Club Obi Wan

http://www.watsonshatshop.com/hat-styles.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

some of you senior lids wearers should comment on this. They loo okay and his prices seem alright but...for example I don't think Indys fedora had a black ribbon like he states but hey I could be WAY off base about that sooo lets seem some comments.

I mean how can his beaver cost be so low? To good to be true?

There are many reputable hatmakers who make excellent beaver felt hats for $300 or so. Many.

I paid $285 for an all beaver custom lid from Black Sheep Hat Works.

That particular block has too much taper for a proper Indy lid and it doesn't look like a dimensional brim cut.

jlee562 wrote:I paid $285 for an all beaver custom lid from Black Sheep Hat Works.

Me too. And close to that for a Falcon Park hat.

I should invite him to this forum. I actually like his LC. I might order one.

Aragorn658 wrote:I mean how can his beaver cost be so low? To good to be true?

$400 for beaver hats isn't low.

Personally, I'd buy from Art Fawcett (for about this same price) than any of these. For a Beaver Indy hat, Mr Penman's isnt much more expensive and likely to be way more authentic looking as you know.

Watsons rabbit looks cool too. But Penman's wait list is super long

Ok I just invited Mr. Watson to join our forum and he said no haha I told him he could have potential sales but also make friends but hey to each their own I guess. He told me that his wait time is 12 days, although I asked for a few more pictures of his fedoras from some normal angles and he kinda said no, THAT makes me weary. I think its funny he claims to use the same ribbon and felt as AB and Mr. Penman......I smell horse......pucky

His descriptive literature is obviously not for people like us who could rip the details apart. His stuff is for a mainstream audience who might be looking for an 'Indiana Jones' hat. I'm not criticizing his work, website, or descriptions. This is just my take on his potential audience.

Edit: Good grief, I can't even proof read correctly, sometimes. I'm NOT criticizing him . . .

Well his hats don't look that bad. But your right almost all of us can see a bad fed a mile away, but I dunno this guy seems to love indy maybe he's worth a shot? I could be totally wrong here but I just wrote him a HUGE email asking a lot of questions and I'll see how his customer service is, because honestly these are the most recognized fedoras in history so I'll keep anyone updated if they want, but it appears I'm a loner on this one haha which is fine I was just hoping to help or find a diamond in the rough.

He probably uses the same felt, as Winchester is the only game in town. The ribbon claim is more doubtful.

jlee562 wrote:He probably uses the same felt, as Winchester is the only game in town. The ribbon claim is more doubtful.

do you thin his hats look bad and or felt?

Not bad. Not bad at all. His work looks pretty good! Interesting find here. W>

well sooo far his customer service is pretty awesome, i again wrote him a long email even talking about other vendors not by name but just by the indy fedora itself and what to expect, and Mr. Watson assured me that I would be happy and if I wasn't he would do whatever was needed to do so. I might take the dive on one I won't be sure for awhile but if you look at his testimonials there's on guy who was very particular about an indy lid and his first posted pic actually looks like a raiders/last crusade hybrid which actually looks pretty good. So yeah maybe this guy is a bit green and doesn't talk to other hatters like other vendors here but it seems like he's trying really hard. plus his turn around time is 12 days. wow.

I can assure you he is NOT using the same ribbon as myself and AB. I might have to drop him a line and ask him to stop making those kinda statements.

Thats my fault I read his site wrong, he said the felt he uses is the same as the new indy film. sorry thats my fault

Aragorn658 wrote:Thats my fault I read his site wrong, he said the felt he uses is the same as the new indy film. sorry thats my fault

How do you make that kinda mistake?????

http://www.watsonshatshop.com/indiana-jones-fedora.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the fonts messed me up, plus the wife was giving me a do list while i was reading it, again my fault

Aragorn658 wrote:http://www.watsonshatshop.com/indiana-jones-fedora.html

the fonts messed me up, plus the wife was giving me a do list while i was reading it, again my fault

Great comeback! Superb! I am going to have to remember this one! W>

well its the truth. No I feel really bad I misread it. It wasn't my intention to make john mad, or anyone. Man, I always seem to make people mad on here.

Aragorn658 wrote:well its the truth. No I feel really bad I misread it. It wasn't my intention to make john mad, or anyone. Man, I always seem to make people mad on here.

Heh! I with you here! I've done this kind of thing before too. It's tough to concentrate when others are asking for things. For the record. I doubt you made John or anyone mad. He was just responding with his thoughts as to your original post and you corrected that. No harm. No foul here ! W>

WConly wrote:

Aragorn658 wrote:well its the truth. No I feel really bad I misread it. It wasn't my intention to make john mad, or anyone. Man, I always seem to make people mad on here.

