Club Obi Wan

As a new member to this site(and the "IJ fedora culture), I wonder why the Lee Kepler fedora made by Beaver Brand Hats is never mentioned in this forum.

I sent an email to him asking the dimensions but got no reply. Is he still selling these fedoras?

I know the Adventure Bilt has the nod in most postings but would like to do more comparisons since I tink the authentic Raider fedora will look like a stovepipe on me. I am slender and don't have the chiseled look like Harrison Ford.

jimbo

Welcome to COW, Jeboat!

This is a potential powderkeg of a topic, so all I can say is that you should let other members chime in on their experiences/preferences, or do a search and look at pictures of COW members' hats for research. Have fun!

Well, not owning a Lee Keppler, I cannot comment on his work, though there are clearly those who love their Kepplers and I am sure they will add their comments. However, if you have certain concerns about an Adventurebilt Hat, I suggest you talk to Fedora about them.

Your comment about the stovepipe hat being wrong for you is ironic to many of us because that is precisely the look we are all trying to achieve. If you're looking for a different look, Fedora can provide that as well. I know he has a perfect Last Crusade block so you could achieve something like the Pier of Venice scene in the Last Crusade.

Personally, I love Fedora's work; the quality of his hats is the best I have ever seen; and his customer service is personal and extraordinary.

I highly recommend that you speak with Fedora. His telephone number is on his website or email him. He'll be happy to speak with you.

Welcome aboard, jeboat! The best advice I can give you is to dig around in the forum archives or do a search for Lee Keppler and do some reading. Most of the folks I know who own a Keppler hat have been very happy with them. There are also plenty who love their Optimos, Peters Brothers, Akubras, and the like.


One of the reasons the Adventurebilt hats have gotten so much press lately is because of the man behind the hats. Steve Delk has been known for his work reblocking Indy hats for a good while. Then, seemingly out of the blue, he recently decided to open shop and produce his own hats. This excited many of us because Steve (aka Fedora) is arguably the biggest Indy fedora fan around. His love for the Indy films as a huge fan helped fuel his search for the truest Indy fedora out there. He has handled, owned, and reblocked about every make of Indy hat to date and studied the films frame by frame in order to observe, capture, and replicate the perfect Raiders fedora. Many will tell you he's got the touch.

What's more, Steve is one of the most knowledgeable folks I know who knows about the fedora and keeps learning everything he can about them. He knows vintage felt and all about how hats used to be made in the day. His aim is to produce handmade, custom fedoras like they used to in the 1930s. I think the only way to get any closer is to take a time machine and go back yourself! As a collector of vintage fedoras as well as an owner of an Adventurebilt, I can say that Steve has truly hit the mark.

The AB is getting all the good press you see because of the people who have purchased his hats. He has a 99.9% satisfaction rate (I can only think of one real customer who did not like the hat) and he is willing to bend over backwards to get you a hat to your specifications. If you're not happy with it, he'll do everything he can to make you happy, or refund your money. I don't know many folks who offer that kind of service. And to top it off, the price you pay for a 100% beaver fedora from him is pennies compared to the competition.

Yet, I understand Lee shaped good hats. However, if you do some digging around, you will find that Lee has a reputation for being very friendly, but equally a reputation for being difficult to get a hold of. There have been some who have waited up to a year or longer to receive product from him, while others have gotten their gear in quite the timely manner. I am not criticizing the man or his work, I'm just giving you a basic known chunk of knowledge.

JerseyJones has also thrown his hat into the ring (pardon the pun) by offering an unbashed (unshaped) beaver blend fedora called the 1936 Fieldmaster (if I'm remembering the title correctly). If you like to shape your fedora yourself, this is also a newly viable option. I have only seen pictures of the prototypes, but they look pretty good from what I've seen.

However, if you are really after the most authentic Raiders/Indy fedora out there, my money is on the Adventurebilt. Steve really knows how to shape those puppies. Heck, there's even a thread suggesting Lucas and Spielberg should come to HIM for hats for Indy IV!

