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Dan718

One of the Regulars
Messages
125
IMG_5360.jpeg
Experimenting with creases on my Akubra CD, after my initial fedora crease, I put in a cattleman crease, but that immediately too it to far into cowboy hat territory; I’m English, it just feels weird to me, to go full cowboy, so I took it out again.

I then went back to a simple crease and quite wide front pinch, wanting to respect what the hat wants to do while taking my face shape into consideration, especially since I had my annual shearing recently and my face looks smaller as a result.
It currently has a height of 10cm (3.93 inches) front and back. To my eye it looks kind of Open Road-ish, minus the cattlemen.
I’m interested to know the conventional wisdom on front creases?
 

The Lost kansan

One of the Regulars
Messages
158
View attachment 778575 Experimenting with creases on my Akubra CD, after my initial fedora crease, I put in a cattleman crease, but that immediately too it to far into cowboy hat territory; I’m English, it just feels weird to me, to go full cowboy, so I took it out again.

I then went back to a simple crease and quite wide front pinch, wanting to respect what the hat wants to do while taking my face shape into consideration, especially since I had my annual shearing recently and my face looks smaller as a result.
It currently has a height of 10cm (3.93 inches) front and back. To my eye it looks kind of Open Road-ish, minus the cattlemen.
I’m interested to know the conventional wisdom on front creases?
The crease style you have here looks really good in my opinion. Similar vibe to Frank hamer’s hat (the real one not the Costner Optimo)
 

Judgmentalist

A-List Customer
Messages
381
Hello :) I'm new here. Just figuring things out. Most forums have a "this is where you go before you start asking stupid questions that get asked 60 times a day" section, but I can't seem to find it here. I also can't seem to find a "new people intro" section. Please advise. Thanks in advance.
 

Dan718

One of the Regulars
Messages
125
The Squatter is a thicker felt. But honestly not much of a difference.
In that case I’m glad I got the Campdraft.
Hello :) I'm new here. Just figuring things out. Most forums have a "this is where you go before you start asking stupid questions that get asked 60 times a day" section, but I can't seem to find it here. I also can't seem to find a "new people intro" section. Please advise. Thanks in advance.
you’ve come to the right thread though. This is the ‘there are. I stupid question’ thread.
Welcome.
 

jeffgarf

One Too Many
Messages
1,156
Location
Jerusalem, Israel

jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,231
Location
San Francisco, CA
Optimo is very likely the best hat you can buy.

Older Optimos were made with different felts, so it's possible this is a regular beaver, or blended fur mix. My Dillinger is a blend, for example. Currently, Optimo uses Silver beaver bodies, using only the furs from the belly (where we get the name Silverbelly). Their colors are exclusive to them, and change yearly.

As an aside: long story short, all 100% beaver felts are not created equal, because there are different grades of fur. So while other hatters can source from the same felt manufacturer (FEPSA in Portugal), they will not be the same quality as what Optimo uses. If an independent hatter were to sell themself as having comparable hat bodies, that would not be 100% honest.

Optimo also uses a range of equipment and processes that not all independent hatters have access to. Not all hatters have a finger blocker, as one example. Decatization is another. They sure are expensive, but they're not giving you nothing for that extra money.
 

Judgmentalist

A-List Customer
Messages
381
Optimo is very likely the best hat you can buy.

Older Optimos were made with different felts, so it's possible this is a regular beaver, or blended fur mix. My Dillinger is a blend, for example. Currently, Optimo uses Silver beaver bodies, using only the furs from the belly (where we get the name Silverbelly). Their colors are exclusive to them, and change yearly.

As an aside: long story short, all 100% beaver felts are not created equal, because there are different grades of fur. So while other hatters can source from the same felt manufacturer (FEPSA in Portugal), they will not be the same quality as what Optimo uses. If an independent hatter were to sell themself as having comparable hat bodies, that would not be 100% honest.

Optimo also uses a range of equipment and processes that not all independent hatters have access to. Not all hatters have a finger blocker, as one example. Decatization is another. They sure are expensive, but they're not giving you nothing for that extra money.
Thank you.
 

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