What's the minimum $$$ for a VERY SA hat?

[blueoakleyz]

I think the question is what do you mean by 'SA'?
If you mean, "so close only a gearhead hatmaker would quibble" you will never find the perfect SA hat for any price.
If you mean, "close enough that even non-gearheads will only think of Indy when they see it" then any of the hats mentioned above is good.
Subtleties of block-shape and crown-curvature aside they all have nearly the same basic dimensions so I think a skillful bash wil make or break the 'SA-ness'.
And of course if you are happy with the results that's all that matters

good answer

[Fedora]

S.A.will aways be in the eyes of the beholder. I have seen hats here that some thought to be really accurate, and I silently disagreed with them. Others times I disagreed not so silently.

We must never forget that the Raiders fedora was not a factory hat though. It was a bespoke, or in American-ese a custom made fedora. And the reason every factory hat I have seen, that was supposed to be a Raiders fedora came up short. So, if you really want a close as possible Raiders lid, you have to go custom. Factory dimensional cut brims are not cut with the same proportions as a hand cut brim. And Swales did the Raider fedoras by hand. Probably the others too. Imperfections and all.

For me, if my funds were limited, I would go with the old Federation from Ron. The new Federation was an attempt at getting close to the Indy 4 fedora.

My second choice would be a Christy , IF one could get one of these that had that straighter blockshape. From what I have seen, this is a @#$% shoot, though. I still own a Federation from way, way back. I am very pleased with the felt on this hat.

IMHO, I have never seen any other factory hat that is worth the price, if we are talking a bargain priced hat.

Again, if one seeks a Raiders fedora, the only way to go is a custom made hat. And if you buy one from the guys who make them here, you will get a expoentially higher quality hat, which translates to a much longer life of the hat itself. In the long run, it is actually cheaper to buy "good" from the start. With the additional benefit of the hat capable of actually becoming an old friend, with many memories of your adventures sitting right on the top of your noggin.

Felt comes in various qualities. It always has, with the price dictating just how good it is(in most cases) For me, I want a hat that will outlast me, and one that will withstand as many reblocks as it takes to finally get the felt dead and stable. And speaking of pure beaver fur, this is the only fur that doesn't get holes easily over time and exposure to the rays of the sun. Dense felt, while not Raiders accurate does mellow out really great, and does not suffer from the holes that less dense felt does.

If you take a rabbit hat, verus a beaver hat, after 20 years of wear, the beaver has mellowed out while a rabbit will just show the signs of breaking down, if it has not shrunk up to 3 inches tall at that time and is incapable of a refurb.

Hats are like everything else. You really do get what you pay for. IF it is cheaply priced, don't expect it to last for more than a few years, at best. There is a reason it was cheaply priced. But, if you are looking for a costume piece, worn on Halloween, buy cheap, and it will suit you well. Just stay out of the rain, if you want to make the next Halloween as Indy, and not the wicked witch of the East. Fedora

[Chewbacca Jones]

I think the problem, in a nut shell, is that every hat under $200 has at least two non-SA aspects. Therefore, it comes down to what the wearer's priorities would be. Is ribbon color more important than bow work? Felt color? Felt floppiness? Block shape? Overall quality? etc. etc. That's why this is really a "when you're ready to buy" question. Because the opinion you seek has no priorities in determining what's acceptable.

Even strictly as an opinion question, it can't be answered because any option would be equally non-SA... just in different ways.

In the end, the Fed IV is the king of the close-enough lids under $200. But the others in the price bracket have some details better, and some worse.

[CW_Alden45]

Not sure if someone suggested this or not, but if you've got a sander and a hacksaw, you could do what I did and make your own just by checking out the how to tutorial. Cost me less than 70 for the hat body/sweat/liner/stiffener. Then I just got some foam insulation board from home depot and went to town on the block. (still under 80) So if you've got time and patience, you can have it be all your own and VERY SA

Genqui.

[BendingOak]

The way I read the title of this thread is " What's the minimum $$$ for a VERY SA hat?" That doesn't mean under 200 dollars. I would answer that question is that you would need to spend at least 200 dollars. Sounds like he wants a very SA hat and wants to know how low he can go. That doesn't me ( to me) that he wants to give up on some of the SA of the hat.

[RCSignals]

The way I read the title of this thread is " What's the minimum $$$ for a VERY SA hat?" That doesn't mean under 200 dollars. I would answer that question is that you would need to spend at least 200 dollars. Sounds like he wants a very SA hat and wants to know how low he can go. That doesn't me ( to me) that he wants to give up on some of the SA of the hat.

Agreed

If he just wants a hat that the average person will see and think 'Dr Jones' almost all be needs is any brown felt Fedora with enough brim and crown height.

[DR Ulloa]

Which is what I don't really understand about this thread. To me, there are only four SA hats available: Penman, AB, AB Deluxe, and AB Henry. If you want SA, these are the ones to go with. The Henry is the most inexpensive one, so whatever that is, is what I say.

Dave

[gwyddion]

Which is what I don't really understand about this thread. To me, there are only four SA hats available: Penman, AB, AB Deluxe, and AB Henry. If you want SA, these are the ones to go with. The Henry is the most inexpensive one, so whatever that is, is what I say.

Dave

And ofcourse the Garrison hats Raider I just saw he started taking orders

Regards, Geert

[Texan Scott]

...matter of opinion, budget and preference.

[DR Ulloa]

Actually I take back what I said. The Henry would not be the most inexpensive SA hat. The Penman rabbit is $225. I did the conversion from Euro to Dollar and the Henry comes out to about $260.

Dave

[Nicolas Jones]

Hello,

I would say about $50 to $60 for a SA fedora.
HOW ?
Answer : DIY...

There is a tutorial about this subject somewhere here in COW

Regards,

Nicolas

[JC1972]

Actually I take back what I said. The Henry would not be the most inexpensive SA hat. The Penman rabbit is $225. I did the conversion from Euro to Dollar and the Henry comes out to about $260.

Dave

Isn't the Henry 175 Euro shipped? If so, that comes to $242.564 as of now.

[DR Ulloa]

I believe the price went up becuase the hats are now being shipped to Marc first and then to the customer. This way the hat can be creased by a master and be a Raiders or CS ready hat out of the box.

Dave

[JC1972]

Oh, I thought 175 (or is it 189? )was the increased price going by this thread; I know 165 was the initial price for COW members

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39106&p=552881&hilit=Henry#p552881

[DR Ulloa]

I thought it was in the 180s too. Strange. I stand corrected, though. The rabbit Penman is still less expensive and custom made. That would be my choice for the minimum cash requirement.

Dave