In the long run, though, it comes down to what hat suits YOU the best and what hat will make YOU happy. Do the homework, see what you like, and go from there. There's plenty to read in these threads, so enjoy!

Cheers!

bink

Jeboat, welcome to Club Obi Wan.

The only fedora that I own is an Akubra, so I have no experience of owning a Keppler. From what I have seen, they look like pretty good hats, but you may want to 'dig around' in other threads to read opinions of others.

Newbie... FRESH MEAT!....

I mean: Welcome to the Madness... you came for the gear - You'll stay for the people.

I gotta point you in Steve's direction because he made me a "Genaric" 1930's fedora... authentic to his standards and what he knows of how fedora's were made in that period.

Some people have had issues with Lee's delevery time... but most of those folks say that his products are worth the long wait... I have one of his gunbelts and I love it.

Steve has incredible turn-around time and isn't happy until you are. I can't say enough about his reblocking of fedora's and the new ones he makes.

Welcome jeboat,
don't fear the stovepipe! The height of the crown really gives a fedora its great look(imho). Sometimes size matters.
I have an Akubra and it is a good hat. It is sent with and open crown and the felt is stiff. The hat is really easy to bash and the felt relaxes with use.
Have fun picking a hat, I am sure it will not be your last.

I have owned a Keppler in the past. When I first got it, I was elated because it looked very good by itself, and very good on me. However, I am not, how one might say, a casual fedora wearer. I wear my hats every day, almost everywhere I go. Rarely do I NOT wear it. It was this practice, plus the fact that my Keppler got rained on twice that caused it to taper up ridiculously fast.

I don't attribute this to shoddy workmanship, however. Michaelson was nice to point out aht sometimes hatters are stuck with a bad batch of felt, and that felt can taper badly quick. My Keppler ended up looking like a dunce cap in under 2 months. Honest to goodness, if you're going to buy a hat, my recommendation is to buy an Adventurebilt. he pure rabbit felt is affordable (isn't it close to what a normal Keppler costs?). Also, you'll get your hat much quicker. I've heard that the gents around here have had some trouble getting into contact with Lee, and when they do, they did not recieve their hats for a long period of time (one person waited almost a year!).

This is all just my OPINION, of course, and I'm sure that someone else will chime in and add to this, or point out other things to me that I was not aware of.

So welcome aboard.

Regards,

Check this review. Middle column about half-way down is the Keppler review.

I liked the hat at first, but found that it tapered and shrunk very easily. Lee's other items cannot be beat though. I agree - for the price get an Adventurebilt. The wait time is shorter and the felt quality is higher.

If I remember correctly, Lee is having health-related issues.

My Keppler took over a year to arrive. When it finally did, I was underwhelmed. I put it on once then put it back in the box where it's sat to this day. I honestly can't say I was very impressed.
I don't think the colour of the Keppler is correct- it feels as if it's too orange. It's also quite inflexible and feels like a preformed mold hat, like a helmet or something. Lee's other gear as Rick says, is good stuff though.

I have an Adventurebilt that is perfect- I couldn't be happier with it.
Go the Adventurebilt.

rick5150 I just read your reviews I think there just great thanks. jeboat welcome and I also say go for the adventurebilt, I just got mine a couple of weeks ago and I'm very happy with it. I've owned five different fedora's and this by far is the best one.

Well, I have owned an Akubra Fed and Fed Deluxe, and I currently own a Keppler and two beaver Adventurebilts, one brown and one grey both in the Last Crusade style.

Back when I got my Keppler, I think it was viewed as a step above the Akubras because it was a beaver blend, and also because Lee had nailed the Raiders look. It was also not much more expensive than say a Fed Deluxe. Plus, you could have Lee semi-customize it, like choosing between black or brown ribbon (mine is black).

In my opinion, the Keppler is a great hat. I was very happy with mine and I felt it fully lived up to it's reputation. The only problem is, it took almost three months to get it, which was fast compared to some others here who waited much longer. But back then it seemed worth the wait.

