The Hatco Outlet Store in Garland, TX

[moontheloon]

A distinction probably needs to be made in one's own mind between minor flaws unique to each producer & what is clearly a factory second.

what I saw were mostly things like ... the ribbon tacked too high above the break.... the sweat reed stitched in too low to the point where you put it on and the reed is exposed lower than the brim ... odd uneven stitching in the binding ... stitches that missed the binding all together ... odd looking ribbons that may be too far toward the back of the hat ... felt blemishes ... tolliker marks ... oddly tapered crowns ... etc etc

 

[Bob Roberts]

what I saw were mostly things like ... the ribbon tacked too high above the break.... the sweat reed stitched in too low to the point where you put it on and the reed is exposed lower than the brim ... odd uneven stitching in the binding ... stitches that missed the binding all together ... odd looking ribbons that may be too far toward the back of the hat ... felt blemishes ... tolliker marks ... oddly tapered crowns ... etc etc

Sounds like my Silverbelly Camp Draft.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

what I saw were mostly things like ... the ribbon tacked too high above the break.... the sweat reed stitched in too low to the point where you put it on and the reed is exposed lower than the brim ... odd uneven stitching in the binding ... stitches that missed the binding all together ... odd looking ribbons that may be too far toward the back of the hat ... felt blemishes ... tolliker marks ... oddly tapered crowns ... etc etc

I would see most everything you have listed as a clear indicator that qualifies the hat as a factory second & should have been caught by a competent QC dept. I might take exception to the tolliker marks & may have accepted in my mind that they most likely will be present on an Akubra. When considering buying an Akubra the presence of tolliker marks don't make it a factory second in my mind, & apparently are not as troublesome to me as they are to you. A missing binding, missing stitches, etc would make it a factory second to me. But some people would probably be happy because it's only $64.00.

I learned the game on what is acceptable & what is not back when two of my kids played competitive baseball for yrs & I was buying expensive baseball gloves thru a Rawlings Outlet store.

 

[moontheloon]

I would see most everything you have listed as a clear indicator that qualifies the hat as a factory second & should have been caught by a competent QC dept. I might take exception to the tolliker marks & may have accepted in my mind that they most likely will be present on an Akubra. When considering buying an Akubra the presence of tolliker marks don't make it a factory second in my mind, & apparently are not as troublesome to me as they are to you. A missing binding, missing stitches, etc would make it a factory second to me. But some people would probably be happy because it's only $64.00.

I learned the game on what is acceptable & what is not back when two of my kids played competitive baseball for yrs & I was buying expensive baseball gloves thru a Rawlings Outlet store.

QC dept. ?

Wasn't aware HatCo. had one of those




Sent from my space aged handheld communication device and universal translator

 

[Hurricane Jack]

QC dept. ?

Wasn't aware HatCo. had one of those




Sent from my space aged handheld communication device and universal translator

I don't think they do either. I think rejects are supposed to be caught along the line but it becomes too easy to just think someone else will catch it.

And if you happen to pay by piece work instead of by the hour...you never have any rejects!

 

[Bill Hughes]

Inventory kept in the back is usually not factory seconds, & priced accordingly. They do the same thing at St. Joseph. If you ask for a certain model, grade, color or hat they know they have the chance to "upsell" you from the typical Outlet buyer, & the product is priced accordingly.

I would agree, & I have not been the one to use the word "beater". As I have said previously, I have no problem buying hats from the Outlet; just know what you are buying.

I have never paid more than 1/2 the tag price. The tag price being less than 1/2 retail. But I doubt I ever got anything that wasn't a second.

Maybe I misuse the term "beater"? I use it as everyday, working, ready for abuse, etc. You pick it up and beat the dust/dirt off and your ready to go.

 

[KarlCrow]

I have never paid more than 1/2 the tag price. The tag price being less than 1/2 retail. But I doubt I ever got anything that wasn't a second.

Maybe I misuse the term "beater"? I use it as everyday, working, ready for abuse, etc. You pick it up and beat the dust/dirt off and your ready to go.

belive me, as i'm a confused newbie, the term beater is used in a variety of ways here, it's a term with 40 shades of meaning and seventeen arguments of definition. Your hats always look great from here.

 

[moontheloon]

belive me, as i'm a confused newbie, the term beater is used in a variety of ways here, it's a term with 40 shades of meaning and seventeen arguments of definition. Your hats always look great from here.

to me beater means a hat you don't mind beating on ... aka wearing hard
yard work
auto work
hikes
etc.

anything that will sweat it up and get it dirty ...

we all need a beater or two

that is not to say you like the hat any less ... I happen to absolutely love my beaters ...

they are more part of me than any of my pristine 80 year old hats

 

[Bill Hughes]

to me beater means a hat you don't mind beating on ... aka wearing hard
yard work
auto work
hikes
etc.

anything that will sweat it up and get it dirty ...

we all need a beater or two

that is not to say you like the hat any less ... I happen to absolutely love my beaters ...

they are more part of me than any of my pristine 80 year old hats

Yep, it's the go to item, well used, well abused, and very comfortable.

