Official Factory Produced KotCS AdventureBilt Fedora (Henry)

DanielJones · Post by **DanielJones** » Wed May 14, 2008 3:23 pm

Thanks Dutch, I almost choked on that one.

Too Funny!

Cheers!

Dan

KJB · Post by **KJB** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:43 pm

This is great news...can't wait to see what happens with it! Steve and Mark, you guys are such assets to this community.

I remember my Christmas gift to myself a couple of years ago. I went into the garage, found the ball-peen hammer, took a deep breath. Fought back the tears. Took "Porky" the piggy bank out to the backyard. Said a tearful goodbye, sent Porky to kingdom-come, and collected up 25,000 pennies to send to one Mr. Steve Delk in a big bucket. Okay, maybe that's a little exaggerated. But the point of all this is, now for those who are dying for an AB but they don't want to say goodbye to Porky (or if they don't have a Porky Pig piggy bank, horror of horrors...), they won't have to!

I can see it now, comrades. It's all in the economics. With an affordable, legitimate, WEARABLE Indy hat out there...it could be...yes, *The beginning of the HAT REVOLUTION!* Yes, friends, the world will wear hats, real hats, once again!!! No more will baseball caps pollute the streets with their adjustable backs. No more will "small, medium, or large" be accepted as measurements of size! No more will we be relegated to poring over ebay auctions and classifieds at the Fedora lounge! No more will we frequent thrift shops and second-hand stores looking endlessly for the right fit...and dare I dream? Yes, I do dare. Haberdashery shall make a triumphant return as a legitimate business with a respectable profit margin!!

...

*sigh*

Hey, a guy can dream, right?

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:29 pm

Hopefully. I would love to see a hat renaissance. This would of course make those wearing the hats dress a little classier and right there you have solved a major social problem. So there you have it...Steve and Marc are saving the world, one hat size at a time.

Dave

Mr. Z · Post by **Mr. Z** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:56 pm

DR Ulloa wrote:Hopefully. I would love to see a hat renaissance. This would of course make those wearing the hats dress a little classier and right there you have solved a major social problem. So there you have it...Steve and Marc are saving the world, one hat size at a time.

Dave

How great would that be?! I love it.

Irish Jones · Post by **Irish Jones** » Wed May 14, 2008 11:20 pm

Someone should photoshop a Fedora on Dr. Evil

That would be classic

www.kevindoyleart.com

nicktheguy · Post by **nicktheguy** » Thu May 15, 2008 1:41 am

Countdown is on now to see who posts Dr. Evil in a fedora.....tick tick tick

SankaraRaider · Post by **SankaraRaider** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:57 am

Well, here he is.. Doctor.. Evil.. Jones..

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:20 am

Just got off the phone with the hatter...

Ok, here are the news: we had some rawbodies made specially for the Henry from a manufacturer who's been making high quality felt for DECADES!!! - The hatter could have gotton it elsewhere for less but afterall, we want this to be an ADVENTUREBILT and we take big pride in that name

So, we had some 20% beaver specially made and dyed and it arrived at the hatters place this week. They are working on the prototype as we speak and HOPEFULLY I'll have some (useful) pictures later today.

EVENTUALLY, I'll get the actual Prototype tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed please).

Now, the leather used on the sweatbands is supposed to be of a higher quality than what they use on their standard hats. These sweatbands are used on hats costing round about 800€ (1250$), so we're getting something special here gents

The hats will be semi handmade, meaning that more steps will be done by hand than it's usual on a factory made hat. This is something that we appreciate very highly, as it will add to the actual value of the hat "IOO".

Price wise, the final word hasn't be said yet, however we keep constantly keep in mind to keep this baby affordable for other fans without any shortcuts on the quality. We're currently aiming for round about 180€ (280$) incl. worldwide shipping. Though we MIGHT be able to lower the price a little yet, I cannot promis this right now but will do my best.

Regards,

Marc

KJB · Post by **KJB** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:36 am

Marc wrote:EVENTUALLY, I'll get the actual Prototype tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed please).

$\:D/$

SankaraRaider · Post by **SankaraRaider** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:47 am

Great news Marc!

Can't wait to see how the prototype turns out. Fingers crossed

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Thu May 15, 2008 9:09 am

I can't wait to see it! Wohoo!

Dave

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Thu May 15, 2008 9:17 am

Ok, FedEx isn't able to get it to me before on Monday (where I'm already in Denmark in order to see the movie on Wednesday!!!!

). So they'll ship it to my parents address and I'll get it on Monday then

Hopefully I'll receive pictures later today!

Regards,

Marc

Mr. Z · Post by **Mr. Z** » Thu May 15, 2008 10:10 am

Awesome!!

