Open Crown Stetsons: A Call (Plea) to Retailers!!

[Landman]

I can't figure out how to post a link to it with this iPad but Stetson has a new picture on their Facebook page of the inside of a new hat. The liner and light colored sweatband is beautiful! I really like what I'm seeing from Stetson these days. I hope all these new hats are a big hit for them.

 

[DougC]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...878391.-2207520000.1394287118.&type=3&theater

 

[tommyK]

Yes! Caribou Stetsonian. I hope we hear from Jeff that this is available soon. I've been waiting for this

 

[Jedwbpm]

View attachment 11829

Yes! Caribou Stetsonian. I hope we hear from Jeff that this is available soon. I've been waiting for this

I have been informed that we will soon be able to take orders for this new Color. I'll keep you all informed as to when you can start.

Jeff

 

[rclark]

Looks nice, but I'm waiting on my Premiere Strat in Caribou with bated breath!

 

[Jedwbpm]

Looks nice, but I'm waiting on my Premiere Strat in Caribou with bated breath!

From Matt's Blog. All they need is the trim.

Jeff

 

[rclark]

From Matt's Blog. All they need is the trim.


Jeff

 

[Lotsahats]

I have one each of the new Strat and Stetsonian. The only aspect of both that's really unforgivable is the ribbon stitching: the ribbon on each is tacked terribly. I don't mind sending them off for new ribbon work, but at the price point, I shouldn't have to. Until I hear that this issue has been consistently addressed, I won't be ordering new colors--or new models, for that matter.

Cross-posting to "What makes a hat so expensive."

A

 

[TheDane]

As I have written in a couple of other threads: I have recently had the chance to handle eight of those hats - four Stratos and four Stetsonians. All had more or less serious flaws/errors. Stitching of sweatband and ribbon ranged from poor to catastrofic. A little softer felt and a blocking to another profile (open crown) is not enough to please me. To me they are still not Stetson hats, but legal "counterfeit goods" made by another company. Yes, the factory is situated in USA and bear a legendary name, but could just as well be situated in China. Yes, they stepped up a single step - but the ladder seems very, very long!

"A giant leap for Stetson ... a small step for hat quality" - just my two cents

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I think Texas is great. But I am an east of the Mississippi kind of guy. Still, if I had a job and they said I had to move to Texas, I would have little objection to it on that basis.

We here in our neck of the woods happen to admire Texas and Texans. A clear statement used often, "Don't Mess with Texas"!

Not to say young people from other places are not well raised or have decent values, but we have a young friend that came up to visit us here in Michigan over a year ago, and his manners and vocabulary was very dear and rather a pleasant change to hear from a youth. "Yes Maam, no Maam, Yes Sir, No Sir, thank you kindly, etc. Polite, clean cut, honest. And yes, the fellow Loungers that hang around are always welcome at our front door as well.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

From Matt's Blog. All they need is the trim.

Jeff

How many of those new hats are a size 7 1/2 LO?

 

[gtdean48]

How many of those new hats are a size 7 1/2 LO?

None, cause HatCo don't do LO anymore...

 

[g.durand]

From Matt's Blog. All they need is the trim.

Jeff

One of those is mine!

Ole--I have just the one, the Premiere Stratoliner. In my book it's not a bad hat. I suppose I got lucky with the quality control. So I ordered another in Caribou since that is my favorite color in the Hatco product range and the brown hats are currently defeating the gray hats in my collection, if you simply go by the numbers. I seek balance. There is also the faint hope that with encouragement, the folks at Hatco will seriously consider improving things. But a true Stratoliner it isn't. You may notice that I do not refer to the current issue as a Stetson.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

None, cause HatCo don't do LO anymore...

Thank you for letting me know about the LO issue. So in the future if one of these rascals are purchased for my Husband, what would be the suggestion for size? Would the normal 7 1/2 just need to have a hat jack used on it, or do you buy one size larger and then use the hat jack for making it longer?

 

[gtdean48]

Thank you for letting me know about the LO issue. So in the future if one of these rascals are purchased for my Husband, what would be the suggestion for size? Would the normal 7 1/2 just need to have a hat jack used on it, or do you buy one size larger and then use the hat jack for making it longer?

I buy my size & use a hat jack/band block to train the opening to Long Oval.
I'm actually a XLO

 

[TheDane]

Thank you for letting me know about the LO issue. So in the future if one of these rascals are purchased for my Husband, what would be the suggestion for size? Would the normal 7 1/2 just need to have a hat jack used on it, or do you buy one size larger and then use the hat jack for making it longer?

The circumference of a 7-1/2 Regular Oval and a 7-1/2 Long Oval is the same. The Long Oval is just longer - and narrower. A hat-jack size 7-1/4 or 7-3/8 would be great to train it to a 7-1/2 Long Oval.

When you force a hat to be longer, than the brim was set for, the brim will flare in the sides - up and down. To avoid this, you can steam the break-line between crown and brim a bit. Do it from the outside - do never get steam near a leather sweatband! While the hat is still hot, you place the stretcher in it and tighten. Place the hat brim down on a flat surface - and massage the inner part of the brim flat all around. This is easiest done on fedoras - whereas "sculptured" western brims may be ruined by this.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Thanks. I have had to do that "manuever" on a few hats with a steam iron (after using the tea kettle to steam up the hat and do the hat jack part). I am actually getting quite good at it. I found that I can place the hat on the ironing board, use a clean white towel to place on the brim and then with the iron, I get real (up close and personal..lol) with the iron to the sides of the crown right on and up next to the ribbon area and slowly iron all the way around taking it one step at a time using the cloth to keep the iron off the brim. I have learned to lightly push the side of the crown downwards to help keep a 90 degree angle on the crown to brim area so that I am not messing up the way the hat was what I guess called flanged.

I was not aware however that the opening size was the same on a normal 7 1/2 to a long oval.

The hat I purchased for my Husband's birthday needed to have all this done as it was too short front to back and TonyB told me how to fix it, or said ship it back and he would fix it. Well I did it and it fits like a glove! It now is my Husband''s number one hat, as I just sold his other number one hat to a fellow longer, one of his vintage stratoliners that was in A-1 Mint condition. We needed the extra money for my buying him some new vintage shoes! LOL! (155 pairs and counting)

 

[TheDane]

It sounds like you have found a great technique. Glad to hear, he has started to re-build his shoe collection. I take that as a sign, he's still getting stronger

 

[LoveMyHats2]

It sounds like you have found a great technique. Glad to hear, he has started to re-build his shoe collection. I take that as a sign, he's still getting stronger

Yes he still has problems with his over all "motor skills" and slurred speech, but he is going to be up on a walker this next week (according the his P.T. Therapist). That will help out in a few ways as he is not easy for me to "wheel" around, more so having to take him to the car for medical trips and get him into the car from the "chair"! His sense of humor is still fully engaged. When I am speaking around him and he hears me say, "Chair", (in reference to the wheel chair), he will mimic the sound and make his body look like the "Chair" is the electric chair! LOL

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I buy my size & use a hat jack/band block to train the opening to Long Oval.
I'm actually a XLO

On the long oval issue, I was just making mention of this topic to Daniel, he let me know that "fellows" with long oval hat sizes are more "aero dynamic".........lol!