Club Obi Wan

So, I don't know if y'all have heard the news yet, but Stetson is reintroducing some open crown hat models in 2014. It seems none other than Mr. Matt Deckard is now under Stetson employ, and things seem to be looking up for a brand long beset by quality issues. So far, they've unveiled an open crown Stratoliner and Stetsonian model, based on classic blocks and specs.

Mr. Deckard has been posting images of these hats on his tumblr blog, and Delmonico is taking orders on both. And what did Mr. Deckard post two days ago?


Tagged: "stetson, fedora, indiana jones, seaplane, seaplane gray, raiders of the lost ark."

Oh, according to Jeff @ Delmonico Hatter, the Stratoliner sample he received was an improvement in quality with no powder dye. So perhaps a new, decent quality Stetson Indy lid is on the way?

Well, well, well! This is certainly a step in a forward direction from a company that 'was lost,' so to speak. I hope the quality matches the enthusiasm this post proposes! W>

Interesting indeed.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Matt's a member here too. I wish he'd drop by and give us a report.

These look promising, and knowing Matt's eye to detail and demand for original Stetson quality, I have high hopes.

Regards! Michaelson

I've put an order in for a black Stratoliner, based on the evaluation done by Jeff at Delmonico (who is also a fedora lounge member). It's exciting that Stetson /HATCO is moving back to the open crown market in a big way. Their previous effort, the Nostalgia model, was not a high seller. And apparently the 2014 catalog has been sent out to dealers, so hopefully we'll find more out about this 'seaplane' fedora soon. The price for the Stratoliner is at $225, so a tad higher than most of Stetson's current dress felts, but if the quality meets the standards of Mr. Deckard (whom I know was meticulous about his own line of factory built hats), it seems a reasonable price.

So my Stratoliner came in today and it's a great hat! Obviously I can't speak to durability, but in terms of fit, finish, and materials, this hat is nicer than an Imperial grade Akubra. I hope that Stetson does get around to producing this Indy (or Indy inspired) hat. It will definitely be a worthwhile buy.

Pics:

Looks good! What is the crown height & brim width?

Thanx!!!
Charlie

5.5" and 2.5"

Are they changing the way the factory makes hats?

BendingOak wrote:Are they changing the way the factory makes hats?

John: Since you ask this, I have a question for you. Not certain how to phrase this, but will try. Assuming the quality of the felt is greater, then used in past by (in this case Stetson, or whomever, really), would not the way they produce it, in order to have a better quality hat also have to be different, as well? Or, is this the same question you are asking? Hope this all made sense. I know what I am trying to ask, but not certain if I am putting it in to words correctly. I guess, it just seems to me that no matter what the quality of felt is used, if the process that goes into the making of the hat is not of equal quality, then the finished product will not be all that much better for the effort of acquiring the 'good' felt, much less the price increase for said. Help me out here. W>

WConly wrote:

BendingOak wrote:Are they changing the way the factory makes hats?

John: Since you ask this, I have a question for you. Not certain how to phrase this, but will try. Assuming the quality of the felt is greater, then used in past by (in this case Stetson, or whomever, really), would not the way they produce it, in order to have a better quality hat also have to be different, as well? Or, is this the same question you are asking? Hope this all made sense. I know what I am trying to ask, but not certain if I am putting it in to words correctly. I guess, it just seems to me that no matter what the quality of felt is used, if the process that goes into the making of the hat is not of equal quality, then the finished product will not be all that much better for the effort of acquiring the 'good' felt, much less the price increase for said. Help me out here. W>

You are right on the money. The felt might be a little better but if they don't change they way things are processed. Not much has changed. Its kinda like DP using beaver felt indy hat. They felts better but bothing else. I have my doubts that a operation that big is going to make a change. It's sad that it's gone that way. I would love for them to change they way they produce a hat. I hope this is a the case. It would be the single most biggest sign for hats coming back but rarely does a big company make a change to improve quality when they have moved into massed produced route and to compete with overseas prices.

WConly wrote:

BendingOak wrote:Are they changing the way the factory makes hats?

John: Since you ask this, I have a question for you. Not certain how to phrase this, but will try. Assuming the quality of the felt is greater, then used in past by (in this case Stetson, or whomever, really), would not the way they produce it, in order to have a better quality hat also have to be different, as well? Or, is this the same question you are asking? Hope this all made sense. I know what I am trying to ask, but not certain if I am putting it in to words correctly. I guess, it just seems to me that no matter what the quality of felt is used, if the process that goes into the making of the hat is not of equal quality, then the finished product will not be all that much better for the effort of acquiring the 'good' felt, much less the price increase for said. Help me out here. W>

You are right on the money. The felt might be a little better but if they don't change they way things are processed. Not much has changed. Its kinda like DP using beaver felt indy hat. They felts better but bothing else. I have my doubts that a operation that big is going to make a change. It's sad that it's gone that way. I would love for them to change they way they produce a hat. I hope this is a the case. It would be the single most biggest sign for hats coming back but rarely does a big company make a change to improve quality when they have moved into massed produced route and to compete with overseas prices.

BendingOak wrote:

WConly wrote:

BendingOak wrote:Are they changing the way the factory makes hats?