Cole · Post by **Cole** » Thu May 15, 2008 10:20 am

Marc wrote:(where I'm already in Denmark in order to see the movie on Wednesday!!!! ).

Why you have to go to Denmark for that? We have an official Preview on Wensday right here near Frankfurt.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Thu May 15, 2008 10:31 am

Well, I was invited to see it in return for some interviews and since they were the first who asked...

Also, I'd like to see it in English first time

Regards,

Marc

hankey01 · Post by **hankey01** » Thu May 15, 2008 11:00 am

I have a friend in Denmark who has a friend who did the decorating for the Indy premiere at the Imperial Theater..that where you are going?>?

Looks cool!

Apparently he got his start doing effects for music videos for the band Aqua.

Hope these pics work!!

Edit..here are direct pic links instead...they seemed problematic.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8555 ... 045lo9.jpg

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4874 ... 397kz7.jpg

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9055 ... 703hf8.jpg

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2128 ... 006az0.jpg

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1821 ... 676qx0.jpg

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Thu May 15, 2008 1:56 pm

I might be the only one, but I was expecting the price to be around $200. I think it was said earlier that either Steve or Marc was shooting for a price tag of $175. $280 seems a little steep for a factory fedora. I'm still very excited about it and will buy one, no doubt about it. I think it is worth every penny, just more than I was anticipating, seeing as though I can order another AB from Steve for much less.

Dave

Cole · Post by **Cole** » Thu May 15, 2008 2:21 pm

DR Ulloa wrote:... seeing as though I can order another AB from Steve for much less.

Dave

If I understood that right this special COW Member discount only lasts one more week 'till the 22nd after that it's the regular price which is more. I guess one also has to keep in mind that these factory made ABs would be delivered pretty quick, opposit to the humungus

waitingtimes for the handmade ones. I guess thats worth money too.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Thu May 15, 2008 2:46 pm

Oh, it is. Time is money. I don't mind paying the $280, but the hat will have to wait until later. It is also my understanding that Steve will be extending that discount to COW members he has done business with before, though I am not certain of that. Either way, I will be buying the Henry, it was just a thought.

Dave

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Thu May 15, 2008 2:51 pm

As I said, I MIGHT be able to lower the price yet. However that depends on some battles that need to be fought yet.

Usually these hats go for 500-600Euro over here (1.5 times as much as my handmade hats), so we are CERTAINLY concerned to keep this affordable for you guys.

Regards,

Marc

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Thu May 15, 2008 2:53 pm

I know it is out of your hands, Marc. It certainly is a great value. Of course, if the price can be reduced at all, it would be warmly welcomed.

Dave

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:53 pm

$280 is a little on the high side for what I was hoping for in the price, BUT.......Considering the process and the extra care you guys are putting into this hat then I think it's very fair.

Of course, if you guys could get it down to around $230 or $240 that would be cool too.

Either way, I'm going to find a way to get one.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:56 pm

That is what I was thinking Pitfall Harry. I don't mind paying that much because I know it is worth it, but is significantly higher than what I was anticipating. The $240 range I think is perfect, but if that price is simply impossible then what can we do. I know Marc will do everything he can to make the Henry as affordable as possible.

Dave

crazylegsmurphy · Post by **crazylegsmurphy** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:36 pm

hmmm... I have been watching this thread to see how things developed and I'm not sure it's working out how I was hoping.

At $280 it starts to get a little steep, especially for only a 20% beaver hat. I mean you can order a Camptown for way less, you can pay a few bucks more and get a 100% Beaver AB from Steve....so I'm not sure this will interest me much if the price stays where it is.

The only thing that's nice is the supposed turnaround time, but as an owner of 3 AB hats already, I can say that the extra wait is well worth it. If I wanted something quickly, I think I would just go for the $170 some for a Camptown.

I'll keep an eye on this thread though.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:44 pm

I agree with you, but it I am still excited about this hat. For another $70 we can get a pure beaver, custom AB from Steve. And as far as blends go, there are countless other hats that that fill the niche and at about $100 less. That being said, this is sure to be a great hat and one that is worth more than the $280 price tag. The price is still bearing down on me, but I really want this one.

Dave

Irish Jones · Post by **Irish Jones** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:58 pm

I am a firm believer in you pay for what you get...but I am excited regardless

BTW, I choked up Coke all over my laptop when I saw the pic of Indy Evil

~Kevin

www.kevindoyleart.com

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Thu May 15, 2008 8:03 pm

Do you mean "you get what you pay for?" Obviously you pay for what you get, or am did that just go way over my head?

Dave

Irish Jones · Post by **Irish Jones** » Thu May 15, 2008 8:32 pm

I guess what I mean to say is whether its $200 or $300 we will get a hat to match, but it sure would be nice to get an extra special value considering the lineage of the maker and the quality we have come to except

Cheers!

