New VS Vintage Stetson Hats

[Frunobulax]

Brent, they did make an Excellent Quality Stetsonian during the Deckard time. I got one from Matt made for the 150th Anniversary or maybe it was just for himself. Idk, but it is a nicely felted piece.

Of note is the leather for the sweatband is a quite nice quality, much the upgrade from their disappointing sweatband material?? used for years.
B

Pics or it didn't happen. Must have been a prototype, as it was never offered in the catalog to my knowledge.

How did you come by it?

And yes, the sweatbands on my 150th Anniversary hats are pretty nice.

 

[belfastboy]

I have a couple of those too, but I’ve never seen one in the Excellent line. Those dimensions in Stetson’s 100% beaver is quite compelling.


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I have been keeping an eye out for a NewYorker but they are harder than the Yeti to locate. Even with the lower crown I might bite if one ever comes along.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I have a couple hats from Matt. I think they were prototypes he was working on for himself. Idk
B
Ps: lazy me will try and get some pics of the Excellent Stetsonian and the wide ribbon RD Premier Strat.
B

 

[Frunobulax]

I have a couple hats from Matt. I think they were prototypes he was working on for himself. Idk
B
Ps: lazy me will try and get some pics of the Excellent Stetsonian and the wide ribbon RD Premier Strat.
B

Oooh! Aaaah!

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Greetings All:
Proof of life.
Me and Mr. Jimmi standing in the rain waiting on the dog.
2014 Prototype fat ribbon, RD Premier Strat from MD.
Very nice dress weight felt, ribbon is wacko but what the heck.
B

 

[deadlyhandsome]

View attachment 206903 View attachment 206904 View attachment 206905 Greetings All:
Proof of life.
Me and Mr. Jimmi standing in the rain waiting on the dog.
2014 Prototype fat ribbon, RD Premier Strat from MD.
Very nice dress weight felt, ribbon is wacko but what the heck.
B

Nice. I remember that hat, but do you have one in the Excellent line? The Premier hats are all RD (unless I’m wrong) and yours appears to be too.


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[AbbaDatDeHat]

Again the proof of life. Lol
150th Anniversary Excellent Quality The Stetsonian from MD.
Honestly, i’ve never really paid much attention to this hat.
Having just done so i am impressed by the thinnest of this felt. Note the crinkles of the brim. I’ve found this on the more thin felts or as i call them the Kleenex felts. Tissue like and deforms with a sneeze. Or maybe just needs steam or stiffener idk.
Anyway, this is the thinnest Stetson felt i have ever had in hand. I pulled some thin felts to compare and not 7XCB, 100’s, D and K 40’s, Vita-felts, Vagabonds on and on, are as thin. One Borsa Gorasgu Kleenex felt is very close.
Maybe a Churchill 50 is but kinda a toss up of soft vs firm brims.
Lastly, the sweat is a full 2” vs the Premier Strat’s 1 5/8” and much nicer quality leather.
Guess i need to pay more attention. Lol
B

 

[deadlyhandsome]

View attachment 206907 View attachment 206908 View attachment 206909 Again the proof of life. Lol
150th Anniversary Excellent Quality The Stetsonian from MD.
Honestly, i’ve never really paid much attention to this hat.
Having just done so i am impressed by the thinnest of this felt. Note the crinkles of the brim. I’ve found this on the more thin felts or as i call them the Kleenex felts. Tissue like and deforms with a sneeze. Or maybe just needs steam or stiffener idk.
Anyway, this is the thinnest Stetson felt i have ever had in hand. I pulled some thin felts to compare and not 7XCB, 100’s, D and K 40’s, Vita-felts, Vagabonds on and on, are as thin. One Borsa Gorasgu Kleenex felt is very close.
Maybe a Churchill 50 is but kinda a toss up of soft vs firm brims.
Lastly, the sweat is a full 2” vs the Premier Strat’s 1 5/8” and much nicer quality leather.
Guess i need to pay more attention. Lol
B

Super hat, Bowen! I don’t remember this hat. It’s just what I’ve been dreaming of. I don’t know why they didn’t make that a catalog item. Your description of the felt and sweat sure sound nice.


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[Frunobulax]

View attachment 206907 View attachment 206908 View attachment 206909 Again the proof of life. Lol
150th Anniversary Excellent Quality The Stetsonian from MD.
Honestly, i’ve never really paid much attention to this hat.
Having just done so i am impressed by the thinnest of this felt. Note the crinkles of the brim. I’ve found this on the more thin felts or as i call them the Kleenex felts. Tissue like and deforms with a sneeze. Or maybe just needs steam or stiffener idk.
Anyway, this is the thinnest Stetson felt i have ever had in hand. I pulled some thin felts to compare and not 7XCB, 100’s, D and K 40’s, Vita-felts, Vagabonds on and on, are as thin. One Borsa Gorasgu Kleenex felt is very close.
Maybe a Churchill 50 is but kinda a toss up of soft vs firm brims.
Lastly, the sweat is a full 2” vs the Premier Strat’s 1 5/8” and much nicer quality leather.
Guess i need to pay more attention. Lol
B

Oh my goodness. That's fantastic, B. I don't remember seeing that before.

I'm really stunned.

