Todd´s Fedoras...

[MARQ]

..are they any good? I mean the fedora that we "had" to suggest a name for.It looked great to me and really would like to see some opinions and perhaps images about how they´ve held up.I wish Todd would get them back to the stock.The resent ones were not that awesome.I´d like to have a fedora but "the top of the lines" are so freaking expensive.It gets me mad.. (Me Thinks...Anybody gotta AB or Penman in 60cm to spare? ) And to those who own an Advintage Fed´s; opinions would be great as well...

[Cajunkraut]

They're GREAT for the quality to price point ratio.

[indyclone]

I bought the "Raiders'' hat from Todd's costumes when he first released them last year. the hat has held up pretty nicely. The brown has faded a bit to a greenish hue, but the hat is still one of my favorites, it is a bit more pliable as a hat and not stiff. i also have Todd's "Downtowner" fedora, which is a stiffer hat. now i have heard rumors that Todd used what was left of his "Raiders" hats to make "Downtowners" ( but like i said i heard it was a rumor, so don't quote me on it.) But like i said it was a good hat.

[Texan Scott]

Depends on what you want, but Garrison sells a custom Raiders for $200. Steve sells his for $300. Both custom, and within a budget, ie its doable.

[Michaelson]

.I´d like to have a fedora but "the top of the lines" are so freaking expensive.It gets me mad.. ...

You checked this thread out? You may find it of interest if you haven't.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60448" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Specificially, check out the prices for Winchester beaver felt custom hats!

Regards! Michaelson

[MARQ]

Michaelson,thank you! That looked great.

[Michaelson]

If fedoralover vouches for them, that speaks VOLUMES to me!

Regards! M

[BendingOak]

..are they any good? I mean the fedora that we "had" to suggest a name for.It looked great to me and really would like to see some opinions and perhaps images about how they´ve held up.I wish Todd would get them back to the stock.The resent ones were not that awesome.I´d like to have a fedora but "the top of the lines" are so freaking expensive.It gets me mad.. (Me Thinks...Anybody gotta AB or Penman in 60cm to spare? ) And to those who own an Advintage Fed´s; opinions would be great as well...

Why does it get you so mad? I can only speak for myself but I work hard to have felt made special to replicate ( for example) the Raiders hat, Getting the screen used ribbon and have it truly made by hand. Not just stamped on a sweatband like so many do.


I don't get made if I can't afford a Rolex. There are other options and this place has all of them here for you to choose from.

[Cajunkraut]

Depends on what you want, but Garrison sells a custom Raiders for $200. Steve sells his for $300. Both custom, and within a budget, ie its doable.

+1.

My Todd's Downtowner briefly served its purpose, and has since been sold for an upgrade well worth just twice the price.

History tends to repeat itself at COW, and you're already aware of the wealth of experience here. Everyone's financial situation is different. That said, it pays to make every effort to "buy once, cry once."

I can almost guarantee that you'll end up saving yourself some cash in the long run.

[Dr. Jones, Jr.]

I would definitely check out the Steele-Jones website. They have hats from all 4 movies, great customer service and they will custom-bash your hat, too. When you first look, you'll probably think "What! $250 for a hat?!" but when you consider that it's custom-made, custom-bashed, and you think of all the frustration you will go through trying to get something that's not SA to look exactly right, or you buy something inferior in quality and end up with a hole in the crown less than a year after purchase like I did, it starts to seem worth it in a hurry. It will also save money when you consider buying a lesser quality hat year after year. For instance, you can spend $250 once, or you can spend $100-$150 three or four times and wind up spending $300-$600 anyway replacing hats... Just a thought. )

Incidentally, I looked up Garrison hatters and the crown on their hat is 5 inches instead of 5 1/2. Not very long, but it does make a considerable difference if you're a detail freak like I am (Dad gum it, why doesn't my center dent look as deep as his?!?!? . Hope this helps and good luck!

Dr. Jones, Jr.

