2015 Stetson Excellent Quality GREEN THIN RIBBON (Preview & Review)

[Atticus Finch]

Very happy to read this.

I was at the Brass Rooster in Milwaukee this past July. They showed me the new Open Road that (at that time) had not been released for sale. It's felt reminded me greatly of the felt in my late fifties and early sixties ORs.

AF

 

[gtdean48]

Frank, I've known Josh for quite a while and have no problem saying you shouldn't doubt his integrity. He would be the first person to mention any faults he found with this hat.

Josh, thanks for the detailed and informative review! Most people on the lounge would not have spent the time it takes to come up with this much description.

It's a great start to Stetson's 150th year.

B

I'm with Bill as usual. I received a prototype from HatCo once for eval with full knowledge that hat had to be returned but was told I'd get it back once correction were addressed. That last part never materialized.
I think the 150th year has a lot to do with such an Excellent offering but so glad to see HatCo stepping up their game from the felting all the way to the finishing. Just hope the mass production efforts hold up the standard Josh got to review so Excellently!
I love the felt body color/ribbon color contrast.
Another acquisition to start a funding campaign for...[huh]

 

[hatophile]

Josh,
Thanks for the very thorough review, like others your opinion is highly valued. I have been slowing down my hat acquisitions except for an occasional Artwork, but I may have to buckle down and spring for one of these.
What color would you describe this hat? Similar to BG CD?

 

[Jedwbpm]

Mr. DelMonico was able to handle the Excellent Felt at the trade show in New York this past fall. He said it was the best felt that he has seen from Stetson. We will be selling the hat in the $350.00 range maybe a little higher or lower.

Jeff

 

[rclark]

Can't wait to get one myself!

 

[fedoralover]

Mr. DelMonico was able to handle the Excellent Felt at the trade show in New York this past fall. He said it was the best felt that he has seen from Stetson. We will be selling the hat in the $350.00 range maybe a little higher or lower.

Jeff

The $350 range would be awesome. If they can do that it will definitely be a contender. In looking at the pics and reading Josh's review I find this very very encouraging that Stetson is bringing back the quality of yesteryear. My many hats are off to them and Matt. I for one have no problem with how Josh got the hat. I know from my conversations with him that he has a real love for quality and wouldn't pull punches. Again a big thanks to you Josh for the review. It was very though and extensive.


regards fedoralover

 

[alanfgag]

What color would you describe this hat? Similar to BG CD?

The sage/rust palette was a popular and versatile HCA combination in the 1940s. A good reference point for Stetson, perhaps influenced by examples on the Lounge. I've owned several, among them this Knox 20 and a Dobbs homburg.

 

[Joshbru3]

Daniel and I have not been a fan of the color green in a hat. However, this one may change that as it sure has the right look, and from what has been reviewed about it, seems to add to the desirable factors. I think Matt has done wonders with what he has been up to with the Stetson line up. If more modern hats can follow this up beat trend, it will maybe give Stetson a sales increase to promote even more top notch fedoras. We sure also have to thank Joshbru3 for his super sweet review, as it is trusted coming from him. Thank you young man, outstanding job Sir!

That is a great looking hat. Thanks for the detailed review Josh!

Thanks to Matt too for all his hard work. I'm sure it hasn't been easy to get Stetson to change their ways. I hope it is a big success for them.

Frank, I've known Josh for quite a while and have no problem saying you shouldn't doubt his integrity. He would be the first person to mention any faults he found with this hat.

Josh, thanks for the detailed and informative review! Most people on the lounge would not have spent the time it takes to come up with this much description.

It's a great start to Stetson's 150th year.

B

I'm with Bill as usual. I received a prototype from HatCo once for eval with full knowledge that hat had to be returned but was told I'd get it back once correction were addressed. That last part never materialized.
I think the 150th year has a lot to do with such an Excellent offering but so glad to see HatCo stepping up their game from the felting all the way to the finishing. Just hope the mass production efforts hold up the standard Josh got to review so Excellently!
I love the felt body color/ribbon color contrast.
Another acquisition to start a funding campaign for...[huh]

Josh,
Thanks for the very thorough review, like others your opinion is highly valued. I have been slowing down my hat acquisitions except for an occasional Artwork, but I may have to buckle down and spring for one of these.
What color would you describe this hat? Similar to BG CD?

