Post New Hats Here!

[Judgmentalist]

I bought this hat for $30 plus tax and shipping off of eBay because I wanted to see a hat from this maker. It's a 6 3/4. It might fit my wife.

I don't see much information here about these guys. Supposedly they are one of the big names in Montecristis. I'm not impressed. I have other opinions I will keep to myself.

There's nothing wrong with the straw. It's not a montecristi, and it's not a particularly high-end hat, but I knew that going in. The sweatband is cheap. The ribbon is cheap. There is no finish work, other than stamping their logo inside the crown.

Maybe this ribbon isn't original. You can see the fading around the crown from what I assume is a different ribbon height - we'll get back to that in a minute.

Maybe they have a line of cheap hats available in-store at a very low price point. If so, fair enough. I would have to sell a lot of cheap hats to put my name on something that is obviously not well made. I couldn't verify this online.

If you know something about these guys I don't know, please feel free to share. I'f I'm incorrect with my interpretation I will retract it and apologize.

Optimo Custom Hatworks, Bizbee AZ 6 3/4 Panama

The thing that p isses me off about this hat is about the seller, not the maker. The seller deliberately misrepresented the hat in the eBay listing. They put a different ribbon on the hat and didn't mention it in the ad. Then they tossed the extra ribbon in the box.

I don't care about either ribbon. In fact, I probably prefer the thin ribbon. I hate being lied to.

It's barely worth it to me to force a return through eBay's guarantee clause, but I'm probably going to anyway, just because they annoyed me.

I never return anything if it's on me. I don't return things because of an honest mistake, or even if something could possibly be an honest mistake. I give people the benefit of the doubt.

But I will burn money pursuing something that I perceive as deliberate dishonesty.

 

[Bamaboots]

I have other opinions I will keep to myself.

Damn, what’s left?

 

[blewnote]

I bought this hat for $30 plus tax and shipping off of eBay because I wanted to see a hat from this maker. It's a 6 3/4. It might fit my wife.

I don't see much information here about these guys. Supposedly they are one of the big names in Montecristis. I'm not impressed. I have other opinions I will keep to myself.

There's nothing wrong with the straw. It's not a montecristi, and it's not a particularly high-end hat, but I knew that going in. The sweatband is cheap. The ribbon is cheap. There is no finish work, other than stamping their logo inside the crown.

Maybe this ribbon isn't original. You can see the fading around the crown from what I assume is a different ribbon height - we'll get back to that in a minute.

Maybe they have a line of cheap hats available in-store at a very low price point. If so, fair enough. I would have to sell a lot of cheap hats to put my name on something that is obviously not well made. I couldn't verify this online.

If you know something about these guys I don't know, please feel free to share. I'f I'm incorrect with my interpretation I will retract it and apologize.

Optimo Custom Hatworks, Bizbee AZ 6 3/4 Panama
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The thing that p isses me off about this hat is about the seller, not the maker. The seller deliberately misrepresented the hat in the eBay listing. They put a different ribbon on the hat and didn't mention it in the ad. Then they tossed the extra ribbon in the box.

I don't care about either ribbon. In fact, I probably prefer the thin ribbon. I hate being lied to.

It's barely worth it to me to force a return through eBay's guarantee clause, but I'm probably going to anyway, just because they annoyed me.

I never return anything if it's on me. I don't return things because of an honest mistake, or even if something could possibly be an honest mistake. I give people the benefit of the doubt.

But I will burn money pursuing something that I perceive as deliberate dishonesty.

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You do you brother, but why bother buying a sh#$@y hat and then be upset by it? Like the ribbon being slightly different than you expect doesn't seem like the worst thing in the world compared to the overall beater quality of the hat in the first place.

That said, eBay's get what you paid for policy is there for a reason. If you wanna keep the hat but are just annoyed that the ribbon wasn't sewn on, message the seller with your displeasure and see if they wanna refund you some bones for the hassle of having to sew it on yourself, you might even get it for free or close to free, never know (considering them eating the shipping charges both ways will be as much as you paid for it).

Or just send it back. I'm about to post a hat I bought that I immediately returned because I asked the seller to verify the size prior to purchase and when it showed up it was 2 sizes too small. I felt a little bad cuz the dude seemed like a nice guy, but I did ask and he did advertise it as different than it was.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

Another hat from @drmaxtejeda . Once again, thank you Dr. Max.

This hat has the characteristic sweatband alteration, but it also has a 7 3/8 size sticker and reorder label. I assume the hat had shrunk a bit over time, and Dr. Max had Ignacio put a little spacer in to get it back up to 7 3/8 to make it wearable while retaining the original sweatband. Keeping the original sweatband was the right move, of course.

