Thanks for the compliment! Yes, I'm talking about the depth of the center crease as measured from the front. A cattleman center crease will use anywhere from 1/2" to 1" depending on how you want the front & back to come out into the crown. Blocking factors in as well but since we are talking CD's & OR's then we know what that is (for the most part). Also the deeper you sink the center crease the more taper you will be pulling into the sides of the crown as seen from the front.
Just keep in mind when you venture to hats other than CD's, depending on what you want to do with it the original block is everything.
Thanks for the history lesson, I discovered the Akubra Campdraft last year on the Fedora Lounge and had to get one, ended up getting two. Silverbelly and Bluegrass green. It's amazing how both colors vary depending on the light. I'm a true Akubra convert, but I still own a few Stetsons, and a few other oddball hats. Love my Biltmore. Anyways, it's good to be a part of this talking hats with y'all.
All great quality hats in every way. If you like the campdraft check out the "squatter" it's slightly stiffer (slightly) comes open crown and more of a two brim which is closer to the OR. Comes in dark grey, fawn brown
It says so on their website. Have a look at the OR royal and read the caption. It clearly says it's a blend and of inferior quality.Historically the OR has been produced in many felt grades up to and including 100% beaver. The Pure OR is currently in production and is 100% beaver...though I would not recommend at the price they're asking.
What now? The RD is listed as fur felt. Stetson does not disclose their fur felt blends, so if you have something verifiable to show that there is no beaver in either the 6x or RD, and that there is wool now on the RD, I would be interested to see. For whatever it is worth, Stetson Japan originally listed RD as 10% beaver, more recently (2022) as 30% beaver. Thinner isn't necessarily worse if the felt is denser. Modern westerns, indeed most all modern fur felt hats, are thick compared to pre-war hats. All in all I would prefer a thinner felt in a modern hat.
The price difference exists for a reason (other than the Stetson brand name). Stetsons are generally finished smoother, and the RD has a very nice Roan leather sweatband. To illustrate the point, the dead horse I usually beat is the old Fed IV listing.
Note the last bit: further finishing for a smoother finish vs "keep the hat as low priced as possible." Higher quality leather that is less prone to shrinkage vs lesser quality that is known to shrink.
To be clear, this is a very nit picky critique for hat people. 99.8% won't notice (and even then only close up), and you won't notice the finish while it's on your head. This is in no way to imply that Akubras are bad hats. I would agree there's better value for your dollar in the Akubra at the end of the day. But there is something to the price difference, it's not nothing.
The pre creased crown Stetson uses is not the best fit for everyone's face, and a nicer quality sweat band isn't necessarily a reason to pick Stetson over Akubra. You're also trading for Hatco's 'lovely' poly thread tacking stitches. But if the crown works for you, I happen to think the sage and natural RD ORs are pretty spiffy and still think about grabbing one to have a hat I don't have to be so precious about, as opposed to my 3x or 100.
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I asked chatgpt (which isn't perfect) and it said Stetson uses wool in its blends
