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What is Your Favorite Hat Brand, and Why?

fedoracentric

Banned
Messages
1,362
Location
Streamwood, IL
I hate to sound pedestrian, but I love the Stetson Whippet and Stetsonian brand and models the most. They are pretty similar, but to me they have the most classic fedora look of all.
 

viclip

Practically Family
Messages
571
Location
Canada
Various loungers in this thread & elsewhere have praised vintage Stetsons in particular. Is it possible to provide precise dates when referring to the superior vintage products formerly put out by the big name companies such as Stetson & others?

This would be a helpful reference point in reviewing eBay listings etc.
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
For me, Stetson made great hats until mid 1960s then made good hats until they stopped making hats & just licensed them. Jmho
Various loungers in this thread & elsewhere have praised vintage Stetsons in particular. Is it possible to provide precise dates when referring to the superior vintage products formerly put out by the big name companies such as Stetson & others?

This would be a helpful reference point in reviewing eBay listings etc.
 

facade

A-List Customer
Messages
315
Location
Conklin, NY
Various loungers in this thread & elsewhere have praised vintage Stetsons in particular. Is it possible to provide precise dates when referring to the superior vintage products formerly put out by the big name companies such as Stetson & others?

This would be a helpful reference point in reviewing eBay listings etc.

Generally I cut manufactured hats off at the 60's. The 70's is when it all went to hell. Stetson stopped making hats in 1971 and the HCA (Cavanagh-Dobbs) sold itself in 1972.

Knowing dates doesn't really help with ebay listings as most sellers attempt at dating their wares is rarely anything more then at best an uninformed guess or at worst an outright lie. One has to learn the skill of deciphering the information that can be gleamed from inside the hat in order to make an educated guess at when a hat was manufactured.
 

DJH

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,355
Location
Ft Worth, TX
Stetson is my favorite.

The variety of styles and quality
The amazing variation in felt types
The long and super interesting history
Trying to decipher the clues regarding the age
The fact there are a lot of great examples still in existence - many styles still easy to find (if ya wear a small size anyway :D)
Seeing some of those old westerns that Loungers like Alan and Vic share with us

Really is an iconic brand and a little of the magic survives, at least in the modern Stetson marketing :D
 

viclip

Practically Family
Messages
571
Location
Canada
gtdean48 & facade ~ thx for your sage advice re: quality vintage hat datelines. This greatly assists in zeroing in on the desirable hats (assuming of course that I can get a good idea of the hat's manufacture date, I've seen helpful threads here for sure)
 

Landman

One Too Many
Messages
1,751
Location
San Antonio, TX
My favorite vintage hats would be Stetsons. I'm attracted to them because my paternal grandfather always wore a Stetson. Not a western Stetson but usually something like a Whippet or a Stratoliner. He was a WWI vet, fair skinned and bald. I have very few memories or pictures of him without a hat and if he wasn't wearing a hat he was holding it in his hand.

My favorite new production hats are Akubras. Especially the Campdraft. A tough, well made, open crown hat with similar dimensions to the Stetson Open Road. Even has a wind trolley!

My favorite custom hats are Vintage Silhouettes. Art Fawcett is truly an artist and makes beautiful hats for a very reasonable price.
 

H Weinstein

One of the Regulars
Messages
224
Location
Maryland
As a relative rookie, this forum taught me a great deal about hats. So, 3 years later, I own 7 Akubras and one recent-vintage "Stetson." I love my Akubras -- they're affordable, easy to work with and re-block, seemingly tough and durable.

I'm sure some of the higher-priced hats are better, in terms of raw material (rabbit vs. beaver) and construction. But for me, hats are fun to wear and protect my face and head from the sun, rather than being collectibles. So if I can get 3-6 nice Akubras in different styles and colors for the price of one higher-end hat, then Akubra is the brand for me!
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,567
Location
Oroville
Modern day: Akubra, for the quality vs price. I hate their lack of color choice, but they do make quality products that last. And that's rare in factory made hats these days.
 

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