Club Obi Wan

Hiya Fellas,

So I have an Akubra, an AB coming in sometime later this year, and a Keppler in a few weeks. Lots of peopl stand by the toughness of Akubra, but more people stand by the overall quality of AB Beaver.
When looking for a hat that not only looks and feels good, last you a long time, and still go easy on your pocket, wouldn't a rabbit/beaver or beaver/rabbit blend hat like the Keppler, PB, or Camptown be the best of both worlds?

How do blended hats fair up against 100% rabbit or beaver hats?

I've had VERY service from blended felts myself. They're the best of both worlds, especially if rabbit and beaver blends. You have the reduced cost of the rabbit, but the density and water repellency of the beaver, all in one package.

Regards! Michaelson

No. Beaver hats are the best of both worlds. The reason that Akubra's are so good is not because they're rabbit but just because Akubra makes hats that are tough-as-nails, irregardless of the materials they use. In general, the more beaver content, the better, with 100% being the absolute best.

That's not to say that beaver blends are bad - they're quite good. It's just a mistake to think that "rabbit has advantages and beaver has advantages, and a mixture is the best." All other things being equal, beaver beats both rabbit and blended felt. :junior: -M

Stetson made a rabbit/beaver blend licensed hat in 1989 that is one of my best hats, though not very Indy-ish in appearance, IMO. The brim was very stiff when I bought it but over time became luxuriously soft.

I gave it a number of different shapes and the felt "remembers" each one, including the original shape. It is a great hat. Stetson claimed it was America's best-selling hat at the time.

EDIT: here is a photo of it, in case anyone might be interested:





Jack

Mulceber wrote: It's just a mistake to think that "rabbit has advantages and beaver has advantages, and a mixture is the best." All other things being equal, beaver beats both rabbit and blended felt. :junior: -M

Excuse me? WHO said 'a mixture is the best'? He asked how it compared.

It's better than a rabbit, but no where near as good as a beaver. Considering they're half the price of a beaver, they are a good compromise, and good performers, and therefore ARE the best of both worlds when considering the high price of beaver, and low performance of rabbit.

I stand by my statement, thank you very much.

Michaelson

IndianaSolo wrote:Hiya Fellas,

So I have an Akubra, an AB coming in sometime later this year, and a Keppler in a few weeks. Lots of peopl stand by the toughness of Akubra, but more people stand by the overall quality of AB Beaver.
When looking for a hat that not only looks and feels good, last you a long time, and still go easy on your pocket, wouldn't a rabbit/beaver or beaver/rabbit blend hat like the Keppler, PB, or Camptown be the best of both worlds?

How do blended hats fair up against 100% rabbit or beaver hats?

Hi there,

While I will of course extoll the virtues of my blend, a full on beaver hat if well constructed is likely to be the best overall.

That said, the blend I use is, in my experience, the best of the blends I have torture tested so far. Michaelson's observation is pretty on target.

As to pure rabbit, it has a lot to do with the felting process, and I find that if some beaver is added, the felting process is more forgiving than straight rabbit. I've seen some rabbit hats that are awful and some that are great.

I could go with a great rabbit body that is available to me and make more money per lid. But, I found that the beaver/rabbit performed, wore and looked the best. A blend of beaver/rabbit simply beats rabbit alone and hits the reasonable price point for most hat wearers.

But remember.....The Camptown blend is a good one and a worthy investment whether you can buy 10 hats or just one. So, go ahead and buy 10. or 20. Whatever you like. (Shameless plug.... )

Thanks
Ken

I can support that, since my trusty Fedora (which not onyl is worn on ever occasion and weather but also joins me on my travels and digs) is a vintage beaver/rabbit/mink blend itself.
Sure, I do not own a beaver one and therefore can only compare it to my former rabbit felt Fedora, but I can totally underline what Michaelson said there. The beaver fraction is noticable due to water repellency and density ...

