The Resistol Roundup

[barrowjh]

I think it might be the name; any name other than Stetson or Borsalino is just not as well known. I'm jealous of Chepstow's 7X also. I believe that during the late 1930s - late 1950s (maybe into the 1960s) just about all of the manufacturers were producing the same quality hats, and pretty much the same range of quality levels. Lee, for instance, if I remember this right, used the Disney label for their top-shelf line of hats. Resistol still sounds 'modern-ish' to me, while most of the other manufacturers' names were that of the company's founder. I have not yet encountered a vintage wool felt Resistol from that time period, but they likely made them also. Stetson and most manufacturers offered wool felt hats, typically at a price point about half of the price for their base rabbit fur felt hats. So, I think you can encounter mediocre hats under all of the vintage names just as easily as you might encounter exceptional quality. It is likely they sold more of the lower-quality hats than the top-shelf hats, but often the ones that survived until today were (my best guess) the last ones gifted to the patriarch, often high quality, and rarely worn if ever, pased down through the generations (this was your grandad's hat, etc.) until someone decides to get rid of it.

 

[monbla256]

Thanks John - Resitols are such great hats I don't know why they aren't as sought after? Good for those of us that like them but still hard to explain? Is it really the name like was suggested in an earlier post?

This may explain some about the Resistol question you posed:

"Resistol Hats is celebrating two major milestones in 2002. More precisely, the brand celebrates two anniversaries—Resistol Hats turns 75 this year, and their best-selling hat, the Black Gold, celebrates its 25th year of production.

"The history of Resistol Hats is an interesting one. In 1927 the firm that would become Resistol Hats was founded by E.R. Byer and Harry Rolnick with manufacturing facilities at Poydras and Jackson Streets in Dallas. The company produced men’s felt hats in both Western and dress hat styles. The products were manufactured and marketed under the newly created brand name of Resistol Hats.

In its infancy, the company had limited distribution, mainly in Texas and Oklahoma. However, due to new approaches in hat-making, many innovations and exclusive features were developed which created increasing demand and national recognition for Resistol hats.

Two exceptionally successful exclusives were the “self conforming” trademark, which provided an unprecedented comfortable fit, and the “kitten finish,” which gave a more luxurious feel to felt hats than ever produced by conventional processing. Byer-Rolnick today remains the only hat manufacturer in the world with the technical knowledge to produce these features."

 

[barrowjh]

I will admit that my knowledge is limited, mostly learned here on TFL, and my memory usually fails me - with that said, I think Resistol's 'self conforming' was a reeded sweatband that had a less-stiff reed in it compared to most (Stetson's reeds were and still are relatively stiff) and they attached the reed to the felt a short distance up from the actual brim-crown break, rather than right at it. 'Kitten' finish is just their name for a finish that is not fully sanded down. Beaver Brand offers silk, suede, and velour finishes in addition to Grand Beaver and the regular sanded-smooth look. Borsalino offered 'Pesca' finish (peach), some offered swansdown, various names for the less-sanded finished felt. Check out Optimo's (Graham Thompson's outfit in Chicago) new website and watch/listen to the video about their felts - he is quite proud of having developed a really shiny long-hair finish (I don't blame him for that, probably took a lot of trial-n-error to get it right). I generally prefer the Resistols from the times when the liner still mentioned Byer-Rolnick; really loved their crest logo, just a classy look imho. However, I know Resistol continued to make really top-shelf hats after the Byer-Rolnick names were dropped; I assume their hats in the $1,000 + range today are exceptional quality also.

 

[barrowjh]

There is another potential reason why Resistol hats were 'self-conforming' - I've noticed that many of their sweatbands from that vintage period seem to be just slightly bigger than the crown, and mounted to where the edge of the sweatband is slightly beyond the break, and then spread out to meet the felt in a way such that the line of threads (threads binding the leather to the reed) bend away and do not touch your skin. I think this little trick may have helped their sweatbands to feel more comfortable. I certainly like that feature, and to my knowledge, it is a lost art today and nobody (including Resistol) mounts sweatbands that way (or knows how to make that come out right).

