Ebbets Field Flannels 8-Panel Caps
Ebbets Field Flannels recently unveiled a new line of 8-panel caps. The 8-panel cap has a much lower crown and has a more vintage look compared to the normal 6-panel caps. 8-panel caps were common in the pre-WWII era but disappeared by the early 1940s. The caps are unstructured (no buckram) and feature EFF's trademark satin taping and undervisor. The visor is soft and flexible. EFF also reintroduced leather sweatbands, which they haven't offered with their caps for many years. The EFF logo is embossed into the leather.
First impression:
The first 8-panel cap that I ordered was the 1923 Sacramento Senators. First glance at the cap reveals a headwear masterpiece, an amazing sight to behold for anyone that loves caps; The look of the old-fashioned wool, satin, and leather really made me thankful that we have a company like EFF around and that we can purchase a ballcap like this in the year 2013. Another thing that I noticed right out of the box was the smell of leather. There's no doubt in my mind that the leather was genuine. For some reason, this cap had the standard sweatband tags instead of the embossed logo, or perhaps they are covering it. I believe this problem has been corrected so if you buy one they probably won't have the tags.
Wearability:
I wore the cap around for the weekend. The low crown look does not work for everyone, myself included. However, the cap actually looked alright on me. I also found the cap to be quite comfortable. The leather sweatband did what it was supposed to do: act as a gasket to seal off sweat. You don't notice it after wearing the cap for a few minutes. I wore the cap to the local batting cages and wore it under a helmet while I worked up a decent sweat. The cap held up just fine. The green undervisor can show moisture stains like all EFF caps, but that easily remedied by wiping it down with a cloth dipped in warm and mildly soapy water.
Another concern that I had was the visor. With a flimsy visor, can I wear the cap without looking goofy? The visor feels like when you get a normal visor completely saturated, only this one is dry. When wearing the cap, I was able to get a decent curve without much trouble. If you try to make the visor perfectly straight, it probably won't work.
An Ebbets rep on their Facebook page mentioned that the caps could be folded and put in your pocket. This is actually true; you can make them into a rather compact bundle.
The second cap that I purchased was the 1933 San Francisco Seals. This particular cap didn't actually exist back then. The Seals wore a blank cap that season, so EFF used their jersey logo for the emblem which made for a great-looking cap. This cap had the embossed leather sweatband without any tags.
Historical Accuracy:
These are obviously the most historically accurate ballcaps on the market today. I was surprised at first that the visors had 8 rows of stitching, which is a more modern feature. I also think another thing that they could do is have the cap size stamped onto the sweatband (either embossed or with ink) as opposed to the paper size tags. I'm really splitting hairs here though, they did enough of a fantastic job.
Verdict:
Bravo, Ebbets Field Flannels! Their work continues to amaze me. I highly recommend buying one. Even if you don't find it wearable for one reason or another, they are still worthy of display. The caps go for $48 via Ebbets.com.
First impression:
The first 8-panel cap that I ordered was the 1923 Sacramento Senators. First glance at the cap reveals a headwear masterpiece, an amazing sight to behold for anyone that loves caps; The look of the old-fashioned wool, satin, and leather really made me thankful that we have a company like EFF around and that we can purchase a ballcap like this in the year 2013. Another thing that I noticed right out of the box was the smell of leather. There's no doubt in my mind that the leather was genuine. For some reason, this cap had the standard sweatband tags instead of the embossed logo, or perhaps they are covering it. I believe this problem has been corrected so if you buy one they probably won't have the tags.
Wearability:
I wore the cap around for the weekend. The low crown look does not work for everyone, myself included. However, the cap actually looked alright on me. I also found the cap to be quite comfortable. The leather sweatband did what it was supposed to do: act as a gasket to seal off sweat. You don't notice it after wearing the cap for a few minutes. I wore the cap to the local batting cages and wore it under a helmet while I worked up a decent sweat. The cap held up just fine. The green undervisor can show moisture stains like all EFF caps, but that easily remedied by wiping it down with a cloth dipped in warm and mildly soapy water.
Another concern that I had was the visor. With a flimsy visor, can I wear the cap without looking goofy? The visor feels like when you get a normal visor completely saturated, only this one is dry. When wearing the cap, I was able to get a decent curve without much trouble. If you try to make the visor perfectly straight, it probably won't work.
An Ebbets rep on their Facebook page mentioned that the caps could be folded and put in your pocket. This is actually true; you can make them into a rather compact bundle.
The second cap that I purchased was the 1933 San Francisco Seals. This particular cap didn't actually exist back then. The Seals wore a blank cap that season, so EFF used their jersey logo for the emblem which made for a great-looking cap. This cap had the embossed leather sweatband without any tags.
Historical Accuracy:
These are obviously the most historically accurate ballcaps on the market today. I was surprised at first that the visors had 8 rows of stitching, which is a more modern feature. I also think another thing that they could do is have the cap size stamped onto the sweatband (either embossed or with ink) as opposed to the paper size tags. I'm really splitting hairs here though, they did enough of a fantastic job.
Verdict:
Bravo, Ebbets Field Flannels! Their work continues to amaze me. I highly recommend buying one. Even if you don't find it wearable for one reason or another, they are still worthy of display. The caps go for $48 via Ebbets.com.
I just received my Bustin Babe's hat and Oklahoma City Indians hats along with a 1955 Seattle Rainiers hat. I love them! I were a 7 3 8 and they look great on me too. Even my wife likes them. The brims are a great touch, and are the same 3 inch size as my new era's and other 6 panel ebbets field flannels caps. They're simply awesome!
ReplyDeleteAny idea who the SF Seals cap from 1933 belonged to? My son's great grandfather (Frank Fenton) played 1st base for the Seals w/ DiMaggio in 1933.
ReplyDelete