American Needle MLB Hats

[hormone]

I'd consider myself a hat guy. I don't always look or fit the best in New Era's 5950. If it was up to me, I'd get them fitted like the 3930s. Anyway, I purchased some American Needle Cooperstown MLB hats because of the fit/curved brim/low profile, price $21-25 vs. $35-6, and because New Era did not have some designs.

Are these hats any good? I kinda feel I got what I paid for. I bought the old Pirates gray road hat, home black/red alternate hat, and the mustard hat that was actually used as a throwback last year.

The black/red hat has a yellow button on the top. These hats should have a red button. The black alternate after that had a yellow button/brim.

The gray road hat has something in common with this black hat. They are mislabled inside the hat showing the team/year. It shows the wrong year and has the Philly throwback logo.

The mustard hat must be mislabeled as well because there is no way it is a size 7. It doesn't fit like the other two at all and makes me have a headache because it's so tight.

So what is the verdict on this brand? Get what you pay for? Good quality hat?

Thanks

[sorcerer77]

I'd consider myself a hat guy. I don't always look or fit the best in New Era's 5950. If it was up to me, I'd get them fitted like the 3930s. Anyway, I purchased some American Needle Cooperstown MLB hats because of the fit/curved brim/low profile, price $21-25 vs. $35-6, and because New Era did not have some designs.

Are these hats any good? I kinda feel I got what I paid for. I bought the old Pirates gray road hat, home black/red alternate hat, and the mustard hat that was actually used as a throwback last year.

The black/red hat has a yellow button on the top. These hats should have a red button. The black alternate after that had a yellow button/brim.

The gray road hat has something in common with this black hat. They are mislabled inside the hat showing the team/year. It shows the wrong year and has the Philly throwback logo.

The mustard hat must be mislabeled as well because there is no way it is a size 7. It doesn't fit like the other two at all and makes me have a headache because it's so tight.

So what is the verdict on this brand? Get what you pay for? Good quality hat?

Thanks

Yes, American Needle is a reputable brand, they've been in the business for years. I picked up the red, white, and blue fitted 1940-41 Pirates hat at the PNC Park Pirate merchandise shop last season and have no complaints. The only way I could see a problem would be if the hat was a counterfeit, and was purchased from something like Ebay, for example.

[phutmasterflex]

I like AN a lot but a lot of my collection is New Era because the caps I want all happen to be made by NE and were used in the field of play.

But when it comes to older designs from the 70s, AN is my preferred choice because they have a lot more options

[CON40]

American Needle is legit. They have been around for decades and bought Roman Pro's stencils for logo stitching. Lots of the Roman Pro stencils were used to make on-field caps in the '60s and '70s and they had a connection with KM hats too. That makes American Needle the only cap producer (along with New Ear) that has genuine capability to make historically accurate hats.

[Gothamite]

American Needle might have the capacity to make accurate caps, but that doesn't mean they always do make accurate caps.

Here's their Brooklyn Dodgers 1938 home cap:

The logo should be embroidered, not a patch:

Hardly "a precise replica of what the legendary pros once wore".

FWIW, here's Roman Pro's version of this cap:

[Td2025]

They're pretty good in my opinion. I have just one hat but I really enjoy wearing it. The Phillies give it out for birthdays at Citizens Bank Park.

[FiddySicks]

We carried a small amount of AN caps when I worked at Lids and I never liked them. They really do have a bit of a knockoff feel and fit really awkwardly.

[Green27]

Being a pretty big hat enthusiast, I tend to go with NE the most. AN to me just feels lower quality, even though it's not. I love the New Era cooperstown collection, the way they fit and feel. Rather than NE's usual 100% cotton, these are 70% acrylic. Green underbrim as well. They look and feel different to the touch, and I feel that they fit much truer to size. (Couldn't find an image, but mine is a black and white NY Giants cap)

I also love the look of Ebbets Field Flannels, but they are hard to describe fit wise, so make sure you keep the tags when you order, just in case you need a different size.

http://www.ebbets.com/category/Ballcaps

[Sodboy13]

I picked up a '76 White Sox fitted from American Needle. The logo is done in raised embroidery which, obviously, they didn't do back then, but it's a very comfortable, well-constructed hat, plus it doesn't have New Era's absurd high crown.

