#HATitude® 101: Hat Qualities

When it comes to quality there are no industry standards or government regulations. Because of a lack of government regulations, it’s important to know who made your hat and what their standards are.

Every hatmaker is different.

Our hats are thinner, lighter weight, more weather resistant, more durable, and last longer. They clean up better and hold their shape better. Guaranteed not to rip, run or snag. They make conception a wonder and childbirth a pleasure, that’s Pure Beaver #HATitude®.

In the early 19th century, men would use an “X” to grade a beaver pelt when shipping it to Europe, to make a standard between old world and new world communications. The bigger and nicer the pelt was, the more X’s were marked on the back.

Jump ahead to the 1940s–each X meant it was made of 10% beaver and cost $10.00. You could look inside a 10X hat and know it was made up of 100 percent beaver and cost $100.

As consumerism grew over the years, big companies started to do whatever they wanted with the X markings and things got a little wild. The original “X Games” were born. These less honest companies started adding more X’s to the inside of their hats while the hat bodies were actually made of less quality. Since that time, 100X, 500X, and even 1000X hats became available to the public at all kinds of prices. 

This is why we don’t use X’s here at Greeley Hat Works. 

Our blends, weights, and the stiffness of our bodies are exclusive to us. We have relationships with three of the top felt makers in the world and have worked tirelessly with their teams to achieve perfection with our own hat “recipe”. 

The hat bodies you find on our website and in our shop are made of fine European hare, beaver. The beaver hair we use is only the finest belly hair, the best part of the beaver pelt. European hare is as close to beaver hair as anything else. A special type of rabbit, the European hare is durable and more commonly available than beaver.

The more beaver hair used in the hat body, the more durable the hat will be. For example, a pure beaver hat is the most durable, holds its shape the best, is easier to clean, and is, in general, more weather resistant.

Greeley Hat Works Qualities

Classic

This is our entry-level hat. This is a European hare blend comparable to our competitor’s 10X to 15X hat.

Competitor

Our Competitor quality is available in a very wide range of colors, so this is the most common quality people start with when building their #HATitude®. The Competitor is a higher quality European hare blend than our Classic comparable to other’s 20X to 30X hat.

Beaver20

The Beaver20 quality is 20% beaver blended with our higher-quality European hare. This hat is thinner, lighter weight, more weather-resistant, and durable than our Competitor quality comparable to a 40X or better.

Pure Beaver

This quality is self-explanatory. It’s 100% beaver and is our most popular quality. A little more expensive up front, but cheaper in the long run. If you ride a horse every day, you don’t buy a cheap work saddle. Why would you skimp on a hat? Our customers wear their pure beaver hats every day, outside, in all kinds of weather for 20 or more years–the quality is that good.

Quality Sweatband

The quality of our hats doesn’t end with our hat bodies. The sweatband in your hat is also incredibly important. Your sweatband is next to your skin, absorbing your sweat, and it needs to last as long as your hat body. 

It’s common for sweatbands to be made of synthetic leather, plastic, bonded leather, and other elements. All of our hats start with fine hand-reeded roan leather sweatband, and we never offer anything other than leather for our sweatbands. We also offer a raw leather sweatband that grips your head a little more than our standard sweatband.

Ciara

10 Comments

  1. Russ Petcoff on January 8, 2021 at 11:20 am

    Good afternoon. Saw your post from Jan. 5 that stated the following:
    Our hats are thinner, lighter weight, more weather resistant, more durable, and last longer. They clean up better and hold their shape better. Guaranteed not to rip, run or snag. They make conception a wonder and childbirth a pleasure, that’s Pure Beaver #HATitude®.
    Learn more about our hat qualities and what sets Greeley Hat Works apart from others. For example, why we don’t use “X’s” to mark our quality.

    I hae a question. I recently purchased a Tracker that you made for Big D Speed shop. Is it’s quality the same as above? What are the characteristics and qualities of that hat? Thank you.

    • Ciara on January 19, 2021 at 9:28 am

      Hi Russ,

      That is an excellent question! All of our Tracker hats from Big D Speed Shop range from our superior 15-20X and consist of 100% Fine European Hare. This means our Tracker hats are lighter weight and less stiff than other Western hats. They will not rip, run, or snag and your hat will last you a very good amount of time. If you ever need your hat re-shaped or re-sized our employees can happily do this In-house, for zero cost, whenever you would like!

  2. Ryan Lee on December 1, 2022 at 3:00 pm

    What about the pure roughie?

    • Bonnie on December 2, 2022 at 1:42 pm

      The Pure Roughie is an exclusive style! The styles you see listed in this post are our stock qualities. For more information about what styles we have in stock feel free to give our store a call or email care@greeleyhatworks.com!

  3. David Lawless on December 12, 2022 at 6:22 pm

    What quality is the “Rip Wheeler” hat from Yellowstone? Is it 100% beaver? Is it weatherproof? Etc.

    • Bonnie on December 13, 2022 at 8:51 am

      Hello David! The replica we sell is made of a Fine European Hare. However, we can make it in any quality you would like! I recommend contacting our store for pricing and more information! Our Pure Beaver is our most weather resistant quality!

  4. Jonathan on January 10, 2023 at 11:46 pm

    Hello,

    What is the TJ7 composed of?

    • Bonnie on January 11, 2023 at 10:48 am

      Our TJ7 quality is made of a European Hare Blend. Superior to others 10x qualities.

  5. connie williams on March 4, 2023 at 11:37 am

    do you still make the hat called “ the chosen” that you made for King Baby?
    thank you

    • Bonnie on March 6, 2023 at 8:50 am

      Hello Connie! I recommend reaching out to our customer care team to see if that is a hat that we can make for you! care@greeleyhatworks.com

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