Re: GOT MY PB TODAY! Here's a BIG hat review... _ You Too Cool Mozzle-Tov! - BTW I have some PB comments & questions for the Hat "mavens"

Posted by Tony Parker from dial-64.209.30.85.usadatanet.net on May 25, 2001 at 00:57:02:

In Reply to: Re: GOT MY PB TODAY! Here's a BIG hat review... posted by Fedora on May 24, 2001 at 23:49:17:

I agree the PB hat looks too perfect to wear...

My most comfortable wearing "working" Indy hat is the Indy Miller aka Stetson aka Biltmore. I'd like to get the names straight also because the Canadian Biltmore hats are really nicely made hats, and are available in some really nice qualities (beaver, beaver blend etc.) like the PB. I'ved noticed on the Biltmore catalogs that they do have some larger brimmed and crowned Fedora hats. Biltmore contracts out to several American manufacturers and Distributors. Its just a nice comfy good quality hat. It's not accurate as far as Indy stuff goes - Re: the taper and the low crown height, but it's turn9ng out to be my favorite "working" Indy hat.

The Akubra Fed is too new for me to tell as I haven;t worn it enough yet and it definitely hasn't broken in yet. I also need to finish the Ribbon on the Fed to bring it up to spec. I also feel that the Akubra Fed is quite a dark almost Olive Brown color and is noticeably darker than the PB. I'm quite happy that these hats are all different shapes, sizes, and shades of brown. I'd feel a right fool with three hats all exactly the same shape and same color. The Fed is a nice hat to customize and "play" with. I'd call the Akubra Hat the best "Hobby" hat.

I have a Mid-Grey Akubra Federation on order which should also be a fun hat to customise and "play" with.

For years, In Africa I used wear my old buddy, a grungy, beat up, old Panama hat, which "was" my favorite hat of all time which I picked up in Monrovia (Liberia) for about $7.00 USD. It survived didging bullets in several different civil & tribal wars, the red African dust, incredible tropical rains, and all kinds of major abuse. Two weeks after I got back to the U.S. somebody stole it from me while I was in church!

So what was your opinion of the standard PB ribbon color (mid/dark brown)?

What style of ribbon (Black) did PB Joe finally give you? Bound/Finished edged Grosgrain? or Scalloped Edged Petersham type milinery ribbon?

I think I will follow the general consensus and pass on the HJ, it's too expensive and frankly not such a wow hat quality wise. There are some REAL CUSTOM HATTERS here in the US and Canada who could probably come up with a better, fancier, nicer quality hat for the same $300.00. Imagine what kind of hat PB could make for $300.00! Pure Beaver etc.....

My next PB hat, will be a really Sinister, SS Gestapo, Mafia, Mobster, Bogey - "Bad Guy", "Film Noire" Black Fedora.

Thanks to all of you for all the excellent comments and advise!

Tony
: : Here's a little background first:

: : Well, I have now owned 6 fedoras, 5 of them Indy hats.

: : The first Indy hat was a crappy disney one. When I first got it, I
: : thought it looked cool. Then I started doing some research on
: : the Internet to see if there was an actual Indy hat. I looked on
: : ebay, and did some searches, till I found Indygear.com.

: : There I found out about many alternatives. I never thought the PB
: : was any good because the picture on Indygear shows a very
: : visible taper. Besides, I wanted the original, so I got a Herbert
: : Johnson. Right out of the box, I was disappointed with my HJ. It
: : also had a highly visible taper to it and the brim just wan't shped
: : cortrectly at all. I thought about sending it back for a few days.
: : After A LOT of reshaping, I was able to get rid of most of the taper
: : (I pushed the side dents in more) and also fix the brim. The brim
: : took a little longer to fix.

: : My next hat was a Stetson Nostalgia. I wanted a cheaper hat to
: : wear every day, and save the HJ for "special" occasions (Lord
: : knows it's expensive). I had liked the way the Nostalgia looked
: : on Indygear. It looked like a real Raiders hat and I was intrigued
: : by the low price, but unfortunately, it was out of production.
: : Luckily, by this time I had found the forum here and met
: : someone who was willing to sell me his Nostalgia. I liked this
: : hat when I received, and still do. It's definitely the best of my
: : opinion of all the stetson Indy hats (I've seen the others). I would
: : recommend picking one up, if anyone can still find one. The
: : price is right for an everyday, get dragged behind a truck hat.