[Mingjai]

Being a pretty big hat enthusiast, I tend to go with NE the most. AN to me just feels lower quality, even though it's not. I love the New Era cooperstown collection, the way they fit and feel. Rather than NE's usual 100% cotton, these are 70% acrylic. Green underbrim as well. They look and feel different to the touch, and I feel that they fit much truer to size. (Couldn't find an image, but mine is a black and white NY Giants cap)

I also love the look of Ebbets Field Flannels, but they are hard to describe fit wise, so make sure you keep the tags when you order, just in case you need a different size.

http://www.ebbets.co...tegory/Ballcaps

I have the Osaka and US Japan Tour caps from Ebbets, and I'd say they are truer to size than New Era. They are the two most comfortable hats I own. What I like about them is that they are made of a much softer wool, so you can easily shape them to the fit you want by wearing them while damp and using a blow dryer to shrink to areas that need a bit of tightening (also works for the wool New Eras, but not quite to the same extent). If you do plan the wet and blow dry method, I'd suggest getting a size up from what you normally wear or you can always stretch the wool while it's wet.

[TheOldRoman]

American Needle is my favorite brand. The crown isn't super high like on the regular 5950s, but it has a much better fit than the low-profile 5950s. American Needle makes the perfect fit, at least for my head.

[WSU151]

Slight threadjack - did anyone ever buy a hat from Cooperstown Ball Cap Company? Last I knew, they were in business in 2002 or so and then fell off the map. They could make any hat, any year, and since hats were special order, they were always more expensive. Plus, they used leather sweatbands for older era hats.

Anyone remember this company?

[Gothamite]

Sure I remember them - great idea, but the quality was sketchy. And their logos sometimes bore only the slightest resemblance to the real thing.

[infrared41]

American Needle is my favorite brand. The crown isn't super high like on the regular 5950s, but it has a much better fit than the low-profile 5950s. American Needle makes the perfect fit, at least for my head.

Same here. I have quite a few American Needle Cooperstown caps. The sizes are pretty consistent and the fit is way better than New Era. I highly recommend American Needle.

[Gothamite]

I have the opposite problem with American Needle - they sit very awkwardly on my head, and aren't as customizable as New Era.

Maybe it's my 7 5/8 noggin, but the AN caps never feel quite right.

[Gehrig27]

I like the lower profile of American Needle but I find the material to be a little too coarse. Now, American Needle's "Ol boy" line was great; short brim, soft wool, and didn't make me look like a train conductor. Got the 1920's Yankee hat and absolutely love it, always gets a couple questions when I'm at the stadium. Of course, once I find something I like they cancel that line which is a real shame...a little logo tweaking/more variety, and maybe some custom orders would have really helped fill the void left by the Cooperstown Ballcap Co. Ebbets field hats are great I'm sure, but I don't really want to pay $40 for a 70 year old minor league team. wish they had the mlb contract.

[Galwegian]

Sorry to bump this so many months later, but I just got an American Needle Cooperstown hat in the mail from the MLB Shop. This is my first AN cap.

I usually wear a 7 1/2 in New Era, and over time, they shrink and get a little tight. So, for this AN cap, I ordered a 7 1/2 from the MLB shop online, and, lo and behold, it's too big. It's not 'falling off my head' big, but it sticks out a little on the creases by my ears.

I'm trying to decide whether I should return it and get a smaller size, or keep it and try to shrink it a little. I was hoping to keep this hat relatively nice, so sweating all through it to shrink it is not really something I want to do. At the same time, I don't want to spend a ton of money in shipping charges (and time) sending this hat back, getting a smaller size, and then if that doesn't fit, sending it back again.

Anyone have any experience/advice in dealing with the MLB Shop or with shrinking AN caps? Thanks in advance.

[Brave-Bird 08]

Coincidence b/c I was going to post a similar thread today.

I went and got a Braves Friday cap today, New Era 5950, and it looks ridiculous if I wear it forward. Curving the bill (which I prefer) helps the appearance a bit, but overall that front panel just does not gel on my crown.

Still love the authenticity, but I had not really thought about alternate brands. I mean, I own a regular home cap that's Nike brand and cost me $12...and honestly it looks better than both of my authentic caps. I have a 47 Brand 1974 cap that's probably my favorite fit.

[Galwegian]

Same here; the super-high profile New Era hats just look ridiculous on me. I've been wearing Franchise/'47 caps for a long time, but I wanted something different for a change. I really like the quality of the AN hat. It's very well made and the cap is structured but the profile is a lot more moderate.

Of course, if it's too big, it's too big. I wish I could try different ones on in person but, unfortunately, there's nowhere near where I live that carries them.

[Quillz]

I might give American Needle a try. I'm really liking the '47 Franchise collection right now... Bought about four so far, and they all look and fit great. (The 5950 doesn't fit very well on me, I prefer the 3930). I'll keep AN in mind the next time I plan to buy another cap.