Slowly moving away from vintage and on to Akubra exclusively.

How to?

Who do you all order from?

Are they only available on-line in the U.S.?

How can you be sure which model you choose?

They seem rather pricey for something getting ordered, sight unseen!

Maybe it's just that we don't have many being worn around here.

I know one rancher who owns a couple, and I'm keeping my eye out for him at meetings, etc. so I can get a better look. He wears the broader brim style, sort of like the one in the movie "Australia."

And what's up with the wait? It seems there's a lot of discussion about long lag times.

Just wondering. Thanks,

Sam.

HatsDirect is very fast, and they keep many styles/colors in stock, but they are expensive:

http://www.hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?group=Fedora+Hats

Other dealers like Everything Australian primarily deal in country hats and only have a few fedoras, plus they keep less in stock (hence the dreaded three-month wait) - but both their base prices and shipping are cheaper:

http://www.everythingaustralian.com.au/displayproduct.asp?id=2&cat=Akubra

And yeah, it's a bit scary ordering the first time - you worry about sizing and how those big brims/crowns will look on you. But it generally works out very well: Akubras are simply great hats for the price, stylish but incredibly tough!

Worth a try

Thanks, Doc!

I'll have to see if I can sneak that much out of the house without my wife noticing!lol

What he said. I'll also throw in DavidMorgan.com and Noggintops.com. These are both Akubra retailers in the States and are typically more expensive than buying direct from Australia. David Morgan does offer some exclusives and his customer service is superb. Even at the slightly higher US market prices, Akubras are a steal.

Every time I decide I "need" a new hat, I start by carefully considering all makers who offer that general style, and then I wind up buying the Akubra.

I mean, purely for the sake of variety, I'd like to have a few more Biltmores, Christys', Borsalinos, and such sitting on my shelves, but I'm just so darned rational! That is to say, when I scrutinize the quality of the felt, the sweat, the overall construction, and, of course, a pleasing style, then consider the price, I virtually always purchase the Akubra.

In recent times, the most affordable was the $66 Stylemaster, including shipping, from Everything Australian I got back when the currency exchange rate was extremely favorable to the U.S. dollar, and the most expensive was the $190 Federation IV Deluxe, including shipping, I got from Hats Direct a couple months ago.

Sixty-six bucks for the Stylemaster was a slam-dunk easy decision, but nearly two C Notes for the Fed 4D gave me pause--until I considered what the competition offers and realized there really is none until you at least double that figure. Once in that price territory, you might as well go for an even-better custom hat from Art or Gus or Steve.

So, Akubra it almost always is.

Piggybacking on some previous comments:

Actually, all Akubras are made from a mixture of wild and hutch-raised rabbits; the premium Heritage Collection hats have a greater proportion of wild in their felt.

Felt made from 100% beaver fur is, in fact, the best. Although I don't own one, I have compared others' new and vintage beaves with top quality pure fur felt hats like Akubras both old and new. Yes, beaver is EVEN better, as it is pliable yet has body, soft yet extremely durable.

It would be great if Akubra would make a pure beaver fur felt hat, but I don't think the critters are native to Australia, and so it would have to import the fur and thereby lose control of the vertically integrated manufacturing process that is one of its keys to quality. So, that ain't gonna happen.

I'm saving up to get a custom beaver. In the meantime, I'll keep on buying Akubras.

through and through?

What about the rest of the quality?

Good leather sweat, or "bonded" leather?

And how are the liners?

Akubra

Since last fall, I have bought four Fed IV's from Hats Direct. I have been surprised how quickly they arrive-usually in a week. They arrive well packed and the hats themselves are the ones I like best, except for my vintage Dobbs light gray. They are easy to bash and even the 'standard' quality ones I have are very nicely made. I just wish they had a latte or silverbelly color.

The prices are at least $100 less than I would have paid at our local, and very fine hat shop, Batsakes (Gus Miller).

Sam Craig said:

What about the rest of the quality?

Good leather sweat, or "bonded" leather?

And how are the liners?

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I have 4 Campdrafts, 2 Squatters, 1 Kiandra, 1 Dallas & 1 Riverina fur felt Akubras. All are Imperial quality except the Squatters which are featherweights = no liners.
I have 2 with Red liners & the rest with white liners. All top notch compared to replacement liners I have from Optimo.
The sweatbands are leather, very nice when compared to modern Stetsons, like my Sovereing Roadmaster or Pinnacle.
The Campdrafts come a tad "fuzzy", meaning a little more pouncing could be done. I usually do this myself with ultra fine grit sandpaper before creasing.
These are good, rugged felt hats & a GREAT value for the price.

Akubra

I note the Stylemaster has a very similar shape to the Jaxon Bogart fedora but has the bound brim.

ScionPI2005 said:

I know the majority of folks here aren't really into the stingy brim Akubras, but does anyone have any experience with these two?

