Good thinking. Laziness ftw.
Also, what about any good uses for the hatrack, but in hardcore? It's obviously okay in softcore when you can have a time helmet, a jew hat, all the goodies and such... but like what about practical uses? I got one, but I don't really want to use it unless it will be of good future use.
I'm two days into a HC TT run which will be 100% Hatrack. So far it feels quite a bit like the start of a Bad Moon run in that I am not getting a great stat return without a volleyball effect (only level 4 after day 2), though the chef's hat has been nice for its combination of leprechaun and serious damage (5xweight from what I can see), letting me buy soda water to fuel some buffs. The lack of good hats at a low level is a bit of a pain but I can see some decent hats coming up soon, and I have armourcraftiness which will be very helpful at the higher levels. It has proven somewhat interesting in that the weight cap of the low-level hats means that it is pointless whacking on leash and empathy, so some MP savings there to stick into candy hearts.
I'm quite tempted to keep the hatrack on for my next run (HC DB) as I will have a SS Skullcap from the start.
Okay, a couple of days on now (mid-level 6) - and I weakened and looked at the discussion on the KoL forums on the hatrack for a few tips. The key benefit of the hatrack lies in its ability to act much higher than its weight would suggest when equipped with certain hats e.g. as a double weight volleyball with a foolscap fools cap and a triple fairy with a balloon hemlet. Very nice. Very nice indeed - having an effective 30lb fairy as soon as I hit the knob kitchens has seen a noticeable increase in mushroom and sausage drops.
On the other hand, with the exception of Von Ratsworths hat, there is little scope for the hatrack to regenerate MP which is slowing me down a little.
edit: okay, finished the hatrack run a few days ago. Overall the hatrack is a good familiar, particularly its ability to act far more powerfully than its weight would suggest and there is no shortage of hats during the higher levels. Personally I found the lack of options mid-game a problem - my hatrack was weight limited by what I had available which reduced its overall effectiveness, particularly as this was a 100% run, meaning it hit 20lbs relatively quickly. I think that armourcraftiness is key in enabling you to tailor the hatrack more closely to what you want it to be and in reducing the amount of RNG screwage suffered.
A fun familiar, but you really have to get to know your hats when using it!
Overall: great in the early levels, great in the late levels. Levels 6-9 cause some difficulty, seeing the hatrack weight limited by the hats available. I suspect it has the potential to be one of the most optimal familiars in the game, once you know how to get the best out of it.