[MARQ]

Thanks for the input fellowgearheads.I´ve been going through the vendors ever since I first visited COW.And there are extremely high-quality items "low-priced" and high-quality expensive ones...like said here it´s matter of preference.The ones I like are expensive, that I can´t currently afford, and that´s the part that makes me "mad" ;-) nothing personal.

[Cajunkraut]

Incidentally, I looked up Garrison hatters and the crown on their hat is 5 inches instead of 5 1/2. Not very long, but it does make a considerable difference if you're a detail freak like I am (Dad gum it, why doesn't my center dent look as deep as his?!?!? .

Dr. Jones, Jr.

I think the contemporary school of thought is that 5.5 inches is the open crown height, versus bashed? Any input from the fedora gurus?

[Texan Scott]

I like 5 1/4" myself. It seems as though if the crown is any higher than that, when you try to bash it to Raiders specs., ie around 4 1/2" then you get taper. The Christy's in a prime example. If you have a high unbashed crown, then just about the only solution is to bash it higher, then the proportions look 'off'.

[Ridgerunner58]

Generically 5 1/2" when uncreased and 4 1/2" when creased, from the brim break to the top of the front crease are the accepted numbers.

[Indiego Jones]

I would definitely check out the Steele-Jones website. They have hats from all 4 movies, great customer service and they will custom-bash your hat, too. When you first look, you'll probably think "What! $250 for a hat?!" but when you consider that it's custom-made, custom-bashed, and you think of all the frustration you will go through trying to get something that's not SA to look exactly right, or you buy something inferior in quality and end up with a hole in the crown less than a year after purchase like I did, it starts to seem worth it in a hurry. It will also save money when you consider buying a lesser quality hat year after year. For instance, you can spend $250 once, or you can spend $100-$150 three or four times and wind up spending $300-$600 anyway replacing hats... Just a thought. )

Incidentally, I looked up Garrison hatters and the crown on their hat is 5 inches instead of 5 1/2. Not very long, but it does make a considerable difference if you're a detail freak like I am (Dad gum it, why doesn't my center dent look as deep as his?!?!? . Hope this helps and good luck!

Dr. Jones, Jr.

Thank you for the referral.

Thanks for the input fellowgearheads.I´ve been going through the vendors ever since I first visited COW.And there are extremely high-quality items "low-priced" and high-quality expensive ones...like said here it´s matter of preference.The ones I like are expensive, that I can´t currently afford, and that´s the part that makes me "mad" ;-) nothing personal.

Send me an e-mail, we offer the possibility of paying in instalments.
pedidos@steele-jones.com.ar

Kindest regards.-

[Texan Scott]

What I have found is that if you dent a 5 1/2" crown, then dent is almost too low. From what I have seen and my experience, 5 1/4" is the sweet spot. I know what is 'accepted' etc., but 5 1/2" is not the only one that will work.

[BendingOak]

Open crown height alone means very little without block shape and transititon.

[Texan Scott]

Obviously John, those things are important too, but if you have to push the dent in far enough to get to 4 1/2" bashed, there can be taper and it won't look right. Pushing the dent too far down in back will also cause issues as well. When you wear a hat with a 5 1/2" or more crown, sometimes the top of your head pushes up on the dent...cue the conehead still in 3...2...1.....

[Ridgerunner58]

Sorry. I didn't intend to suggest there was a "right" and "wrong" measurement. interpreted the question as asking for the specific numbers of the original regardless of appearance.

Of course, the block shape, head shape and face shape of the wearer, the way the hat is creased overall, the extent of the turn, if any, the brim dimensions, all can have a drastic affect on the end result. A 4 1/2" front may look right on one hat on a given head, and not on another.

So I guess the non-detail freak answer as to why the center dent on person "A"'s hat doesn't look the same as an identical hat on Person "B"'s head is they are different hats on different heads.

[MARQ]

Steele-Jones,I completely forgot them Their offerings are excellent! Very SA,as far as I can tell.