However...now that Steve is producing such wonderful hats at such great prices, I would never wait three months for a Keppler. My ABs are much finer lids than the Keppler, hand made to my specifications and perfectly sized to my noggin. The difference in felt quality is remarkable, the 100% beaver is much smoother and softer. Also Lee's hats have a lot of stiffener to maintain that nice Raiders shape, while ABs have very little but still hold their shape. Next to my ABs, my Keppler does indeed feel like a helmet. On top of all that, both of mine arrived only a couple weeks after I placed my order, and Steve is one of the nicest guys around.

BTW my Keppler looks more "stovepipe" on me than my ABs!

My advice...go for the Adventurebilt!

But if anyone wants a mint Keppler in size 7 5/8, mine is up for sale, just been too lazy to post in the classifieds yet...

Dan

I am waiting for my hat now for over a year, and haven't got it till now. (I ordered in March 2004). I also sent Mails (also last week one) asking the state of the order, but he never answered.
Only once I tried to phone him, which was possible, but the connection was bad and I am Austian, so although I am able to speak english, it was very difficult to understand each other. After about 5 minutes he understood, that I am Austrian and that he will check the mails. This was in July 2004 and he ensured, that everything should be ready before too much longer. No response to the mails I sent since this event.

I would be really happy if someone could help me. (I ordered also the belts and bag strap from him)

best regards
Yosuke

There has sometimes been a wait when buying a Keppler. But, Lee is a good guy and will deliver. I may be wrong, but I think part of the hold up has always been having to order a minimum of hats, let's say a dozen. The hatter will not sell less than this amount. So, if he is waiting on a dozen orders so he can place an order, this is part of the time lag. He has upgraded the hat as time went on, in response to the fans suggestions. Not trying to make it easier to swallow, but rather just explaining what I think part of the problem is. You will get it though, as he is an honest guy. Fedora

And you heard it from another honest guy! You bring up a very good point, Fedora, seeing as the vast majority of us are buyers and not vendors. Most of us have no clue as to what goes on behind the scenes and what it takes to even get the hat bodies to the hat maker. Shoot, I recall JerseyJones needing to get an order of a dozen hats before he could start supplying his offering to us folks. So with Lee, knowing that he needs to have so many orders before having them sent from the supplier, and not knowing what problems the supplier may have, on top of possible health issues Lee is having... well, there's a lot which can affect the timliness of getting a Keppler fedora.

bink

Welcome jeboat

I bought a non stovepipe hat first for the
same reasons you mentioned,
but ended up giving it away.
It just didn't look Indy enough.
Now I have a Akubra Deluxe Federation
and it is a stovepipe but it looks greate.
I know the Adventurebilt is a better hat but when you have to
get the complete outfit every dime counts.

-K

Fedora wrote:There has sometimes been a wait when buying a Keppler. But, Lee is a good guy and will deliver. I may be wrong, but I think part of the hold up has always been having to order a minimum of hats, let's say a dozen. The hatter will not sell less than this amount. So, if he is waiting on a dozen orders so he can place an order, this is part of the time lag. He has upgraded the hat as time went on, in response to the fans suggestions. Not trying to make it easier to swallow, but rather just explaining what I think part of the problem is. You will get it though, as he is an honest guy.

Long delivery-time is one thing. Not to answer on e-mails is another thing. If he won't read / answer mails he should not propose an e-mail address on his homepage. It would be also no problem if he checks the mails only once a week, but NEVER to answer on mails is not really acceptable.

regards

It needs to be added that Lee works gun shows on the weekend. Therefore he does a lot of traveling. He has, however, always been very responsive when you give him a call. His phone number is listed somewhere in the forums.

You could say that Lee is cut from a different fabric than we are. He seems to like the personal communication over the impersonal.

Just my observation,
Pyro.

I have never had a problem getting Lee on the phone. He is a GREAT personal communicator and like Pyro says, not a great e-mailer. In addition, I love my Keppler fedora. The color is spot-on (in my opinion) and the shape/height is perfect. For the money, it's an awesome hat!