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While i don't own the hats you're looking at I did have a good look hands-on at them recently before buying my Hampton.

Both nice hats, very modern in a jazzy sort of way. My only issue was the raw edge on one and the welting on the other. I'm not a fan of welting at any time and I felt the unbound brim looked a bit rough on such a short shade...But that's just down to personal taste! I don't imagine you'd regret either purchase.

cr

liner color

I have 2 with Red liners & the rest with white liners. All top notch compared to replacement liners I have from Optimo.

Do you choose the liner color or does it just change from model to model?

Sam Craig said:

Do you choose the liner color or does it just change from model to model?

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I think it changes year to year as well. There are some that have gold tinted liners. No choice is offered that I know of = you get what you get...

liner colors

Gotcha,

Thanks

elvisroe said:

For me the vintage issue all comes down to size.

We do get vintage hats, Aussie and other, appearing from time to time down here but they are rarely bigger than a 7 which just doesn't cut it with a big noggen like mine. The other problem I've had is after years in the sun or on shelves the size on the tag no longer matches the actual size

I own 4 vintage lids but only one of them fits me. The others have become dress-ups for my daughter.

If I can get new hats I like for a reasonable price, why not?

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I'm in the same boat, matter of fact, I've quit looking at vintage hats. Each time I've bought one from eBay, it's been a horror type story. They're either WAY too small, or WAY too big, so why bother?

The Akubras I have are of the best quality for the money, and look great. I've looked at other modern brands, but can't get jazzed about buying them.. so why bother?

Randy

elvisroe said:

While i don't own the hats you're looking at I did have a good look hands-on at them recently before buying my Hampton.

Both nice hats, very modern in a jazzy sort of way. My only issue was the raw edge on one and the welting on the other. I'm not a fan of welting at any time and I felt the unbound brim looked a bit rough on such a short shade...But that's just down to personal taste! I don't imagine you'd regret either purchase.

cr

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Thanks for the info. I'm still considering it. One could be a future purchase; that is if I find a reason to buy another hat. :cool2:

MattJH said:

There's no denying it; I'm going to have to unload some of these oldies. I'm sure you fellow bigheads are all very upset to hear this!

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I'd sure be interested in looking at your vintage stock when you decide to part with it - especially the Bott, sounds intriguing, a vintage hat that fits! The only vintage hat I ever had was a NOS Cavanagh, which I wore daily and completely destroyed over the years as a callow yute - I wish that lid was in good shape now!

I feel the same way about my Stetsons that you feel about Akubra - they are what I automatically grab on the way out the door, and always look right. I never felt the same way about the Akubras I had (and sold), but I certainly see how they fill the same role, especially at such a favorable price/quality ratio.

Akubra Stingy Brim

Well, after considering for a short while, I went ahead and bought the Akubra Stingy Brim fedora from hatsdirect.com. I got it in the mail just yesterday. Here's a picture of it for those who are curious what a stingy brimmed hat by Akubra looks like.



I really like it so far. It's a very light fur felt that is unlined, so it may be fairly comfortable up until the hotter summer months. It's also fairly snazzy and casual, so should be good for less conservative outings.

Hey everyone! It's been a long time. I just wanted to pop in, say hello, and follow-up that this thread finally came to fruition. As of the past 6 months or so, the only hats I own are my custom Vintage Silhouette from Art Fawcett, and my Akubra Federation IV Standards in both Dark Brown and Carbon Grey. I've gone through so many vintage hats over the years - Borsalinos and Cavanaghs, Crofut & Knapp and Adam and Bott and Dobbs, Knox and Stetson, a treasured MacLachlan... and they were all really, really nice. I finally came to a point, though, where I never reached for them. So here I am today; three hats, and doing alright. I don't come around here that often anymore, but I still wanted to say hi, and thank everyone for all of the input you gave me while I searched for the right hat(s) for me. Other than an extremely sour eBay transaction, my experience interacting with everyone here was remarkably pleasant. Thumbs up just about all around.

And please continue sending your hats to Oscar at South Street Hats in Philly for repairs! Every time I bump into him, he mentions how nice it is to work with people from here. He likes hearing that you're from the Lounge when you call or come in. Makes his day.

Hope I'm finding you all well.

ScionPI2005 said:

Well, after considering for a short while, I went ahead and bought the Akubra Stingy Brim fedora from hatsdirect.com. I got it in the mail just yesterday. Here's a picture of it for those who are curious what a stingy brimmed hat by Akubra looks like.

I really like it so far. It's a very light fur felt that is unlined, so it may be fairly comfortable up until the hotter summer months. It's also fairly snazzy and casual, so should be good for less conservative outings.

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NICE, NICE looking hat ! I like the proportions, color and ribbon work! Works well with your head and face shape . Since you are going Aussie so to speak, have you thought of trying a Stylmaster for your next Akubra ? It might work as well for you.