This hat is a little stingy-brimmed for me, but still wearable, and I'm going to assume late 50's-early 60's on the era, like most of my vintage stuff. Let me know if you see anything that says different.

I haven't had much success as of yet sourcing hats that fit me from the 30's and 40's, but I imagine that will change over time as I downshift into a more sustainable gear and attempt to develop a little patience.

Very happy to have this hat; the goal (aside from having another cool hat to wear) being to get my hands on couple of these "One Hundred" quality-tier hats so I can decide how important that label is to me personally.

The felt is excellent, although it has a little more body than I expected. Apparently I've been incorrectly equating softer, less structured felt with higher quality.

The ribbon is in excellent shape - and I think this is the only example I have of that frayed ribbon edge detail. No idea if the ribbon is orginal.

I love the Cavanagh edge, I love the crown shape, and I love the silverbelly felt with the black ribbon. If this hat had another inch of brim, it would be just about perfect.

The name "T.W. Staley" is written inside the sweat. It appears to match Thomas Weldon Staley, a prominent Kansas City business executive who lived at 5049 Wornall Road in Kansas City, Missouri (64112).

I can't prove this was his hat, but it fits.


Cavanagh "One Hundred"

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All your comments and deductions are spot-on, Mr. Holmes.

 

[jeffgarf]

Today was a fun hat day, despite the downpour here. A few good ones showed up today that will find their way to other posts. Here is a taste.

 

[blewnote]

Here's one of my latest acquisitions. I've been on something of an Open Road and Open Road clone tear so I've got a few more in this vein to post when I see gets around to it. I'm on vacation and brought this one so I figured I'd share while I have more time to myself to remember to take and post pictures. Copped it because it came from the town over from where I went to high school (Boulder, CO) and was the earliest Open Road in my size I'd come across. It was missing a liner when it showed up, but @RickP hipped me to some nice liners from Giuosto hats... Popped one in and it fit so great that I may not even bother to sew it in. I don't know if they're as breathable as silk or rayon but they seem pretty nice and feel good to the touch.

It still needs some cleaning and a little more ironing to straighten out some wonkiness on the brim, but it doesn't bother me terribly and it fits like a dream which is why I brought it with me.

It's a Royal Stetson DeLuxe, which I believe puts it around 1946-1948. I believe the block profile says 102 but it's pretty hard to read.

I've been wearing it with a pinched diamond crease but dry bashed it into a cattleman crease and the bashed it back into a diamond for these pics. And then decided I liked the cattlemen crease so I put it back. It's great felt.

 

[blewnote]

And a couple headshots.

 

[jeffgarf]

Here's one of my latest acquisitions. I've been on something of an Open Road and Open Road clone tear so I've got a few more in this vein to post when it gets around to it. I'm on vacation and brought this one so I figured I'd share while I have more time to myself to remember to take and post pictures. Copped it because it came from the town over from where I went to high school (Boulder, CO) and was the earliest Open Road in my size if come across. It was missing a liner when it showed up, but @RickP hipped me to some nice liners from Giuosto hats... Popped one in and it fit so great that I may not even bother to sew it in. I don't know if they're as breathable as silk or rayon but they seem pretty nice and feel good to the touch.

It still needs some cleaning and a little more ironing to straighten out some wonkiness on the brim, but it doesn't bother me terribly and it fits like a dream which is why I brought it with me.

It's a Royal Stetson DeLuxe, which I believe puts it around 1946-1948. I believe the block profile says 102 but it's pretty hard to read.

I've been wearing it with a pinched diamond crease but dry bashed it into a cattleman crease and the bashed it back into a diamond for these pics. And then decided I liked the cattlemen crease so I put it back. It's great felt.

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View attachment 801745

Giuosto are the best for replacement liners. Good call.

 

[ShadowXY]

Akubra Boomerang arrived in the morning & The Boss just arrived.
Two Sz 56 hats in black, both excellent cond & fit. It's been a successful Akubra Day!

 

[NorthmostAustralia]

Akubra federation iv in tawny fawn

 

[Judgmentalist]

I bought this hat for $30 plus tax and shipping off of eBay because I wanted to see a hat from this maker. It's a 6 3/4. It might fit my wife.

I don't see much information here about these guys. Supposedly they are one of the big names in Montecristis. I'm not impressed. I have other opinions I will keep to myself.

There's nothing wrong with the straw. It's not a montecristi, and it's not a particularly high-end hat, but I knew that going in. The sweatband is cheap. The ribbon is cheap. There is no finish work, other than stamping their logo inside the crown.

Maybe this ribbon isn't original. You can see the fading around the crown from what I assume is a different ribbon height - we'll get back to that in a minute.

