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Several heimishe hat stores told me there’s no style advantages for a yeshiva guy to get a Borsalino rather than another brand fedora. They all look pretty much the same. The only advantage is they are of a higher quality and thus last longer. But longer-lasting quality simply boils down to a dollars-and-cents decision. If you can pay a third of the price for another brand that lasts half as long as a Borsalino, you are clearly better off purchasing the off-brand rather than wasting money on a Borsalino.
Are the hat stores correct in assessing that Borsalino fedoras have the same look as other brands? If a guy walked in to a shul wearing a black fedora, could you state with pinpoint accuracy whether or not it is a Borsalino? Are there no other brands that manufacture hats that look just like the Borsalino’s look?
If, indeed, one can procure off brand hats that look just as well as an entry-level Borsalino, is the only reason some folks pay more for a Borsalino is solely due to its higher quality? Or is a large part of the reason due to the perceived reaction they fear others will have of them should people r’l notice the label inside the hat during the times it is not being worn?
Gentlemen of the jury, the verdict is now in your hands!
1. Yes, Borsalinos look different.
2. You are making up your numbers: 3 times as much and last twice as long. Maybe they last 3 times as long and cost twice as much?
I like brandolinos better. I never did well with borsalinos, they were to soft and got misshapen too easily for me. It could be i mistreated them, but i did better with brandolino (ferster). I also like the way they look, but that’s a matter of opinion. My opinion must be unpopular, because many stores carry borsalinos and ad far as i know only ferster carries brandolino.
I’ve never tried Brandolino, but Borsalinos look better than any brand I’ve seen, on anyone I’ve seen try both.
YYBKC:
If your borsalino became misshapen quickly, then you were either cheated or mistreated it. Borsalinos keep their shape better than virtually any other popular make, in my experience (granted, there may be exceptions that prove the rule).
As regards looks, that is truly, as you say, a matter of personal taste, but I prefer borsalinos, both when new, and due to the fact that they keep their shape.
As regards brandolino, they have improved as of the past few years but they are still very stiff (which most hat aficionados, which I do not claim to be, would count as a major flaw) and lose their integrity over time. So whilst I can understand preferring other hats to borsalino, or making the perfectly understandable argument that they are far too expensive, saying that Brandolino is preferable due to it’s superior quality is, in my opinion, quite far off the mark.
I am speaking due to my experience with a Trionfo, and a Brandolino with the red inside. My opinion is generally unpopular, most people i know like Borsalino better. The price difference is insignificant.
any real ben torah can tell an off brand a mile away.
If you NEED a Borsalino you’re not a real Ben Torah.
Maybe you need a borsalino for your gadlus haadam because you’re a mench. Also the pinches in a borsalino are made by hand I.e. Off center
Irony detector broken
My opinion on style is worth no less than a hat seller’s. It might be worth more, because I have no financial interest.
Why did straw hats on Yeshiva Bochrim go the way of the dinosaurs? you rarely see them anymore but back in the day all the bochrim wore them and some would were suits that were not black also, and also clean shaven was the norm.
I have heard that shtreimalach don’t come out more expensive than hats; because over 40 years, they both cost the same $2500. (1×2500=/<15×180). Any chassidim on the CR that can verify or disclaim this? I don’t know the going rate for either, or how long hats and shtreimlach last the average consumer.
no big deal wear any hat
YYBC, since shtraimlach are worn only on Shabbos, Yuntif (Chassidish spelling), and at simchas, (a) they last longer, and (b) they supplement, rather than replace, black hats. I have no idea how Chassidish black hats compare in price to Borsalinos.
I’m talking about shabbos hats. This is an old shaalah, do you get a new hat when you need a new weekday hat or a new shabbos hat?
When I had my bar mitzvah, most people did not get Borsalinos. They cost way more than the other hats out there. Stetsons were popular, as were Roches. If you got a Borsalino, you were a big deal!
I remember that when I was about 17, one store had a huge sale on Borsalinos. My father bought one for himself. It was the first time he had a Borsalino. Until then, he had a Stetson Key Club.