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Thu May 15, 2008 11:23 pm

Pitfall Harry wrote:$280 is a little on the high side for what I was hoping for in the price, BUT.......Considering the process and the extra care you guys are putting into this hat then I think it's very fair.

Definitely on the high side for what we were originally promised, however, it sounds like the quality will also be above what was expected. I think if it is at all possible to keep it below $200 then you will have yourself a larger audience, (which I believe is part of the purpose of a factory produced AB hat), but I realize that quality will always be another important, and it sounds like overriding factor with AB fedoras. Anyway, under $200 and it will feel more like you are thinking about the folks pocket books and less about reputation. Good luck on your battles, those will be important for your (the vendor's) pocket book as well.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:14 am

I think you are right, bigrex. They are not going to reach out to very many customers charging $280. But, if they want to offer top of line quality in factory quantites, the price is going to be higher than usual. I am with you, I think it is high and if I were making the decisions I would cut back on some things. What I would cut back on I don't know. I would cut back on the sweatband and possiby lower the beaver percentage. This is supposed to be a budget AB. Somethings have to be compromised when a budget product is being made. After thinking about this a little more, I am not sure that I am going to purchase this one. When I can get a blended fur Keppler (which should be arriving any day now, for me) or Camptown for $175 and an Akubra for $100, it just doesn't make sense for me to spend over $100 more for the AB.

I'm not saying that this hat doesn't have its place, I'm sure it will be an amazing quality hat, but if I were trying to produce a factory hat to sell to the masses, I would price it more competitavely. My personal suggestion: Marc, I think you need to start cutting back on things that will save money. If you don't want to compromise the felt, then downgrade the sweatband. If you are adamant about the sweatband, then lower the beaver percentage (hey, Akubras have proven to be tough as nails, right?). I don't know where you can cut back, but I am sure that you can and doing so would gain you access to much larger audience. The audience I think you are trying to reach with the Henry is the Federation and Camptown audience. I would try to price it closer to those.

Sorry for the rambling. Don't take this the wrong way, I am just lending some constructive criticism, not bashing. I want this project to work.

Dave

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:26 am

DR Ulloa,

I agree of course with your thoughts as well. You sound like a businessman talking sense to me. Good advice, and I should add my comments are also meant to be constructive. —Only probably about 245 days now until my AB arrives...

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:31 am

What I wrote was not meant to sway anyone in one direction or another in regard to their purchase of the Henry. Please, don't anyone take it as that. I was simply giving my opinion on the matter and giving Marc some suggestions. If I have persuaded anyone in anyway, that was not my intention. That being said, I stand firmly by what was writen and pray that everything works out for both the boys over at Adventurebilt and us, the gearheads.

Dave

Risu · Post by **Risu** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:36 am

This is just my personal opinion, but I don't see the point in having an Indy fedora made out of the best materials available to man. A nice hat maybe, but the Indy hat was a piece of cr*p. Not to say some people wouldn't want it to be a nice hat, but the original was just a cheap factory hat, nothing special about it at all. As far as the AB Dlx goes, I'm sure it is an amazingly nice hat, but I don't think I'd ever spend that much money to get a hat designed to emulate a beat up hat like the one used in Raiders.

eazybox · Post by **eazybox** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:37 am

Not intending to bash either, but I must agree. The high price defeats the purpose of the offering. If people want a premium quality hat, they can buy an AB or AB deluxe. The Henry was intended to be an alternative that everyone could afford. As such, some compromises would seem to be necessary and even expected by those who want to buy this hat.

Jack

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:43 am

I don't know about that, Risu. A Herbert Johnson is hardly a "beat up piece of cr*p." I don't see the point in buying a hat that I know is a "piece of cr*p" as you put it. There are hats that hare economically priced and yet still offer great quality. The Advenutrebilt Deluxe is catered to a demographic and Marc does an amazing job of suppling the AB Deluxe to those people. If you want the best possible quality offered in a hat, you go see Marc. The HJ in the films were good hats; they were great hats. Just look at the Hero Hat sticky thread to see how well the hat has held up. That is a prime example of quality craftsmanship.

Dave

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:57 am

Wasn't the Henry originally supposed to be rabbit felt or did I just dream that?

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:11 am

You are right Pitfall. I thought that the boys at AB had always planned on having it be blend but this quote from the first post in this thread shows that they planned on a rabbit as well:

If all of this works out the way I want it to, a vendor will be selling a rabbit Raiders/CS fedora, there will be a factory AB blend, and then Marc and I will make the handmade pure beaver versions as we supplied to the new film.

