Watson's Hat Shop in Arizona

[WesternHatWearer]

I am considering purchasing a hat with Watson's Hat Shop in Arizona. My exposure to this hatter is via the videos he has posted on-line for a few magazines and Youtube.
I am interested in a cattleman, 4.25 inch brim, 7.5 LO, 30X blend and in chocolate brown.

So before I go off and face learning a lesson at a costly price, I wanted to ask if anyone has conducted business with this facility. Thank you for your time.

 

[RJR]

I've been in his shop several times but haven't purchased from him.I talked to other customers while I was there,two hat his hats and were in ordering more.They had good things to say and the hats looked good.

 

[tonyb]

Never heard of 'em before, but that doesn't mean much. There is a vast hat world out there, and hundreds (maybe) of custom hat makers whose names never come up around here.

So about all I know about them is what I see on their website. It appears that what they call a 30X beaver blend is priced at $300. I don't know where they are sourcing their bodies, so without knowing that, or without handling the hat myself, I couldn't say if that's a good value or not.

Still, 300 bucks for a decent cowboy hat is well within reason these days. But their prices on their higher end hats are, um, I dunno, excessive, maybe? What they're calling a 50X beaver blend is priced at 500 clams, and their 100 percent beavers are at $750. The higher the percentage of beaver fur in the felt body, the higher the price the hat maker pays for it, typically, but the difference in price is not so extreme as to justify that much of an additional cost to the end user. Nowhere near it, really, so it seems they are selling as much sizzle as steak, you know. But there's nothing unusual in that, either, especially in the world of western hats. Watson's offers a $2,500 hat. I doubt they sell many of those.

There's a good reason there are so many more custom hatters dealing in westerns than in "dress" hats. A couple reasons or more. One is that westerns never went out of style, leastwise not among that particular slice of the population given to wearing cowboy hats. And another is that a slice of that slice has some serious scratch and doesn't balk at spending some of it on their favorite baubles. Hence $60,000 pickup trucks and $3,000 boots. And $2,500 hats.

And Watson's is in Cave Creek, Arizona, pretty much next to a place called Carefree, which is all in the metropolitan Phoenix area. So, retirees and tourists, right? Snowbirds. Sounds like a great location for selling western hats. I can see it now -- an older gent from Indiana, say, who has already survived one bout with cancer and who wants a nice souvenir to bring back home with him. And he likes the way he looks in that hat. Maybe once he gets back home that hat will live mostly on the passenger's seat of his $200,000 motorhome, but what the hell, eh?

 

[triple-d]

HAHAHAH......Well said Tony. I'm moving to Arizona. Snowbirds are always in season.....ll

 

[alanfgag]

... I can see it now -- an older gent from Indiana, say, who has already survived one bout with cancer and who wants a nice souvenir to bring back home with him. And he likes the way he looks in that hat. Maybe once he gets back home that hat will live mostly on the passenger's seat of his $200,000 motorhome, but what the hell, eh?

Some of my best hats came from similar splurges or life interruptions a century ago. Hat collectors that are babies now will benefit down the road.

 

[triple-d]

Good point Alan!!

 

[triple-d]

I'm getting ready to call Jeff...........I will end up being his snowbird this morning.....lol

 

[WesternHatWearer]

I emailed Eric Watson, the owner of the establishment and inquired about the definition of his 30X. With each hatter having their own definitions, I felt it best to ask out right.

Yes, this hat shop has a number of finishing options for their cowboy/western hat customers. Kangaroo sweatbands, diamonds in the buckle set, and so forth. To be honest, this is not the most jaw dropping cost I have seen. Take a look at Butch Dorer's webpage at: http://www.butchdorerhats.com/ and check out the Silver Beaver. There should be a button on the lower right of the page.

I am not in the market for the upper end of these hats. I am looking for a nicely made chocolate brown that fits me well, has a nice mix of beaver with hare, and that is not outrageous.

