How long does the modern Stetson/HatCo hat last, feasibly?

[BanjoMerlin]

That aside, I would say we DO have anecdotal evidence that hats can be made without powder at a reasonable price, i.e. Akubra (or at least that's what I'm hearing from previous posts). If Akubra truly doesn't use powder to even colors, and their colors are pleasingly even without it, and their hats are priced similar to Stetsons, and the quality of the materials are also on par, then...one might say an Akubra is of better quality than Stetson, and thus Stetson is not the best quality. [huh]

And if Stetson's quality is lacking - perhaps Stetson should improve their overall quality...

If I've said this once, I've said it one hundred times - I've got no axe to grind with Stetson, I own 9 modern Stetsons and only ONE has a powder issue. But if there's a 11% chance someone is going to get a powdery hat - and that person asks me how long that hat will last off the shelf, I'm gonna give it to them straight. [huh]

You should have read the part that was bolded: "The dyeing will leave slight variations in the final color of the felt." Akubra doesn't do a better job dying the rabbit fur, they just don't care if the color isn't even.

As far as the 11% chance, the hat you had issues with and the hat I had issues with both have synthetic sweatbands. Stetson doesn't do that anymore and hasn't for quite some time. I would tend to believe that at the same time Stetson was using synthetic sweatbands they were also using low-quality fur felt that required treatment in order to even out the color. I have a Roadmaster from the same time period that is also quality challenged. I'm inclined to think 1970s or 80s for those since that was around the time so many other American companies were sacrificing quality. I have Stetsons from the early 1950s through into the 2000s and the only ones with quality issues are the ones with the synthetic sweatbands.

All that said, I haven't purchased a new Stetson lately because they are too expensive. I'm not saying they are over-priced but when a custom hat can be had for around twice the price and a nice vintage Stetson can be had for half the price (or less) my desire for a new Stetson is dulled.

 

[Undertow]

You should have read the part that was bolded: "The dyeing will leave slight variations in the final color of the felt." Akubra doesn't do a better job dying the rabbit fur, they just don't care if the color isn't even.

As far as the 11% chance, the hat you had issues with and the hat I had issues with both have synthetic sweatbands. Stetson doesn't do that anymore and hasn't for quite some time. I would tend to believe that at the same time Stetson was using synthetic sweatbands they were also using low-quality fur felt that required treatment in order to even out the color. I have a Roadmaster from the same time period that is also quality challenged. I'm inclined to think 1970s or 80s for those since that was around the time so many other American companies were sacrificing quality. I have Stetsons from the early 1950s through into the 2000s and the only ones with quality issues are the ones with the synthetic sweatbands.

All that said, I haven't purchased a new Stetson lately because they are too expensive. I'm not saying they are over-priced but when a custom hat can be had for around twice the price and a nice vintage Stetson can be had for half the price (or less) my desire for a new Stetson is dulled.

I'm clear on the quality thing now, thank you. I agree as far as Akubra not caring and thus not using powder - but doesn't that lead us to wonder whether using powder to even color inevitably harms the quality? I would say if Stetson still uses powder, they are harming their quality. Then again, if they aren't using powder often, maybe they should keep the low-powder hats for sale and scrap the ones that require powder.

I purchased those Stetsons in 2007 and I was told they were all built from 2005-2007. Some have real leather sweats (thank god!), but my workhorse still has a synthetic, as do about 5 others (I'll have to look again). I wonder if those were the exceptions, or if the dealer didn't actually know when the hats were built? I wish we had HatCo on here again to answer these questions!

 

[Art Fawcett]

I wish we had HatCo on here again to answer these questions!

We do, under the name HATCO.

 

[danofarlington]

All that said, I haven't purchased a new Stetson lately because they are too expensive. I'm not saying they are over-priced but when a custom hat can be had for around twice the price and a nice vintage Stetson can be had for half the price (or less) my desire for a new Stetson is dulled.

I don't think that modern Stetson is a marketing genius. Too bad for them.

 

[jamespowers]

I'm not sure I understand your hangup on "quality." Are you saying that Stetson should only make hats of one level of quality and that level should be absolute best? It would be easy to see what Stetson's product line would be - just take a catalog and delete everything that isn't 100X or better.

Comparing rabbit fur with mink and cashmere is kind of pushing it, don't you think?

