The Stratoliner Association {Premiere}

[NewJack]

Good point Mayser. NewJack.....trim that little thread off...and let r bump...lol I have two and love them both. The Strat was an everyday guys hat........shouldn't be fancy.....cograts on that beauty NewJack!!!!!!!!!!

Yup. Mayser does have a point. I've learned something else today! triple-d, you got it! Thanx!

 

[NewJack]

Great looking Strat, NewJack!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanx Asmo...That's a sweet lookin' lid you have as your avatar!!

 

[NewJack]

Modern hat factory tack stitching in general is not good (placement, thread size / color match). Stetson (HATCO) are some of the worse offenders. Akubra is not far behind. Also some of the custom hats I see here have problems. This is an example of fine finishing (ribbon, bow and binding)!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6786725444_22f41a9d05_b.jpg

Flawless indeed, mayser! I own an Akubra Bushman and notice what you mention regarding ribbon placement...

 

[NewJack]

Agree that it's a good choice for us big heads given the lack of vintage in our sizes. Enjoy the ride.

I just can't pull the trigger as I'm still hung up on the price/quality ratio for this style. May be a minor point to some, but your first pic seems to show another example of Hat Co's quality control issues...poor tacking of the ribbon to the crown. Guess that's just the way it is, and will remain, with mass production hats.

I see and note your point sir! I had a Strat I purchased form Orvis...Let's just say that I sold it as soon as possible. The overall quality left more than a lot to be desired! However, the issue for me is whether vintage Strats are available for my noggin size as you mentioned. Moreover, if/when they - Strats and other vintage lids - are available, the prices are astronomical (in my book!). As a new lounge member, I have learned about Stetson/Hatco production issues from other discussion readings. Heck! I didn't know Stetson was bought out by Hatco until recently!

For the discerning eye such yours and other gents -and even myself as a student in this thread, the ability to simply be in the 'know' about hat quality in general is a beautiful thing! At the same time however, when I wear this and other beauties I've come to acquire as a result of being a part the Lounges' participants and discussions, the compliments I get; the "ooh's" and "ahhs", the memories evoked by some who say "dang, my pops used to have something like that", helps me to forget about "quality control"-even if it's only for a moment!

 

[NewJack]

Hatco/Stetson currently offers three felt versions of the Stratoliner. Yours should have a leather sweat, but it won't be the sheepskin sweat found in the premiere and excellent quality hats. The strat with the blocked in crease comes in Royal quality felt. The premiere comes in Royal Deluxe felt, and the excellent quality, new for this year, is coming in the new excellent quality felt.

Thanks for this info! Never knew that Strats came with different felt 'hands'. The one I show is the Premier model which obviously is Royal Deluxe Felt. Which by the way, feels quite dense to the hand! Had to steam it to no end to get the a bash into it!

 

[rocketeer]

Hatco/Stetson currently offers three felt versions of the Stratoliner. Yours should have a leather sweat, but it won't be the sheepskin sweat found in the premiere and excellent quality hats. The strat with the blocked in crease comes in Royal quality felt. The premiere comes in Royal Deluxe felt, and the excellent quality, new for this year, is coming in the new excellent quality felt.

Factory crease = NOT Premier...

Thanks for the info chaps, at least if anyone asks me I now can tell some of the differences.
May not be Premier but it is still a nice hat
J

 

[89quattro]

I see and note your point sir! I had a Strat I purchased form Orvis...Let's just say that I sold it as soon as possible. The overall quality left more than a lot to be desired! However, the issue for me is whether vintage Strats are available for my noggin size as you mentioned. Moreover, if/when they - Strats and other vintage lids - are available, the prices are astronomical (in my book!). As a new lounge member, I have learned about Stetson/Hatco production issues from other discussion readings. Heck! I didn't know Stetson was bought out by Hatco until recently!

Yep, I'm in the same boat at a Size 8. I need something to fill the void while I wait for my build spots come up with FP and NW, and my Campdrafts which are still 3 months out. I'm going to order a premier Strat from DelMonico, and only accept a hat that is free of noticeable defects, regardless of how many attempts it takes. They assured me that they inspect every hat before shipping, so hopefully I will get one in the first round.

best regards

 

[RJR]

89Quattro,you have no worries with Delmonico,they'll treat you right.

 

[89quattro]

89Quattro,you have no worries with Delmonico,they'll treat you right.

We shall see. My first go round with them with a return was a bit challenging. They didn't have a replacement in stock, and wouldn't accommodate me for the return shipping...I even offered to accept a store credit towards a future purchase, but never heard back.

