So whats so horrible about the new Stetsons anyway?

[Blackjack]

Everybody here seems to "bash" ( excuse the pun) the new Stetsons even though they have some really nice looking re-pops of their classics...what is so bad about these hats??

 

[Tomasso]

op2:

 

[tonyb]

I (along with many others, I'm sure) are hoping that Stetson's new (but traditional-looking) styles foretell a return to the manufacturing quality Stetson and most other large hat manufacturers were known for back a half century and more ago.

It isn't just Hatco (Stetson, Dobbs, Resistol) that gets the bad rap, Blackjack. Modern mass-produced hats in general aren't what they were when Grandpa was a young man. Just about every aspect of them -- the quality of the felt and leather and ribbon and linings, the attention to finish, etc., isn't what it was back before most of us drew our first breaths (and the remainder of us were still very much in our salad days).

We could go into detail on this, of course. But just hold a well-preserved vintage (1950s and earlier, say) Stetson with a typical modern one and the difference will be apparent.

 

[DesertDan]

Well said Tony.

 

[John Galt]

Everybody here seems to "bash" ( excuse the pun) the new Stetsons even though they have some really nice looking re-pops of their classics...what is so bad about these hats??

It isn't that the new hats are bad per se, it's just that that do not even begin to measure up to those made in the golden era. This is a nostalgia forum, so it is should surprise no one that we yearn for a simpler time and yes, a better hat than is now commonly available.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[facade]

I (along with many others, I'm sure) are hoping that Stetson's new (but traditional-looking) styles foretell a return to the manufacturing quality Stetson and most other large hat manufacturers were known for back a half century and more ago.

It isn't just Hatco (Stetson, Dobbs, Resistol) that gets the bad rap, Blackjack. Modern mass-produced hats in general aren't what they were back when Grandpa was a young man. Just about every aspect of them -- the quality of the felt and leather and ribbon and linings, the attention to finish, etc., isn't what it was back before most of us drew out first breaths (and the remainder of us were still very much in our salad days).

We could go into detail on this, of course. But just hold a well-preserved vintage (1950s and earlier, say) Stetson with a typical modern one and the difference will be apparent.

And if you happen to be a purist, the Stetson from the 50's was made by the John B. Stetson company founded in the 1800's. The modern Stetson is made by a company that purchased the right to place the Stetson name on their hats long after the John B. Stetson company stopped making hats in the 70's.

This matters to some people, and not at all to others.

 

[DougC]

I have more of an issue with the Stetson website than the new hats...when was the last time it was updated...2008?

 

[tonyb]

I have more of an issue with the Stetson website than the new hats...when was the last time it was updated...2008?

Hey, I resemble that comment!

Seriously, though, an attractive, easy-to-navigate website is something just about every business would benefit from, but I've seen some quite impressive sites for businesses selling (and making, in some cases) not-so-great hats, and vice-versa.

 

[DougC]

fair enough-I think my website (for my law firm) is dead. But, at least out up news about new hats; don't make us figure out what you are planning to offer from some obscure site we might not ever find...officially done with the hijacking of the thread.

 

[tonyb]

Aye, aye, counselor. And agreed. It would be good to get the news straight from the horse's mouth.

I'm surely no marketing expert, but I would think that a business of that size would be interested in generating its own buzz. Sure, you'd want your customers saying good things about you, but among us (admittedly few) hat aficionados, the reputation of Hatco's recent offerings ain't exactly stellar.

What strikes me as odd is that the name itself should be pure gold. If the average person knows of any hat brand name, it is Stetson. Cola is Coke (or Pepsi), fruit-flavored gelatin is Jello, real estate agents are Realtors (yes, it's a trademark; not all real estate agents are Realtors), and hats are Stetsons.

 

[Tomasso]

If the average person knows of any hat brand name, it is Stetson.

Yeah but as a western/cowboy hat maker.

 

[gtdean48]

Everybody here seems to "bash" ( excuse the pun) the new Stetsons even though they have some really nice looking re-pops of their classics...what is so bad about these hats??

Just look at reviews of what they released under the iconic Stratoliner moniker before this latest effort. It has been covered well in the Lounge along with powdered, mottled felt & other issues...

