Club Obi Wan

I've not added a photo here for ages, so here's one.

Penman CS in Black Cherry, posted this hat before, but it is a real favorite.

shade88 wrote:Had a great conversation with John about my Penman Raiders that I sent for refurbishment. Out of the whole conversation, I think we only talked about my hat for a few minutes. We talked about everything from the light-weight rabbit felt, to awesome TV shows like Lost, our disappointment in the cancellation on Almost Human and Intelligence, and dabbled into a conversation about KOTCS, Star Wars VII, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Also got to hear of some hats that John got to work on for some important people (some mentioned on here, some not).

All in all, an awesome conversation.

hey, that was you. I find it funny when I talk with a member and talk with a customer on the phone. Then it turns out to be the same person. I've been in the hat cave too long.

Great chatting with you.

BendingOak wrote:

shade88 wrote:Had a great conversation with John about my Penman Raiders that I sent for refurbishment. Out of the whole conversation, I think we only talked about my hat for a few minutes. We talked about everything from the light-weight rabbit felt, to awesome TV shows like Lost, our disappointment in the cancellation on Almost Human and Intelligence, and dabbled into a conversation about KOTCS, Star Wars VII, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Also got to hear of some hats that John got to work on for some important people (some mentioned on here, some not).

All in all, an awesome conversation.

hey, that was you. I find it funny when I talk with a member and talk with a customer on the phone. Then it turns out to be the same person. I've been in the hat cave too long.

Great chatting with you.

Great talking with you as well John. My dad was impressed about some of your recent hat projects, and for whom they belong.

John's a real hat/fedora enthusiast on top of being a professional hat maker, you will always get great customer service and he is on the level with you. Enjoy !!!

micsteam wrote:John's a real hat/fedora enthusiast on top of being a professional hat maker, you will always get great customer service and he is on the level with you. Enjoy !!!

Agreed! I got a call from John last Friday on my commute home which was to inform me of an outgoing shipment! He gave me some great insight into his day and how he works through the list of orders. It certainly helped me see how well he has his process worked out and also how much he truly enjoys what he does. I wish I were closer to his shop to meet in person, but I can definitely say that he's a top-notch enthusiast and a very professional hat maker. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing his work first-hand and will be posting pics as soon as possible.

APL wrote:

micsteam wrote:John's a real hat/fedora enthusiast on top of being a professional hat maker, you will always get great customer service and he is on the level with you. Enjoy !!!

Agreed! I got a call from John last Friday on my commute home which was to inform me of an outgoing shipment! He gave me some great insight into his day and how he works through the list of orders. It certainly helped me see how well he has his process worked out and also how much he truly enjoys what he does. I wish I were closer to his shop to meet in person, but I can definitely say that he's a top-notch enthusiast and a very professional hat maker. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing his work first-hand and will be posting pics as soon as possible.

Thank you, it was good chatting with you. If ever in my neck of the woods please stop by.

My 2nd Penman!! It's a beauty. The fact I can get the nice "Raiders Swoop" even with my round oval skull, proves the master craftsmanship of Master John Penman. Thank you very much, John!! Now I have to send you my favorite beat-up (but well loved and worn) 5-year-old Penman back to you for a reblock.

That looks awesome!

Today, I received my shipment and it is amazing! Of course, John had a better looking picture on his Istagram feed two Friday's back, but I snapped a quick one and hope to get more this week. Before I get to that, though, just a couple of notes: the sweat and liner are nicer than on any hat I own. The fit is the most comfortable of any hats I have, and that never happens for me, even with the same exact measurements. The color ribbon and felt are exactly what I was hoping for, and the felt feels wonderfully soft and smooth. And John has mastered the boxy look of Indy's crown in Raiders/LC/CS hats.

Here's my quick-pic that again, doesn't look as good as John's pics, but I'll try to get better ones throughout the week:

Nice.

Sweet lookin lid my friend, wear it in good health.
Me I'm anxiously awaiting January for my Legacy, countin the days.

Croft

david_h wrote:I've not added a photo here for ages, so here's one.

Penman CS in Black Cherry, posted this hat before, but it is a real favorite.

Whew! That black cherry is dynamite to look at! That is a sharp hat you have there sir!

It's not on my head, but then when it is I haven't had much time to snap a pic. And with the lighting in my office, the color is slightly lighter than in person, but it still looks amazing.

