Flight Wear by Society Brand Hat Co.

[Monsoon]

Anyone heard of these guys before?

http://wwiihats.com/

 

[DiamondDave]

Anyone heard of these guys before?

http://wwiihats.com/

Hm, verbiage, layout and photo choices seem eerily familiar.... Just can't seem to place it.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Anyone heard of these guys before?

http://wwiihats.com/

Hm, verbiage, layout and photo choices seem eerily familiar.... Just can't seem to place it.

Glad you put that out there, not exactly sure what you mean but I won't feel so bad about my newest Ebay offering. I saw in their insignia section the 2"X4" Blue Felt Combat Crew Wing badge backing, most likely new modern made felt that isn't as thick and dense as the period stuff. I picked up a few yards of the nice heavy 100% wool felt a couple of years ago. I'm sure it's 1940's or earlier because of all the other stuff it was with. So as of today I got a hundred of them for sale and the same pattern wings for the display photo. Hell, I'll send ya one Dave with your wing order,

 

[DiamondDave]

Anyone heard of these guys before?

http://wwiihats.com/

Hm, verbiage, layout and photo choices seem eerily familiar.... Just can't seem to place it.

Glad you put that out there, not exactly sure what you mean but I won't feel so bad about my newest Ebay offering. I saw in their insignia section the 2"X4" Blue Felt Combat Crew Wing badge backing, most likely new modern made felt that isn't as thick and dense as the period stuff. I picked up a few yards of the nice heavy 100% wool felt a couple of years ago. I'm sure it's 1940's or earlier because of all the other stuff it was with. So as of today I got a hundred of them for sale and the same pattern wings for the display photo. Hell, I'll send ya one Dave with your wing order,

Sean,

THANKS MATE!!!

Not to defame anyone, or raise the wrath of the mods here... but the ideas expressed on this guy's website are very similar to my own. He has even directly stolen certain sections of my site, and oft times didn't even change the verbiage!!! He even went so far as to have one of his caps in the pocket of an A-2...ahem seems familiar.

I also LOVE the fact that he never actually calls me out, but does say his are as good as the "Ones At Eastman", well... I call bullshit. Notice how you never see any pics of the
interior of the caps? Also of note, the pull tabs on his chinstraps are oddly missing. Plus it just goes all through me that he calls them, and even named the site "HATS"... these are NOT hats.. these are Caps!

Anyway, rant complete,

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Well it is what it is, you're not out of line if it truly is a copycat situation, and those who lack originality and can't even modify a borrowed idea deserve to be called on it. I just recently had a guy in China send me reference photos of my own 23rd FG design to copy for him that someone over there copied and turned into a patch. I call it my own because I actually drew it loosely based on an original, my 23rd is unlike any other out there. This Chinese copy would super impose perfectly over my design so I'm sure it is a direct facsimile. Many other instances over the years of stolen ideas but I try to consider it a compliment by the less fortunate.

Also, for the description to state they are "as good as the ones at Eastman" is kind of pathetic. I've seen your stuff and it's top notch without the need to compare with anyone so let them do the comparing, it explains a lot. Sort of like the CVS brand stating "compare to the active ingredients in ***** brand" I always buy ***** brand because something just ain't right about CVS brand.

This post actually reminded of the Combat Crew Wing Backing idea and I'm wondering why I didn't execute it earlier. I've had this blue felt for a while and I'm certain the Combat Crew idea bounced around my head once or twice. I like to show originality with my products with creative photos showing how they will look on the jacket. Without any comparison to them in my description, the listing starts today. See photos following my rant.

Considering Eastman carries our products and not theirs, I think it's safe to say -

"Ahs Ah Betta" Translation - "Ours Are Better" As opposed to saying "as good as"

I like to express my original true self in an accurate Boston accent when being snarky :lol:

Theirs -


Mine -

 

[DiamondDave]

Sean,

WOW!

Those look amazing. I too had thought of that back when I started making hats, but could nowhere near find the right wool... that
"Craft Felt" stuff will never do... Yours looks amazing, and I have an old pair of Balfour wings that would look stunning on those goods.

As to my "snarky" voice, I tend to channel my father and go DEEP SOUTH Georgia... but I can respect a nice tell off in Bostonese!

Thanks for the kind words regarding my products... I have known about this guy and his site for 3 or 4 months, but didn't want
to look like the ass by bringing it up.. glad somebody else did!