Maybe they have a line of cheap hats available in-store at a very low price point. If so, fair enough. I would have to sell a lot of cheap hats to put my name on something that is obviously not well made. I couldn't verify this online.

If you know something about these guys I don't know, please feel free to share. I'f I'm incorrect with my interpretation I will retract it and apologize.

Optimo Custom Hatworks, Bizbee AZ 6 3/4 Panama
View attachment 801671 View attachment 801672 View attachment 801673 View attachment 801674 View attachment 801675

The thing that p isses me off about this hat is about the seller, not the maker. The seller deliberately misrepresented the hat in the eBay listing. They put a different ribbon on the hat and didn't mention it in the ad. Then they tossed the extra ribbon in the box.

I don't care about either ribbon. In fact, I probably prefer the thin ribbon. I hate being lied to.

It's barely worth it to me to force a return through eBay's guarantee clause, but I'm probably going to anyway, just because they annoyed me.

I never return anything if it's on me. I don't return things because of an honest mistake, or even if something could possibly be an honest mistake. I give people the benefit of the doubt.

But I will burn money pursuing something that I perceive as deliberate dishonesty.

View attachment 801680 View attachment 801681 View attachment 801682

Update. My wife likes the hat so we are going to keep it. It was a little snug on her, so I stretched it just a bit, and my wife and daughter now think I am a magician.

It's possible the seller wasn't aware the orange ribbon had simply been slipped over the original ribbon and then it worked loose during shipping. So; benefit of the doubt. I find I'm happier that way. : )

 

[Judgmentalist]

This is the last in my "Number" series, for now.

Lovely felt on this one. From a later era, I imagine, from the stiffener in the felt, and it holds it's shape well. Sized 7 1/4, but I can wear it. I got it more cheaply than expected because of the damage to the sweatband, which suits me fine. I can wear it as is, or I may have someone replace the sweat at some point.

Lovely hat; I'm glad I have it. Thank you once again, @drmaxtejeda .

Churchill "Fifty"

 

[blewnote]

Today was a fun hat day, despite the downpour here. A few good ones showed up today that will find their way to other posts. Here is a taste.

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My daughter saw this picture while I was reading the thread and said "Is that you daddy?"

I guess one salt and pepper bearded glasses wearing dude with a hat obsession looks like the next!

 

[jeffgarf]

My daughter saw this picture while I was reading the thread and said "Is that you daddy?"

I guess one salt and pepper bearded glasses wearing dude with a hat obsession looks like the next!

I feel we're a "type." Of course, fortunately, we have others here and on other social media sites who disprove that we're a stereotype.

 

[EL-Jimenez74]

Akubra federation iv in tawny fawn
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Great hat;I really like the Fed IV's!! Personally I'm just real nervous about having to shape the open crown myself... Would a regular clothes steamer be sufficient? Thanks

 

[jeffgarf]

Great hat;I really like the Fed IV's!! Personally I'm just real nervous about having to shape the open crown myself... Would a regular clothes steamer be sufficient? Thanks

It should be fine for working with a new open crown. To reshape an existing crease, you may want something more powerful like the Jiffy.

 

[NorthmostAustralia]

Yes that will work even a boiling kettle or pot will work. It is nervous at first but it is distinct and not too hard.

 

[Blare]

Here's one of my latest acquisitions. I've been on something of an Open Road and Open Road clone tear so I've got a few more in this vein to post when I see gets around to it. I'm on vacation and brought this one so I figured I'd share while I have more time to myself to remember to take and post pictures. Copped it because it came from the town over from where I went to high school (Boulder, CO) and was the earliest Open Road in my size I'd come across. It was missing a liner when it showed up, but @RickP hipped me to some nice liners from Giuosto hats... Popped one in and it fit so great that I may not even bother to sew it in. I don't know if they're as breathable as silk or rayon but they seem pretty nice and feel good to the touch.

It still needs some cleaning and a little more ironing to straighten out some wonkiness on the brim, but it doesn't bother me terribly and it fits like a dream which is why I brought it with me.

It's a Royal Stetson DeLuxe, which I believe puts it around 1946-1948. I believe the block profile says 102 but it's pretty hard to read.

I've been wearing it with a pinched diamond crease but dry bashed it into a cattleman crease and the bashed it back into a diamond for these pics. And then decided I liked the cattlemen crease so I put it back. It's great felt.

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Very nice!

 

[teddy4]

I have a new Akubra Camp Draft on the way. New to me anyway, its used, and it looks a little deformed. So I was going to try to reshape it. Any suggestions on styling? I kind of like the idea of a pencil curled brim but havent seen too many examples.

 

[EL-Jimenez74]

Thanks gentlemen!