 

[gtdean48]

I've had 2 custom westerns, both over 15 years old. Totally shocked at what they'd cost to replace them now.
I'm sure the base felt bodies have increased some but not to the multiple that some are asking. JMHO

 

[triple-d]

Back when I use to wear westerns a lot, I bought a couple from a place in Ft. Worth called Best Hat. One was ok, the other was on the shoddy built side. They weren't cheap, but not expensive either. I need to dig them out and see how they are holding up....lol

 

[gtdean48]

Back when I use to wear westerns a lot, I bought a couple from a place in Ft. Worth called Best Hat. One was ok, the other was on the shoddy built side. They weren't cheap, but not expensive either. I need to dig them out and see how they are holding up....lol

We stopped by Best Hat when we had the FedoraFest that visited Garland hat factory & Peter Bros.
Seemed most of their hats were American Hat Company as well as customs.
Nice shop with nice prices...

 

[tonyb]

I've had 2 custom westerns, both over 15 years old. Totally shocked at what they'd cost to replace them now.
I'm sure the base felt bodies have increased some but not to the multiple that some are asking. JMHO

Gotta agree. Costs to the hatter have gone up, but not nearly to the degree often reflected in the prices asked for the finished hats.

 

[LeBois46]

I'm reminded of a saying my mother had, "A fool and his money are soon parted." Sometimes people buy for the snobbery factor, not the quality of the product. Before buying a hat at the prices previously mentioned, $2500 and $10000 I would suggest they look at one of the custom hatters on the lounge. I think you could get as good a quality hat for a lost less. But hell, if you want to throw away your money go for it.

 

[tonyb]

It should be mentioned, in defense of multi-thousand dollar cowboy hats and those who sell them, that such hats are typically adorned with precious metals and gemstones. A bit of platinum and a few diamonds adds a lot to the price tag. Cowboy bling, you know.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

I am in no position to spend $1k, $5k, and especially not $10k on hat. To be honest, I would not be able to sleep with $10,000 hat in my house, knowing I could have done so much more with the money.
On another note, I have not yet heard from Watson's hat following an email I sent to him. However, I have heard from Mike at Buckaroo Hatters and I emailed him early Saturday morning. Very Interesting.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I would skip the bling if the price would go down for like... 95% or more!

 

[RJR]

If you're considering Watson,I'd probably get on the phone with him.

 

[T Jones]

I am in no position to spend $1k, $5k, and especially not $10k on hat. To be honest, I would not be able to sleep with $10,000 hat in my house, knowing I could have done so much more with the money.
On another note, I have not yet heard from Watson's hat following an email I sent to him. However, I have heard from Mike at Buckaroo Hatters and I emailed him early Saturday morning. Very Interesting.

Give Bob at Black Sheep a call. Several Loungers swear by his work. John Galt, who has helped Loungers with hat conversions, obtained one of Bob's hats. He said that of all the hatters he's seen, Black Sheep stands above the rest as a true artist. That's peaked my interest in his work. On the recommendation of John Galt and other Loungers I'm going to have him do a hat for me. His prices are reasonable too. I've seen his stuff on the Lounge and I'm really impressed with his work.
That's not to say other hatters don't put out good quality hats, I'm just more impressed with Black Sheep.

http://www.blacksheephatworks.com/Western.html

 

[LeBois46]

Give Bob at Black Sheep a call. Several Loungers swear by his work. John Galt, who has helped Loungers with hat conversions, obtained one of Bob's hats. He said that of all the hatters he's seen, Black Sheep stands above the rest as a true artist. That's peaked my interest in his work. On the recommendation of John Galt and other Loungers I'm going to have him do a hat for me. His prices are reasonable too. I've seen his stuff on the Lounge and I'm really impressed with his work.
That's not to say other hatters don't put out good quality hats, I'm just more impressed with Black Sheep.



Don't forget Tony over at Tumwater Hats. info@tumwaterhat.com.

http://www.tumwaterhat.com/

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Just an update.
To date there has been no response by anyone from Watson's Hat Shop.

I have contacted a few other hatters; with which I have had responses.
I am also battling myself on what I would like for my next hat.