Club Obi Wan

Okay, so I got a little bit of money for my college graduation and I was thinking about getting a new lid. I've decided that my price range is between $100 and $200 and I'd like some opinions about what to get. If it helps, I'm mostly a costumer and don't plan on putting my hat through the ringer.

value for money,can take alot of punishment,easy to bash and comfortable to wear...gotta be the fed IV for me

JPD Raiders is custom built and has the flying V ribbon bow. This has to be to me the most undervalued hat there is.

morethanatimelord wrote:value for money,can take alot of punishment,easy to bash and comfortable to wear...gotta be the fed IV for me

Yup!

If purely a costumer, go for the Christy's. It's $99 plus shipping and a beautiful hat. Though I don't think as tough as the others it's a great value...especially for someone that isn't taking it out and drop kicking it around the woods.

I would say the Fed IV. I just got mine the other day and I haven't been able to take it off. I absolutley love it!

if it's mostly going to be used for costuming, i say get the custom hat. if it's within the price range, why not get EXACTLY the look you want, and you can only do that by ordering a custom piece(unless you're good at making alterations).

I would agree with Gabrielle that the Christy's would be a great choice for your needs, although they are all very fine hats according to reviews here. The Christy's has the added bonus of being virtually the same as a Herbert Johnson (the hat Ford wore in the first 3 movies) for hundreds of dollars less. Personally, I think the Christy's looks even better than present-day HJ's (excepting Magnoli and Fedora's modified version, of course).

Because appearance seems to be your main criterion, any of the hats you listed would work, though; just examine photos of each one and choose the hat that you feel would best complement the look you want to create for your costume. You really can't go far wrong with any of them for a costume and other light uses.

Jack

I've never seen any of the hats you have listed, but I have an Akubra Sydney and it is one fantastic hat. It rarely leaves my head anymore. I doubt you'll be disappointed in a Fed IV.

Invest 10 more and get a Camptown Legend. It's a beaver blend, and a really good, long-lasting hat!

My vote goes to the Keppler, which is not on the list. It looks great and will handle the elements like no ones business. Put it on the list; you wont be dissapointed.,,and its a beaver blend.

Dave

I have to agree with genphideaux, the JPD Raider would be my choice. Though I do not yet own one...but its on "the list" . From reviews and pictures it looks like a beautiful hat and the felt seems in many pictures to look fantastic. In my own opinion it would be near impossible to get a custom built hat to beat Jimmy's prices. H

Cheers

Okay, so I definitely forgot about the Keppler, which is well within my price range. Any more votes for the Keppler?

mufflowne wrote:Invest 10 more and get a Camptown Legend. It's a beaver blend, and a really good, long-lasting hat!

So is the Fieldmaster,and it's IN this poll. That's the one I voted for. The others are rabbit or rabbit/jackrabbit blends. The Camptown is the only one with beaver fur in the mix.

Regard! Michaelson

Even though made of rabbit, the Jimmy Pierce would seem to be in a class above the others. And certainly if one wanted to change something, this would be the easiest offering on which to do so.

Yeah I agree can't beat that tailor made option in my opion, A JPD Raider in grey will be my next purchase after I get a AB Henry ordered.


I get frustrated with the amount of weight placed on Beaver sometimes, the stuff isnt indestructable

The toughest hats out there seem to be Akubra. Nobody has bad things to say and most have many good things to say about the Federation series and other models. And NONE of the Akubra models are even Beaver-blend. All are Rabbit/Hare of varying qualities.

Just to give you an idea here is my JPD. I love it and it's floppier and more form fitting every day. I've since messed with the bash and sat on it a few times, even drop kicking it around the yard. I'll post pics of it now later...

Thanks gabrielle! I'm becoming more and more interested in a hat from Jimmy. It does seem that something custom for under $200 can't be beat. Plus, I love the bash and styling you have on yours. My ultimate goal is to have a nice hat with an SA Idol Grab bash. I want to feel worthy of a good chin-rub next time I see something valuable

Thanks everyone for your input and thanks gabrielle for the picture, that's a great hat!