: : Next? I had heard about the Fed, and when it came out, I bought
: : it on principle. The reviews were fantastic, Akubra is a respected
: : manufacturer and the price was irresistible. It was mostly the
: : price. I absolutely loved my Fed. I believe it is the best hat you
: : can buy for that price. PERIOD. It's open crown and wider brim
: : allow the fan to customize EXACTLY to their liking. I plan on
: : buying more when I get the money, in gray and maybe another
: : brown. I also have to say that dealing with Ron at Hats Direct
: : was a pleasure.

: : Now, at this point, all this talk about PBs was just getting to me.
: : Everyone here at the forum swore up and down that the PB was
: : the ultimate Raiders hat. I didn't understand because the one on
: : Indygear didn't look all that. At first, I just blew it off. But I kept
: : reading about more and more satisfied PB owners. People
: : started posting pics, and I said to myself, "Wow, these hats
: : actually look pretty nice!" Some had no taper at all! Finally, when
: : Dakota Ellison posted pics of his PB, I threw in the towel. It was
: : a gorgeous, spot-on Indy Raiders replica. I told myself that when
: : i got enough dough, I hat to get me a PB!

: : If you've read this far, you want to know my reaction to the PB,
: : right? Well, I spec'd out everything for Joe Jr., since this is a
: : custom hat, then I called him up and I must say he is very friendly
: : and nice to talk to. He didn't make me feel intimidated at all, and
: : was very helpful. He even emailed me to ask specifically how tall
: : I wanted the unbashed height of the crown, which I had not been
: : specific enough.

: : I received the box today, and upon opening it, the first thing I
: : noticed was the color. I ordered mink brown, and it is definitely
: : lighter than my other hats, except for the Nostalgia. It has more
: : red in it and reminds me of the color of powdered cocoa. When I
: : took it out, I noticed the stiffness. I happen to like a bit of stiffness
: : to my hats. I had asked Joe to go light on the stiffener and it was
: : perfect, not too stiff and not floppy at all. When I put it on, I noticed
: : immeditely the high crown in relation to my other hats. It'd much
: : higher than the HJ (I went with the 5 7/8). But the more I look at it,
: : the more I think it's accurate to Raiders. Overall, it's a beauty. I
: : supplied Joe with about 10 pics and he did a great job.
: : Downsides? It's so nice I don't want to wear it out and mess it
: : up! :P Also, it's stiffness means it doesn't automatically mold to
: : my head so it leaves a red mark, but I'm sure it will get more
: : comfortable with time. The only reshaping I will do to this hat is
: : swoop the front of the brim down a little more. Other than that, it's
: : great!

: : SO-only the hat lovers will have read this far, so you deserve a
: : comparison, right? Right.

: : They are different hats, so who wins in various categories? Here
: : goes:

: : Overall best hat: The PB. It is customized to your liking and out of
: : the box, nothing really has to be done to get that perfect look. It
: : seems resilient, and the price is not bad for what you get.

: : Best bargain: Definitely the Fed. Not only is this a bargain, it is
: : my second overall favorite hat. I can customize how I want. It
: : takes work cutting the brim, bashing and replacing the ribbon,
: : but for the price, it's the best value.

: : Best overall shape accuracy: Out of the box, the PB. After
: : reshaping, the Fed and the HJ. The Fed is better overall for the
: : look, but the HJ has that broken in look that I couldn't achieve
: : with the Fed.

: : Best crown height accuracy:
: : I think it's the PB and the Fed. I used to think the HJ was correct,
: : but now it seems too short. Who knows??

