Club Obi Wan

OK, basically I've got $150 to spend on a quality "Indy lid" - my choices are between the Keppler and the new "most wanted" Adventurebilt in the rabbit/nutria blend. If any of you have seen and been able to compare, which would you go with?

Well you might want to consider lead times and popularity, both of which point positively in the direction of the Adventurebilt. The Keppler has been known to take up to a year to ship. Jeeze... But I also think it's good to wait for some reviews here... so lets see what happens. But I have handled an Adventurebilt, and I have to say they are VERY nice.

In Christ,
Shane

My suggestion is, while you are waiting, save up 75 more bucks and get an Adventurebilt 100% beaver. You are so close on the price, it won't hurt to wait just a bit more for the best hat you can buy.

It will actually save you money in the long run. Once you have an Adventurebilt, why would you want to buy anything else?

I have both hats and hands down the Adventurebilt is the better hat. One is custom made the other is a factory hat hand blocked. I'll take the custom over factory.

It took well over a year for my Keppler to arrive, but Lee came through in the end. It's a good looking hat for sure. I'm not totally convinced on the colour. I think it tends towards reddish tones a little more than I believe Indy's hat was. Lee's bash is spot on and he's cut the brim in a very Raiders-esque style. It does have taper on the rear side of the hat. It came like that out of the box. Other than that, I'm very happy with the Keppler Fedora, but I've ordered an Adventurebilt... there's almost no comparison really. If you want a hat with character, I'd say go with the AB.

I have had my Keppler for some time now, and just got an Adventurebilt a couple of weeks ago. I would also have to vote for the AB, hands down. The quality of the felt, sweatband, liner are way ahead of the Keppler and it's hand made.

The AB 100% beaver felt is very soft and pliable, while the Keppler is quite stiff. So while the Keppler holds it's shape very well, it feels more like wearing a helmet while the AB feels like a real vintage hat that kind of conforms to your head. It's by far the most comfortable, best looking hat in my collection.

Incidently, now that I have an Adventurebilt my Keppler may show up in the classifieds sometime in the near future...

I have the AB 100% beaver and I love this hat. But I thought I heard that someone got the nutria blend and was very happy with it. Honestly, I'm thinking that my next hat will eventually be a grey AB nutria (the middle choice) since I remember Fedora saying that this was also a very nice felt. Either way, you really can't go wrong with the Adventurebilt. If you save the extra pennies for the beaver, you will not regret it. Still, if you go for the nutria, I doubt you'll regret that one, either.

In my opinion, Fedora's customer service and product are top notch and among the best around these days. He'll make your hat to your liking and make it right if you are not satisfied. Heck, (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) I think he's the only one offering a money back guarantee if you aren't happy with the hat! My vote is for the Adventurebilt.

bink

If you wanted ot Bash your own, get an Akurba Deluxe... But, you didn't mention that so I'll move along to the question at hand.

I know Fedora from PM's, E-Mails and an occasional phone call, and two things are absolutly true:

First: Our buddy Steve is a perfectionist and to him @#$% is unacceptible. In all the time that Steve’s been working on reblocking hats for us, there was only one guy who complained about the work he’s done. Every other person has given him rave reviews for his work. What does that tell you? I don’t think folks are being polite, either… because if someone doesn’t do something right, we tell each other.

Second: He’s a fellow fan who’s learned more about making fedora’s in the past two years then another’s learned in a life time. Some of you know who I’m talking about… while someone here once promoted himself as the real deal and talked endlessly about what he could do, one of our own went out and did it… less talk, more hat.

That’s not bashing or ###’n with faint praise… Steve’s a doer. He’s accompished a lot in a short amount of time.You want a guy who’s one of us, knows what people like us want in a fedora to make one for you. Steve’s that guy.

I have one of the first Akubra Deluxe’s Steve first blocked. For one of his first efforts it’s pretty darn’ good. I understand that he’s even improved since then.

If you want an awethentic Indiana Jones-ish fedora, Go to Steve. If you want a Richard Blane/Sam Spade/Philip Marlowe fedora, Art Fawcett’s your guy.

Want to bash your own? Rick at Hats Direct is the man.

I have nothing agianst Lee Keppler. He’s a good guy and has contributed a lot. He’s alright in my book.

The smart money appears to be riding on the Adventurebilt and with some bizarro delays from Keppler, if I was in the market, I'd be ordering the former.

Having said that, I love my Akubra - and I especially love that I got to do the bash myself.

And please, re: the Keppler comment I just made - let's not have to debate this again - the delays of up to a year are well-documented (they are even mentioned in this very thread), and no correspondance need be entered into regarding them.

Rob wrote:And please, re: the Keppler comment I just made - let's not have to debate this again - the delays of up to a year are well-documented (they are even mentioned in this very thread), and no correspondance need be entered into regarding them.

Very good point, Rob. Apart from the delay issue, I understand the Kepplers to be a nice fedora option. Heck, the Akubra is even a pretty good hat. I wore my Federation more than most of my other fedoras until I got my Adventurebilt. I have nothing against the Akubra and it's an excellent hat for the money, especially for the new Indy gear fan looking for a good hat for under or around 100 bucks. But ever since the Adventurebilts started shipping, it's thrown a whole new range of possibilities into the ring. I'd love to see the Adventurebilt rabbit felt fedora and compare it to my now lonley Akubra. And as a side note, if you like to bash your own hat, Fedora will even send you an Adventurebilt open crowned.

bink

binkmeisterRick wrote:And as a side note, if you like to bash your own hat, Fedora will even send you an Adventurebilt open crowned.

Ah, interesting! Having said that, my bashing technique tends to produce a decent LC look, but if/when I go Adventurebilt, I'll get it pre-bashed with a really tight Raiders pinch for variety.