Club Obi Wan

I got my hat yesterday. I haven't got a chance to take any pics yet, but when I do I hope ya'll are impressed. I sure am. This is a great hat.

Congratulations, Kodiak. My first Indy fedora was a Keppler.

Bufflehead Jones wrote:Congratulations, Kodiak. My first Indy fedora was a Keppler.

Is there anything I should know as far as upkeep goes. I like the hat and I want to take care of it. Does it taper badly when wet?

Mine tapered to the point where I would feel like a clown wearing it after it got wet. I'd try and keep it dry, if I were you.

Does the Keppler fedora come open-crowned or pre-bashed?


/Jakob

Mine was the 6X beaver that I think is still the newest offering from Lee. It hasn't tapered and it has been wet. I put some Scout Rain and Stain Protectant on my hat when I first got it, and I never had a problem with it.

I believe that Lee does the bash on the hat, so you should be able to get it open crowned if you ask.

Well, if you were going to get an open crowned one, why not eliminate the middle man and order it straight from Beaver Brand Hats? Doing that seems quicker than asking Lee for it, having BBH send the open crowned hat to him, and then having him send it to you. Others on this site have expressed LONG turnaround times in regards to getting a finished hat from Lee, and even though I haven't experienced that problem when dealing with him, I've read about it happening to others more than once. Is there any way to order from them directly? Or are they one of those places that require you to buy in bulk before they send you anything?

Actually the reason for my question was that I wanted to make sure that it came bashed

I am looking for a god "beginners" fedora - I know that I, in time, will buy one of Marc's de-luxe AB's - but as a student and teacher of Western Martial Arts (primarelly german long-sword) I have learned this; your first sword should never be an expensive one - practical and serviceable, yes. But, as a beginner one will inevitable make mistakes, due to lack of skill, experience and training, therefore your fist sword will most likely end up with and edge looking like a house-key or even worse; a broken blade. I always advice my students not to buy the sword of their dreams as their first sword - but to wait untill they are able to understand the full potential of a sword and they have the experience to use it without risking to break it.

I feel the same way about fedoras; I know that I want an AB, but I will start out with a less expensive one - because I know that all beginners make mistakes (mistakes which sometimes breaks their new toys) - and I am an absolute beginner to fedoras.

I hope this makes sense - it does to me anyway.


/Jakob

In that case, my friend, I'd go with an Akubra Federation! Send it to Fedora for block & shape. That'll total about 100.00 and you'll get it MUCH quicker. And in my opinion, it's a much more rugged "real world use" hat. (I have both, a Keppler and Fed.) My Fed is my 'go to' hat! They really are awesome, especially for the price at which you can get them!

just my opin...

TR

Jacob,

With most things, I understand your point. But, with a fedora, there isn't anything to really break. The AB lasts better than any of them. I would suggest that since you already know that you want an AB, that you just go ahead and get one right from the start. I think this would also be more cost effective.

I wish that the AB would have been around when I bought my first one and that is what I would do. Then I wouldn't have a bunch of hats that I almost never wear.

Buff, what hats do you have that you never wear?

Thanks for the advice!

I might go with a federation deluxe then - or maybe I'll just start out with a AB deluxe. I'll have to look into my economy to decide that.


/Jakob

Cool, congrats on ur purchase Kodiak, waiting to see pics

Jakob wrote:Thanks for the advice!

I might go with a federation deluxe then - or maybe I'll just start out with a AB deluxe. I'll have to look into my economy to decide that.

Hey Jakob
If you get the AB Deluxe now, you will save some money in the long run.
If you treat your AB well, I bet you'll never ever have to buy another hat in your lifetime.

Regards
Ace

Strider wrote:Mine tapered to the point where I would feel like a clown wearing it after it got wet. I'd try and keep it dry, if I were you.

Mine, too. Nice lid, but keep it out of the rain...KC

Jakob Elbæk E. Pedersen wrote:I feel the same way about fedoras; I know that I want an AB, but I will start out with a less expensive one - because I know that all beginners make mistakes (mistakes which sometimes breaks their new toys) - and I am an absolute beginner to fedoras.

I hope this makes sense - it does to me anyway.


/Jakob

I'm not really sure how you can break a fedora. I would concur with Bufflehead...might as well get the best as long as you know you're going to wear it. In the long run, quality is economy...KC

Ok, you have convinced me

An AB it will be then.

Thank you all for the advice.


/Jakob

Jakob,

You might want to talk to Marc Kitter about his AB Deluxe that he will be making soon. I think around March 10 or 12. Since he is Danish you two should have a lot in common. Beside the fact that he is just a great guy.
Cheers,
John

Agreed. Buy local. It could save you money in the long run, and Marc's is top drawer stuff!!

Regards! Michaelson

Yes, I'm sure it is less expensive to ship from Germany to Denmark than from Mississippi. Marc does a good bash too.
Cheers,
G-MANN

Yes, I am planning to order from Marc. It has been the idea all along - if I were to chose an AB.

Now I'll just have to save up the money


/Jakob

As ya'll have said, it does come bashed, a pretty dandy bash too.

From my limited hat experience, my advice is to check that the brim is a snap-style. The one thing I haven't figured out about the keppler is why the brim won't snap down . However, from what I've seen so far this is a great hat. I figure I'll take my chances with the taper, and as long as it doesn't shrink I'll just try my hand at doing a re-bash.

And Buff, this is the 6x beaver. Great felt.

Lee sells a fine beaver hat!

Congratulations on your excellent purchase.

High regards! Michaelson

I have a Beaver/Keppler, and I like it a lot. It was a great bash, fit great, and I even liked the color!

Do put some scout rain on it. Never get the hat soaked! A light rain or mist won't hurt.

I, unfortunately, got cought in a down pour, causing sever taper, and now when I have it re-based the lining has to be replaced


It is a great hat though. Enjoy!

Yeah, I put protectant on mine and never had a problem. Maybe that is the difference between my hat and some of the ones that experienced bad taper. I guess a word to the wise...