Often my clients ask me the difference between building a rabbit fur felt hat or a beaver fur felt hat. Below are a few quick pointers I give them:
I firstly want to point out that the fur felts used by LWx are of the upmost, topnotch, felts in the nation. I have petitioned the question to a few fellow hat makers of what they'd akin the quality of the fur felts that we procure and they've resoundingly responded as I might. We do not look to advertise a "x" rating on our hats, but collectively we can assure the quality of our fur felts are equivalent to that of a 1000x Stetson due to the quality of fur, the consistency of the felt (thickness), and the true color displayed by the felt.
*For more on why the big-box hat maker is so exorbitantly priced, subscribe to our blog.*
Rabbit fur felt hats are going to be more cost effective, rabbit is easily shaped but is not as good at holding up to wet weather, a light rain is fine, but if you were caught in a storm your rabbit felt may need a little TLC afterwards. Taken care of a Rabbit fur felt hat can last you a lifetime. I love rabbit fur felts because of the diversity in color I can offer my clients! From mustard to old rose, sky blue to dark navy, we really can bring any color to life. Rabbit fur felts offer an affordable option to those who are just dipping their toes into the world of wearing hats or for someone looking to make a bold statement with a unique color.
A Blend of 50/50 fur felt hats. We are so fortunate that our suppliers make a 50/50 equal parts blend of rabbit and beaver. In my opinion it is the best of both worlds for individuals who are not looking to spend the amount that a pure beaver hat may cost. It is 50% more tolerant to weather, 50% softer, and 50% more likely to see your grandchild up on a horse of their own, or dressing up for 'Western Day' at school, sporting the same hat.
Beaver fur felt hats Beaver is a more luxurious product. Deciding to purchase a beaver hat is an investment. Beaver can hold up to any storm you throw at it and not loose integrity or shape. The beaver fur felt that LWx works with is so top-notch that the hat could be a true generational piece to pass down as an heirloom. We do not currently offer anything besides 100% Beaver, most hat stores can offer hats that are 10x, 20x, 40x, etc.
What's the brighter side to all of this?
Some (and I mean very few) small business's in the US have started to trap and process the animal commonly known as Nutria as a suitable substitute for the widely rare beaver fur felts. Once again, I know what you're all thinking, at least the women who were born in the early and mid 90's remember the movie... The Princess Bride.
Oh lord, I had nightmares about that movie, but I couldn't stop watching it.
The large rodents that emerged from the forest in one scene ( if you know you know) those, my mother quickly qualified as over glorified monsters were, Nutria. An animal considered over populated in the USA... I have yet to see how their quality ranks against beaver since I've not yet had the opportunity to purchase such a felt, they're as sold out as beaver is right now.
Now that you know way more than you bargained for opening this blog post, I hope you feel informed and empowered to commission your own custom, handmade hat with LWx. I would love the chance to work with you and create the hat of your dreams.
Until next time,
Laura