Hat grades? Let’s make this simple. For practical purposes, you don’t have grades. Although you have people talking about them, you have them using the same number of words to mean the same quality. However, the grades of Panama hats are very different from other headwear. They are very different from stamp or coin grades. With stamps and coins, you have an industry-level grading system and standards. The sellers use similar grade terms, names, and descriptions for meaning the same thing. But when dealing with Panama hats, things are different. You do not have an industry-level grading system and standards. However, there are a few terminologies that every hat buyer must know for making their purchase a worthy one.
Post Contents
Numerical headwear grades
Various sellers use number hat grades for describing their headwear. However, people also use different grading systems for their manufactured material. Let’s explore this area. When understanding numeric hat grades, a seller may say that a particular hat has grade 8. They also say that it has the grade 15 out of 16 or even 30. Numeric grades help in describing the weave of the Panama hat. They sound decent, don’t they? Authoritative, factual, reassuring, and beneficial. Businesses have started using numeric hat grades to categorize their headwear in the last few years. These numbers depict the quality of the hat. However, you must know one thing. Each seller has a distinct formula for deciding the grade. For example, if a company says that a hat has grade ten, that may be similar to another company’s grade 14. Hence, their formula and calculation differ. Therefore, one hat may have multiple grades with various exporters. It creates confusion and discrepancies in the purchase. However, what you must know is the grading system of the seller from which you are buying.
Hat grades in word
Another way of grading Panama hats gets expressed in specific terms. Some sellers make their grades calling them museum quality or ultra-fine. You also have sellers using good, decent, and high-quality terms. It all depends on the seller and the manufacturer. Sadly, some problems apply in this grading system as well. As mentioned earlier, you do not have an official grading formula across the globe. More so, regulatory bodies are absent. You do not have hat grade authorities to monitor these developments. Each retailer or manufacturer who wants to sell the merchandise develops its formula and grading system. Hence, you have to understand their formula comprehensively. If a seller overstates the quality, you will make a wrong choice. The hat grades described in words get extensively used across the globe. In theory, specific hat terms mean very fine, delicate, and superfine. However, their meaning does not stand in practice.
Remember that these terms are subjective, and therefore it’s a matter of personal choice. What one seller calls super fine may stand out as basic for another seller. You do not have written guidelines to monitor these qualities. You must have come across ads and listings on the Internet from different sellers of Panama hats. Before hitting the market, it’s better to look at the website and understand its grading system, which appears to be a superfine for one seller, maybe just a basic one for another seller. Hence, you have to think twice before relying upon one grading system.
Counting rings of fabric
Counting rings inside the hat crown is fun and interesting. However, it is not that reliable for judging the quality of the headwear. You must have heard people saying that you may feel the quality of Panama hats by holding them before the light and counting the rings inside the crown. Well, it may work sometimes. Maybe most of the time. However, there are times when it will not work. Hence, it is recommended not to rely upon this method for judging quality. When purchasing mens wide brim hats, it’s better to feel the fabric with your hands. Knowledge about the material is essential because that will help you in the selection process.
The best way of measuring the fineness
The delicate weaving of a hat must be high-quality. Of all the things that you must look for in a Panama hat, the first is the weave. Panama hats are available in several materials like cotton, wool, felt, and straw. You can partially determine the quality of the hat by understanding the material. The grading system of exporters in the Equatorial region has prominence all across the globe. It is because Panama hats come from Ecuador. They have the great ten out of eleven, which is famous worldwide. Every unit is a measurement of quality. However, you cannot get yourself involved in the complicated grading systems of other sellers. There is nothing like it if you get a seller who uses the Ecuador grading system.
Only purchasing the hat is not the end of the show. There is a lot to be done later on. You have to take care of the material and maintain the accessory to ensure that the finish stays long.