Regards, Dr. J

Welcome, Jeboat!

Get an Adventurebilt, they are great hats!

I wanna just say if you're willing to be patient, then go for it. I love the Keppler I have. I'll have had it for 2 year this June and it still looks great. I will say though I have plans to order an Adventurebilt soon, just waiting on that income tax return to come in.

Thanks for all the help on the Kepler fedora. I spoke with Fedora on the phone last night and after hearing all the praise for him and his Adventurebilt fedora the decision was easy.

I sent a money order today for a brown beaver Adventurebilt and have a lot of confidence that I will get exactly what I want in a fedora.

Thanks again all you IJ junkies!!!

jeboat

Let us know what you think when it gets in! Congrats!

bink

good choice, let me be the first...er...second to congradulate you on your new hat. :junior: -IJ

jeboat, You will just love it ( I have not taken mine off since I got it ).

When I first started posting here, a Keppler was pretty much the fedora to have. I took a break for a while, and when I came back it was all Adventurebilt. Until today, I didn't know Fedora made Adventurebilt. What Fedora said about Lee is true. I had to wait about 6-8 weeks for my 6X fedora. I asked for and receive my fedora with the Cairo bash. I had no trouble contacting Lee by phone, but e-mail was a bit iffy. I have no complaints about the hat. I love it. Had I known Fedora was going into the hat businss, I probably would have waited and bought one of his 100% beaver hats, but being a retired O.F. with limited money to spend on this hobby, I'll probably be wearing my Keppler the day I check out.

Cheers,

Starman

Tone, you're right Lee is a genuinely nice guy. When I was down at Flightsuits a few years back with some of the other Indy guys, I expressed interest in buying a Raiders bag strap from him. Since he didn't live too far at the time, he went home grabbed his supplies and a bag strap, came back to FS, and made me a bag strap right there on the spot. I was flabbergasted that he'd go to so much trouble to travel home to make it there for me. On the note of the hat's color, that's one thing I love about it is the color. It contrasts nicely with the ribbon.

Which area code do I need to phone Lee Keppler? I tried 001-619-647-6744, but this didn't work.

best regards
Yosuke

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:Tone, you're right Lee is a genuinely nice guy.

I can definetly vouce for that. Lee's definetly a guy I wouldn't mind having coffee with once a week just to chat. When I bought my hat from him, he offered to meet me in person to complete the transaction just as he was fixing to leave for an Arizona gun show. He could have easily offered to send it to me in the mail at an additional cost, but Lee's that kind of guy. I really do believe he has us fans at heart and mind when we try to contact him.

Yosuke, 619-647-6744 is the current number I have for him in my phone. Just check the country code, and try again. You'll get him at some point.

Regards,

Jeboat welcome. You will savor the info, but absolutely stay for the people.

Adding to TexasGirl and Tone I have met and sampled Lee's hats as well. I went to a local gun show seeking a S&W M17 and came upon his display of gear at a far wall. Absolutely great guy to talk with and not only to discuss his gear, but handle and try it as well. He had only one beaver blend fedora at his table, unbashed, and it happened to be in my size. He let me pick it up, dry bash it, and try it on. The fur felt decent, perhaps a bit below what he offered to me, and the color of this particular sample was ok but a bit light/dim for what I was after. What really made me turn it away was the crown. Something about it just didn't appear comfortable when I viewed it on my dome. It seemed to completely consume not only myself, but the brim as well. Perhaps it was the height (perceived too high), my cold bash, or the bad lighting; but I did not like it for myself. (Mind you, I wear an Adventurebilt, Raven Bar bash, turned, and cannot portray in written word how perfect is to/for me after being initially skeptical to its particular crown height and the wearability of a turned hat).

I personally reccomend the Adventurebilt for all of the reasons that have been mentioned prior, and for the reasons that you will experience yourself after commissioning Fedora to build you one.