Lior:
Cos’ they keep their shape over along time, are easy to reshape if necessary, and, in my limited experience, often look noticeably better than certain inferior brands, and in this I include Brandolino. Still, al taam vehareiyach…
When did style become more I important than substance? If a yeshiva bochur is concerned with the style and name brand, rather than the reason he is wearing a hat, he falls short of my image of what a Ben Torah is supposed to be.
how they “look noticeably better”
Mostly shape. A well shaped hat vs. a cheap one makes the entire face look better.
When did style become more I important than substance?
They want both. Didn’t you buy a “new” (albeit relatively affordable) shaitel for your son’s chasunah? I’m sure there were other wardrobe/makeup/jewelry expenses as well, for you and others in your family as well. Wasn’t the “substance” the simcha, not appearance? The answer is that we care about both. Caring about one’s appearance doesn’t mean the person is shallow and lacking substance (although to an extreme, it does, a Borsalino is not extreme).
Not as well. Of course, you’re entitled to disagree, walk around with a $25 shmatta on your head, and think it’s just as nice. 🙂
Every hat starts off shaped the same, or basically the same. The question is how well that holds.
No, but it’s the best I’ve seen.
The former.
Yes Boraslinos are better in every way. A, The look is by far much better on a person,( why would people be diffrent hats for Shabbos or have a diffrent hat at all for Shabbos)) ??? ???(. It’s a better hat. 2nd they are not stiff like other cheap hats. 3rd, they’re much lighter then those cheap hats which weight a ton and could bother you during davening. 4rth- Make sure you have a travel box to keep it in good use. 5 Make sure you buy it form a place that doesn’t just stack them one top of another, but from a real place where it’s in box already. 6 Buy it during Bein Hazmanim. You get better rates, or if you buy with a friend, you can get batter rate, just look around. Unfortunately these day there mead expensive and keep going up. But remember you get what you pay for
The shape is the same, Borsalino just had a nicer finish, since it is higher quality. There ate a couple of exceptions to the shape rule, but you’ll be hard pressed to see the difference between a Roche or a Borsalino from 5 feet away.
Yayin, I assume you meant to say that since it has a nicer finish, it is considered of better quality.
I would think people would like to replace a hat every couple of years so why not save the money for that occasion rather than spend a lot on one that lasts longer than your tastes? From my personal experience, I buy a hat based on how good it looks on me, not the brand. Maybe that’s simplistic but getting hung up on brand names just limits your choices. I’ve seen enough people wearing hats that to me don’t look good on them. I guess they feel differently, but it was seem a shame to spend a lot of money on a hat that doesn’t enhance your appearance.
I’ve been wearing the same style hat for the past decade or longer.
I’m wearing the same style hat since my bar mitzvah. I’ve had to replace the hat a few times, though.
Do the heimish store owners also tell you that there’s no difference between a $6 shirt and a $40 shirt?
I’m talking style. In the case of shirts, cut, but more so, material.
Low quality shirts look pretty bad even new, in my opinion. The price difference between a $12 cheap shirt or $20 respectable shirt (stafford, kirkland, eagle, ect..) or a $30 (Charles Thyrwitt) is not crazy, but the difference is huge. And yes, I can walk into shul shabbos morning and tell you who is wearing a low quality shirt faster than I can tell you who is wearing a Borsalino. Low quality shirts look, feel, and last like paper.
Lior: I’m not arguing with you, I’m agreeing and elaborating a bit.
A borsalino clearly marks its wearer as someone who pays attention to their appearance – which, in moderation, is an important quality of a ben torah!
yayin, and so when you see someone with a low quality shirt, what is your opnion of that person? Do you judge by the quality of his shirt? What if that is what he can afford? I don’t know how old you are, but I’m close to 50 and been around awhile and I do not engage in such a petty pastime as studying the quality of the clothes of people in shul. If someone is wearing a nice tie or suit I may compliment it, but to be able to distinguish the quality of a shirt or hat, is mudenna.
Did I miss something? YYBC seemed to be judging the shirt, not the person.
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