Pure rabbit will lower the price drastically. Maybe this can be an option. You have two choices: rabbit and blend. If I had to choose one, I would say rabbit and not only on price. Akubra has proven that rabbit hats can take a beating. Plus, the Raiders hat was rabbit, if I am not mistaken. I understand the Henry is not meant to be solely a Raiders hat, but a Crystal Skull hat as well, but I think that rabbit would not only save money but be remeniscent of the original Indy fedora as well.

Dave

eazybox · Post by **eazybox** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:22 am

Maybe they could offer Regular and Deluxe versions, just as they do with the handmade AB's.

Jack

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:25 am

I bet a pure rabbit offering would be their best seller, and the one they make money off of, if a 20% beaver were the other option.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:26 am

That is what I would think. And I think the regular and deluxe versions is a great idea.

Dave

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:43 am

And (yet) again, the weak Dollar is what really drives the prices here gents. Not your fault of course, however since we weren't able to get what we want in the US, we had to look elsewhere

Not too many years ago 180Euro were as little as 150$

With that in mind, we hope that the Dollar will soon be worth a Euro again and then it would be 180$ shipped worldwide - which CERTAINLY ain't a bad price for a semi hand made hat. Let's hope for some winds of change here

Regards,

Marc

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Fri May 16, 2008 2:05 am

That is true, the Dollar is not very strong right now, but I think that offering a rabbit version of the Henry would be not only great for us gearheads, but profitable for you as well because you would greatly increase the audience you would be reaching.

Dave

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Fri May 16, 2008 2:10 am

Well, I don't hold your breath on that one. I don't see any changes coming anytime soon that will correct the exchange rate problems. In fact I see things getting worse. It doesn't look there's an end in site for the skyrocketing price of oil and that is causing a domino effect on everything else in this country.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:45 am

I don't think it's all about oil Chris. Remember, over here we use the stuff as well

Ok, obviously it needs some tweeking yet but for a PROTOTYPE I'm pretty happy with the pictures. Keep in mind that due to the wrong crease, the hat looks a little tapered here:

Regards,

Marc

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:22 am

It has the IJ dimensional cut of the brim?

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:27 am

Certainly

But I'll take measurements once it arrives.

Regards,

Marc

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:31 am

Ok thanks!

crazylegsmurphy · Post by **crazylegsmurphy** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:22 am

I have a few small questions regarding this hat.

First, where are most of the customers located that would be purchasing these hats?

What are the expected turn around time for these hats?

With all the compromises to the felt/sweat/etc, to get the price down to something reasonable, what can we expect in terms of quality compared to similar costing fedoras from current sources (Camptown, HJ, etc.)?

Are there plans to take this further than COW (Eg. General Public), or is this simply something that Indiana Jones fans only will be buying, and if so where will they be sold and will it drive up the price?

If the plans/expectations are to sell the hats to only Indy fans, then would it maybe be more beneficial for the AB company to consider employing a few people to get the already well established AB hats out instead of pouring resources into these hats?

And finally, why does the prototype have the wrong crease? I thought they were working off of your CS blocks? Are these creases going to be hand done, or does the factory have some way of standardizing the crease shape?

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:59 am

Ok, let's see...

First, where are most of the customers located that would be purchasing these hats?

Time will tell. Going by where Steve and I sell most hats it'll be in the US.

What are the expected turn around time for these hats?

Ex stock. So let's say 2-3 weeks max.

With all the compromises to the felt/sweat/etc, to get the price down to something reasonable, what can we expect in terms of quality compared to similar costing fedoras from current sources (Camptown, HJ, etc.)?

A class of it's own

No kidding asside. This is meant to be a really good hat that will hold up for many, many years.

Are there plans to take this further than COW (Eg. General Public), or is this simply something that Indiana Jones fans only will be buying, and if so where will they be sold and will it drive up the price?

We have a few enquiries from resellers and plan to coorporate with them if they are willing to buy certain quantities. However this is not in dry clothes yet. It is planned to be sold to hat wearers all over the World and not limited to the Indygear community.

And finally, why does the prototype have the wrong crease? I thought they were working off of your CS blocks? Are these creases going to be hand done, or does the factory have some way of standardizing the crease shape?

This was done by hand from an un-experienced person (from an Indyfan's point of view). This is something that will need further discussion yet

Regards,

Marc

Bullitt · Post by **Bullitt** » Fri May 16, 2008 8:01 am

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the CS blocks don't have any creases since these hats will be open-crowned. The reason for the wrong crease is because the factory put it in to give Marc a general idea of the prototype. He doesn't have it yet and it's being sent to him as we speak.

Official Factory Produced KotCS AdventureBilt Fedora (Henry)

Dr. Evil Jones