Just spoke with Ken and he wanted me to let everyone who has placed an order with him that he's got you in his order book and will be filling orders. He is waiting on some raw materials, but never fear, he's got all us fans covered.

I will be able to test everone's Rabbit vs. 50/50 vs. Beaver Hypothesies in about a year. I have an Akubra, a Camptown and an AB in the works.

Excuse me? WHO said 'a mixture is the best'? He asked how it compared.

Here's the quote that that line was in reference to:

When looking for a hat that not only looks and feels good, last you a long time, and still go easy on your pocket, wouldn't a rabbit/beaver or beaver/rabbit blend hat like the Keppler, PB, or Camptown be the best of both worlds?

I interpreted that as suggesting that a blend of beaver and rabbit would be better than either 100% beaver or 100% rabbit. :junior: -M

It was a question, not a statement.

....wouldn't a rabbit/beaver or beaver/rabbit blend hat like the Keppler, PB, or Camptown be the best of both worlds?

Regards! Michaelson

It was a question, not a statement.

Exactly. He asked if blend was better than 100%, and I said, no 100% beaver was better than blended or 100% rabbit. :junior: -M

Which brings us all the way round the barn again to say that it's NOT a 'mistake' (your word) to assume that a blend is the best of both worlds....that being the best bang for the buck, better than rabbit, but not as good as beaver.

Once again, I stand by my statement.

Regards! Michaelson

Ah, here's the difference of opinion - when he said "best of both worlds" I assumed that meant "better than either of them" ie. it has the merits of both, without the flaws. I didn't think of it in terms of the best bang for your buck.

If that's why you mean, Solo, then yes, a blend of rabbit and beaver is generally better than just rabbit, although not as good as beaver. :junior: -M

My pure beaver Stetson Indy (that's how it was advertised, at least) only cost me $40.00 in 1984; and it still retains its original shape and color despite heavy use. The rabbit/beaver blend LC version sold for $75.00 in 1989, and it has held up just as well (Stetson did at one time make good hats, despite their current reputation here). So based on my experience, I would have to agree that a good blended felt would be a fine choice and a great bargain at today's prices.

Jack

As I mentioned in the post, there are those who stand by Abs and I wouldn’t disagree with them. But I’m someone who likes getting a bang for the buck item. AB’s no doubt I’m sure are already a bang for the buck item and I’m very happy that I ordered one. But prices will go up more and to the point where someone who’s on a tight budget would think twice about getting a beaver hat. Heck I may not even wear my AB because Id be too afraid to have something happen to it. Everyone who has an AB has a piece of the film in their hand and that is something I would want to cherish. But to my point,
I know Rabbit can’t compare to Beaver, but having a blend hat can provide the affordability of rabbit and the durability of beaver would be useful to LOTS of people. What I wanted to know is if blended hat would provide that durability, maybe not the same as a 100% Beaver but a good enough amount. It’s almost like comparing a Lexus to a Toyota, Lexus would be a better choice but you’d be just as happy with a Toyota, quality and affordability. Hope that can better clarify my question.

Cheers

Ah, okay. Thanks for clarifying. Sorry if I misread your original post. :junior: -M

Well, as an example, almost all cowboy hats made by Peters Brothers are blend felts, and they wear like iron. Most come back to Joe for rebuild only rather than new order, so I'd say yes, they're quite durable.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Well, as an example, almost all cowboy hats made by Peters Brothers are blend felts, and they wear like iron.

How does one take care of the rust?

Now that is a bit of Irony.

Piker wrote:

Michaelson wrote:Well, as an example, almost all cowboy hats made by Peters Brothers are blend felts, and they wear like iron.

How does one take care of the rust?

Now that is a bit of Irony.

Just leave it that way-- it's called "natural distressing."

Jack

groan....

Regard! Michaelson

WD-40? That might stop the rust and the creaks and groans.

It's important to remember that there are different qualities of beaver hats.

RockBottom wrote:It's important to remember that there are different qualities of beaver hats.

I have to admit, i snorted when i saw that.

I can chew on this topic all night