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Short brim vs. wide brim fedora

Which do you prefer?

  • Short brim

    Votes: 9 7.0%
  • Wide Brim

    Votes: 88 68.2%
  • I wear both

    Votes: 32 24.8%

  • Total voters
    129

EggHead

Practically Family
Messages
858
Location
San Francisco, CA
Well, after trying on various brims, I decided that 2 1/8 is the shortest that I would wear. Partly look, partly sun glare. Less than 2 1/8 just don't give much protection from the sun.
 

Alex Oviatt

Practically Family
Messages
515
Location
Pasadena, CA
Wider is best for me, although I have a Trilby that has a fairly short brim. I think that dimensional brims can be a great way to get the right look and balance.
 

FedoraFan112390

Practically Family
Messages
646
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Have a 2 3/4th inch brimmed fedora on the way, vintage Dobbs; Also a 1 3/4th" hat. I want more wide brimmed fedoras but they are harder to find on Ebay than vintage short brimmed. I like both equally.
 

jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,104
Location
San Francisco, CA
I wear both wide and stingy brims. Since I've gotten my Optimo Dillinger, which has a 2" brim, I've been wearing that a lot. I do have a Resistol Gotham I, which has about a 1.5" brim I think, and that's usually my "casual" hat. The widest brim I have is my Fed IV which has 2.75" at the front and back and 2.5" on the sides.
 

metropd

One Too Many
Messages
1,764
Location
North America
I always considered 2 1/2 to be meduim brim, not wide. 2 5/8 was medium-wide and 2 3/4 and over wide. I would not wear the nicest hat in the world if it was 2 3/8. I have and will always stick to 2 1/2- 2 3/4.
 

Dronak

Familiar Face
Messages
54
Location
USA
I kind of like a wider brim, but my wife and mother both think that a shorter brim looks better on me. As something that I don't really see when I'm wearing it (like my eyeglasses), I'd probably be fine with most styles. So for things like that, I have to get the opinion of someone else I trust to tell me what looks better on me. Given my family's opinions, the one main fedora I have is a shorter brim and I'll probably be sticking with that style for now.
 

HatsEnough

Banned
Messages
1,142
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
I have to say, the split here (few interested in stingies, far more for wide brims) shows on ebay for prices. Wider brims demand premium prices. Stingies are a dime a dozen. No one wants a short brimmed fedora, but everyone wants the wider ones.
 

LoveMyHats2

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
5,196
Location
Michigan
I have to say, the split here (few interested in stingies, far more for wide brims) shows on ebay for prices. Wider brims demand premium prices. Stingies are a dime a dozen. No one wants a short brimmed fedora, but everyone wants the wider ones.

That is so true. The same is for those tiny weeny sized hats. Lord have mercy! there are tons of size 6 plus hats all over that are so very nice. If only....
 

jkingrph

Practically Family
Messages
848
Location
Jacksonville, Tx, West Monroe, La.
Hi, I always thought the short brimmed hats were for old guys. My dad and several of the other teachers wore them. Old time movie stars wore the wide brimmed stuff.

Later

Well, I'm getting in too the age category of "old guy" and you will never find me in of those stingey things. I like brims to start at about 2 3/4" & 3" is better.
 

Dinerman

Super Moderator
Bartender
Messages
10,562
Location
Bozeman, MT
IMG_4393.jpg

IMG_4395.jpg
 

Alex Oviatt

Practically Family
Messages
515
Location
Pasadena, CA
Goorin Brothers just opened a handsome new store in Pasadena's Old Town. I didn't know much (okay, anything) about them but was excited at the prospect of a proper hat store coming to town. Alas, all stingies and not my cup of tea. The joint was jumpin', though!
 

David J. Jones

New in Town
Messages
1
Location
Kent,England.
I have different brim widths but I prefer wide, as in 2 1/2 or better.

0309091728.jpg


Nah, just kidding. Heres that hat now:

0402002026.jpg


Here's my shortest brim, 2 inches:

meindobbs090109.jpg


And heres my beloved Fed IV, where I got the brim dimensions for the conversion in the first pic:

0609090918a.jpg


There are a couple of others, but for illustrative purposes, these'll do.

Those first two are amazing,what are the brim measurements?
 

Chascomm

New in Town
Messages
34
Location
Western Australia
I reckon I'm turning stingy with age. What I'm wanting is a hat with a crown blocked like the Federation IV (tall, untapered) but with a 2" snap brim like the old Akubra Warwick. I want more height, less width.
 

tommyK

One Too Many
Messages
1,789
Location
Berwick, PA
I favor the wide brims and tall crowns for three reasons;

1. aesthetically they look good to me (2 1/2" brim, 5 1/2" crown or maybe a little bigger)
2. they're functional, sun, rain protection and they keep my bald head warm
3. the young hipsters tend toward the stingys and I'm an old contrarian
 

Qvist

Familiar Face
Messages
82
Location
Finland
Anything less than 2 1/2" just looks wrong on me, I think. My big face needs wide brim and tall crown to not look ridiculous.
 

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