Stetson Saxon, thoughts?

[jbucklin]

Have you thought of a Stetson Firenze? I picked one up this spring and I'm wearing it in my avatar. I get a lot of nice comments from people on it and I get Loungers asking me what hat it is and that it's nice looking.

I too recommend the Firenze, although I no longer have it. I reluctantly sold it recently to a buyer on Ebay who is ecstatically happy. If I were to ever buy another moden Stetson it would be the Firenze. Definitely a winter hat though.

 

[tealseal]

I have a brown one that I bought in Montreal as my first felt. Since I've had it I've replaced the vinyl-like sweatband with a leather one, and had it reblocked into a teardrop. New ones, I believe, have a leather sweat standard. I've worn it in torrential rain and, so long as I put a stretcher in while it dried, there have been no long-lasting ill effects; it did taper a bit initially, but it hasn't since I've had it reblocked.
Since I keep reading about how terrible modern Stetson's are, I've decided to experiment on my Saxon to see if it really is terrible.
Project Saxon involves the following:
1) Daily wear in all weather
2) Frequent handling by the top of the crown and the pinch
3) Brushing once a week
4) Minimal attention to where I set it down (ie: casually tossing it on a table or rack, not carefully setting down)

The project is still ongoing, but so far I haven't been able to break the hat. The brim has kept its flanging, and there is no evidence of significant weakening in the crown, though it has developed a unique asymmetrical pinch which I quite like.
Though I tend towards my Federation, Stetson Lamont, and Cervo for my daily rotation, I really love the Saxon, and would recommend it to anyone interested in a great entry to the world of fedora-ism.

 

[ptjoe]

Check out the Akubra Fed.IV and the deluxe version in black and the other several colors from Hatsdirect.com
The hats to come with open crowns so you can have fun bashing them until you get the desired look you like.
Just one man's opinion

 

[Matt_SFL]

I’m going to get a Saxon close to Christmas and want to see what it looks like in person and on someone’s head just to make sure it looks as good as the pics

 

[1967Cougar390]

If you post your question here or search here you’ll probably find another member has asked the same question and posted pictures:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/ask-a-question-get-an-answer.41576/page-1168



Here is a sales ad here on TFL showing pictures:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/stetson-saxon-7-1-2-in-graphite.91596/

A great thread to look at hat pictures that other members are wearing:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-hat-are-you-wearing-today.94860/page-2039

I usually search whatever I’m looking for on Google then follow my search with Fedora Lounge. It works really well. I hope this helps.

Steven

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I’m going to get a Saxon close to Christmas and want to see what it looks like in person and on someone’s head just to make sure it looks as good as the pics

I don’t have a Saxon, but I do have a suggestion: avoid the current Royal line from Stetson. I’m not a hat snob, or at least try not to be, but the current Royal line is pretty lousy and better hats are available for the price. You might get tired of hearing it, but for new hats at a reasonable price Akubra is the best value. I’ve had decent luck with Stetson’s Royal De Luxe Premier line and their open crown Excellent line hats can have fantastic felt, but still not the best build quality. Nothing’s worse than spending good money on a hat and not being happy with what you get. Obviously there are lots of satisfied Saxon owners out there, and if it meets your needs and expectations that’s great. I don’t recall seeing a Saxon being posted here.

 

[mark balen]

I have to second the opinion by deadlyhandsome on the disappointing quality of the Stetson Royal felt. In my experience the felt is not durable and does not hold up well even with light use. Worse, when worn in light rain, the felt really shows it's weakness as it becomes very soft and loses shape. I too have found the Akubra felt to be of much better quality.

 

[dkstott]

I've stayed away from the Royal quality hats as well.

The Royal Deluxe felt has been great for me.