Heh! I with you here! I've done this kind of thing before too. It's tough to concentrate when others are asking for things. For the record. I doubt you made John or anyone mad. He was just responding with his thoughts as to your original post and you corrected that. No harm. No foul here ! W>

thanks man. but i think i'm gunna order a rabbit lc from him in a few weeks

Just wondering, Aragorn, why you'd be ordering one of these hats in rabbit, when the price is the same as Steve Delk, about the same (within $25) of Penman and a fair bit more than Garrison.

You must be looking at it differently than I would, but if I was going to buy an Indy hat with a $300 budget, it would be one of that group without a doubt. Why take a step into the unknown, when the guys with the proven pedigree are all in the same price range?

I know you liked your guys short lead time (ya know Steve would make you one in 6 weeks or so right?), but you'll be wearing the hat for the next 10 or 20 years, maybe much more. Unless you are needing it for a specific event that is coming up soon, you'll soon forget about the wait once you get the hat.

And let's face it - if times get hard hard in the future and you need to sell (or you just lose interest in fedoras), which would have the best resale value? The AB or Penman, I'd say!

Like I say, your thought process is clearly working differently to mine.

david_h wrote:Just wondering, Aragorn, why you'd be ordering one of these hats in rabbit, when the price is the same as Steve Delk, about the same (within $25) of Penman and a fair bit more than Garrison.

You must be looking at it differently than I would, but if I was going to buy an Indy hat with a $300 budget, it would be one of that group without a doubt. Why take a step into the unknown, when the guys with the proven pedigree are all in the same price range?

I know you liked your guys short lead time (ya know Steve would make you one in 6 weeks or so right?), but you'll be wearing the hat for the next 10 or 20 years, maybe much more. Unless you are needing it for a specific event that is coming up soon, you'll soon forget about the wait once you get the hat.

And let's face it - if times get hard hard in the future and you need to sell (or you just lose interest in fedoras), which would have the best resale value? The AB or Penman, I'd say!

Like I say, your thought process is clearly working differently to mine.

Yes Ive tried to pm steve and I havent heard back, which i chalk up to him just being very busy, plus my budget is 500 and i don't know if i can get a beaver from steve for that. Plus id also love to get a penman but 5 months is just to long for me which again is more than fine john probably has orders coming out of his ears. But for the most part i recently got laid off from a job of 5 years and i have a new born, so im selling all of my guitars to pay for this hobby which is worth it because i truly love indiana jones. So in saying that with the money i'm getting from my ebay sales i'm more or less getting one shot at a great lid or two and i'm just very scared about it. Sorry for the long rant and john i didn't mean to stir the pot at all man sorry again. But i'm looking forward to getting a garrison temple once i see his version i can pull the trigger on that fedora. So i'll just have to wait and see.

Given that this is a "one shot" thing, I'd say you'd be even better served by going with someone like John....The wait time helps as well, in that because you have around 5 months until you need to decide for sure, you can still change your mind about WHAT you want, as well as not having to pay it all upfront as well, which may help you in this case?

Since it's a "once in a lifetime" hat, why not choose a man who we all know makes hats built for a lifetime?

I know Garrison makes great hats too...And is well worth the shot too...(Steve won't make a beaver hat for that price anymore..), but if I HAD to chose JUST ONE, I'd say Penman..Over anybody else....He's easy to reach to change or talk about details, the packaging he sends the hats in is worth the money alone, and the effort that goes in is perfectly clear to people entirely in the dark about hats...

I'd say you might be wise to think again about John Penman....The wait time is long..But time flies...And it all gets cleared once the hat arrives...Because they are the best out there...

With all due respects to Garrison hatters...(And Steve of course, although I think you're ruled him out...)..

Watson's Hat Shop uses the same exact color and felt company used in the latest Indiana Jones movie.

Notice that he doesn't actually say he uses the same felt.

Some how I like the City Dweller...

I have to agree with fifthchamber. If this is going to be your 'end all be all' Indiana Jones fedora, Garrison or John is the way to go at the price point you are looking. An Adventurebilt in beaver will run you $650 with a 6-8 week wait. If John's wait time is too long for you, go with Garrison. David has a proven track record already with this community and his waits are very reasonable for a custom made hat. Also, David studied directly from Steve Delk and definitely uses the exact same felt Steve does. Heck, you could get two garrison rabbit felt hats for your $500!

Not to say anything bad about Watson Hat Shop, I'm eyeing one of his Cowboys & Aliens hats, but I'm not concerned with the smalled nuances for a C&A hat. If I was going to spend all my hat budget for an Indy fedora, I'd go with a vendor that's passed mustard with this picky crowd, not with an unknown.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

david_h wrote:

Aragorn658 wrote:I mean how can his beaver cost be so low? To good to be true?

