How do you grade Stetson quality?

[PabloElFlamenco]

I am a hat preschooler, but one big difference I noticed between my Stetson cowboy hat and Akubra fedora is the softness of the felt. I'm not sure is this is just a western vs. fedora thing, but I sure prefer the Akubra. The material is very light and supple and sits better on my head. The stetson feels a bit like a piece of fuzzy cardboard.

Dear Kenji,

Please allow me. Neither I am a "great expert" as regards hats in general, Stetsons specifically. I do own some vintage Stetson (a "20", a "7x" and a "100") all of them (vaguely Open Road...er...size); in fact, they are, each one of them, in varying degrees, great hats.

I also own a new Akubra Campdraft. Fine hat, and I like and wear it, like all my hats.

However, based upon my specific situation, abovedescribed, the Campdraft's felt is ...the roughest of them all. Not "rough rough", no. But not peachskin soft.

Other than the "softness to gentle stroking"...the Stetsons vary in "malleability". The "20" is stiff, the "7x" is almost stiff, and the "100" is...another class. The Campdraft, whilst definitely endowed with the characteristics of real fur felt. But the felt, whilst not especially stiff, does have considerable "rebound". To me, the best felt should be soft, malleable, keep its shape very well without exerting much effort.

With kind regards,
Paul