John: Since you ask this, I have a question for you. Not certain how to phrase this, but will try. Assuming the quality of the felt is greater, then used in past by (in this case Stetson, or whomever, really), would not the way they produce it, in order to have a better quality hat also have to be different, as well? Or, is this the same question you are asking? Hope this all made sense. I know what I am trying to ask, but not certain if I am putting it in to words correctly. I guess, it just seems to me that no matter what the quality of felt is used, if the process that goes into the making of the hat is not of equal quality, then the finished product will not be all that much better for the effort of acquiring the 'good' felt, much less the price increase for said. Help me out here. W>

You are right on the money. The felt might be a little better but if they don't change they way things are processed. Not much has changed. Its kinda like DP using beaver felt indy hat. They felts better but bothing else. I have my doubts that a operation that big is going to make a change. It's sad that it's gone that way. I would love for them to change they way they produce a hat. I hope this is a the case. It would be the single most biggest sign for hats coming back but rarely does a big company make a change to improve quality when they have moved into massed produced route and to compete with overseas prices.

Thank you ! This is exactly what I was asking. It just seems like 'trying' to chase the 'goose that laid the golden egg,' after the goose is no longer to be found. W>

Not having access to the Stetson Factory, I really can't answer.

I can say that there is no powder dye. I can say that the felt is substantially thinner than my previous Stetson Temple and Winchester's dress weight, amd feels sufficiently dense. The feel of the felt is softer and finer than my Akubra. The liner is still glued in. The tacking stitches are very obvious. But this is over all a very nice hat.

WConly wrote:

BendingOak wrote:

WConly wrote:

BendingOak wrote:Are they changing the way the factory makes hats?

John: Since you ask this, I have a question for you. Not certain how to phrase this, but will try. Assuming the quality of the felt is greater, then used in past by (in this case Stetson, or whomever, really), would not the way they produce it, in order to have a better quality hat also have to be different, as well? Or, is this the same question you are asking? Hope this all made sense. I know what I am trying to ask, but not certain if I am putting it in to words correctly. I guess, it just seems to me that no matter what the quality of felt is used, if the process that goes into the making of the hat is not of equal quality, then the finished product will not be all that much better for the effort of acquiring the 'good' felt, much less the price increase for said. Help me out here. W>

You are right on the money. The felt might be a little better but if they don't change they way things are processed. Not much has changed. Its kinda like DP using beaver felt indy hat. They felts better but bothing else. I have my doubts that a operation that big is going to make a change. It's sad that it's gone that way. I would love for them to change they way they produce a hat. I hope this is a the case. It would be the single most biggest sign for hats coming back but rarely does a big company make a change to improve quality when they have moved into massed produced route and to compete with overseas prices.

Thank you ! This is exactly what I was asking. It just seems like 'trying' to chase the 'goose that laid the golden egg,' after the goose is no longer to be found. W>

I'm afraid if you want a really good Stetson you must look back 50 years or so and that goes with any of the big greats from the past.

I just picked up a Stetson western hat to convert into the Walking Dead hat. It's a chocolate colored, beaver blend "6X" Skyline model.
I have no issue with the quality of this hat, it looks really good all around!

Does Stetson have a webstore or website?

They have both and they both look like they stepped out of 2004 and haven't been updated since. Seriously, it's not a good site.

The new Stetsons are nice however...

generalFROSTY wrote:I just picked up a Stetson western hat to convert into the Walking Dead hat. It's a chocolate colored, beaver blend "6X" Skyline model.
I have no issue with the quality of this hat, it looks really good all around!

Is Rick Grymes in the new series of Walking Dead gonna die and become a zombie? The commercial sure looks like it.
Regards from an extraordinary gentleman: baddates1

Sometime back I bought a Stetson "Austral" . It was part of their 'buffalo fur' collection. It was a very nice style of hat but did come across as a cheap wool type. The felt was thick and very fuzzy. I just wrote it off on being the buffalo fur that I had never seen before. I cut it up and expiramented with it. Well, before Christmas, I decided I wanted another one as I really liked the look and ordered from the same place (Tonto Rim). The hat arrived after Christmas due to the holidays and , boy, was I surprised! This time, the felt was very thin, very nicely pounced, smooth, and even had a very slight flange to it as was described in the original Stetson ads of long ago. The first one I bought had a completely flat brim like a drill seargant hat. I called Tonto Rim to ask about the difference and they told me that they just ordered it directly from the Stetson factory and that it needed to be made and that is why it took long to get it. My first one, they had in stock at the time. I thought I should mention this as it is current experience with what Stetson MAY be doing.....stepping up to the plate and living up to what they once were.

By the by, the good reviews of Stetson's new hats continues over at The Fedora Lounge. Hatco is putting some serious effort into making quality felts. The new "excellent quality" felts, which have been handled by some folks on the lounge and at Delmonico's, seem comparable to the 40's and 50's Stetson felts. I'm still loving my Premiere Stratoliner.

But I'm bumping this thread, because Matt posted another teaser today, this time via Instagram:


"Sometimes you get asked to reproduce the darndest things"

It sure looks good, doesn't it?

Regards! Michaelson

Very cool! What is his username on instagram? I'd like to see what else he puts up hat-wise.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He's a member here, Chris.

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=775" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regard! Michaelson

ChrisMD wrote:Very cool! What is his username on instagram? I'd like to see what else he puts up hat-wise.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://instagram.com/mattdeckard/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Stetson is working on new featherweight felts as well as bringing back an all natural, undyed silverbelly.

Here it is, the new Stetson Excellent quality Fortune and Glory open crown fedora: https://www.instagram.com/p/BASmWoBIto6/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The excellent quality is the highest grade Stetson is producing right now. I've yet to get my hands on one; but, a few Fedora lounge members have reported that it's quite nice, and similar to vintage felts in weight and moldability.

I sure wish Matt would come here and give us details on this new offering.

He's been a member of COW for years.

Regard! Michaelson