hat advice

[bearhunter16]

is wool fedoras able to stand up to work use ? construction, working around house ,etc ?

 

[RJR]

is wool fedoras able to stand up to work use ? construction, working around house ,etc ?

The short answer is "no",there are exceptions but not many,imo.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Forget wool. Spend a little more and get yourself a rabbit-fur Akubra... it will laugh off whatever you throw at it.

 

[TheDane]

"TFL-myth" says "no" ... reality shows us something very different

Very durable wool hats have been made for centuries in the Alps - both for outdoor work and "dress occasions". Steve has posted several of them in the "German And Austrian Hutmacher" thread - and even more on his own site.

I'm told, that some Central European hatters still make wool hats of very high quality - just as durable as most, made from fur felt. I don't believe any American hatters or manufacturers do so, though. It seems like, two skill-sets never made it across the Atlantic with the rest of the hatmaking trade:
1) The making of quality wool hats
2) The making of luxurious velour hats

If you rely on the "standard" (US) hat market, it'll probably be hard to find a quality wool hat. It may very well be possible, if you check Central European niches, though

 

[EstherWeis]

Well it really depends on the quality of your wool felt.

99,9% of the time I work with rabbit,beaver,cashmere etc.
But there is one quality that in wool that I can make peace with so to speak.

Made in poland ( spot on TheDane) and they wear really nice and hold up well for a wool.
They are nice to the touch too, not that scratchy wooly feel.
It's a bit up there in price for a wool, but still well under a fur felt.

 

[scottyrocks]

The biggest problem with wool fedoras is shrinkage due to moisture.

I have a black woolie that I use for manual labor. It has been thorough quite a lot and still looks like a fedora.

If you're working around the house, who cares what it looks like?

 

[TheDane]

Well it really depends on the quality of your wool felt.

Indeed, as always

The biggest problem with wool fedoras is shrinkage due to moisture

"... with some wool fedoras ..."

Vintage Alpine and Central European wool fedoras are almost as stable as most fur felt fedoras. As said, I've been told, that a few makers still provide high quality wool hats. I haven't handled any of these myself, though.

Most poor quality hats will shrink with moisture, heat and movement. That is, what make fur and wool felt in the first place. Felter and hatter may use more or less efficient ways of decatising the felt and make it stop felting, when the hat is finished. This is obviously easier with fur felt, but it can also be done with properly treated wool and the right skills.

Maybe Steve knows of European makers, still making quality wool hats?

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

So from the discussion, we learn that we can seek the mythical wool source for an unknown price or go with a known quality and durable hat from Akubra from several vendors which list prices about $125 USD delivered.

Seriously, most of the very low cost wool hats will not hold up for long and you would be better served by buying a quality felt hat from Akubra or one of the custom hatters on the FL. If you are just dipping a toe into the hat pool, go with an Akubra for your first hat and learn more about them before trading up.

 

[emigran]

PLease let us see what you purchase...