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What do ya think?

Yahoody

One Too Many
Messages
1,107
Location
Great Basin
I usually build my own hats using the best Winchester felt. It is just a hobby for me so everything is hand sewn on a hat I build. And no brim iron to give a nice sharp break.

Anyway I recently stripped the sweat and liner from a slightly used hat of mine to send off, have it reblocked (wasn't really needed), brim ironed, a new sweat machine sewn in and a new liner. 2 ply ribbon worth about $1.00 sewn on as well. Their ribbon is also sewn on by hand. I even included my wooden hat block which the hat was originally shaped to so they could use it.

Got the invoice today. $108. total plus $35.00 shipping. What do you think on the prices? Good or bad or typical of the effort involved?

IMG_2827 (4).JPG
 
Last edited:
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Sounds pretty average. You can find hat shops who do it for a bit less, and lots that charge a lot more. My last new sweatband and shipping (no other work done) was $67.

Art Fawcett used to charge $100 for a new sweatband, light cleaning, re-blocked and flanged, new liner, and new ribbon/bow. Shipping was about $19 to me. It was a great deal.

My next refurbishment project is going here:

https://standardhatworks.com/hat-services

I bought a few blocks, flanges, and simple tools not to make hats but to save some money on basic hat work.
 
Messages
10,342
Location
vancouver, canada
I usually build my own hats using the best Winchester felt. It is just a hobby for me so everything is hand sewn on a hat I build. And no brim iron to give a nice sharp break.

Anyway I recently stripped the sweat and liner from a slightly used hat of mine to send off, have it reblocked (wasn't really needed), brim ironed, a new sweat machine sewn in and a new liner. 2 ply ribbon worth about $1.00 sewn on as well. Their ribbon is also sewn on by hand. I even included my wooden hat block which the hat was originally shaped to so they could use it.

Got the invoice today. $108. total plus $35.00 shipping. What do you think on the prices? Good or bad or typical of the effort involved?

View attachment 281837
I did a web search about a month ago to survey the market pricing for hat refurbishment. Pricing is all over the map. The price you received is certainly in line or at least not out of line with market average. His reblock is lower than average but his sewing of the sweat is much higher. There are some hat shops that charge a lot more and some a bit less. The $35 for shipping is high unless it was a huge brimmed western.
 
Messages
10,342
Location
vancouver, canada
Sounds pretty average. You can find hat shops who do it for a bit less, and lots that charge a lot more. My last new sweatband and shipping (no other work done) was $67.

Art Fawcett used to charge $100 for a new sweatband, light cleaning, re-blocked and flanged, new liner, and new ribbon/bow. Shipping was about $19 to me. It was a great deal.

My next refurbishment project is going here:

https://standardhatworks.com/hat-services

I bought a few blocks, flanges, and simple tools not to make hats but to save some money on basic hat work.
Holy crap....StandardHatWorks pricing is on the steep side for custom fedoras.
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Holy crap....StandardHatWorks pricing is on the steep side for custom fedoras.


Yeah, but their repair/refurbishment pricing seems to be fair.

I have two of their custom hats (fedora and a lords hat) that I got secondhand. Both are nice hats but nothing special. They focus on westerns these days.

$30 to replace a sweatband (includes the sweat and sewing it in).
$30 to bind a brim...Mikael at Hufvud is charging me $100 extra for a bound brim.
$35 to re-block

I also like that you can make an appointment and have all the work done to your specifications as you wait!
 
Last edited:
Messages
19,096
Location
Funkytown, USA
I did a web search about a month ago to survey the market pricing for hat refurbishment. Pricing is all over the map. The price you received is certainly in line or at least not out of line with market average. His reblock is lower than average but his sewing of the sweat is much higher. There are some hat shops that charge a lot more and some a bit less. The $35 for shipping is high unless it was a huge brimmed western.

They had to ship the block back.
 
Messages
10,342
Location
vancouver, canada
They had to ship the block back.
Yeah, but their repair/refurbishment pricing seems to be fair.

I have two of their custom hats (fedora and a lords hat) that I got secondhand. Both are nice hats but nothing special. They focus on westerns these days.

$30 to replace a sweatband (includes the sweat and sewing it in).
$30 to bind a brim...Mikael at Hufvud is charging me $100 extra for a bound brim.
$35 to re-block

I also like that you can make an appointment and have all the work done to your specifications as you wait!
Yes, that 'while you wait' is a great feature although I am not sure I would want the client watch me abuse his hat!
 

Yahoody

One Too Many
Messages
1,107
Location
Great Basin
Yes....a charge anyway. I am always amazed when a merchant will charge an extra $20 to make a buck and drive a long term repeat customer away. Not the money mind you but the feeling you've been taken advantage of. Knowing exactly how long that takes their seamstress, $48 to sew in a sweat gives me that feeling, as does $30 to sew on a $1.00 worth of hat band ribbon.

Best to just consider the $143. a lesson in trickle down economics I suspect.
 

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