wool felt / fur felt difference

[delfargo]

this is probably a stupid question, but here it goes...
what is the difference between fur felt & wool felt? i get that wool felt is made out of, well, wool.
is fur felt, then, made out of fur? like animal fur? if so, what kind?
just curious.
thanx.

 

[scottyrocks]

Welcome. Basically, fur felt is rabbit, hare, or beaver fur, or some blend.

There are dozens of threads about wool and fur hats. The search function works well. Honestly, you will find more than you bargained for.

 

[m0nk]

The true differences though are in quality and durability. Wool hats have a tendency to shrink with time and exposure to moisture. Fur hats don't shrink if they're made well, and if they do it's so minor that you won't notice. They also withstand elements and time a lot better.

Another difference you'll see is in the general appearance and feel to the hat. Wool can be heavy but floppy and look misshapen while fur is thinner, lighter, and holds it's shape a lot better.

Many hat addicts start with wool and move to fur rather quickly once they realize these differences.

 

[John in Covina]

Generally you will see the consensus that while wool felt will be serviceable for a while it's lifetime is much shorter than fur felt. There is a youtube clip that describes how Akubra from Australia makes their fur felt hat bodies. You can search for that.

Wool is in deed a fur from sheep but it is sheared. Fur felt is not sheared. The animal pelts are handled so the fur may be removed. In fur the fibers are matted on a special machine that blows the fur against a screen and it builds up. A hands on position mostly since it takes a measured eye to make good hat bodies.

you will find that even a daily worn hat of many years can be cleaned and refurbishedif fur felt. Wool doesn't lend itself to that expense.

 

[alanfgag]

Wool is in deed a fur from sheep but it is sheared. Fur felt is not sheared.

I believe that fur felt is sheared too, but unlike with sheep, the animal is dead and skinned when this happens.

 

[Undertow]

As Scotty mentioned, you'll want to search on this topic. This has been discussed pretty thoroughly in a dozen or more threads.

 

[gtdean48]

Lots of things will "felt" together, even the stuff you get off your clothes dryer lint filter.
Rabbit, hare, beaver & nutria fur felts tighter as the fur has barbs that cling & mat together to make a tough material.
Wool does the same thing but is more coarse & doesn't tighten up like those above.
Felt, even in new hats, will continue "felting" over time until it reaches "dead felt" stage.
This is why some vintage hats reach an incredible state, if protected from the dreaded moth larvae.

Do some searching & reading as suggested = lots of good info around the Lounge. Welcome....

 

[Socially Distorted]

Anti wool felt?

I'm new to the world of brimmed hats and have noticed whilst browsing different threads that there seems to be a kind of "wool felt fedoras aren't really worth bothering with" sentiment.

I understand the obvious quality difference between a good fur felt hat and a cheap wool one but I don't get the downer on wool hats some people seem to have.

I have, for example, a very fine vintage Bates fur felt but for everyday wear I stick to a cheap jaxon wool felt that "does the job". Is it a case of authenticity or just quality determining peoples opinions on what constitutes a hat worth wearing?

 

[Blackthorn]

I think the big deal is that fur will "do the job" for decades but wool wears out much quicker, falling apart eventually.

 

[mayserwegener]

I think the big deal is that fur will "do the job" for decades but wool wears out much quicker, falling apart eventually.

It all depends on the wool and processing methods. I have old (pre WWII) wool hats and wool / fur blends (soft and stiff felt) that have survived extremely heavy wear. For example this 1930s Wool B&B soft felt. This hat doesn't feel like a soft fur felt but it has definitely survived very heavy wear. This hat isn't my size but if it was it would need some heavy cleaning (check the link below)!

Notice mention of "Decateered" process.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/7-bruder-bohm-hutfabrik/page-2#entry798

 

[tonyb]

Blasphemy alert!

I got nothing against wool felt hats. If what you want is a low-priced hat that you won't kick yourself over losing or sitting on, or a hat you wouldn't hesitate handing off to some girl who looks real cute in it, well, by all means, buy a cheap wool hat.

But don't pay something in excess of a hundred bucks for a 40 dollar hat. There are retailers now charging such sums for all-wool hats. And there are apparently enough people paying those prices for those retailers to keep on charging those amounts.

 

[mayserwegener]

Blasphemy alert!

I got nothing against wool felt hats. If what you want is a low-priced hat that you won't kick yourself over losing or sitting on, or a hat you wouldn't hesitate handing off to some girl who looks real cute in it, well, by all means, buy a cheap wool hat.

But don't pay something in excess of a hundred bucks for a 40 dollar hat. There are retailers now charging such sums for all-wool hats. And there are apparently enough people paying those prices for those retailers to keep on charging those amounts.

It's possible to make a high quality wool hat (I just posted one) or blend (yes there were beaver - wool blends). Some were at the highest price point (for example vicuña ).

 

[Hercule]

It's possible to make a high quality wool hat (I just posted one) or blend (yes there were beaver - wool blends). Some were at the highest price point (for example vicuña ).

And of course it also depends ultimately on how you treat your hat. Please do search for other threads on this subject if you are so interested. You'll find that hypocrisy abounds, especially in this topic.

 

[mayserwegener]

I have come across a good amount of information from pre WWII German / Austrian sources on Wool processing for hats (soft and stiff). Today you still see very durable Trachten hats made of wool (Loden) or a Loden - Fur blend. If you look at this old Austrian catalog you will see many Fur (Filz/Fur Felt, Biber/Beaver) - Wool (Wol, Loden, Melange). Some of the Loden hats are at the highest price point. Also the Fur / Wool blends.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/134-alois-pichler-hut-niederlage-wien/

In general (today and in the past) the lowest price point hats were made of wool. The problem is that line of thinking isn't always applicable (see what I posted above and many times before).

 

[Preacher Man]

Welcome to the Lounge delfargo! You'll enjoy it and you'll learn a whole lot as you become more and more addicted to this hat "sickness"!! You asked a good question sir, the same question we all wondered about when we started our hat wearing hobby. I'll have to second what Blackthorn and Tonyb said. They are exactly right. I purchased a wool hat when I started several years ago, it was my first hat, and my last wool hat. That's when I learned what Blackthorn and Tonyb say here is true. Yes wool felt is cheaper than a beaver or rabbit felt, but the quality of the felt, the looks of the hat , the way it fits and feels, and it's long term durability is far beneath that of a fur felt hat. Welcome again to the Lounge! Enjoy it and become an active participant, you'll learn and make some good lounge friends. I have and I'm still learning!

 

[Hat Dandy]

I was fortunate to have a tailor in the family (my Italian grandfather) who "recommended" that I purchase quality fur hats over wool hats. Although there are some decent wool hats to be found, I invariably preferred the fur felt ones. For an extra $30 to $50, a modest amount in my opinion, you get much better quality hat.

 

[mayserwegener]

This place is impossible!

 

[alanfgag]

Lol!

 

[tonyb]

How long have you had that hat, Steve?

 

[Daniele Tanto]

The "secret" is, or better was, in the weaving of woll.
I'm not an expert, but I notice that the best Italian hatters are (were) in the same area where the woll was produced from many years.
Most of the rain hats I saw when I was a child (on this side of the Alps and on the others), on every men here and there, are mostly in woll - loden - melange and in every felt tissue wool is the main component. Yes there are also some fur felt hats, but they are more precious and expensive.
Fur felt is better, but not underrate the woll hats.