One common X factor for all hat companies is that a 4X felt means 100% sheep wool. A 5X is all rabbit fur, a 6X and above is a combination of rabbit and beaver. There are different qualities of rabbit and beaver, so the secret is is the mix. Hats are also made of bison, not expensive, and in the highest Xs you see 1000X in mink and 5000X in chinchilla.
In straw the X factor is also related to the quality of the straw too, shantung straws are hand braided and this straw of your hat is called bangora, and it is braided in a machine. Shantung and bangora have very similar durability but different appearance. Shout out from Brazill!!
Ryan, I hadn’t realized that Tecovas was making felt hats. Without personally seeing the hat myself, it will be hard for me to give you a good review. However, I did some research and read multiple reviews. So I will give you the best opinion and advice that I can. Based on what I have seen, to me, it looks like the hat would be a little bit subpar quality in comparison to something you could get in the same price range made by one of the more establish manufactures like Stetson, Resistol, American Hat company or Rodeo King. It looks to me that it would be a great starter hat if you were looking to get into the felt hat game. However,I worry about its longevity and this hat being a good investment for the price. If you would like me to link some of those hats in this comment string, please let me know. Thanks for checking out the channel! S^C
Ryan, I think that a small blend of beaver fir in a hat body seams to make the quality and longevity go up quite a bit. I personally have never owned a pure rabbit fur felt hat but have shaped a few. They seem to be just a bit more difficult to get to be really sharp and symmetrical. S^C
