Club Obi Wan

I don't yet have any of John's rabbit hats, yet, but keep in mind that while his felt isn't considered "featherweight" it is the thinnest felt I have seen on a beaver hat. I'm sure his rabbit breathes a lot better. But that beaver raiders hat I have is thinner than any modern rabbit I have owned and also thinner than most vintage rabbit hats I own. It is pretty light weight stuff, beaver is just dense and tightly felted together, giving the feel of a heavier weight felt.

Dave

Dave,

The Rabbit Raiders John made for himself will be my 1st one as well. Really looking forward to seeing if there is a big difference between the two felts, especially in Fl this time of year.

Matt

..post some pics and a comparison read.

Both the CS Beaver reblock and the Raiders Rabbit arrived today. Much quicker than I thought from clear across the country. Anyway, I will post some pics by Friday and review. Here is a quick preview: John nailed the new CS block! If you have one on order, you are going to be very pleased .

Matt

It is . . .

ABSOLUTELY

More to come, of course.

Daren "Jack" Henry

Daren, you tease! Show us pictures NOW, lest I use the ;0 ...I guess I already did...

Dave

I would, but I went home from work at lunch today just to wait for the postman to bring it, which he DID!

I snapped some pics right away, but had to run back to work before I could upload them.

Bottom line, I just want to say that I'm taking the hat camping this weekend, I will take TONS of fun pictures, and when I come back I will add them to the BEST review of an Indy hat (or actually any hat!) I've made, and probably ever will make, unless its another Penman.

John, you did it. Absolutely, positively, you did it. I can't thank you enough, though I'm gonna try when I write my proper review with pics.

Like I said, more to come . . .

Daren "Jack" Henry

I half expected a phone call.

Definitely looking forward to this write-up from you, Daren...

And I'm already going like THIS for some shots of that new Penman on your noggin.

BendingOak wrote:I half expected a phone call.

I always call...

Dave

Feeling lonely, John? Don't we bug you enough?

I'm certainly not bugging him enough. He told me earlier this week that I was no longer his most irritating customer...I actually cried...I always thought I was number one...

Dave

David, LISTEN TO ME!
*SMACK*SMACK*
(smacks Dave in the face a few times to get him to snap out of this nonsense talk)

You CAN take this title BACK, Dave...
Do you HEAR me?

With the right amount of training & coaching... a few more hat orders and a long laundry list of concerns and customizations you CAN be John's Most Irritating Customer AGAIN!

Keep reaching for that Brass Ring, my friend.


Eye of the Tiger


Eye of the Tiger


Eye of the Tiger

You crack me up, Fox. You are one funny Canadian!

Well, for my next Penman I will be deciding all the specs. Never again will I leave every detail of the hat up to John...he keeps threatening to make me a pink hat with purple ribbon. I think he's bluffing, but who knows; the guy is out of his mind! And with me back in the helm, rest assured John, I will take that guy, whoever the irritating fella is, down! Take him down to China Town!

Dave

DR Ulloa wrote:

You crack me up, Fox. You are one funny Canadian!

Well, for my next Penman I will be deciding all the specs. Never again will I leave every detail of the hat up to John...he keeps threatening to make me a pink hat with purple ribbon. I think he's bluffing, but who knows; the guy is out of his mind! And with me back in the helm, rest assured John, I will take that guy, whoever the irritating fella is, down! Take him down to China Town!

Dave

You guys crack me up. Just so we are clear, I don't have any pain in the neck customers. I like Every last one of you crazy Son of guns.

Pain in the neck, no. Pain in the backside, well, that's a different story altogether!

Aw shucks, John. C'mon. Your gonna make me .

And now everyone knows that your really a sentimentalist at heart. That tough New Yorker act is just that...an act! What, are you from the Village?

Dave

It's a dang good thing you've built up a - shall we call it a "healthy tolerance" for crazy customers(?) too, John...
'Cuz we're obviously not in short supply aroung HERE!