: : Best color accuracy: This is a tough one. I've heard that the hats
: : look lighter on film than in real life. I'm no film expert, so I'll have
: : to go with what I see on film for the correct color comparison.
: : The closest color to the hat I see on film is definitely the HJ. The
: : Akubra is an extremely close second (it's a tad darker than the
: : HJ). The Akubra has lightened with exposure to the sun, though,
: : and is becoming a closer color match. The PB is closer in color
: : to the photo stills from the movie I have seen, which tend
: : to have a bit more richness in them. The Nostalgia's color looks
: : like the Cairo hat without the dust. It is a very specific color and
: : not really Raidersish, but still a nice rich brown that I like.

: : Best comfort: The Fed. It came a tad bit too large, but within a
: : week, it fit my head perfectly. No lampshade required. I'm sure
: : the PB will fit better with time. The HJ and Nostalgia shrank a bit
: : and are now both tight.

: : Best ribbon:I have replaced or gotten all my hats upon request
: : with a black ribbon. I prefer the contrast and while not maybe the
: : most accurate, it is my personal favorite look. However, as far as
: : authenticity for a Raiders ribbon, the HJ wins. The Nostalgia is
: : the worst replica, coming with a ribbon that is way too wide. I
: : ordered my Fed with a black ribbon, which Ron supplied me in
: : addition to the stock ribbon. The stock ribbon is close to Raiders
: : style, but the color varies from the HJ and is not dark enough.
: : The Disney ribbon is pretty close, but again too light.

: : I hope you've enjoyed my "hat" review. If you've read all this, you
: : are a true Indy hat fanatic like me. c);>)

: : If I left anything out (yeah right!) or anyone has any
: : questions/comments, please feel free to email me or respond.

: : This concludes my post.

: : May God be with you in your quest.

: Welcome to the club of satisfied PB owners. I love this hat too, with the Fed coming in second. I actually like the various shades of brown, as I wear hats all the time, and the change is nice. I plan on getting another PB and Fed as well. I think my next PB will be styled like the one from TOD, the bridge scene. That is my next favorite look after the Raiders look. Then, later on, I am going after the LC look, like the fedora in the motor cycle chase scenes. Got to cover all the bases. Regards, Fedora

: : -Indy Sean

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: I agree the PB hat looks too perfect to wear...

: My most comfortable wearing "working" Indy hat is the Indy Miller aka Stetson aka Biltmore. I'd like to get the names straight also because the Canadian Biltmore hats are really nicely made hats, and are available in some really nice qualities (beaver, beaver blend etc.) like the PB. I'ved noticed on the Biltmore catalogs that they do have some larger brimmed and crowned Fedora hats. Biltmore contracts out to several American manufacturers and Distributors. Its just a nice comfy good quality hat. It's not accurate as far as Indy stuff goes - Re: the taper and the low crown height, but it's turn9ng out to be my favorite "working" Indy hat.

: The Akubra Fed is too new for me to tell as I haven;t worn it enough yet and it definitely hasn't broken in yet. I also need to finish the Ribbon on the Fed to bring it up to spec. I also feel that the Akubra Fed is quite a dark almost Olive Brown color and is noticeably darker than the PB. I'm quite happy that these hats are all different shapes, sizes, and shades of brown. I'd feel a right fool with three hats all exactly the same shape and same color. The Fed is a nice hat to customize and "play" with. I'd call the Akubra Hat the best "Hobby" hat.

: I have a Mid-Grey Akubra Federation on order which should also be a fun hat to customise and "play" with.

: For years, In Africa I used wear my old buddy, a grungy, beat up, old Panama hat, which "was" my favorite hat of all time which I picked up in Monrovia (Liberia) for about $7.00 USD. It survived didging bullets in several different civil & tribal wars, the red African dust, incredible tropical rains, and all kinds of major abuse. Two weeks after I got back to the U.S. somebody stole it from me while I was in church!
:  
: So what was your opinion of the standard PB ribbon color (mid/dark brown)?

: What style of ribbon (Black) did PB Joe finally give you? Bound/Finished edged Grosgrain? or Scalloped Edged Petersham type milinery ribbon?

: I think I will follow the general consensus and pass on the HJ, it's too expensive and frankly not such a wow hat quality wise. There are some REAL CUSTOM HATTERS here in the US and Canada who could probably come up with a better, fancier, nicer quality hat for the same $300.00. Imagine what kind of hat PB could make for $300.00! Pure Beaver etc.....