I think you are not understanding me. Quality is a measure of what a hat or anything for that matter is a product of. This includes materials, workmanship in oputting those materials together and the final product and how it performs in real life. At each price level there should be at least a base which we can expect a minimum level of quality. In hats, we can certainly expect a hat not to have the color run in the rain or come off in your hands---at any level. In that case it is obvious they are not using decent materials to start with or they are using lousy workmanship to put it together. Putting out products like that tarnishes any company's image.
Show me the literature that says the cheapest hat is advertised to say that you can expect the color to run or come off in your hands. "Buy the higher level hat or you won't like what you get." You aren't going to get that and the original question posed in this thread has to be answered honestly.
As for the Stetson 100 being wonderful, we know better than that if the 100 runs like the rest. Quality---not likely job 1 here.
Cashmere is a fur just like any other. Akubra is being honest with its product and it doesn't seem to hurt their bottom line. Let Stetson do the same if they can't figure out how to fix the color problem.
I don't understand your resistance to opinions other than yours. There are people with other experiences than you. Are you sure you don't work for Stetson or one of its subsidiaries?

 

[jamespowers]

Fair enough about the newly purchased Stetson with a powdery problem. Was it newly manufactured or old stock? We don't know. But let's say it was newly produced and Stetson sold a batch of hats made from blotchy blanks, and in this case you are correct. OK, that's one anecdote. To me it seemed there were more anecdotes in the past, although often it appeared to be a few anecdotes repeated continuously by a few loungers who really dislike Stetson. I understand being angry about buying a bad hat, but a whole company should not have to go under the bus for that.

You also don't like Akubra's disclaimer about color variations in lieu of powdering hats, so they're not good enough either. So what is your point exactly? All modern hats are crap? Buy only custom? Buy only vintage?

It is not one anecdote being passed around it is a whole lot of experiences by hat lovers, hatters and just regular hat wearers. The problem is that when you ask who long a Stetson will last then you can expect that some have had them perform less than admirably and that will come up.
I don't mind at all Akubra's disclaimer---at least they are being truthful about their product. I applaud them for being honest.
Not all modern hats are as you say but you have to be careful about which ones you choose. Look around hee and see those that perform. You never hear of a Biltmore being a hunk of junk.
For what you pay for a tetson that is supposed to be the top of the line, you could well go custom and get a better product. That is undebatable.
Vintage again undebatable.

 

[jamespowers]

And finally, there's the issue of quality; but quality in what regard? I happen to agree with JP on this one. If we're talking about "quality" of materials, there's no answer to that because it's not a question. Stetson makes wool hats, fur felts, straws, etc. That's a variation of material and yes, there should be variations of material (1x, 5x, 50x or 100x - Beaver, Beaver/Rabbit, Rabbit, Wool). However, if we're talking about QUALITY, as in how well it's made with the given materials, then we most certainly should hold Stetson, HatCo, etc. to a high standard.

Exactly.

 

[Bebop]

At what point did factual information become "biased sources" Bebop? Please note that I have made only one post in this thread till now and it was ONLY addressed to the powdering that you apparently DON'T believe because you DIDN'T see it on a video. Why, just because I run into it on a weekly basis doesn't make it true. Of course not, there are no videos of my shop so it just CAN'T be true right? I'm just here trying to sell my products by bashing others, right? Isn't that where you are coming from?


Frankly gentleman I don't give a damn if Stetson made them out of pig scat. They are responsible for what they make just like I am, Optimo is, Mike Moore is, TonyB is, Beaver Brand is, Biltmore is . I am not here to defend OR demand answers. I have added to this thread simply to try to give accurate information and don't believe that by offering it I am being "biased". So, could you please dump the insulting , arrogant attitude Bebop? I have no idea what axe you have to grind with me and frankly don't care. I would just like it to stop.

Wow! Where in the world did that emotional outburst come from? What arrogant attitude? Read the posts, Art. Not one bit of arrogance. You are the man. You are THE HATTERS HATTER, you know more than I do. Just because someone mentions the words hat maker or hatter doesn't necessarily mean you. There are plenty of other hatters that have negative things to say about Stetson. If I meant Art Fawcett, I would have said Art Fawcett. I wasn't specifically talking about you. You have not bashed Stetson at all. All you have pointed out is your professional experiences. Where did you get that I don't believe Stetson powders it's hats? All I have said is that none of my new Stetsons seem to have any powder at all. My opinion and facts equal arrogance? Holy moly! I didn't mean to light your fire.......:eusa_doh:

 

[jamespowers]

All that said, I haven't purchased a new Stetson lately because they are too expensive. I'm not saying they are over-priced but when a custom hat can be had for around twice the price and a nice vintage Stetson can be had for half the price (or less) my desire for a new Stetson is dulled.

You just made my point. The originator of this thread needs to hear that.