The $350 range would be awesome. If they can do that it will definitely be a contender. In looking at the pics and reading Josh's review I find this very very encouraging that Stetson is bringing back the quality of yesteryear. My many hats are off to them and Matt. I for one have no problem with how Josh got the hat. I know from my conversations with him that he has a real love for quality and wouldn't pull punches. Again a big thanks to you Josh for the review. It was very though and extensive.


regards fedoralover

Thank you so much everyone for the extremely kind words about my review of this hat. I especially appreciate all of you vouching for my character and integrity. There were a couple faults with this hat that I noticed, but I basically mentioned everything in my review. No hat is perfect....even the custom ones...because these items are all hand made and every handmade item varies from piece to piece. However, it is the absolute BEST modern hat (non longhair/velour) I have handled and had the pleasure to wear. As I stated in my review, this new offering from Stetson is every bit as good as the stuff they were producing in the 40's/50's. Trim materials have changed through the years, so you might not be getting ribbon that is made up of cotton and natural rayon. You might not get those super thin stetson sweatbands of the 40's or the almost blind stitches on the ribbon work.......BUT you are getting a piece of felt that can stand up to (and in some ways beat) the vintage 40's/50's hats with no problem. You are getting a hat made on the SAME machines that made those wonderful Golden Age Stetsons that we all know and love. You are getting a hat that uses high quality materials, was built with care, had a TON of research behind it and is made in the USA by American workers. As Tom mentioned.....I also hope that the regular retail production quality keeps the same high quality standards that my hat has. I truly believe that will not be an issue. If Matt and Hatco has spent this much time and effort into making a vintage quality hat, I would have to believe that the same care and craftsmanship will go into every single hat given the Excellent Quality designation.

 

[Joshbru3]

Fantastic review. I look forward to seeing the finished product in the Autumn. I just hope they do a version with a wider ribbon like GregNYC's.

Wow!I want one.

Very happy to read this.

I was at the Brass Rooster in Milwaukee this past July. They showed me the new Open Road that (at that time) had not been released for sale. It's felt reminded me greatly of the felt in my late fifties and early sixties ORs.

AF

Can't wait to get one myself!

You Gentlemen will not be disappointed. I am not sure when these hats will be released, but they really are something special.

 

[Joshbru3]

What color would you describe this hat? Similar to BG CD?

The color is hard to describe, but i'm not getting the "blue" hues in the green felt. The color is very distinctly green with various shades coming out in different kind of lights. The copper ribbon tones down the green and makes it completely wearable with anything really. I have never worn any green hat out of the house except for this Excellent Quality and I can honestly say, it goes with pretty much anything.

 

[Joshbru3]

I'm interested to find out if this is the same type of hat which GregNYC has been wearing lately. If so, it seems that Greg's hat might not have been impregnated with as much shellac as Josh's hat. Recent comments by Greg indicate that the brim on his hat does not maintain its shape well.

I am very interested in this.

Greg, does the brim loose its shape once steamed or is it floppy regardless of steaming or shaping with water? The brim on my hat will move in the wind just as vintage hat brims do, but once the wind stops blowing I can readjust the brim to my liking instantly. It will stay once readjusted.

 

[Joshbru3]

Very thorough and enthusiastic review. Not being able to say how you procured the hat does taint the review a tiny bit for me. If it was a freebie, you should be clear on that. Not to question your integrity or expertise, but those kind of statements make my natural skepticism flare up. Why the mystery? Frank

Frank, i'm not going to lie, I'm a bit insulted by this. I see no reason why I have to specify where I got this hat or who I got it from. Is it important? Its obviously a hat model that was procured before the official retail launch date, so there's only a couple possibilities if you think about it. As I stated in the beginning of my review, I have no affiliation with Stetson or its subsidiaries so what benefit would I have in lying or misleading anybody on this forum? I took the time to unveil a hat to the fedora lounge community because I was so excited that I had to share my excitement with all my fellow hat collectors/wearers. There are many people on the lounge who post every day who have decided not to show their face or use their real name on this forum because of personal reasons. Everybody accepts that and we all have a great time discussing hats and life. This hat exists, its in my possession, and every detail and photo was listed in my description.