 

[Neophyte]

Fantastic!

 

[Chepstow]

Thank you for your opinion barrowjh.
The curiose of the hat is that he was ever auctioned on Ebay
he was ever offered for sale two months ago
last week he was to be auctioned again since I got the contract.
Unfortunately, no model is stated under the sweat band to find.
Is it possible that there is a San Antonio Resistol.

 

[Chepstow]

Here are a few photos after a conversion, the cattleman shape is not really me

 

[monbla256]

The San Antonio was Resitol's name for their OR style hat. It was the model LBJ wore and had custom finished to give to folks when they visited the ranch down in Johnson City. That's a nice one and that Cattleman crease with a snap brim looks good

 

[Chepstow]

Thanks monbla for the Info

 

[Levallois]

How common was the Cavanagh edge on Resistol Fedoras and did they have their own name for the edge treatment? Thanks.

 

[barrowjh]

I am not familiar with Resistol's felted edge. Almost all western style hats in my collection came to me with cattleman crease; I enjoy reshaping them. Challenge is fun for me.

 

[Dinerman]

They definitely made them with cav-edges, but I don't know if they had a specific name for them. I don't recall ever having seen the sweatband marked as such on the couple I've had.

Resistol kitten finish w/ cav edge.

 

[ejbhats]

Any of you Resistol collectors have any info on a Resistol style produced that is a Gay Prince clone? Or any ads/info?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300614401435?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

I have a theory that this may be a GP that was sent to Resistol for a new sweat and a dye job?? It appears to have the finish of a fine GP. And the super soft, lightweight, suede felt of the same, looking at the sagging crown.
I have on or two GP's and a very fine Disney, GP-esque hat that i have not posted pics of yet.
Any ideas?

 

[rlk]

1947 Warner Bros/ Movie Tie-in ads

 

[RBH]

Those ads are sweet Robert.
Thanks!!!
William Powells Garland is cool, and named after the place in Texas we visited this past March.

 

[Benzadmiral]

All three of my vintage Resistols, two Open Road Clones and a Kitten Finish fedora, have fitted me with little tweaking. One, a 6 7/8, I had to stretch; the 7 1/8 I padded, but only a little. Any vintage Resistol definitely catches my attention.

Do they still make an Open Road clone -- the San Antonio, or whatever? When I visited their site a while back, it seemed to be all wide-brimmed cowboy hats.

 

[gtdean48]

...Do they still make an Open Road clone -- the San Antonio, or whatever? When I visited their site a while back, it seemed to be all wide-brimmed cowboy hats.

As far as I know, HatCo only makes the Stetson Open Road in silverbelly. Although they make some Resistols very close to other Stetson models & the silverbelly dye recipes are different, I don't think they make another version to compete with their own Open Road.

 

[hatophile]

Those ads are sweet Robert.
Thanks!!!
William Powells Garland is cool, and named after the place in Texas we visited this past March.

+1

 

[Benzadmiral]

Just opened the box on my latest vintage Resistol, a brown Pacesetter with bound brim: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160686073254

As you see, the seller posted it as wool felt, but it doesn't feel like that in the slightest. It's actually a 2 1/8 brim instead of the 2 1/4 in the listing, but it seems wider. Despite its 6 7/8 size, I think it'll fit well without much stretching. Truly Resistols were the value hats of yesteryear, huh?

ETA: An actual pic:

And it does fit well, and firmly. To me it's the kind of hat Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs would have bought before he fell on hard times!

 

[Rabbit]

Resistol Melorol mid-grey 5.5" x 2 1/2"

This one arrived today, most professionally packed and oh boy in what a great condition!

The brim edge ribbon (top side) is stitched, then folded back on itself, thereby concealing the stitching. Plus decorative stitching.

Thanks Robert (rlk), this Resistol is going to see regular wear! Fits like a custom I've been looking for this particular shade of gray for some time now.