Nicer picture than the others, no offense, selfies just don't do Penman's justice, but Surely (I know don't call me Shirley ) can sanp a sht at ya.
Nice lookin lid my friend.

Croft

Indiana Croft wrote:Nicer picture than the others, no offense, selfies just don't do Penman's justice, but Surely (I know don't call me Shirley ) can sanp a sht at ya.
Nice lookin lid my friend.

Croft

Agreed, with the exception of David's (he has a way of capturing the hat's best qualities very well). Of course, I'm always of the opinion that a hat looks better on the head, but that's not always easy to capture in a picture. What I need is a professional taking the pic with the hat on.

Gorgeous hat APL!!!
John is truly an artist I have the privileged of owning a CS fedora from him myself, still have to post pics of it though will do that soon!
I could not imagine myself anymore buying a lid from someone else than John!

Best regards

JM

Looky what I got this weekend I'll elaborate at a later time (And the white thing on the ribbon is some sort of glare)

me like it!!!!

Nice! Now I'm gonna guess that that is a streets of Cairo style without the dirt right?

baddates1 wrote:Nice! Now I'm gonna guess that that is a streets of Cairo style without the dirt right?

I don't think so! This just may be the new rabbit felt Legacy that John has come out with! Look at the incredible floppiness look to this one! I could very well be wrong, but either way -- this is one beautiful hat! W>

The hat looks great! Now I really want one of those...

WConly wrote:

baddates1 wrote:Nice! Now I'm gonna guess that that is a streets of Cairo style without the dirt right?

I don't think so! This just may be the new rabbit felt Legacy that John has come out with! Look at the incredible floppiness look to this one! I could very well be wrong, but either way -- this is one beautiful hat! W>

Doubt it. Could be wrong, but I remember John saying he did not want anyone to ask to change orders to the AB legacy hat back in that thread and the wait time was well into the new year for a new order right about the time these LB hats went up live on his site.

Jeremiah wrote:

WConly wrote:

baddates1 wrote:Nice! Now I'm gonna guess that that is a streets of Cairo style without the dirt right?

I don't think so! This just may be the new rabbit felt Legacy that John has come out with! Look at the incredible floppiness look to this one! I could very well be wrong, but either way -- this is one beautiful hat! W>

Doubt it. Could be wrong, but I remember John saying he did not want anyone to ask to change orders to the AB legacy hat back in that thread and the wait time was well into the new year for a new order right about the time these LB hats went up live on his site.

The first order posted on this site was placed August 18. With a 4-5 month wait it's unlikely we will see one before the end of the year.

It looks to be about the thickness of the one Penman I have in rabbit felt.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone! It is, without a doubt, the best hat I've ever had! It feels like it came straight out of the movie!!

Beaver?

I just received my Raiders beaver felt from John! I'll post pics soon! Amazing! John this Fedora is the best I've ever seen! My compliments on your craftsmanship!

Jeremiah wrote:Beaver?

Nope... Rabbit

That is in fact the first Legacy Raiders hat. I had to jump ahead a little on the list for a couple of reasons. 1, lack of payment and for strange reason a lot of people have the same size head so I have a back log on that one block.


Bruce, I just blocked yours.

BendingOak wrote:That is in fact the first Legacy Raiders hat. I had to jump ahead a little on the list for a couple of reasons. 1, lack of payment and for strange reason a lot of people have the same size head so I have a back log on that one block.


Bruce, I just blocked yours.

Well, now that I have the ok, I'll elaborate. Yes, this is the Legacy hat. It's floppiness is ridiculous (in a good way)!!! It moves just like the hat you see in the truck chase scene. Truly a work of art! John has, once again, gone above and beyond. He even blocked my hat while I was on the phone with him. His customer service is what makes me a repeat customer... of course the hats don't hurt

Thanks so much, John!

Here it is after some light weathering...







This is what comes with the hat:

Hat box with AB logo/map



COA from John and Steve



Hat brush and AB lapel pin

Bruce, I just blocked yours.

Kinda say's it all.
John you really no how to make a bad day a ray of sunshine.

Thank you for the good news.

Croft
Oh and

BendingOak wrote:That is in fact the first Legacy Raiders hat. I had to jump ahead a little on the list for a couple of reasons. 1, lack of payment and for strange reason a lot of people have the same size head so I have a back log on that one block.