As I say about everything.......don't take my word on anything. If you need to find out for yourself, then please do so. I encourage each and every person to visit their local hatter when this hat is released. Try it on, feel the felt. If your opinion of it differs from mine, then please post here on the lounge and we can discuss it.

 

[RJR]

I am excited by the review and happy that Stetson is upping their game.I really hope the venture is a success.

 

[Johnny J]

Thanks Josh for that EXCELLENT review! Not too crazy about the color, but hopefully there will be others to choose from when it debuts.

 

[Brother cavefish]

sweet

 

[tropicalbob]

This is really interesting, as not too long ago there was a great deal of discussion about how Stetson was producing inferior products. Then we saw the new products and found out about Matt's advising position. It sounds to me that there was a major management change and some very positive decisions made. Anyone know about this?

 

[Historyteach24]

Frank, i'm not going to lie, I'm a bit insulted by this. I see no reason why I have to specify where I got this hat or who I got it from. Is it important? Its obviously a hat model that was procured before the official retail launch date, so there's only a couple possibilities if you think about it. As I stated in the beginning of my review, I have no affiliation with Stetson or its subsidiaries so what benefit would I have in lying or misleading anybody on this forum? I took the time to unveil a hat to the fedora lounge community because I was so excited that I had to share my excitement with all my fellow hat collectors/wearers. There are many people on the lounge who post every day who have decided not to show their face or use their real name on this forum because of personal reasons. Everybody accepts that and we all have a great time discussing hats and life. This hat exists, its in my possession, and every detail and photo was listed in my description.

As I say about everything.......don't take my word on anything. If you need to find out for yourself, then please do so. I encourage each and every person to visit their local hatter when this hat is released. Try it on, feel the felt. If your opinion of it differs from mine, then please post here on the lounge and we can discuss it.

All I will say in regards to this is Josh is very respected here and I appreciate his thoughts and showing us this prototype

 

[alanfgag]

Hi Josh,

Glad they put one in your hands and thank you for sharing these detailed impressions with us. Did I miss the measurements of crown height and brim width? Interesting (and understandable) that the name "Excellent" was used - in the earlier days, I believe Excellent Quality was the second lowest price point above Select Quality. As Bill said, it is exciting that Stetson plans to celebrate the sesquicentennial by putting new energy into quality hats. I look forward to handling one of these when they become available.

 

[mayserwegener]

Josh, Super informative review! Regarding binding seam alignment vintage German and Austrian hats (stiff and soft) are always (maybe a rare exception) aligned with the sweatband seam. I think overall better quality control.

 

[Joshbru3]

Hi Josh,

Glad they put one in your hands and thank you for sharing these detailed impressions with us. Did I miss the measurements of crown height and brim width? Interesting (and understandable) that the name "Excellent" was used - in the earlier days, I believe Excellent Quality was the second lowest price point above Select Quality. As Bill said, it is exciting that Stetson plans to celebrate the sesquicentennial by putting new energy into quality hats. I look forward to handling one of these when they become available.

Ah....I totally forgot measurements! :eusa_doh:

Thanks for reminding me!

Open Crown Height: 5 1/2 inches tall

Brim Width: 2 1/2 inches wide

Brim Binding: 1/8 inches wide

Ribbon Width: 3/8 inches wide

Sweatband Width: 1 3/4 inches wide

I originally thought it was very interesting that the "Excellent" name was used for the reasons that you stated, Alan. Then I realized that Stetson in American never used that 40's/50's Style Excellent logo. It was Stetson of Germany that used it:

I wonder if the "Excellent" designation in Europe meant a much higher grade than in the USA?