 

[T Jones]

Just to add. A lot of times you can find a real nice vintage in very good to excellent condition for a lot less money than you'd pay for a modern reproduction. For example, I paid less than $50 for the OR I'm wearing in my avatar pic. The hat's in near perfect condition and it's obvious by the sweat and the liner that this hat had very little wear time by the original owner. I spent an extra $10 on it at my nearest Western shop to have it cleaned a little and to have it recreased. I've been surprised of late at how cheaply some real nice Strats sold for on ebay.

 

[gtdean48]

I have more of an issue with the Stetson website than the new hats...when was the last time it was updated...2008?

Which one?
http://www.stetsonhat.com/collections.php
http://www.stetson.com/hats/all

Stetson to be such an iconic brand, especially in the hat department, has an identity crisis if you ask me...

 

[viclip]

I just finished applying some beeswax leather preservative to the sweat band of a Stetson "Monza" which I purchased earlier this year, it's rotation time. With a list price of $375, this is a Sage colored fedora made of 100% beaver fur felt. Following the act of rotating the hat with my left hand as I applied the preservative, I discovered that my wrist area which had been in nestled against the crown, was now a lovely shade of olive green.

I'm not sure whether the color transfer was from dye or from powder, but I will say that I didn't expect any colour transfer from what is apparently a high-end formal Stetson, particularly from a perfectly dry hat & which has never been exposed to rain. Out of fairness, the actual hat itself appears to be well put together with full-bodied felt, at least to my untrained eye. Still...I hope that the new Tawny Stetsonian that I put in for will be color-fast.

 

[Doc Glockster]

Stetson to be such an iconic brand, especially in the hat department, has an identity crisis if you ask me...

You ain't kiddin'. To further muddy the waters consider the Stetson Revenger. If you look in some places it's a Stetson "Buffalo Collection" hat available in Chocolate or Black. If you go to Millerhats.com, they offer a hat of the same name in totally different colors and somewhat different styling for a substantially higher price in "7x Fur Felt". No mention of buffalo.


http://www.millerhatstore.com/store/6001-7X_The_Revenger

Why couldn't one of the two have picked a different name to avoid confusion? Frankly neither is the "classic" Stetson Revenger, so both should probably have picked a different name. Furthermore, how much does a brand like Miller Hats actually have to do with Stetson even though it's the same name for the hat and is obviously an updated replica of the classic Revenger? At the very least I would think the product would have to be licensed from Stetson even though the name "Stetson" is nowhere to be seen on Miller's page.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Not to jump on the band wagon, but I'm afraid Stetson's quality may have even gone down since 2005 when I bought my first new Open Road. I was looking at a new OR the other day. The felt was about as thin and stiff as any as I've ever seen in a hat that cost almost two C-notes. I hate saying this, because I've always loved Stetsons, but I'd be hard pressed to order a new felt Stetson today. Last spring I bought a new Panama OR, sight unseen, and it turned out to be OK. But nowadays, I'd probably have to see and feel a new felt Stetson before I bought it.

AF

 

[TheDane]

It's obvious that Stetson has more focus on vintage webcode than on vintage hats. Both sites are written as it was done in the 90s. They are substantially outdated, and it's hard to imagine a site that is made more "stealth" from a search engines' point of view. The company has done absolutely nothing to make their sites interesting to search engines - and thereby secure a high ranking in potential customers' search results ... on the contrary! If the crisis is on identity, I don't know - but it sure looks like a severe crisis [huh]

 

[rue]

op2:

:rofl:

 

[hatband]

I just finished applying some beeswax leather preservative to the sweat band of a Stetson "Monza" which I purchased earlier this year, it's rotation time. With a list price of $375, this is a Sage colored fedora made of 100% beaver fur felt. Following the act of rotating the hat with my left hand as I applied the preservative, I discovered that my wrist area which had been in nestled against the crown, was now a lovely shade of olive green.

I'm not sure whether the color transfer was from dye or from powder, but I will say that I didn't expect any colour transfer from what is apparently a high-end formal Stetson, particularly from a perfectly dry hat & which has never been exposed to rain. Out of fairness, the actual hat itself appears to be well put together with full-bodied felt, at least to my untrained eye. Still...I hope that the new Tawny Stetsonian that I put in for will be color-fast.

Just ordered a new Stetsonian myself. My first new Stetson, I,m now hoping the same , viclip