Bruce, I just blocked yours.

To quote Professor Henry Jones, Sr. (in LC): "I knew it! I knew it!" And, it is all due to your video on the hat, John. I could tell by the drape/floppy-factor that this was the Legacy Raiders! , ! One incredibly beautiful piece of work! W>

Well, while I loved the shots of this hat in 'it's' pristine condition, I must admit -- you did a great job of giving it some wear-look! Great hat! Looks superb on you too! W>

Congrats. i was wrong about that one.

Looks good.

I noticed the last time I was on(sometime last month) the website, that the SoC penman hat wasn't listed. I'm guessing this has to do with the latest offering of the Raiders hat?

baddates1 wrote:I noticed the last time I was on(sometime last month) the website, that the SoC penman hat wasn't listed. I'm guessing this has to do with the latest offering of the Raiders hat?

Probably a combination of that, the fact the Cairo was a pretty labor intensive specialty item, and John just really never enjoyed the idea of taking a brand new custom made hat and beating the living daylights out of it and turning it into a wreck before sending it out.

It does make the existing ones a bit more special though.

knibs7 wrote:
COA from John and Steve

What does the COA say? You can't read it in this small photo.

Regard! Michaelson

Ridgerunner58 wrote:

baddates1 wrote:I noticed the last time I was on(sometime last month) the website, that the SoC penman hat wasn't listed. I'm guessing this has to do with the latest offering of the Raiders hat?

Probably a combination of that, the fact the Cairo was a pretty labor intensive specialty item, and John just really never enjoyed the idea of taking a brand new custom made hat and beating the living daylights out of it and turning it into a wreck before sending it out.

It does make the existing ones a bit more special though.

I think with the legacy line it does a couple things for me. I never liked replicating all the poor craftmenship that went into the HJ Raiders hat. The poor stitching of the ribbon, the soft brim break, etc, etc. now all my Penman hats ( including my Indy line of hats) can be put together clean and the neat and the way a hat should be. With the legacy I will replicated as close as possible all the details flaws and all. I dropped the Cairo out of the Penman line of Indy hats. If one wanted a Cairo hat from me know, I would suggest buying the Legacy hat and just add the fullers earth. I will be adding a video on how to do that because I think I have one more Cairo on order still left.

Cool! Will look forward to that video! Thanks for clearing this up.

Awesome

I would imagine as a hat maker it would be difficult to intentionally distress one's own work, especially if you are a perfectionist like I understand John to be.

Here are some more shots for you of the Raiders from the ABL collection….

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... uploaded=6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BendingOak wrote:Here are some more shots for you of the Raiders from the ABL collection….

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... uploaded=6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks great John!

Now that's what I was talking about earlier, John that hat looks awesome.
And knibs7, nice job giving it that worn Ciro look. Not sure if I'll be doing the same, but this will be my go to hat, unless were in for huge down pour. Ill always be nervous with my other rabbit in the rain. Plus it already has the fullers earth treatment and I don't want it getting wet.
But digress, knibs7, the hat looks awesome, wear it in good health.

Croft

It is a beautiful hat. However, for newbies like me, what is the difference between this hat and a regular Penman? I mean, they are done by the same person.
Any clarifications will be appreciated

knibs7 wrote:Here it is after some light weathering...

I'm curious what size your hat is and what the brim dimensions are.

I'm sure it's the nature of mirror/selfie distortion, but the brim looks like it's 4" your left-hand side.



Regards,

Indiana Jeff

trancoss wrote:It is a beautiful hat. However, for newbies like me, what is the difference between this hat and a regular Penman? I mean, they are done by the same person.
Any clarifications will be appreciated

in simple terms..its a different felt.

Different block, different felt different, sweatband and ribbon. It's sewn like the HJ hat . If you go to my site http://www.penmanhats.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; you can read more about it.

Indiana Jeff wrote:

knibs7 wrote:Here it is after some light weathering...

I'm curious what size your hat is and what the brim dimensions are.

I'm sure it's the nature of mirror/selfie distortion, but the brim looks like it's 4" your left-hand side.



Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Nada? Nothing? Zip? Zilch?


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Michaelson wrote:

knibs7 wrote:
COA from John and Steve

What does the COA say? You can't read it in this small photo.

Regard! Michaelson

Same here.

Michaelson