: My next PB hat, will be a really Sinister, SS Gestapo, Mafia, Mobster, Bogey - "Bad Guy", "Film Noire" Black Fedora.
:  
: Thanks to all of you for all the excellent comments and advise!

: Tony
: : : Here's a little background first:

: : : Well, I have now owned 6 fedoras, 5 of them Indy hats.

: : : The first Indy hat was a crappy disney one. When I first got it, I 
: : : thought it looked cool. Then I started doing some research on 
: : : the Internet to see if there was an actual Indy hat. I looked on 
: : : ebay, and did some searches, till I found Indygear.com.

: : : There I found out about many alternatives. I never thought the PB 
: : : was any good because the picture on Indygear shows a very 
: : : visible taper. Besides, I wanted the original, so I got a Herbert 
: : : Johnson. Right out of the box, I was disappointed with my HJ. It 
: : : also had a highly visible taper to it and the brim just wan't shped 
: : : cortrectly at all. I thought about sending it back for a few days. 
: : : After A LOT of reshaping, I was able to get rid of most of the taper  
: : : (I pushed the side dents in more) and also fix the brim. The brim 
: : : took a little longer to fix.

: : : My next hat was a Stetson Nostalgia. I wanted a cheaper hat to 
: : : wear every day, and save the HJ for "special" occasions (Lord 
: : : knows it's expensive). I had liked the way the Nostalgia looked 
: : : on Indygear. It looked like a real Raiders hat and I was intrigued 
: : : by the low price, but unfortunately, it was out of production. 
: : : Luckily, by this time I had found the forum here and met 
: : : someone who was willing to sell me his Nostalgia. I liked this 
: : : hat when I received, and still do. It's definitely the best of my 
: : : opinion of all the stetson Indy hats (I've seen the others). I would 
: : : recommend picking one up, if anyone can still find one. The 
: : : price is right for an everyday, get dragged behind a truck hat.

: : : Next? I had heard about the Fed, and when it came out, I bought 
: : : it on principle. The reviews were fantastic, Akubra is a respected 
: : : manufacturer and the price was irresistible. It was mostly the 
: : : price. I absolutely loved my Fed. I believe it is the best hat you 
: : : can buy for that price. PERIOD. It's open crown and wider brim 
: : : allow the fan to customize EXACTLY to their liking. I plan on 
: : : buying more when I get the money, in gray and maybe another 
: : : brown. I also have to say that dealing with Ron at Hats Direct 
: : : was a pleasure.

: : : Now, at this point, all this talk about PBs was just getting to me. 
: : : Everyone here at the forum swore up and down that the PB was 
: : : the ultimate Raiders hat. I didn't understand because the one on 
: : : Indygear didn't look all that. At first, I just blew it off. But I kept 
: : : reading about more and more satisfied PB owners. People 
: : : started posting pics, and I said to myself, "Wow, these hats 
: : : actually look pretty nice!" Some had no taper at all! Finally, when 
: : : Dakota Ellison posted pics of his PB, I threw in the towel. It was 
: : : a gorgeous, spot-on Indy Raiders replica. I told myself that when 
: : : i got enough dough, I hat to get me a PB!

: : : If you've read this far, you want to know my reaction to the PB, 
: : : right? Well, I spec'd out everything for Joe Jr., since this is a 
: : : custom hat, then I called him up and I must say he is very friendly 
: : : and nice to talk to. He didn't make me feel intimidated at all, and 
: : : was very helpful. He even emailed me to ask specifically how tall 
: : : I wanted the unbashed height of the crown, which I had not been 
: : : specific enough.

