Quality panama hats

The different qualities of panama hats - Determining factors.

The fine weave of a Panama hat :

The most important element when judging the quality of a Panama hat is the fineness of the weave. It's when you look closely that you realize how fine the diameter of the straws is. The finer the straw, the greater the number of stitches per square centimeter. This number determines the overall quality of the hat. It's worth noting that every two-fold increase in this quality factor corresponds to a four-fold increase in the work required. It's also the reason why a high-quality hat takes so much longer to make. A basic Cuenca can take up to a minimum of 3 days to manufacture, while a good-quality Montecristi can easily take 2 months.

At present, unfortunately, there is no standardized measurement system, and each importer has its own unit of measurement, so that one man's grade 12 will mean a completely different result from another's grade 12. The same applies to derivatives such as Fino, Fino fino or Super Fino.

Although the fineness of the weave is the most important basic factor in determining the quality of manufacture and finish, the quality of the weave itself and the color of the straw must also be taken into account.

Hat straw color :

Straw color varies from hat to hat, as the basic color of the straw used also varies. That's why there are darker and darker shades. Once again, what really counts is the evenness of the color across the entire surface. If you find areas where the shade is very visibly different, it's obvious that the overall quality suffers. Nevertheless, it's perfectly normal to detect very slight variations in the basic shade of the fibers, and on close observation of the meshes you may even notice gray or reddish lines.

The rings or "Vueltas":

You can compare hats and their respective qualities by pointing them at a light source to see how many different rings or crowns were needed toassemble the hat. These "vueltas" appear when new strips of straw are added to the weave. This means thata greater number of vueltas means a finer, tighter weave.

The cheapest Panama on the market is probably the Cuenca with 3 vueltas. A low-priced Montecristi contains 8 vueltas, while an excellent model can hold around 25.

The Montecristi Cuenta method for measuring weaving fineness:

The number of meshes per square centimeter remains the most relevant index for judging the finish of a Panama hat. There is a more objective way of measuring fineness , known as theMontecristi Foundation system or Montecristi Cuenta.

This system involves counting the exact number of meshes per square centimeter of hat surface. First you measure the number of vertical weaves in a designated square centimeter, then you count the number of horizontal weaves in that same centimeter before multiplying them together to obtain the cuenta Montecristi. So, for example, 20 horizontal weaves multiplied by 25 vertical weaves gives a cuenta Montecristi of 500.

Admittedly, this method is laborious, but it's the only one today capable of objectively comparing hat finesse. All other methods are much more random and subjective.