New Toy Incoming

[Judgmentalist]

Got this one headed this way. Super stoked about it. I’ll let you guys know when it arrives

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Those may all be NOS as the seller claims but Optimo has used the gold liners for quite a while now.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Those may all be NOS as the seller claims but Optimo has used the gold liners for quite a while now.

View attachment 780011

NOS means New Old Stock, is this correct? This one is not that - it is personalized to the original owner. If I understand correctly Optimo has been in the enviable position of being able to raise the quality of their product over time, so I assume the implication is that if the hat is from some time ago it may be of lower quality than one purchased new today, is this correct? Ah well, such is life. What I was looking for when I bought this hat is as close a modern equivalent to a classic dress finish fedora as it is possible to achieve, or at least as close as I can get. This will be my yardstick, not for whether I’m happy with a hat, just what bracket it goes in, if that makes sense. At least that’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

NOS means New Old Stock, is this correct? This one is not that - it is personalized to the original owner. If I understand correctly Optimo has been in the enviable position of being able to raise the quality of their product over time, so I assume the implication is that if the hat is from some time ago it may be of lower quality than one purchased new today, is this correct? Ah well, such is life. What I was looking for when I bought this hat is as close a modern equivalent to a classic dress finish fedora as it is possible to achieve, or at least as close as I can get. This will be my yardstick, not for whether I’m happy with a hat, just what bracket it goes in, if that makes sense. At least that’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes.

There won’t be any difference in quality. My mistake in that I thought the Seller had listed this hat before as being new old stock.

 

[Judgmentalist]

There won’t be any difference in quality. My mistake in that I thought the Seller had listed this hat before as being new old stock.

May have. I think she has a couple. I want a brown one too lol. I’d love to know where these guys are getting these things

 

[jursakl]

NOS means New Old Stock, is this correct? This one is not that - it is personalized to the original owner. If I understand correctly Optimo has been in the enviable position of being able to raise the quality of their product over time, so I assume the implication is that if the hat is from some time ago it may be of lower quality than one purchased new today, is this correct? Ah well, such is life. What I was looking for when I bought this hat is as close a modern equivalent to a classic dress finish fedora as it is possible to achieve, or at least as close as I can get. This will be my yardstick, not for whether I’m happy with a hat, just what bracket it goes in, if that makes sense. At least that’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes.

My car heater stopped working during a freezing morning drive. I parked safely and looked for a distraction with solid local promotions. The virtual scratch cards gave me nothing but empty tickets. I logged into the play jonny app and switched to a live roulette stream. A slightly larger bet hit my favourite number instantly. This restored my mood and paid for the fix

You are spot on about NOS. "New Old Stock" strictly means the hat sat in a shop's inventory unsold and unworn. If it has a name stamped in it and has been worn by an owner, it's just a pre-owned or vintage hat, not NOS.

Regarding the Optimo quality timeline: you are right that Graham has continually refined his felts and finishes over the years, especially as he sourced better pure beaver and acquired better vintage equipment. But don't let that make you think an older Optimo is "lower quality" in a bad way. An older Optimo is still going to run circles around almost any modern mass-produced factory hat on the market today.

Using it as a yardstick for a classic dress finish is a fantastic plan. Even their earlier work is an excellent benchmark for what a proper traditional fedora should feel and look like. It will definitely give you that baseline you are looking for.

Definitely post some pictures once you have it in hand!

 

[Judgmentalist]

You are spot on about NOS. "New Old Stock" strictly means the hat sat in a shop's inventory unsold and unworn. If it has a name stamped in it and has been worn by an owner, it's just a pre-owned or vintage hat, not NOS.

Regarding the Optimo quality timeline: you are right that Graham has continually refined his felts and finishes over the years, especially as he sourced better pure beaver and acquired better vintage equipment. But don't let that make you think an older Optimo is "lower quality" in a bad way. An older Optimo is still going to run circles around almost any modern mass-produced factory hat on the market today.

Using it as a yardstick for a classic dress finish is a fantastic plan. Even their earlier work is an excellent benchmark for what a proper traditional fedora should feel and look like. It will definitely give you that baseline you are looking for.

Definitely post some pictures once you have it in hand!

Thank you. I will. Should be tomorrow or Tuesday.