 

[jamespowers]

Where did you get that I don't believe Stetson powders it's hats? All I have said is that none of my new Stetsons seem to have any powder at all. My opinion and facts equal arrogance? Holy moly! I didn't mean to light your fire.......:eusa_doh:

Ahem:

"I can't find any info that says anything about Stetson "powdering" their hats. It says nothing about powder in this Stetson video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whsCa9R9a4o

Where did you get the info that Stetson powders it's hats, JP?"​

 

[Lefty]

Man, I thought I was an instigator, but you guys are real trouble.
[angel] [angel] [angel]

 

[Brando11]

Tried on a brand new Open Road last weekend fresh out of the box. I did indeed end up with white powder on my hands and shirt.
I'm just sayin'...

 

[Bebop]

Incredible! Let me get this straight - I should take anything a hat maker says about modern Stetsons with a grain of salt? lol Well, with that line of logic, I might as well not bother consult a mechanic about my car and eschew my doctor's biased opinions about my health. :eusa_doh: If you're simply saying everyone is biased because no one is objective, then we may as well eliminate scientists, scientific data, and for that matter, ALL HUMAN KNOWLEDGE. Thus, the answer to the question "How long will a modern Stetson last?" is "infinity" because we certainly can't prove anything, nor disprove anything. shakeshead



In one sense, I agree here - a Toy Yoda isn't a Rolls.

You are not getting it straight at all. I didn't say you shouldn't believe "anything about Stetson" that a custom hat maker says. :eusa_doh:

It sounds like I might have not been very clear since at least two posters totally misunderstood me. :cry:

It's easy enough to get your information from owners of the hats. You don't need a custom hatter or some guy that knows some guy that had a bad experience to tell you if there is powder on your hat or if it's colors run when it gets wet. Yes, surprise-surprise..... a custom hat maker (not Art Fawcett. He has only added facts based on his pro experience and has not slandered Stetson whatsoever) would have a bias when comparing their custom hats to a Stetson hat. People telling you their personal experiences on the subject would less likely have a bias. That's not too wild to fathom, is it?

I don't get the mechanic comparison.
When questioning the longevity and quality of a certain brand of car, you talk to owners of said brand, not the competing brand.

By the way....When used on a daily basis, a Toyota will last longer than a Rolls.

 

[Bebop]

Ahem:

"I can't find any info that says anything about Stetson "powdering" their hats. It says nothing about powder in this Stetson video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whsCa9R9a4o

Where did you get the info that Stetson powders it's hats, JP?"​

That means I don't believe Stetson powders it's hat? I'm astonished that anyone would take that to mean anything but what it says. "I can't find any info....." is a fact. Can you find any info?

"Where did you get the info JP"..... is a question which I thought would help me find answers to the claim of powder in hats.

Why not quote my post (#31) where I tell someone to buy a Stetson if they so desire as long as they are aware that some people have had bad experiences with powder on their hats? [huh]

 

[jamespowers]

That means I don't believe Stetson powders it's hat? I'm astonished that anyone would take that to mean anything but what it says. "I can't find any info....." is a fact. Can you find any info?

"Where did you get the info JP"..... is a question which I thought would help me find answers to the claim of powder in hats.

Why not quote my post (#31) where I tell someone to buy a Stetson if they so desire as long as they are aware that some people have had bad experiences with powder on their hats? [huh]

It sure sounds like it----combined with your assertions that you have never experienced it. I don't need to find information about them adding powders---it is obvious from first hand experience. I can literally SHOW you.
Saying some people in that context was like saying some people believe in extra terrestrials.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Man, I thought I was an instigator, but you guys are real trouble.
[angel] [angel] [angel]

lol lol lol

 

[Bebop]

It sure sounds like it----combined with your assertions that you have never experienced it. I don't need to find information about them adding powders---it is obvious from first hand experience. I can literally SHOW you.
Saying some people in that context was like saying some people believe in extra terrestrials.

Why not just tell me "I know about powder in Stetsons because I have experienced it" :eusa_clap instead of all the supposing that I meant this or that? It was a blatant question.

I can't use the word "some" when talking about some people? If you want to read cryptic messages into my posts, I can't help that. It sounds like no matter what I say, you are not going to like it.

Next time I post, I will check with you to make sure it's all good. :cheers1:

 

[jamespowers]

Why not just tell me "I know about powder in Stetsons because I have experienced it" :eusa_clap instead of all the supposing that I meant this or that? It was a blatant question.

I can't use the word "some" when talking about some people? If you want to read cryptic messages into my posts, I can't help that. It sounds like no matter what I say, you are not going to like it.

Next time I post, I will check with you to make sure it's all good. :cheers1:

Seriously. I am not the only one here who got that from your responses.

I did say that I experienced it first hand (no pun intended). [huh]

 

[Lefty]

Which would hold up better, a modern Stetson or a Pontiac?
Here's how the Pontiac performed.

 

[jamespowers]

Man, I thought I was an instigator, but you guys are real trouble.
[angel] [angel] [angel]

Ask a Question Get an Answer. [huh]