity to wear the Panama this season. (until a planned southern vacation this winter) My BBB Montechristi. Got several compliments on it tonight. Dang, I like this hat.

 

[randooch]

You both look terrific!

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

I just finished ordering a $99 Cuenca llano in Caballero style from PB. Not for myself, rather for a friend Manuel Gayo who wants to get a hat but doesn't speak a word of Anglo and moreover is stuck up in his 2nd floor apartment in a wheelchair. Rather than hooking him up with one of those Borsalino branded panama hats they tend to sell over here, I prefer putting my money where my mouth is. PB, and if you're out there, ask your Ecuadorian friends de ayudar un caballero espanish a ser muy, muy orgulloso (not that this would ever be a problem for a Spaniard )

PabloElFlamenco