Ahem....
Magnoli/AB/HJ

It's a Herbet Johnson, just like the OT hats, reblocked by Steve Delk for an accurate shape, Sold through Magnoli Clothiers. For a just another hundred dollars, you can get the best of three worlds.

good eye you got there. i actually threw that together in MS Paint a while ago and just used the first good pic i found via google image. i hadn't though about it since then. I thought about changing it a few times for a better color, but i couldn't find another pic with the hat at the correct angle. the Magnoli fed covered too much of the picture.
you sure it's a JPD? i don't see that lid on the JPD site.

I didn't see mentioned the Federation Deluxe IV, which should be under $200 even with shipping from Australia. Many think it well worth the premium over the regular Federation.

Oh, I'd know that hat anywhere. And yes, I'm absolutely sure that's a JPD

I should say so seeing its on your website


Cheers

Many of the hats look of good quality, I personally have to go with the Fed IV standard, since it is the only hat I own.

I'd have to echo Michaelson on the Camptown Fieldmaster. The 50/50 blend of beaver & rabbit has been absolutely bomb proof for my money. Same goes for the Metropolitan. Now I can't wait to get my mitts on the Legend.

Cheers!

Dan

Does the Camptown "Fieldmaster" after styling & brim-trim come in at under $200.00?

viewtopic.php?t=27062

He hasn't said anything about the sale being over that I'm aware of.

Regard! Michaelson

The Avaitor wrote:Yeah I agree can't beat that tailor made option in my opion, A JPD Raider in grey will be my next purchase after I get a AB Henry ordered.


I get frustrated with the amount of weight placed on Beaver sometimes, the stuff isnt indestructable

Just curious...have you ever owned a beaver hat, let alone worn it and compared with any rabbit felt worn during a heavy rain storm? I have, on several occasions. Beaver has always won hands down over pure rabbit, no matter who the maker is.

I own one JPD fedora, proudly....and it's pure beaver, thank you very much!

Regard! Michaelson

and considering that beavers live their lives in water their fur has to have water repellant qualities, whereas rabbits aren't as watter repellant and don't go swimming as much as a result.
Basiacally beaver fur is built to keep the animal warm & 'dry' in their environment, rabbit just warm.
I'd go with the beaver, hands down.

Cheers!

Dan

Well, once again I really appreciate everyone's responses and input on this matter. I think that after a lot of thought, I want to go with Jimmy on this one. I just love the look of his hats and I think it'll hold the bash I want just right. And sorry to everyone who campaigned for beaver, but I set a specific budget for myself and I want to stick to it. And I know the camptown is beaver and within my limits, but I've researched alot and I just don't think it has the look I want. But once again, I really really appreciate everyone taking time to chime in about this. I was very excited to get input from some of the more familiar COW folks! I'll post pics whenever I get a new hat!

(P.S.- Aeris_Canon, could you post some pics of your JPD? I know that you've got a rep for being "bash-master 5000"!)

JPDesign makes a great product!

You won't be disappointed!!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Thanks AC! You've got some good lookin' JPDs there. And I read in Gabrielle's thread that you've got like, 5 of them? They must be good then!

The Akubra Fed IV is the better & WISE choice ...
At my humble advice of course ... =p

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Aeris_Canon wrote:In your opinion, in which ways are the Akubra IV a better and wiser choice?

Sorry about the delay ...
I saw few hats & For a tough & quality hat ... The akubra is FOR ME the better option ...
It can handle some "bruises" & climats changes ... Trust me ...
Akubra knows is job & it do it well.
I didn't say others hats are bad ... just a little expensive for it's purpose ...
In the end ... If you can afford a 400$ hat ... that is nice ...
Me ... I got a fine quality hat for less ...
I don't wan't to offense anybody ... It's just my opinion ...

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