: : : I received the box today, and upon opening it, the first thing I 
: : : noticed was the color. I ordered mink brown, and it is definitely 
: : : lighter than my other hats, except for the Nostalgia. It has more 
: : : red in it and reminds me of the color of powdered cocoa. When I 
: : : took it out, I noticed the stiffness. I happen to like a bit of stiffness 
: : : to my hats. I had asked Joe to go light on the stiffener and it was 
: : : perfect, not too stiff and not floppy at all. When I put it on, I noticed 
: : : immeditely the high crown in relation to my other hats. It'd much 
: : : higher than the HJ (I went with the 5 7/8). But the more I look at it, 
: : : the more I think it's accurate to Raiders. Overall, it's a beauty. I 
: : : supplied Joe with about 10 pics and he did a great job. 
: : : Downsides? It's so nice I don't want to wear it out and mess it 
: : : up! :P Also, it's stiffness means it doesn't automatically mold to 
: : : my head so it leaves a red mark, but I'm sure it will get more 
: : : comfortable with time. The only reshaping I will do to this hat is 
: : : swoop the front of the brim down a little more. Other than that, it's 
: : : great!

: : : SO-only the hat lovers will have read this far, so you deserve a 
: : : comparison, right? Right.

: : : They are different hats, so who wins in various categories? Here 
: : : goes:

: : : Overall best hat: The PB. It is customized to your liking and out of 
: : : the box, nothing really has to be done to get that perfect look. It 
: : : seems resilient, and the price is not bad for what you get.

: : : Best bargain: Definitely the Fed. Not only is this a bargain, it is 
: : : my second overall favorite hat. I can customize how I want. It 
: : : takes work cutting the brim, bashing and replacing the ribbon, 
: : : but for the price, it's the best value.

: : : Best overall shape accuracy: Out of the box, the PB. After 
: : : reshaping, the Fed and the HJ. The Fed is better overall for the 
: : : look, but the HJ has that broken in look that I couldn't achieve 
: : : with the Fed.

: : : Best crown height accuracy:
: : : I think it's the PB and the Fed. I used to think the HJ was correct, 
: : : but now it seems too short. Who knows??

: : : Best color accuracy: This is a tough one. I've heard that the hats 
: : : look lighter on film than in real life. I'm no film expert, so I'll have 
: : : to go with what I see on film for the correct color comparison. 
: : : The closest color to the hat I see on film is definitely the HJ. The 
: : : Akubra is an extremely close second (it's a tad darker than the 
: : : HJ). The Akubra has lightened with exposure to the sun, though, 
: : : and is becoming a closer color match. The PB is closer in color 
: : : to the <i>photo stills</i> from the movie I have seen, which tend 
: : : to have a bit more richness in them. The Nostalgia's color looks 
: : : like the Cairo hat without the dust. It is a very specific color and 
: : : not really Raidersish, but still a nice rich brown that I like.

: : : Best comfort: The Fed. It came a tad bit too large, but within a 
: : : week, it fit my head perfectly. No lampshade required. I'm sure 
: : : the PB will fit better with time. The HJ and Nostalgia shrank a bit 
: : : and are now both tight.

: : : Best ribbon:I have replaced or gotten all my hats upon request 
: : : with a black ribbon. I prefer the contrast and while not maybe the 
: : : most accurate, it is my personal favorite look. However, as far as 
: : : authenticity for a Raiders ribbon, the HJ wins. The Nostalgia is 
: : : the worst replica, coming with a ribbon that is way too wide. I 
: : : ordered my Fed with a black ribbon, which Ron supplied me in 
: : : addition to the stock ribbon. The stock ribbon is close to Raiders 
: : : style, but the color varies from the HJ and is not dark enough. 
: : : The Disney ribbon is pretty close, but again too light.

: : : I hope you've enjoyed my "hat" review. If you've read all this, you 
: : : are a true Indy hat fanatic like me.    c);>)

: : : If I left anything out (yeah right!) or anyone has any 
: : : questions/comments, please feel free to email me or respond.

: : : This concludes my post.

: : : May God be with you in your quest.

: :     Welcome to the club of satisfied PB owners. I love this hat too, with the Fed coming in second. I actually like the various shades of brown, as I wear hats all the time, and the change is nice. I plan on getting another PB and Fed as well. I think my next PB will be styled like the one from TOD, the bridge scene. That is my next favorite look after the Raiders look. Then, later on, I am going after the LC look, like the fedora in the motor cycle chase scenes. Got to cover all the bases. Regards, Fedora

: : : -Indy Sean

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