I've never had a job where a hardhat was a regular part of it. Is there like, a Cadillac of hardhats?
I have a really nice expensive one and a really cheap one. The nice one has padding inside and the strap part that fits to your head has a little turn dial for tightening so it stays on your noggin better. The cheap one has none of that. The adjusting strap for sizing on the cheapie is similar to the perforated plastic strap on a baseball cap. One thing I just learned about hard hats is that there is a standard for colors, coded for each trade. Managers wear white, safety inspectors wear green, and electricians wear (blue?), ect.... Exciting stuff!! Psych. I had a blue one that I spray painted white and I got called out on it because the act of painting it voids the safety warranty. Oops.....
I once worked on a job site with a guy who was sporting a cowboy hardhat. It seemed a bit much to me but he sure liked it.
Cowboy is a term we use to describe general contractors who don't work off the drawings. They just get out there and do what they want with complete disregard for the details. If I saw someone on site with a cowboy hard hat on, I would be very worried....
The most cowboys? Definitely the fiber optic and communications installers. No question :P