Not All Hats Are Created Equal!

By Hat Doctor, www.hatdoctor.com

First and foremost you want to know what type of felt the hat is made of. The best quality felt is made of 100% beaver fur and the lowest quality is 100% wool. A middle of the road felt is made of rabbit fur and/or some blend of all of the above.

The natural properties of beaver fur allow it to meld together easily achieving the best density to maintain the final desired shape of the hat; it’s also water repellent so this is still true when your hat gets wet. In order to get wool or rabbit to felt well and maintain a hat shape, lacquer is used making the end product heavy and hot because the fibres can’t breathe. It’s kind of like putting a plastic bag on your head and a toque on top. Plus if it gets wet, the lacquer runs out and the hat loses its shape.

You may have heard of a beaver/mink blend hat. The only thing the mink does in this felt is add a bit of a sheen to it. That, and a good excuse for the hatter, to take more of your money!

You’re probably wondering about “X”s. It’s common

Doctor’s Note:

Way back when, hatters used mercury to felt fur to make hats. They needed a way to caution customers that a dangerous product was used in the making of hats. It was decided that a ribbon bow most closely resembled the skull and cross-bone danger symbol.

Today, there is no mercury in the felting process nor is it done by hatters anymore. However, we still put the bow in every hat we make in honour of all the hatters who went mad performing their craft so long ago. That’s where the “mad hatter” expression comes from.

P.S. the bow goes at the back.

“knowledge” that the best hat is a “100X” hat. That used to be true!

The X rating system for hats was first introduced by Stetson. At that time, 100X meant 100% beaver, 50X was 50% beaver, etc. Sadly, there is no industry standard and this X system has become nothing more than a marketing scheme. Hatters arbitrarily assign X ratings to their hats. Some call their 100% beaver 500X or 1000X; there are Xs in straw hats… what does that mean? A beaver walked by it?!??

So try to forget the old adage of the Xs and instead ask “HOW MUCH BEAVER” is in the felt?! 100% beaver is THE BEST quality hat you can buy, period.

The next thing to consider is if the hat is manufactured or hand-made. In a manufactured hat, the sweatband is secured by sewing machine. This process creates a perforation between the crown and the brim all the way around the hat. When it’s done by hand there are only 25-30 needle holes in the hat body. This is very important in the life expectancy of your hat. When your hat is cleaned and renovated, it’s necessary to pull on the brim to block it. Depending on the severity of the perforation created by the sewing machine, it becomes very easy for the brim to rip away from the crown during the re-blocking. So, hand-sewn sweatband is the way to go.

Of course size is important; not only the size, but the shape of your head. 80% of people have a long oval head. Because of that, almost 100% of hats in stores are long oval. If you have a regular oval head then, generally speaking, hats in stores will bite you on the sides but be too big in the front and the back. Many people are between sizes. If that’s the case, go with the bigger size because hats ALWAYS shrink! While it’s too big, you can easily stuff your sweatband until it shrinks. If on the other hand, it’s too tight from the start, it will just keep getting tighter. Tight is NOT what keeps your hat on your head; all that does is give you a headache.

To keep your hat on your head, it needs to be the right size and shape for your head so that it touches all the way around.

Beware of custom! A custom made hat is one that is made specifically for your head, your size and your shape. It is not a standard hat/block size. Some hatters have manufactured hats in multiple sizes sitting on the shelf with an open (no shape) crown and flat brim. They then bash (shape) whatever style you want into that manufactured hat and call it “custom.”

If you can walk into a place, buy a hat and walk out with it on the spot, it’s NOT a custom made hat.

Last but not least are colour and style. Choose a colour that best compliments your eyes and your skin tone. You’d be amazed at how the right colour can shave years off your age! Remember that black is the devil when it comes to dust and dirt. Style is very much personal preference. When picking your style, consider the height of the crown and the width of the brim. The current standard for both is 4”. A wide band will make your crown look shorter but it will also make a wider faded strip on your crown which will not allow you to replace it with a narrower band in the future. In general, the style you are attracted to will look good on you.

The rule of thumb dictates big person, big hat and little person, little hat but who likes rules anyway?!

“At Hat Doctor all of our hats are custom made by hand of 100% beaver fur felt. When we measure your head, we get both your size and the shape of your head, which we iron into the hat when we make it. We help you choose the colour, the style of the crown, the style of the brim and the decorative band for your best possible hat. Contact us to make an appointment.”

(See their listing in our Business Services section under HATS & ACCESSORIES)