And thanks for having a profound appreciation for folks with our very specific dysfunction, ya ol' softy...

('specially DAVE!)

Well, I did call, and though I wasn't able to talk for very long, I was able to tell John personally that he absolutely made my dream come true. This is my DEFINITIVE Raiders hat. He accomplished everything I asked, and then some.

Like I said, I will do a proper write up and review when the pics are all ready to go, etc.

But just so everyone knows, while I pestered John a lot, he wanted me to say that he did not "go out of his way" for me. He made my hat just as beautiful and well-crafted as he makes all of his hats. Everyone gets the same customer service and attention to detail.

John Penman has absolutely made the Raiders hat I've been looking since I was seven years old.

"This thing represents everything I got into Indygear/Club Obi Wan for in the first place! Nothing else comes close!"

Daren "Jack" Henry

DarenHenryW wrote:Well, I did call, and though I wasn't able to talk for very long, I was able to tell John personally that he absolutely made my dream come true.

I knew it! John's got a stalker!

binkmeisterRick wrote:

DarenHenryW wrote:Well, I did call, and though I wasn't able to talk for very long, I was able to tell John personally that he absolutely made my dream come true.

I knew it! John's got a stalker!

The sad thing is its true but its not anyone from here.

DR Ulloa wrote:

You crack me up, Fox. You are one funny Canadian!

Well, for my next Penman I will be deciding all the specs. Never again will I leave every detail of the hat up to John...he keeps threatening to make me a pink hat with purple ribbon. I think he's bluffing, but who knows; the guy is out of his mind! And with me back in the helm, rest assured John, I will take that guy, whoever the irritating fella is, down! Take him down to China Town!

Dave

I bet John would make that pink hat with purple ribbon look good too. Maybe it would come with a free bowl of soup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzPsdkTCufs

BendingOak wrote:

binkmeisterRick wrote:

DarenHenryW wrote:Well, I did call, and though I wasn't able to talk for very long, I was able to tell John personally that he absolutely made my dream come true.

I knew it! John's got a stalker!

The sad thing is its true but its not anyone from here.

I would've thought Dave or Fox.



Just kidding you two

...you know, five years ago, I'd have gone after it myself.

Texan Scott wrote:...you know, five years ago, I'd have gone after it myself.

THANK YOU!

Jack Henry

Daren,

Must.......see.....that.......hat..!

Telling us that you've got the hat.....and then telling us we'll have to wait for the photos.......Now you're just getting nasty!

Is this one a Penman rabbit, like the one on Fox's head?

Ian

Okay, guys.

Check out my link:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47059

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs610.snc ... 3416_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs640.snc ... 2753_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak- ... 9515_n.jpg

I want to take more pictures, etc, but this will have to do for now!

Enjoy!

And thank you again, John!

When August rolls around, Old Rasputin is on me!

Daren "Jack" Henry

Ok, sorry for the delay. I had the great fortune of not only getting my CS Beaver reblocked by John on his new block, but also picking up a Rabbit Raiders that he made for himself as well. Sorry John .

First the CS reblock:
Words can't describe tha way this hat looks and feels. John made the hat Fall 08 and I wanted to see if I could get the pounce like some of his newer creations. Well, that order was placed Nov 09. Between his ever increasing wait times and broken blocks it has been a long 6 month wait. But, well worth it. John has recreated the CS block in every way. I only know this because I recently received a AB CS. Except for the liner, you would never tell the difference. I can think of no better compliment than that. Here are some pics to show the similarities. So, which one is the Penman and which one is the AB?




The Rabbit Raiders:
This hat was more of a impulse purchase. Thanks again John . I almost bought a 2nd hand Penman Beaver, but there were potential size issues. John mentioned that he made a Rabbit Raiders on the new block for himself and that he would let me have it for a great deal. I took him up on it because I never have owned a pure rabbit hat. The good thing is that John got the Raiders block spot on. It is the best I've seen and I'm sure Daren can attest to that. The bad thing is that there is a HUGE diiference between beaver and rabbit. There is a reason HF said "nice #### hat!" when he held Steve's creation. There is nothing like the look/feel of a beaver felt. But, the rabbit does make a better Raiders fedora hands down. I will post pics of the Rabbit Raiders this weekend. Thanks again John, you once again exceeded my expectations. If you are on the fence when it comes to getting a Penman CS, don't be. IMO, this is the best CS Hero for the money.

