silvereed
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 69
- Location
- Noir Florida
So what do the numbers mean.?? Such as "7 XXX Beaver or 3 XXX Beaver
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XXX Beaver
- Thread starter silvereed
- Start date
Feraud
Bartender
- Messages
- 17,190
- Location
- Hardlucksville, NY
Not much. 100% beaver is 100% beaver...
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Bud-n-Texas
Practically Family
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- 975
- Location
- Central Texas (H.O.T.)
The X factor is supposed to be a measurement of the quality of the hat. Every maker applies a different standard, so as an end result the X's really make no difference.
Matt Deckard
Man of Action
- Messages
- 10,045
The quality of a hat
The X never really meant anything. within a company a higher number of X's may have meant that the hat was of a higher quality, though from one hatter to another there was never a standard. Some companies used it like a suggested where a 10 x hat would cost 10 dollars. If you see a hatter today using X's as a sign of measurement, just remember that the ruler they are using to measure quality is made of elastic.
You also cannot go by All Beaver as a sign of better quality as beaver fur quality varies same as hare quality, so you can have blends that are better than all beaver hats as well as all hare hats that are better than blends. The real test of the quality of a hat is the test of time.
The X never really meant anything. within a company a higher number of X's may have meant that the hat was of a higher quality, though from one hatter to another there was never a standard. Some companies used it like a suggested where a 10 x hat would cost 10 dollars. If you see a hatter today using X's as a sign of measurement, just remember that the ruler they are using to measure quality is made of elastic.
You also cannot go by All Beaver as a sign of better quality as beaver fur quality varies same as hare quality, so you can have blends that are better than all beaver hats as well as all hare hats that are better than blends. The real test of the quality of a hat is the test of time.
SHARPETOYS
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,425
- Location
- Titusville, Florida
Its called Marketing
The X Factor Rating System
Many people asked about the X factor ratings on their hat. What does it really mean when you wear a 10X hat? 50X hat? 100X Hat? Well, according to a book called "The Cowboy Hats" it explain that in the hat making field, felt has traditionally been graded according to its X-factor. The X-factor was originally determined by the density and shape of the material, and ranged in grade from a low of 1X to a high of 10X. Hats made of material rated below 5X generally contained a poorer grade of fur and little or no beaver fur. A 10X hat was made of 100% beaver fur. The X-factor was also a fairly reliable price guide, with a 3X hat costing $30 and a 4X hat costing $40 and a 5X hat costing $50 and so on. Fifty years ago, a 10X Stetson cost $100, was made of 100% pure beaver fur and was the finest hat available.
Today, however, the X-factor rating system is rather subjective. Manufacturers and dealers are not only rating hats differently, each according to its own criteria, but they are also using the X as a price plateau rather than an actual quality rating system.
The X Factor Rating System
Many people asked about the X factor ratings on their hat. What does it really mean when you wear a 10X hat? 50X hat? 100X Hat? Well, according to a book called "The Cowboy Hats" it explain that in the hat making field, felt has traditionally been graded according to its X-factor. The X-factor was originally determined by the density and shape of the material, and ranged in grade from a low of 1X to a high of 10X. Hats made of material rated below 5X generally contained a poorer grade of fur and little or no beaver fur. A 10X hat was made of 100% beaver fur. The X-factor was also a fairly reliable price guide, with a 3X hat costing $30 and a 4X hat costing $40 and a 5X hat costing $50 and so on. Fifty years ago, a 10X Stetson cost $100, was made of 100% pure beaver fur and was the finest hat available.
Today, however, the X-factor rating system is rather subjective. Manufacturers and dealers are not only rating hats differently, each according to its own criteria, but they are also using the X as a price plateau rather than an actual quality rating system.
Feraud
Bartender
- Messages
- 17,190
- Location
- Hardlucksville, NY
The previous info should be a sticky if it is not already so.