Talk soon,

DD

 

[ausreenactor]

Anyone heard of these guys before?

http://wwiihats.com/

These guys did the first Eastman Visors many years ago. Have been around for a while.... 12 years at least...

The current page layout is very similar to the old Eastman ones. When I started on the net in 97 these were a must have that I let slide..

Like the site...

I think the hats themselves are made by Lancaster in CA. That was where I got directed to after they all sold out at Eastman way back then. I got a standard OD officer version by the same company but it was no good. Too much bulk and a rigid visor. I do like the M1912.. Have hit them up for cost.

http://wwiihats.com/hats/customhats/

Couchy

 

[foster]

Dave, you actually copy original makers of hats. This other seems to just have their pattern and only the fabrics change.

I've never heard of this company before today. I am curious what their garrison caps look like. I recently had my wife make me a custom garrison cap as I wasn't entirely satisfied with the replicas I found available.

 

[ausreenactor]

I have known about this guy and his site for 3 or 4 months, but didn't want
to look like the ass by bringing it up.. glad somebody else did!

Talk soon,

DD

The hat in the pocket pic was used in the late 90s on the Eastman items at the time. I could bust out Tianna's old PC and find the emails between myself and Eastman way back then. I am sure others here will remember them. Back in the good old days when you could get the Eastman Pinks and Greens shirts off eBay from the maker in Hong Kong at half the price!!

Couchy

 

[DiamondDave]

Anyone heard of these guys before?

http://wwiihats.com/

These guys did the first Eastman Visors many years ago. Have been around for a while.... 12 years at least...

The current page layout is very similar to the old Eastman ones. When I started on the net in 97 these were a must have that I let slide..

Like the site...

I think the hats themselves are made by Lancaster in CA. That was where I got directed to after they all sold out at Eastman way back then. I got a standard OD officer version by the same company but it was no good. Too much bulk and a rigid visor. I do like the M1912.. Have hit them up for cost.

http://wwiihats.com/hats/customhats/

Couchy

Couchy,

I do not believe that is accurate.

Lancaster made the caps for ELC for quite a few years, and had no
Connection with these guys in Saint Louis Missouri. Then Lancaster decided to
Stop making the WWII caps and Eastman had to find a new source. The Society Brand
We're prodigious original makers however, but I do not believe that this current iteration
Has any connection.

Sorry to disagree.

 

[ausreenactor]

Knew Lancaster made the original Eastman ones. That is where the tie in and that pocket pic came from in the original site. That is what drew me to the Crusher in the first place. They had the usual ELC style to the pics back then. The larger front and rear view and then smaller ones at the bottom. I was posting Airmail letters off in vain in search of a Lancaster Crusher. Never got a response. I pretty much saved every ELC pic off the website too, so I did not have to kill the phone with the dial up internet (remember that). The Officer visor I got was a Society Brand one when I did eventually give up on the Lancaster Crusher. I had sold it off no later than 2003 when I reenlisted.

Don't be too hard on them. Your latest foray looks a lot like the SOP for MASH Japan..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1153276692

MASH have been using the period packaging well before the $65 NOS Crown Zippers sold out..

http://www.mash-japan.co.jp/oversea/eng ... index.html

Couchy

 

[DiamondDave]

Knew Lancaster made the original Eastman ones. That is where the tie in and that pocket pic came from in the original site. That is what drew me to the Crusher in the first place. They had the usual ELC style to the pics back then. The larger front and rear view and then smaller ones at the bottom. I was posting Airmail letters off in vain in search of a Lancaster Crusher. Never got a response. I pretty much saved every ELC pic off the website too, so I did not have to kill the phone with the dial up internet (remember that). The Officer visor I got was a Society Brand one when I did eventually give up on the Lancaster Crusher. I had sold it off no later than 2003 when I reenlisted.

Don't be too hard on them. Your latest foray looks a lot like the SOP for MASH Japan..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1153276692

MASH have been using the period packaging well before the $65 NOS Crown Zippers sold out..

http://www.mash-japan.co.jp/oversea/eng ... index.html

Couchy

Ah the 65 dollar Crown... those were the days!

SO, as to the ELC thing.... if we jump in the WayBack Machine (yes it is a real thing) and go to the snapshot of Eastmans own website circa Feb of '03...

https://web.archive.org/web/2003021...uk/mall/eastmanleather/topic/topic-9603-1.stm

One clearly sees that he even states made by Lancaster (it was no secret)

Now then... we do the same search for WWII hats (Society Brand) and we see that nothing existed before May of last year

https://web.archive.org/web/20130701000000*/http://wwiihats.com

Thus, you may have known of another entity using that moniker, but it was not this current bunch for sure. MY point here is that the "Roll It up, and put it in your pocket" is a direct ripoff from my own research, and that is just the most glaring exemplar.