 

[cloudatlas]

Does anyone have any experience with berkeleyhat.com? They currently have a Cornhill Premiere Strat on sale for a decent price. Given the quality control issues with this run of Strats (finishing, blocking issues with the Caribou run, etc), I didn't want to get a "good deal" on a seconds quality hat that I cannot easily return.

 

[Hat Dandy]

For the discerning eye such yours and other gents -and even myself as a student in this thread, the ability to simply be in the 'know' about hat quality in general is a beautiful thing! At the same time however, when I wear this and other beauties I've come to acquire as a result of being a part the Lounges' participants and discussions, the compliments I get; the "ooh's" and "ahhs", the memories evoked by some who say "dang, my pops used to have something like that", helps me to forget about "quality control"-even if it's only for a moment!

The odd thing is that my modern Stetson Stratoliner (standard) seemed to have been fairly well constructed for a modern hat. No stray threads. No misaligned hat ribbon. No powder dye issues (although if I rub really hard I can see a light grey smudge on a white tissue). I guess it's the luck of the draw.

 

[Knotten]

I got my Premiere straight from Stetson during their Black Friday sale. The price was about $60 below normal retail, so it was a good deal. I like the hat, but it has stitching issues with the ribbon and it came with a small dark smudge on the rear of the brim, top side. You can't notice it unless you're looking for it. Also, I wore it in a steady rain and ever since the brim has been uneven in spots — bumpy, you might say. I haven't been able to straighten it out. Again, you'd have to look really close to see it, but it bothers me a bit.

 

[jlee562]

Does anyone have any experience with berkeleyhat.com? They currently have a Cornhill Premiere Strat on sale for a decent price. Given the quality control issues with this run of Strats (finishing, blocking issues with the Caribou run, etc), I didn't want to get a "good deal" on a seconds quality hat that I cannot easily return.

They're a brick and mortar store in my hometown. Deal mostly in volume of lower priced hats (theyre by UC Berkeley). Haven't dealt with them online but have bought stuff there when I'm in town.

 

[cloudatlas]

They're a brick and mortar store in my hometown. Deal mostly in volume of lower priced hats (theyre by UC Berkeley). Haven't dealt with them online but have bought stuff there when I'm in town.

Thanks. The price is nice, but I really want to wait to see a few more reviews of the Excellent Quality Strat before dropping the cash on a new hat. In the end, the stories of warped premiere brims after rain wear concern me.

 

[tommyK]

Thanks. The price is nice, but I really want to wait to see a few more reviews of the Excellent Quality Strat before dropping the cash on a new hat. In the end, the stories of warped premiere brims after rain wear concern me.

I guess i missed it (entirely possible). Who had trouble with their Premiere Quality brim warping? As one of the first people to get one of these last year I deliberatley subjected it to harsh conditions for the purpose of warning off others if there was a problem. I didn't experience any.


I haven't subjected my mink colored Premiere Strat to the same conditions so I can't say if it would warp if it got a real soaking.

 

[Knotten]

I guess i missed it (entirely possible). Who had trouble with their Premiere Quality brim warping? As one of the first people to get one of these last year I deliberatley subjected it to harsh conditions for the purpose of warning off others if there was a problem. I didn't experience any.
View attachment 25072 View attachment 25073

I haven't subjected my mink colored Premiere Strat to the same conditions so I can't say if it would warp if it got a real soaking.

I had the problem with the brim warping slightly on my Premiere cornhill. Also, the crown has a couple of little uneven spots in it now that I've been working to straighten. It's not a huge problem. The hat is still wearable. But I notice it.

I do like the feel of the felt on this hat. It's easy to shape the crown, which I've done a couple of different ways now. Maybe I need to try to iron the brim flat again.

 

[RJR]

Knotten,I'd guess a good application of steam would fix your brim issue.

 

[gtdean48]

Sometimes the wetting & drying cause the ribbon of the brim binding to shrink & thus a wonky brim.
I've used a steam iron & handkerchief to iron out the wonkiness....YMMV

 

[Knotten]

I used a steam iron and a cloth this afternoon on the brim. It looks a lot better. Thanks for the great advice! I think I will keep this hat away from inclement weather from now on just to be safe.

 

[89quattro]

In case anyone is interested, Sterling Leather has the Premier Stratoliner, and several other of the new styles at some great prices with free shipping.

Premier Stratoliner: $201 less 20% (code MM2015) = $160
Excellent Stratoliner: $278 less 20% (code MM2015) = $222

The coupon is only supposed to apply to some sort of college branded boots, but I’ve found that most of their codes seem to work on all products. Not sure if they will honor the discount when ordering. For $160 I’m tempted to pull the trigger on a caribou.

Disclaimer...I’m not affiliated in any way with Sterling, and can’t speak to their delivery/customer service practices. Just passing along some information.