$400 for beaver hats isn't low.

True. Heck, even Peters Brothers 100% custom beaver hats are only $25 more.

https://www.pbhats.com/private/INDY_CUSTOM/Default.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regard! Michaelson

Doh , can't believe I forgot to mention PB as an option.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

thanks for all the help guys, i hope i didn't come across as a sob story or anything. It can be difficult since my wife doesn't understand at all! Honestly she thinks this is such a waste of money, but hey its my favorite hobby and a person finding their own indy gear is an awesome experience, because everyone has different tastes! And thats awesome

ok one more thing....are the indy ribbons supposed to be BLACK or a VERY VERY DARK BROWN? I almost like the black best, anyone else with me? Please comment

Yes - very, very dark brown. To the best of my knowledge only Adventurebilt and Penman have the correct ribbon, altrhough it would not surprise me that Garrison does as well.

If you want to reach Steve it's best to e-mail him directly. Put something in the subject line that tells him you want to place a new order. He is still working away despite his health issues.

I wholeheartedly agree with all of the endorsements of John Penman's work. As a proud "Penmanoholic" (7 at last count) I can promise you (1) they are worth the wait; (2) his interaction with his customers is outstanding; (3) his product is as perfect as it gets; and (4) you won't really notice, regret or even remember the wait.

yes,only the AB, ABD AB Henry and Penman hats have "the true Indy ribbon" you see on film.

As for wait times, they are going down. Down from 7 1/2 months to currently 4-5 month estimate. The funny thing about the current wait times. That I have been getting to people sooner then quoted and people are dragging their feet on paying me. It's holding things up but have been moving people up the line if they have paid in full and had all their details worked out in advanced.


I will be canceling people who drag their feet from now on.

ok ok john youlll get my order! geez haha. but the million dollar question is a crusader or skull. no idea. but depending on the felt type (beaver/rabbit) do the colors appear different? like is beaver darker or what not?

I wasn't asking for it. Just updating information that wernt clear by others. Color wise there is no difference.

BendingOak wrote:I wasn't asking for it. Just updating information that wernt clear by others. Color wise there is no difference.

trying to talk yourself out of a sale? haha, when i'm ready to order should i call you or just send you an email? Whats best for you broski?

BendingOak wrote:I wasn't asking for it. Just updating information that wernt clear by others. Color wise there is no difference.

You'd better be asking for it. ABC: Always Be Closing!

"Coffee's for closers."

Aragorn658 wrote:ok ok john youlll get my order! geez haha. but the million dollar question is a crusader or skull. no idea. but depending on the felt type (beaver/rabbit) do the colors appear different? like is beaver darker or what not?

IMHO, Crusade. John's LC hats are my favorite, although you can't go wrong with any of his hats, I feel like his LC hats are some of the nicest looking Indy lids from any vendor.

how far off are the LC and KOTCS brim measurements? I know the crown on the LC is smaller and the sides have a curl but....any help? lol

Always good to hear a persons voice. Contact info is on my site.

i'm watching KOTCS as we speak and when indy climbs over the fence in the beginning and he watches the Russians drive away is it just me or do the sides of his fedora have a noticeable curl?!

I have one of John's CS hats. His newer CS block, maybe 18 months old or so, is darn close to the AB. It's actually my favorite hat. Definitely go beaver if you get a CS and have him put one of his gold liners in it. It will look SA and last longer. I have one of John's Raiders in rabbit as well. Looks like a Raiders, but just doesn't compare to a beaver hat.

Matt

any pics broski

I'll try and put some on here. It's been awhile.

Matt

I just received a Penman Raiders from John, he was so nice during the transaction, even when I messed up the measurements, sorry about that again, John...

Thanks for the lovely fedora John, I have been wearing this almost* non stop since getting it yesterday!

*Hey a guy has to shower...

MARQ wrote:Some how I like the City Dweller...

I like that one too, but I got to tell 'ya, for the money and quality, I am saving my pennies for John's "Casablanca." I am so in love with that hat and he has nailed the look to the most minute detail from what I can see in his photos (web site)! Color, et. all! W>

Here is my Penman Beaver CS after I had it reblocked on, at the time, his updated CS block. I compared it to an AB Beaver CS just for fun. funny thing is I forget which one is which. Think John's is on the left.

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo25 ... G_0858.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo25 ... G_0858.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo25 ... G_0861.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo25 ... G_0861.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is one I just took. Still going strong.

http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo25 ... G_0861.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WConly wrote: I like that one too, but I got to tell 'ya, for the money and quality, I am saving my pennies for John's "Casablanca." I am so in love with that hat and he has nailed the look to the most minute detail from what I can see in his photos (web site)! Color, et. all! W>

Someone say Casablanca??

I love mine, fantastic hat!