 

[belfastboy]

Super hat, Bowen! I don’t remember this hat. It’s just what I’ve been dreaming of. I don’t know why they didn’t make that a catalog item. Your description of the felt and sweat sure sound nice.


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I like the RD felt on mine but it is definitley NOT thin. It is quite dense but still has a soft hand . It holds a bash fairly well but the brim is on the floppy side and doesn't hold its form all that well. Wore it in the rain one day, got it wet but not soaked and it went all wonky. Ended up sending it out to Mike at NW for his hydraulic brim press treatment. No more rain for my Stetsonians.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I like the RD felt on mine but it is definitley NOT thin. It is quite dense but still has a soft hand . It holds a bash fairly well but the brim is on the floppy side and doesn't hold its form all that well. Wore it in the rain one day, got it wet but not soaked and it went all wonky. Ended up sending it out to Mike at NW for his hydraulic brim press treatment. No more rain for my Stetsonians.

I haven’t gotten my Stetsonians wet. I’ll agree that the felt is definitely not the thin lightweight stuff Bowen describes in his Excellent version. I like the two New Yorks that I have, but I prefer the Stetsonian dimensions.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Aww shucks fellas...you guys barrassin me!
I doubt anybody’s seen it because i’ve never worn it and if i’m not wearing it i don’t post it=lazy.
It’s kind of an in your face hat to me with the stark contrast but it is a nice hat quality wise an Stetson’s last oorah imho.
Thanks guys for the kind words.
Bowen

 

[belfastboy]

I haven’t gotten my Stetsonians wet. I’ll agree that the felt is definitely not the thin lightweight stuff Bowen describes in his Excellent version. I like the two New Yorks that I have, but I prefer the Stetsonian dimensions.

How would you compare the felts of the two models?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

How would you compare the felts of the two models?

Hey Bowen @AbbaDatDeHat I think this question was intended for you. I’d like to hear what you have to say too.


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[belfastboy]

Hey Bowen @AbbaDatDeHat I think this question was intended for you. I’d like to hear what you have to say too.


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Thank you for catching this.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

^^^ha
Let me get out my microscope after i chase a 2 yo tornado for awhile.
B
In gen: see above for Stetsonian litany.
The RD Premier is lots thicker like about twice.
I’ll try harder later. Lol
B

 

[Jeffrey W]

I was wondering what everyone thinks about the quality of brand new Stetson fur felt hats versus their fur felt hats from the 90s, 80s, and older than 80s. I'm relatively new to Stetson hats but I do have a few from the 80s and 90s (4x beaver) which I quite like and I'm curious to how the quality of something newer or older would compare.

I noticed Stetson only makes 4x blends with Buffalo fur now which I've heard isn't nearly as nice as the 4x beaver stuff they used to make so I don't think I would purchase one of those. I am however, debating buying a brand new Stetson Skyline in 6x beaver and I'm wondering how it would compare to an 80s 4x beaver.

Thanks & would love to hear your thoughts!

 

[Frunobulax]

I was wondering what everyone thinks about the quality of brand new Stetson fur felt hats versus their fur felt hats from the 90s, 80s, and older than 80s. I'm relatively new to Stetson hats but I do have a few from the 80s and 90s (4x beaver) which I quite like and I'm curious to how the quality of something newer or older would compare.

I noticed Stetson only makes 4x blends with Buffalo fur now which I've heard isn't nearly as nice as the 4x beaver stuff they used to make so I don't think I would purchase one of those. I am however, debating buying a brand new Stetson Skyline in 6x beaver and I'm wondering how it would compare to an 80s 4x beaver.

Thanks & would love to hear your thoughts!

There are plenty of discussions on the board about hat quality, and Stetson quality. My IMHO, the Stetsons following the folding of the original company in 1970(?) are not of high quality. It's pretty much accepted hat quality diminished over time, with the 50s being sort of the last hurrah of hat quality. Exceptions abound, but this is generally the view (especially on these boards).

However, over the last several years, Stetson upped their game, primarily on dress hats and under the hand of Matt Deckard, who is a member here and one of the instigators of this FL mess. You're in pretty good shape with a quality level of Royal Deluxe or Excellent. Not certain how the X designations stand up, nor how this translates to Westerns, though.

 

[mark balen]

I had a 4x buffalo and it was extremely durable. Because of the coarseness of the buffalo fur, it has pretty rough texture. Holds up well in rain.
I'd have to agree with the above comment that Royal Deluxe and Excellent seem to be pretty high quality.

 

[jlee562]

The Excellent Quality is among the nicest felts being made today, if they've kept Deckard's standards after his departure. Very soft and plush feeling and holds a crease well. But that's a dress weight felt.

My only experience with the current Hatco western lineup is the 6x and 10x. The latter is actually a Resistol, but since they're both coming out of the same factory (and said Cogburn hat is now being offered as a Stetson branded 10x hat), I'm going to assume it's all the same. The 6x is fine, nothing to write home about. IMHO modern westerns suffer from too much stiffener. The 10x is slightly finer to the hand, and I've subjected it to plenty of rain. The brim did start to contract just a little bit, but it has responded well to ironing, so I'm plenty pleased with the 10x.

Oh, I also have a 5x Cavalry hat which I think is wool or buffalo blend. It's......well, it is technically a hat.