 

[Frunobulax]

I would not agree that most sold in the Classifieds are vintage. Especially with a constant stream of newbies incoming.
.

Upon reflection, you're probably right. Most of the good vintages go off to the Bay, because that's where the big bucks are.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Frunobulax]

QC dept. ?

Wasn't aware HatCo. had one of those




Sent from my space aged handheld communication device and universal translator

She's on break.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Frunobulax]

Yep, it's the go to item, well used, well abused, and very comfortable.

To me, it's the hat that, if it gets run over by a car or eaten by a bear, I shrug and say, "Darn."


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Bill Hughes]

QC dept. ?

Wasn't aware HatCo. had one of those




Sent from my space aged handheld communication device and universal translator

The thing that really gets me is sizing. I can try on five hats there. All the same model and size. Yet they can all be either too small or too large. And I don't mean slight differences. I'm between a 7-1/8 and 7-1/4. Actually measured to 22-7/8". The Stetson size chart is 23" as 7-1/4. There have been times at Hatco that hats labeled 7-1/4 feel like a 7 or 7-1/2.

I have learned with vintage fedoras that a 7-1/8 that has stretched over time/use may fit just fine. And often a 7-3/8 fits fine if I use a strip of felt for sizing.

 

[Bill Hughes]

To me, it's the hat that, if it gets run over by a car or eaten by a bear, I shrug and say, "Darn."


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Exactly. Or blown overboard.

 

[KarlCrow]

Maybe I misuse the term "beater"? I use it as everyday, working, ready for abuse, etc. You pick it up and beat the dust/dirt off and your ready to go.

to me beater means a hat you don't mind beating on ... aka wearing hard
yard work
auto work
hikes
etc.

anything that will sweat it up and get it dirty ...

we all need a beater or two

that is not to say you like the hat any less ... I happen to absolutely love my beaters ...

they are more part of me than any of my pristine 80 year old hats

Yep, it's the go to item, well used, well abused, and very comfortable.

To me, it's the hat that, if it gets run over by a car or eaten by a bear, I shrug and say, "Darn."


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Exactly. Or blown overboard.

like i said, to these you can add
'the hat i'm insecure about so use as'
'the hat that wasn't what it said so'
'the hat that wasn't what it said but is actually a unicorn that cost $4 and i like a fancy beater' -
'could be your unicorn but it's my beater'
etc, my poorly explained point was and is still

'beater' is a useful noun and adjective when talking about hats, and beaters are a bit like mothers, some of us know them, some of us ignore them, some of us love them, yet however defined we have all had one.

cue stage left 'i never had no beater man'

 

[FedOregon]

Sizing charts don't always agree, either. The charts I have been using (and John Penman as I recall) show 23.0 inches as a size 7-3/8, and 23-1/2" as a size 7-1/2.

@Bill Hughes I have the same trouble you do with hats. My head sits between a 7-3/8 and 7-1/2.... and sometimes a vintage 7-3/8 fits and sometimes it doesn't. My Knox 15 7-3/8 LO fits like a custom, as does a vintage Cavanagh and a vintage Stetson... but another Stetson 7-3/8 LO is on the small side.

I have more faith in the vintage hats fitting me than the modern hats. Every time I get ready to order a modern hat, I get stopped when it comes down to size...

I broke my own rule and got a modern Florentine Milan Stratoliner in 7-1/2. Holy crap, it was more like a 7-5/8! Even with foam shims under the full circumference of the sweat, it still wobbled like a hobby horse. I traded it for a 7-3/8 and it fits well enough, but not perfect like the aforementioned vintage hats.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I have never paid more than 1/2 the tag price. The tag price being less than 1/2 retail. But I doubt I ever got anything that wasn't a second.

Maybe I misuse the term "beater"? I use it as everyday, working, ready for abuse, etc. You pick it up and beat the dust/dirt off and your ready to go.

Bill, youda man! With prices like that it's a wonder HatCo has any dealers still alive!

I'm done here.

 

[Bill Hughes]

Bill, youda man! With prices like that it's a wonder HatCo has any dealers still alive!

I'm done here.

Thanks for all your information. Helps a lot. Learned more about retail and outlets. All good stuff.

 

[Debussychopin]

I just got a Stetson Pinnacle beaver from the Garland outlet. It looks absolutely perfect but Im sure it is still a second. However I cannot detect what it is other than a hole punched leather sweatband that depicts it came from the outlet.

 

[Redfokker]

I just got a Stetson Pinnacle beaver from the Garland outlet. It looks absolutely perfect but Im sure it is still a second. However I cannot detect what it is other than a hole punched leather sweatband that depicts it came from the outlet.

Cool! Pics or it didn't happen!