Royal vs Sovereign (aka Royal Deluxe) Stetsons

[boze]

Anybody else own a new Stratoliner (the low-end Royal model)? Do they hold up okay?

I just bought a new Strat in caribou and, while I like the style, it seems quite flimsy compared to my other hats. I actually ordered three new Stetsons at once and I'm deciding which to keep:

Chatham (Royal Deluxe) - This is the most solid feeling of the three. It's also caribou and has a similar shape (all three are nearly the same shape in terms of brim, crown height, and tear drop crown). It just has a thicker ribbon and an unbound brim.

Whippet (Royal Deluxe) - This one isn't as flimsy as the Stratoliner but the brim feels thinner than the Chatham. It's my first tawny fedora so I'm likely to keep it.

Stratoliner (Royal) - I don't own any fedoras with a narrow band so the style of the Strat appeals to me and it's only a few bucks cheaper but I worry about how well put together it is.

I already own one other Stetson, a Saxon I got a year ago. It's also just Royal but doesn't seem as light/thin as the Strat. The center dent is a bit out of shape now but maybe that's from rain or from me pushing it too far down on my head.

As it stands now I'm tempted to keep the Chatham and return the Strat. Maybe spring for an Excellent or Premiere open crown Strat later on.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated.

 

[gtdean48]

Got a HatCo modern Royal Stetson Stratoliner as well as 2 Premiere Strats & an Excellent Strat.
The Royal Stetson stays in the box & always will until I give it away. I don't think you'll get much selling it, not a well done effort at all compared to Premiere & Excellent....

 

[moehawk]

I would keep in mind that the "flimsy" feeling to the felt may very well be due to some models being intentionlly made with thinner, lighter felt. This lighter weight felt does deform a bit easier, and can require more frequent maintainence. With proper care, it will hold up as well as thicker felts. I have little experience with new Stetsons, so that observation is about all I can offer on the subject.

 

[javadave61]

...not a well done effort at all compared to Premiere & Excellent....

+1.

I found that the modern Royal Stetson felt is a mess to deal with. It gets that "spider web" effect quite easily throughout the brim.

I've been quite happy with my Premiere felts.

 

[boze]

Thanks guys. I could tell the Strat felt was lacking - there are some other underwhelming details as well.

Honestly, this now has me wondering about the Whippet, whose felt is nearly as papery thin feeling as the Strat despite saying Sovereign on the sweatband. Maybe Royal Deluxe / Sovereign is a mixed bag? The Whippet is supposedly made in the USA so I guess that's no guarantee of higher quality felt in the modern Stetson line.

I think I'll return the Whippet too and go for just the Chatham in caribou or tawny. It's not a luxurious or soft felt, but the thickness is reassuring. My other option (sticking with Stetson where I know my size) is to step up to a Premiere or Excellent and try an open crown Strat.

 

[jlee562]

Thinness and thickness of felt does not necessarily correlate with the quality of the felt.

 

[boze]

That's good to know, but having these three modern Stetsons in front of me together makes the flimsy ones seem like costume props or something. That's maybe putting it too strongly but still. Do you have a modern Whippet or have you handled one? I want to to like it, I just want it to hold up over time.

 

[Tedquinton]

I'm sure there was talk of a featherweight excellent quality open crown whippet.

Anyone know if this is going to happen?

Edit found the link:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6kX-MY0eKVs

 

[Roadopen]

When would the name just Royal Deluxe (STETSON) minus the Whippet/Chatham/Sovereign etc. naming schemes made?

//or was it after that Stetson started naming the hat model as to differentiate from the rest/others as it had become more?

I am totally new to this Stetson realm so please bear with me as I would like to learn as much as I can the history besides reading and watching. Sometimes it better to ask the people that had held and own these models alike.

Thanks!

Roadopen

 

[jlee562]

Royal, Royal Deluxe, and Sovereign are felt quality grades.

Most hats did not carry a model name on the sweatband.

 

[Roadopen]

Royal, Royal Deluxe, and Sovereign are felt quality grades.

Most hats did not carry a model name on the sweatband.

Thanks for the confirmation, i did see this around the forum a while back and had an impression that Stetson started adding designation name scheme after the tier level of quality for every release.

I also came across the Pinacle and Excellent along with Flagship.

There is quite a bit of oddities with Stetson throughout the years gone by unless you have been following it’s course up to now.

Saw a nice vintage RD w/o a liner, looks more like paper in along with a transfer that might have rubbed off in time from the inside top crown lid.

I’ll get there! Thanks jlee562

Roadopen

 

[Winston Carter]

I bought 3 new Royal Quality Stetson fedoras this summer from Hat-Co. The fur felt is medium thickness and soft. They will hold shape after steaming but still be pliable. As far as fedoras go they still make the best hats IMO.

 

[Winston Carter]

I will add this, if you like a little stiffer brim and crown just spray the hat down good with Bickmore Hat Stiffener and let it dry overnight. Steam it and give it a nice brushing and the felt will still be soft as before but hold shape.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I bought 3 new Royal Quality Stetson fedoras this summer from Hat-Co. The fur felt is medium thickness and soft. They will hold shape after steaming but still be pliable. As far as fedoras go they still make the best hats IMO.
View attachment 137425 View attachment 137426 View attachment 137427

The Royal quality hats don’t get much love here on the Lounge, and some aren’t very impressed with the Royals DeLuxe either. In my admittedly limited experience, it’s worth it to go up to the Royal Deluxe for the better felt, particularly if you can get a Premier/open crown hat. Along with the felt quality, I’m not a fan of machine pressed creases as they are a pain to reshape and the factory crowns/creases don’t look right to my eye. You’re to live close to an outlet and to like the Royal quality hats; most of us have champagne tastes regardless of our budgets.


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[Winston Carter]

The Royal quality hats don’t get much love here on the Lounge, and some aren’t very impressed with the Royals DeLuxe either. In my admittedly limited experience, it’s worth it to go up to the Royal Deluxe for the better felt, particularly if you can get a Premier/open crown hat. Along with the felt quality, I’m not a fan of machine pressed creases as they are a pain to reshape and the factory crowns/creases don’t look right to my eye. You’re to live close to an outlet and to like the Royal quality hats; most of us have champagne tastes regardless of our budgets.


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I like the open crown too. The crease looks better when done with one over the factory creases IMO.

 

[Rockwater]

Premier in sage

I have 3 Royal Strats, 2 black and a caribou. The caribou is actually nice, the blacks are....eh, not very. There’s not enough crown there to reshape.
Also have a Premier in cornhill, bought used and a Premier in sage. They are far and away better felt and a bit more substantial in weight and feel.
Still looking for an Excellent in sage, maybe someday.

 

[Roadopen]

Hmmmm! Seems like any other model and years might not have been really consistently made even though they did make it with quality fur/felt back in the day and to the present but with at times the vintage quality will then sometimes surpass even the most expensive hats to date even with better materials use etc.
There will be years that are better than the others.
The OR/Strats/etc. for example could have better pick of the lot having the better made felts and when the naming scheme kicked in it gave the others the designation level they deemed fit as for price and popularity set they deserved. Now we look for better more quality made hat models with a price that dictates the level of make.

Automobiles down to guitars will have the same treatments as like with hats and cell phones. Just my general take on things how we now seek and give values to.

Could I be wrong here?

Roadopen