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[Frunobulax]

We have never known the beaver content of hats. Even in the old days, it was proprietary. Safe speculation is that a 7X Clear Beaver is actually 100% beaver. At least one Stetson currently is marketed as 100% Beaver. Anybody that tells you they can feel whether or not there is beaver in their hats is, well, talking through their hat. As Steve (@meyserwegener) will tell you, eastern European hare quality is very good, and many great hats have been made out of hare and even wool.

 

[Frunobulax]

The new Open Crown fedoras that I have bought from Hat-Co to bash with Royal Quality on hatband are a soft fine felt that steam but are still pliable. Very nice hats.

What Stetson open crown hat is Royal Quality? Everything I've seen in the catalog that is open crown has been either Royal Deluxe or Excellent Quality.

 

[jlee562]

I have a couple Resistol hats with a kitten on the sweatband, so can I assume....and how about seal velour?

I do think you are correct about it having some beaver fur, but since the manufacturers are intentionally silent on the matter all we can do is guess. My guess is that if there is beaver content it’s not much.

I got a good laugh a while back when current Stetson Royal felt was speculated to be mostly dryer lint.


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Ha! I figured on someone pointing out the eagle in the Stetson crest.

I know the comment is somewhat facetious, but it does illustrate the point...kitten finish hats were marked with "finish." I can't think of any other hat embossment that would be so ambiguous as "beaver" = "beaver finish." And there wouldn't be much incentive to advertise a "beaver finish" if multiple companies were also doing the same thing (indeed, Resistol was marketing their finishing process). Different companies had their own adspeak. The Cavanagh edge became the Mode edge, for example. But with the supposed "beaver finish" they all just put "beaver?"

 

[drmaxtejeda]

I would think you had a gross of them already, along with a custom-built safe.


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You are right on the safe. Just got the new one delivered last night.

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[Winston Carter]

What Stetson open crown hat is Royal Quality? Everything I've seen in the catalog that is open crown has been either Royal Deluxe or Excellent Quality.

You don't find the 2nd hats from Hat-Co in their catalog. All sweatbands have this logo on them.

 

[Ken David]

Looking for "affordable" source for replacement sweatbands.

It appears that I have bad luck, out of my modest collection of lids I have 2-3 that the sweats looked ok during purchase soon deteriorated. I can sent them to a hatter for replacement for around $25 but that does not include 2 way shipping (already had one done). I am willing to give it a try to replace a sweat on a low dollar hat. Anybody have any suggestions where I can purchase a cheap sweatband? Thanks.

 

[Frunobulax]

Looking for "affordable" source for replacement sweatbands.

It appears that I have bad luck, out of my modest collection of lids I have 2-3 that the sweats looked ok during purchase soon deteriorated. I can sent them to a hatter for replacement for around $25 but that does not include 2 way shipping (already had one done). I am willing to give it a try to replace a sweat on a low dollar hat. Anybody have any suggestions where I can purchase a cheap sweatband? Thanks.

Our own member "@bond" sells very nice sweats - finished and unfinished. On eBay he is zenguy, on Etsy, finevintagefedoras.


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[Frunobulax]

You don't find the 2nd hats from Hat-Co in their catalog. All sweatbands have this logo on them.

View attachment 137860

Oh, if it's from the outlet, that's different. Not all factory seconds have that logo, however. I purchased a RD Racine from the outlet with all the right markings.


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[drmaxtejeda]

Our own member "@bond" sells very nice sweats - finished and unfinished. On eBay he is zenguy, on Etsy, finevintagefedoras.


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I bought five from him recently, for about $16.50 a piece. Then I bought another four from hatter supply house for about $7.50.
I wonder if the quality of @bond's sweats is that much better?
I will opine when I get them.

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[Winston Carter]

Oh, if it's from the outlet, that's different. Not all factory seconds have that logo, however. I purchased a RD Racine from the outlet with all the right markings.


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I look for the open crowns to bash. They have wide ribbon bands instead of thin. To me they are best deal for the price

 

[Winston Carter]

Here is an example of one that I didn't bash.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

The new Open Crown fedoras that I have bought from Hat-Co to bash with Royal Quality on hatband are a soft fine felt that steam but are still pliable. Very nice hats.

Shows what I know; I didn’t even know they currently offered open crowns in the Royal lineup.


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[Frunobulax]

Shows what I know; I didn’t even know they currently offered open crowns in the Royal lineup.


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I just think it's because it's a second from the outlet. Normally, the Premier open crown hats are Royal Deluxe. Th Excellent Quality Stratoliner I picked up last summer was open crown also, of course.


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[deadlyhandsome]

Ha! I figured on someone pointing out the eagle in the Stetson crest.

I know the comment is somewhat facetious, but it does illustrate the point...kitten finish hats were marked with "finish." I can't think of any other hat embossment that would be so ambiguous as "beaver" = "beaver finish." And there wouldn't be much incentive to advertise a "beaver finish" if multiple companies were also doing the same thing (indeed, Resistol was marketing their finishing process). Different companies had their own adspeak. The Cavanagh edge became the Mode edge, for example. But with the supposed "beaver finish" they all just put "beaver?"

What you’re saying all sounds logical and consistent with what we know, but in the end all we can do is guess and extrapolate.

I can see the advantages of being ambiguous with what “beaver” means if you can get away with making a hat without any beaver content but still advertise it as “beaver” (meaning the finish) without any explanation. If they have beaver fur in the felt why not “made with real beaver” or some such marketing ploy?

Just wild speculation from me at this point. I don’t care what the material is, it’s the traits that I’m after. If the plastic felt was indistinguishable from beaver I’d be fine with it.


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[Ken David]

Our own member "@bond" sells very nice sweats - finished and unfinished. On eBay he is zenguy, on Etsy, finevintagefedoras.


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yes....thanks for post. I think he charges $20 + 5 shipping, I can get one installed for 25, was hoping for something a little cheaper but this may be the only option. thanks again

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[deadlyhandsome]

yes....thanks for post. I think he charges $20 + 5 shipping, I can get one installed for 25, was hoping for something a little cheaper but this may be the only option. thanks again

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Agnoulita offers them on Etsy. The leather is great, but specify if you want a reeded sweat.


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[deadlyhandsome]

Among the current Stetson lineup, 4x is wool or buffalo, 5x I think is a wool/fur blend. I'm not even sure that the 6x is even still marketed as "6x beaver," just "6x." I don't want to know what's in the 3x hats if 4x is buffalo....

Historically, I'm inclined to believe that if a hat was marked with "beaver" it probably had some beaver content.

Maybe the "beaver finish" thing is true, but I'm disinclined to put much stock in it because of the following: I've never seen reference to "beaver finish" in marketing or trade copy; a Nutria hat was labeled as such because it contained Nutria; embossing "beaver" and/or literally a picture of a beaver seems like it wouldn't be tenable to advertise if it didn't contain beaver.

And I’m still waiting to know the seal content in seal velour (it doesn’t say “finish”).



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[Winston Carter]

Here is a Hat-Co Silverbelly open crown Royal Quality that I bashed.

 

[bond]

I am locked out of the “what hat”are you wearing thread. Anyone tell me why?


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[Frunobulax]

I am locked out of the “what hat”are you wearing thread. Anyone tell me why?


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They closed that one and started a new one, Scott. That one's archived. Folks were complaining it was taking too long to load.


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