Club Obi Wan

does anybody know the quality of this fedora? just wondering

I always liked the whippet, it's a good looking fedora.

Go to the Fedora Lounge for a bum load of commentary on this hat. Very solid, VERY sought after ( according to size ), and very sharp hat. NOT the later...uh...Whippet II, which I think was more of a stingy, but the original. Hopefully Marcus Brody will see this post; he knows his vintage.
Like I say, check out the Fedora Lounge site.

Oh yeah, definitely. The vintage Whippet is an awesome hat...if you can get your hands on one. It has just about everything the vintage hat lover likes, wide brim, tall crown, and really nice felt. It's just super classic, and unlike some hat designations such as the 10, 15, or 20, the Stetson Whippet almost is a guarantee that you're getting a classic hat, with the exception of the one Kiltie mentioned.

Do a google search with the string site:thefedoralounge.com +"whippet"

You'll find plenty about it there.

The hat that has a drawing of a Whippet is the faux/junky Whippet. This hat is going to be reproduced by Stetson for Bencraft in Brooklyn -- coming fall 2008.

A word of advice on Whippets. Stick to 1960's and older. The styles changed by the end of the 60's, as well as the quality more or less bottoming out. Stetson (and some other brands) have carried hats called a Whippet on and off since the 60's, but none have been up to par.

I couldn't find an old one in my size, so I had one made. I plan on trying Stetson's new effort, but it still won't be quite the same.

If I recall correctly, the ROYAL was actually the basic no-frills least-expensive model for Stetson. All this is clearly explained at The Fedora Lounge, so my memory may remain as cloudy as usual.