The Resistol Roundup

[Benzadmiral]

You just might have gotten yourself a treasure there. Looks like a fifties model to me (liner without plastic, sweatband stitching, overall construction). The Kitten Finish hats of that decade were quite something. If the felt feels like clay when creasing the crown you'll know it's the real thing.

I thought Fifties too, since the brim is relatively wide.

 

[Justin B]

This weekend I bid on this one, and to my surprise won it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=261071172477

My size, a color I don't have in my collection, a Resistol, and a Kitten, all in one. How could I resist?

You just beat me out on that one. Caught me where my phone didn't connect or I'd have bid again.

 

[KC Capellor]

Benzadmiral, congrats on the nice KF Resi'! Looks like mid to late 50's, same details and box as several of mine. By the way, all Resistol Kitten Finish fedoras that I have seen (as well as their Churchill cousins) feature Cavanagh type edges, this alone well worth the price of admission in this range. KF felt is typically fine, soft and velvety. What is the exact brim width and crown height open? Compare to Left smoke 3X KF 2 1/4" brim, 5 1/2" crown; Right cinder 5X KF 1 7/8" brim, 5 1/2" crown.

Gotta love those Resistol kittens!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Benzadmiral, congrats on the nice KF Resi'! Looks like mid to late 50's, same details and box as several of mine. By the way, all Resistol Kitten Finish fedoras that I have seen (as well as their Churchill cousins) feature Cavanagh type edges, this alone well worth the price of admission in this range. KF felt is typically fine, soft and velvety. What is the exact brim width and crown height open?

The seller quoted 2.5" brim and 6" crown when open.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The new KF

The Resistol Kitten Finish is here! Pics soon, I hope. In the meantime:

It's more a green than a taupe, like the sage color that Stetson once offered the Temple in, with a darker green ribbon. It fits well, though I may slide a little foam under the sweatband in the back. It held a quick dry bash -- semi-teardrop, with a loose pinch in front -- and darn, it looks a lot like an Akubra Fed on me!

And it has very nice felt, of course. Plus there's the Resistol box with the plastic strap to hold it closed.

(Only three months, if I'm lucky, until I can wear it outdoors!)

 

[gdc]

That's a dead ringer for this one. It is not a Resistol but a Conforma Brim with wire around the brim and I believe it's paper straw. It was well loved by my grandfather who passed in 1983. Although not much for western hats I wear it occasionally as a tribute to him.

[/IMG]

I got this last week - 1960s Resistol Cutting Horse straw.

 

[Ormazd]

I started reading through this thread looking for an answer, but got tired.

Can anyone explain the various Resistol "kitten finish" rankings? I've seen:
TWELVE FIFTY
FIFTEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY FIVE
How do those compare to the common XXX grade?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dinerman]

Each of those rankings is a price point. Twelve Fifty sold originally for $12.50, etc. So the higher the price, the better the quality. But you also have to take into account the year of the hat. Twenty dollars in the '70s wouldn't buy you as much hat as it would in the '50s, for instance.

Impossible to know how any compare to a specific X grade unless it's marked, and even then, unless you have a lot of experience knowing what certain manufacturer's grades from certain years feel like, it's a pretty meaningless comparison. The X system is fairly arbitrary, with dramatic "X-inflation" over the years (vintage 7x hats can be of better quality than modern 1000x hats, for example). It's not consistent maker to maker (in a given year, one brand's XXX can be better than another's XXX) , and it (supposedly) takes in the overall quality of the hat including trimmings (sometimes).

 

[Rabbit]

I started reading through this thread looking for an answer, but got tired.

Can anyone explain the various Resistol "kitten finish" rankings? I've seen:
TWELVE FIFTY
FIFTEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY FIVE
How do those compare to the common XXX grade?

Thanks in advance.

12.50, 15, 20, 25 are the retail price of the hat, respectively. Check the old price lists of Stetson hats (or any other major label), they had pretty much the same price categories. In the 1950s for instance, their Royal line was $10, the Royal Deluxe $12.50, etc.

As for the Xs, I think Resistol used them for Western hats mostly (exclusively?). There is no consensus between the X rating systems of different hat makers, or even between hats of a given X number produced by one hatmaker in different eras. The Xs mean whatever the hat brand decided them to mean, which mostly boils down to marketing strategies.

 

[Ormazd]

Thanks!

 

[KC Capellor]

Ormazed, my KF fedoras from the mid '50's to mid '60's are stamped with Beaver 3X and 5X under the Kitten Finish logo on the front of the sweatband. Original stock tag on cinder brown 5X c. 1960 has price stamped 20.00. Some earlier fedoras have brown Melorol sweatband with KF logo, but no X grade marked.

 

[Dinerman]

Here's an extended explanation of the X rating system I put together.

X-Rated: a Guide to Felt Quality

 

[Dinerman]

And here are my two Resistol beaters. The lighter colored of the two is just about beat.

The Cornhusker

The Plains

 

[KC Capellor]

Dinerman, great explanation of the X factor, and how relativity from different eras is so important. As general reference, Resistol was founded by Byer & Rolnick in 1927 and moved from Dallas to Garland in 1938 with the Kitten Finish process already well noted. In the mid 1930's Stetson was the industry standard and their quality line-up ran something like this: standard 8.00, 3X 10.00, 4X 15.00, 5X 25.00, 7X 50.00 100/ 100.00. Even a 5X was a very expensive hat during the (First) Great Depression. 7Xs were for rich cattlemen and 100s for millionaires. Resistol prices resembled Stetson in general with a 3X hat priced around 15.00 and premium 5X models at 30.00 - 50.00 just a few years later, per these catalog snippets.

 

[Dinerman]

Resistol 990 (full post w/more pics)

Resistol Straw (full post)

5X (Full post)

Resistol 30 (Full Post)

 

[Dinerman]

Back Bow (full post)

San Antonio (full post)

Straw (full post)

 

[KC Capellor]

Dinerman, excellent Resistol lineup! Great to see those liners and sweatbands.

Here is my latest addition: Resistol 20X Beaver western hat 1970's(?) color natural, crown 6 1/2" open, brim 3 3/8", stock tag handwritten R56621 / 7 1/4" where model and size are usually typed. Arrived with heavily soiled crown in cattleman's crease. Washed her, brushed her, and nudged her into a teardrop. Felt is thin, firm, and very velvety to the touch. Color is a shade lighter than silverbelly with lots of tiny dark flecks, ribbon faded to celery green. I'll have to break out my best boots to wear with this one!

Before:


During:


After:



Cheers from KC!

 

[TomS]

Hi Folks:

Here is my entry into the ranks of this brand. It was recently on the bay, and went pretty much under the radar. The seller indicated it has a 5" crown, and 2 5/8 brim.

I'm guessing from the look of the size tag its 1970s or 80's?

Best,
Tom
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[Landman]

Tom,

I was watching that Leddy Bros Resistol too. I even threw a low bid at it but you got me. Good catch.

Mike

 

[TomS]

Tom,

I was watching that Leddy Bros Resistol too. I even threw a low bid at it but you got me. Good catch.

Mike

Thanks, Mike!