Club Obi Wan

Can anyone tell me what 6X furfelt is? What does the 6X mean?? thanks

from my experience in cowboyhats, if you know how soft a 1X hat is from a certain hat vendor, then the additional X's corresponde to increasing stiffness. this scale is relative to different hat makers though and sometimes even within different models of the hatmakers hat (ie a 10X hat from one guy maybe a 5X hat from another guy).

The more Xs, the more beaver fur that is supposed to be in the felt. It is pretty arbitrary, though. A 10X from one hatter may have as much beaver fur as another hatter's 20X. The Xs really don't mean anything, as there is no standardization.

I got a new 6x Beaver from Miller this year. It's finer than any pure rabbit I've owned , except for maybe a Tonak.

I also have a 6X beaver from Miller. It does feel different from my rabbit fur felts, but not quite like pure beaver. I wonder how much beaver is in that thing?

That's the bad thing, I don't think there is any way to tell.

6X means absolutely nothing. It used to mean the beaver fur content at one time. Today, it is meaningless in regards to beaver content. In fact, I doubt if any 6x hat has even a pinch of beaver fur in it. Back in the old days Stetson used the x system. A one x had 10 perent beaver and sold for 10 bucks. A 3x had 30 per cent and sold for 30 bucks. A 10x Stetson used pure beaver and sold for 100 bucks. But that was when Stetson was the original company in Philly. They sold the name in 1970, and the new company used 100x to signify pure beaver. Nowadays, you see 5000x hats. It is ridiculous. Fedora

6 X = 6 times the amount you paid for the hat than it is worth.........

Fedora wrote:In fact, I doubt if any 6x hat has even a pinch of beaver fur in it.

You may be right, but I must say that this 6X "beaver" felt does feel a bit different from my rabbit felts. It's just a tad more silky and smooth, and reminds me just a LITTLE bit of my AB. Can this feel be created in the finishing process of non beaver felt, or is it an indication of at least some beaver content?

BTW I have that Miller hat stored in my closet, and never wear it since I trimmed the brim too much for my face (tried to convert a western hat into a fedora). Looks fantastic on my son, though. He'll get it if he wants it someday and gets tired of his ball cap.

Is 6X rabbit fur? not beaver or some other type fur?

Years ago X's meant something. A 10X hat was 100% pure beaver. A 3X 30% and so on. With so many hat companies out there, the X's have been inflated to the point where they don't mean much. If you buy a Stetson or Resistol western hat, the X's provide an indication of relative quality but do not necessarily mean a certain amount of beaver fur. The only way to gauranntee that is if it specifies 100% beaver. A 10X or even a 20X hat is a very, very nice hat. Beaver pelts are getting more and more expensive and there is a lot of competition particularly from China for beaver pelts. I also have a Miller 6X. It is a fairly decent hat and you should be proud to own it. Maybe one consideration for those that want the ultimate hat, is just to commision a well known hat maker to make it using whatever quality of hat you desire.

You may be right, but I must say that this 6X "beaver" felt does feel a bit different from my rabbit felts. It's just a tad more silky and smooth, and reminds me just a LITTLE bit of my AB. Can this feel be created in the finishing process of non beaver felt, or is it an indication of at least some beaver content?

A lot depends upon the pounce job. Many hats are not pounced much and feel rather course. But, you can take that same hat and some 240 grit and make it feel totally different. Fedora

Hmm, might try that with the Akubra.