Matt

Sorry about not getting the pics out sooner. Had the typical early evening storm here in Fl and was unable to get outside last nite.

Beaver CS reblock on John's new block:




Rabbit Raiders on John's new block:





Thanks again John . You are the Man!
Matt

Great pics Matt, love the hat. You may be asked to resize the pics as they're coming out quite large.

BTW did you get those white rocking chairs from Cracker Barrel? My wife loves them but we have don't have a porch yet.

Nice hats, Matt!

Thanks for the comments. We got the chairs ar Walmart. The only place to shop!

Matt

Great hats!!! And you can really see the difference in the felts in those pictures. Is the rabbit felt on John's hats a bit thicker than his beaver hats? The pounce looks almost identical, but the felt looks thicker on the Rabbit, and i can't tell if its an optical illusion.

And I really can't say which is the AB or the Penman from your earlier pics. But it sure does prove your point about the quality of John's hats.

Wear'em in good health.

JC1972 wrote:Great pics Matt, love the hat. You may be asked to resize the pics as they're coming out quite large.

Exact-a-mongo! So consider this your official asking to please resize your great pics.

You know I'd have to look a little closer when it comes to the difference in thickness of the felt. I will say it is definitely the rabbit is not as smooth. And when you play with the bash it some of the fibers tend to come off the hat. Maybe John will look in on this post and chime in. I know he and Steve both use the same source for their felts. Maybe its just what rabbit does.

Matt

Thanks for resizing your pics!

mcmanm wrote:You know I'd have to look a little closer when it comes to the difference in thickness of the felt. I will say it is definitely the rabbit is not as smooth. And when you play with the bash it some of the fibers tend to come off the hat. Maybe John will look in on this post and chime in. I know he and Steve both use the same source for their felts. Maybe its just what rabbit does.

Matt

rabbit is not as smooth as beaver no matter what you do. It sounds to me you need to give the hat a good brushing. There is no way that hat is loosing fibers. Remember that was a test hat meant for myself. I did wear it ounce to see how it handled the oregon rain. It did very well.

Very nice hats, Matt. I really like the CS and that Raiders in rabbit is phenomenal!

Matt, those hats are fantastic! That CS hat is simply gorgeous. I'm taking a stab at it. I'd say the one on the left is the Penman and the one on the right is the AB. How'd I do?

Dave

Dave,

As always, you are correct! Man, I don't know how you do it. I think you are batting a 1000 on these different threads.

Matt

Well, the CS block has become my favorite block. I noticed a little difference between the two. The other tip off was the bow. John's and Steve's bows are similar but each is unique. Once that hat is being worn, though, Matt, I couldn't tell the difference between it and the AB CS block. Utterly amazing. Oh, the other tip off was the crease. The side crease was the same on your AB as it was in both of mine when I received them from Steve. Seriously, your Penman AB may have me ordering one from him, in a different color though. No more need for a brown hat in my wardrobe. Three is plenty. Maybe pecan or natural or something like that.

Dave

Dave,

When I got the CS back I didn't even recognize it. The pounce is so much better and it now has that pliable feel that we talked about. The CS is my favorite block as well and I highly recommend John's version.

This is my Penman Beaver LC that I received a few months back, [sorry John it took so long to post] . I don’t think I can add any more about how great Johns hats are that has not already been said, his craftsmanship is second to none. Thank you John this is a great hat.

Steve

Looks great Georgia Steve! May I ask what are the dimensions of that hat? The crown looks a bit higher than on my Penman LC.

Very nice LC hat! Great job John as always