Is this a good first buy? Mayser fedora

[clevelandbrown]

Hi Club!

I signed up to seek your expertise on some Indy gear. I never knew this place existed and I've always been interested in Indiana Jones costume stuff.

I noticed this hat on eBay and was wondering whether it really is official/authentic and a good place to start my collection.

MOD EDIT: As per posted rules, please don't post active ebay auctions, unless they're your own.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=45336" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for any advice etc, look forward to talking to you all some more

Caleb

[darkhelmet]

From my experience anything "official" from Lucasfilm isnt going to be very screen accurate but a viable close enough.

[A.J. Cairo]

Recognizing that everyone has different budget constraints in which to work you've asked a difficult question. Many people here have started out with similar style lids to the one you're considering. I myself started with a Scala (gag!) and thought I had hit the top of the line when I bought my first of three Dorfman Pacifics from Disneyland. I heard about Adventurebilt and went to the website, but thought the price was far too expensive for a fedora. But after a while I realized that I had gone through four sub-par (in my opinion) fedoras, and spent almost the same as I would have on a quality one that would last for many years and potentially outlast me. So I saved and saved for quite a while until I could afford an Adventurebilt. I haven't regretted it.

Like I said though, I understand that Penmans and AB's aren't realistic purchases for everyone, but there are many vendors here that can offer very nicehats at just about every price point you can imagine. You might also want to check out the Cairo Bazar section to see if any members are selling any of their hats. (the turnover rate might just astound you).

Well I've done an awful lot of talking but don't know if I've really said anything worth reading. At any rate, welcome to COW!

P.S. Don't let Bink near your wallet

[fenris]

It seems to me that the hat is Indy's "travel" hat. And compared to the DP's, this one looks way lot better. But for the price, I think there are better offerings out there.

[Texan Scott]

I don't know this hat maker, Mayser, but there are some quality offerings in the forum today. If you want a good to top shelf quality hat, see these guys:

Federation IV from Akubra:
http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products. ... Federation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AB Henry sold by Penman
http://penmanhats.com/Adventuebilt__the_Henry.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Then there is Penman and Adventurebilt
http://penmanhats.com/Indy_Hats.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.adventurebilthats.com/orderPrice.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[maboot38]

You really didn't specify what you wanted the hat for. However, if you want it for an Indiana Jones hat, I would say no, don't buy it. It is not an accurate looking hat. You can do much better (see previous posts for suggestions).

[Indiana Jeff]

Welcome!

If you are wanting to add it to your collection as a collectible, maybe, but the price seems a bit steep.

If you are wanting to wear it as part of a costume...I did a search (see the top right corner) for Mayser and found a number of threads referring to them. Based on the picture in this thread, stay away. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40871&hilit=Mayser" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

By the way, since you are using the UK ebay I assume you are located there, but your screen name has me wondering where you are from. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[maboot38]

By the way, since you are using the UK ebay I assume you are located there, but your screen name has me wondering where you are from. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Hey Jeff, don't forget, Cleveland Brown is also the name of a character on Family Guy/Cleveland Show.

[Indiana Jeff]

Ah, yes. I knew that seemed familiar. Of course, when I read clevelandbrown my mind immediately went to The Cleveland Browns. You're probably right.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Michaelson]

I've never personally handled one myself, but use the search function and read past discussions regarding this product:

search.php?keywords=Mayser&terms=all&au ... mit=Search" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards! Michaelson

[Michaelson]

Just to be fair, though, the comparison photo DOES state in the post it's comparing his new Cristy's to his 'old' Mayser, so who knows how much taper/shrinkage and over how long a time that Mayser experienced before this photo was taken.

Regards! Michaelson

[Jens]

Well, having owned a Mayser as "first" Indy hat, too (although a different type than the one offered in the link above and which does not look brown to me as quoted in the description ... but I do not want to open *this* can of worms), I just want to share my experiences. Mayser is a traditional and famed hat maker over here. They do make good and quality hats. Unfortunately, their Indy line does not seem to belong to this category. I had the simplest "Indy Fedora" they offer, a rather cheap wool felt hat. It did not have a liner or leather sweatband at all. Of course it did shrink and taper over time. But I loved it back then. It was *my* Indy hat at least and I had a great time with it.

What I want to say is: whether you should by this hat or not depends on one thing only - yourself. Do you just want a rather low cost hat to complete the look? Or do you plan to make it a life long partner, use it, beat it and give it a generally hard time? In the latter case you should try to find out more about the other hats in the ring ... er, on the market. There's nothing wrong with cheap hats as long as you are aware that you get exactly what you pay for (and again, the hat offerd there looks different - and better - than my Mayser years back).

[gwyddion]

Isn't Mayser one of the companies offering the Dorfman Pacific under it's own name due to licensing agreements? IIRC it is, but maybe I'm wrong. could some German hat buff verify or dispel this? If I'm right, The quality isn't great, but it will serve as a good weather hat. S.A. wise it wouldn't be a winner, but that stuff is in the eye of the beholder anyway

Regards, Geert

EDIT: just went to their site and confirmed to myself that their Indy hats are Dorfman Pacifics. This means my comment on quality still stands. Most will agree that they are not S.A. but that's for you to decide I however recommend checking out this thread before buying: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10903" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TheSavoryTrim]

I've always felt the Akubra is a perfect starter hat. I don't have any experience with Meyser, though. Hm.

[fenris]

Wow! That Christy's looks tall! I think my Adventurer's height is now in between those two hats.