Now on to my latest offering... the packaging bears no resemblance to the MASH stuff, that I can see. Your own links do not bear out your statement.

Class 13 catalog style nomenclature tags, I do not believe they actually use... so I am unclear on that statement.

 

[ausreenactor]

Knew Lancaster made the original Eastman ones. That is where the tie in and that pocket pic came from in the original site. That is what drew me to the Crusher in the first place. They had the usual ELC style to the pics back then. The larger front and rear view and then smaller ones at the bottom. I was posting Airmail letters off in vain in search of a Lancaster Crusher. Never got a response. I pretty much saved every ELC pic off the website too, so I did not have to kill the phone with the dial up internet (remember that). The Officer visor I got was a Society Brand one when I did eventually give up on the Lancaster Crusher. I had sold it off no later than 2003 when I reenlisted.

Don't be too hard on them. Your latest foray looks a lot like the SOP for MASH Japan..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1153276692

MASH have been using the period packaging well before the $65 NOS Crown Zippers sold out..

http://www.mash-japan.co.jp/oversea/eng ... index.html

Couchy

Now then... we do the same search for WWII hats (Society Brand) and we see that nothing existed before May of last year

https://web.archive.org/web/20130701000000*/http://wwiihats.com

Thus, you may have known of another entity using that moniker, but it was not this current bunch for sure.

You do realise Society Brand HAT Co. has been around for decades making stuff for the military. Back to WWII. These guys are patriots and made the USA what it is today!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-militar ... 43c904fad4

Or perhaps these new guys stole their name and set up shop in the same town too? I just think these guys have set up a period style site in order to cater for the WWII crowd, possibly through demand. It is good for everyone here they are doing this. Competition is what makes America great.

And who would put a crusher in an A-2 pocket anyway? Barely fits a wallet.

 

[dmar836]

Asked me a while back if I would make some B-1s for his site. Nice enough guy but I declined.
Dave

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Well that's cool if they go as far back as WW2. Competition is a good thing and what drives me to do my best. But a little off to state your product is as good as Eastman, I feel that knocks them down a notch, don't ya think? A better approach may be "providing quality headgear for the military since WW2"

 

[ausreenactor]

Asked me a while back if I would make some B-1s for his site. Nice enough guy but I declined.
Dave

See! I knew you were a master!

Couchy

 

[DiamondDave]

Well that's cool if they go as far back as WW2. Competition is a good thing and what drives me to do my best. But a little off to state your product is as good as Eastman, I feel that knocks them down a notch, don't ya think? A better approach may be "providing quality headgear for the military since WW2"

Yes the company was real back in the day, but this is a resurrected name and entity, and has no relation to the original.

Much like Diamond Cap Co, Good Wear Leather and now this firm.

I have no problem with, and actually encourage competition, my issue was merely with wording and with trying too hard to prove you're good... Just cuz you say it, doesn't make it so!

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Well that's cool if they go as far back as WW2. Competition is a good thing and what drives me to do my best. But a little off to state your product is as good as Eastman, I feel that knocks them down a notch, don't ya think? A better approach may be "providing quality headgear for the military since WW2"

Yes the company was real back in the day, but this is a resurrected name and entity, and has no relation to the original.

Much like Diamond Cap Co, Good Wear Leather and now this firm.

I have no problem with, and actually encourage competition, my issue was merely with wording and with trying too hard to prove you're good... Just cuz you say it, doesn't make it so!

Copy that! So they're not the original Co. Either way, pull the cheesy Eastman comment.

 

[Monsoon]

Ron Burgundy: Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast.

Champ Kind: It jumped up a notch.

Ron Burgundy: It did, didn't it?

Man, just posted an innocent link......

I stumbled across the site by accident. Thought the caps looked pretty good and remembered Daves from VLJ. I do like the version with the OD 54 cover and the OD 7 band.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Leather patches like mine originated in India. Perhaps I will change my company name to Paramjeet Aruni ( Highest Success pupil ) the leather patch maker, and say my patches are as good as the WW2 Indian patch maker Acharya Aahwaanith ( Teacher, One who has been ) Think it'll increase sales?