Finally got an old Stetson 7X!

[gtdean48]

Thanks Chief, I thought when you were asking for photos of my 25 liner & sweatband that you must've landed one from the Bay. You've been reeling in some trophies lately. I'm casting & trolling for a 7X CB from now on!

Deputy -- I don't own a Stetson 25, although I have had a chance to see yours. The 7X Clear Beaver is a dense, smooth felt. The finish is smooth as a baby's bottom. While the felt certainly has substance, it is also malleable and soft.

The Stetson 100 I would describe as being super dense -- more dense than the 7X Clear Beaver. The finish is smooth as glass. Incredible. Unlike the 7X Clear Beaver, the felt is stiffer. I think the best way to describe the end result is that the Stetson 100 has a sturdy feel to it -- a dense, stiffer felt that is super smooth to the touch.

So, to my way of thinking, the 7X Clear Beaver fedora functions more like a Borsalino (albeit with somewhat thicker felt) -- whereas the Stetson 100 has a bit more of a sturdy, western feel to it.

Hard to put all of this in words that translate somehow, but I hope it answers your question!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[marvelgoose]

All Those XXX's

Sorry to be such a noob, but it seems that the more I read on this site the higher the xxx's become. We have 2x and 3x and 5x and now 7x. Obviously, the x is a discrete amount of beaver fir or density. Is it a linear progression or a proportionate one? At what point does the number of xxx's become a parody of itself -- like the 5 or 7 or 10 blade razor?

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Welcome, marvelgoose. You're instincts are onto something with the "parody" thing. Here's the scoop: Back in the '40s - '60s (maybe earlier and possibly a little later) those Xs were useful and accurate reflections of the quality of the hat in terms of the beaver fur content and softness and smoothness of finish.

Over time, what I call the 'X Wars' kicked in while general quality of hats declined with waning interest and sales figures. So, now we've got 100X, 200X and even 1,000X hats out there. There are even straw hats with X markings. It's all hooey now with no agreed upon meaning from one brand to another.

As an example, a 3X fedora from let's say 1947, is wayyyyy better quality than a 3X or 4X or more from 1997.

So, basically, the further back in time one goes with a felt hat the more relevant the number of Xs are.