[BendingOak]

Obviously John, those things are important too, but if you have to push the dent in far enough to get to 4 1/2" bashed, there can be taper and it won't look right. Pushing the dent too far down in back will also cause issues as well. When you wear a hat with a 5 1/2" or more crown, sometimes the top of your head pushes up on the dent...cue the conehead still in 3...2...1.....

yes you can push down too far but you can't make a statement like a 5 1/2 open crown is too big, too small. you have to have the other two. example. the fed 4 block at 5 1/2 open crown pushed down to under X in the from and X in the back using a center dent is too much. Cant say it as any block shape at 5 1/2.

[mojoturbo]

There is a lot of great information here and I value your input tremendously, but if Todd's is in the below range on SA - what would be a "step-up" from there? Yes, I have looked at the hat thread (one link is dead and some of the prices are off over the years) AND even knowing that Indiego Jones is a member here and he has a horse in this race...

Q: In your personal opinion what is a good $200 "range" hat?

Thank you in advance.

[Ridgerunner58]

There are plenty of choices in that range.

David Garrison still sells his standard rabbit felt Raiders hats for $200.00, which is a steal. I have a Cairo version which costs $225.00 and compares favorably with other custom made rabbit felt hats I own. Garrison Hatters can be found here: http://garrisonhatters.com/index.html

I have not dealt with Northwest hats, but others here have, and have given them very positive reviews. At $125.00 for rabbit felt and $175.00 for beaver felt they are almost too good to pass up, and appear to do a pretty solid version of the Raiders fedora. There's a whole thread discussing them here - http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60448.

I have also not dealt with Peters Brothers but there are quite a few people here who have. I have not read a single bad word about them. Their custom made raiders hat weighs in at $225.00 and can be found here: http://www.pbhats.com/private/INDY_CUSTOM/Default.htm

Akubra's Federation IV is also worth considering. It's a factory made rabbit felt hat, but the Deluxe version is very nice and will run you just over $155.00 U.S. It ships as an open crown hat so you can crease it to be whatever you like. You can find it here: http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products. ... turnpage=0 and there is a discussion on it here: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28726

I have probably missed some other good choices, but the foregoing should give you a decent starting point.

[mojoturbo]

whoa! Asked / Answered! THANK YOU! I like the Federation a lot, but for some reason the brim looks too small, but that could be just the way the hat was photographed. THANKS AGAIN

[Cajunkraut]

Q: In your personal opinion what is a good $200 "range" hat?

+1 on the Garrison rabbit. You won't be disappointed.

[Ridgerunner58]

I can tell you from long experience that the dimensions and height to width ratios of a hat are like the lapel proportions on a suit jacket or the width of a tie in terms of fractions of an inch totally changing the appearance. As little as 1/16" in either will totally change how the hat looks.
Likewise the same hat will look right on one person and too small, too large, too tall or too narrow on another based on their own physical proportions.

The good thing about dealing with a custom hatter is you can send a picture of yourself and they can customize the dimensions to suit your own appearance.

[mojoturbo]

So helpful! Thank you so much!

Yea, I am going to be a "short" Indy. So I am a little worried the hat is going to look like a stove-pipe. I am only 5'5 compared to Harrison's 6'1

[Ridgerunner58]

That's another thing.

For most of the modern western world, baseball cap wearing public, a 1930s style fedora looks enormously tall and cartoonish when they first try one on. Being human - we are self conscious about how we look. That discomfort may exaggerate what you are seeing.

I would encourage you to avoid the temptation to reduce the crown height thinking it will compensate for your own lack of "vertical proportion." I'm 5' 8" tall and typically wear a hat that is 5 1/2" open crown and goes 4 5/8" - 4 3/4" from the brim break to the top of the front crease. Anything shorter just looks too short.

But - when I first started wearing that height, I thought it looked way too tall.

So even if initially it looks funny - give it time and let it grow on you.

[mojoturbo]

I'll stand on my tip toes....