Block or hand forming?

[qwerty]

What is better way of shaping a fedora? I never used blocks so I have no idea how it works but forming a shape with your hands is not hard at all.
Are blocks used only when you want to get the same shape over and over again?

 

[Matthew Dalton]

I would not claim to know enough about hats to tell you anything definitive. But I would personally opt for hand forming, as I think it would be better to give your hat's style imperfection and character, which makes it kind of unique.

 

[feltfan]

Some hats just won't take hand forming. There are
a number of reasons for this, such as the
type of felt (for example, very thick felt or wool felt or felt
that isn't dense enough) or the history of the hat (if it is
refusing to relinquish an old block you can end up with
an odd form). I'd stick to blocks for the Panamas, BTW.

I like hand formed felt hats. But some hats need a good
blocking and some hat forms aren't possible with hand
forming. You can always try hand forming and if it doesn't
work, get it blocked.