The Stratoliner Appreciation Club {MODERN}

[M Hatman]

If you're interested in the Premier Stratoliner in sage, silverbelly, or caribou, they are on sale ($50 off) at:
http://www.one2miniranch.com/stetson-premier-stratoliner-open-crown-soft-fur-felt-fedora-hat/

$189 is a decent price for this hat. I now own two and they are great. I've never handled the Excellet grade, but I'm more than satisfied with the Premier.

I wholeheartedly agree about the premier Strats!!!! I love mine....I have Carabou (though on that one the brim DOES NOT have the nice kettle flange the others do), Silverbelly and Cornhill. Get lots of compliments on all three........
M
PS Here is my Carabou and my Silverbelly.......I really love them!!!!!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I took my own advice and ordered another Premier Stratoliner. The $179 with free shipping looked like a good deal and after seeing Hatman's Silverbelly I had to scratch that itch.

I would still like a sage at some point and that Caribou is also a versatile color.

 

[bobm]

A question for all. Out of curiosity I was looking at the Royal Deluxe quality Strats from JJ Hatts, Delmonico and Bencrafters and the prices range from $175.00 to $245.00. That's a huge spread. What's up with that?

 

[M Hatman]

I took my own advice and ordered another Premier Stratoliner. The $179 with free shipping looked like a good deal and after seeing Hatman's Silverbelly I had to scratch that itch.

I would still like a sage at some point and that Caribou is also a versatile color.

You will love it!!
Yes, we can sure help each other get anouther hat!!
M

 

[M Hatman]

A question for all. Out of curiosity I was looking at the Royal Deluxe quality Strats from JJ Hatts, Delmonico and Bencrafters and the prices range from $175.00 to $245.00. That's a huge spread. What's up with that?

Hat shop prices can go like that....though you may be looking at two differant models...the "Special Edition" with the contrasting binding and the Premier open crowns.....which do run higher....
I must say when the Stetsonians were gennerally available the prices ran all over the place from 225 to 300......so....you just never know.....
Best,
M

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I already posted a concern I have with my just arrived Premier Stratoliner on the Ask a Question, Get and Answer thread (complete with photos). The liner is different than the two I already own. This last liner states it's a Royal DeLuxe. Th band still statrs "Premier," but the box states both Premier and Royal DeLuxe. Worse, the felt feels much more course than on my previous Premiers. I'm just about ready to send it back.

Does anyone else have a Premier like this? I don't see the Premier in the current Stetson catalog and I wonder if they are putting hats together using whatever they have in the parts bin. Sort of a Frankenstein hat?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I got hooked here at the Lounge. I'm a size 7 5/8 so used hats are hard to find, but one day I find a mink Premier Stratoliner (open crown) that was secondhand but never worn show up here in our classifieds. Within three months I owned four of them.:

Cornhill:

Silverbelly:

Sage:

Mink:

And the whole gang together:

These hats are not perfect, but I'm satisfied with each of them. They are all creased differently, but surprisingly they all fit the same. In many hats a size 7 5/8 size does not fit; particularly if it's not a long oval. These are all snug, but they all fit. The felt is reasonably soft and pliable. Now I'm looking for one in Caribou. I'd also like to find one in the Excellent grade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Frunobulax]

I already posted a concern I have with my just arrived Premier Stratoliner on the Ask a Question, Get and Answer thread (complete with photos). The liner is different than the two I already own. This last liner states it's a Royal DeLuxe. Th band still statrs "Premier," but the box states both Premier and Royal DeLuxe. Worse, the felt feels much more course than on my previous Premiers. I'm just about ready to send it back.

Does anyone else have a Premier like this? I don't see the Premier in the current Stetson catalog and I wonder if they are putting hats together using whatever they have in the parts bin. Sort of a Frankenstein hat?

Premier Stratoliners are of the Royal Deluxe quality. Can't speak to the coarseness. That could be the dye, or a QC issue.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[T Jones]

I already posted a concern I have with my just arrived Premier Stratoliner on the Ask a Question, Get and Answer thread (complete with photos). The liner is different than the two I already own. This last liner states it's a Royal DeLuxe. Th band still statrs "Premier," but the box states both Premier and Royal DeLuxe. Worse, the felt feels much more course than on my previous Premiers. I'm just about ready to send it back.

Does anyone else have a Premier like this? I don't see the Premier in the current Stetson catalog and I wonder if they are putting hats together using whatever they have in the parts bin. Sort of a Frankenstein hat?

By all means, send it back. If it doesn't meet up to your expectations and doesn't match up to the quality of your other Strats, you'll never wear it and you just put out some good money for a hat that has inconsistent quality from one to the other. Exchange it for another one or get your money back. A fellow lounger gave me a modern Premier Whippet. I can understand why he didn't like it, especially after he paid good money for it. I had to rework it.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

By all means, send it back. If it doesn't meet up to your expectations and doesn't match up to the quality of your other Strats, you'll never wear it and you just put out some good money for a hat that has inconsistent quality from one to the other. Exchange it for another one or get your money back. A fellow lounger gave me a modern Premier Whippet. I can understand why he didn't like it, especially after he paid good money for it. I had to rework it.

It was explained to me that the Premier is the Royal DeLuxe sold with an open crown and that both liners are correnct for the hat. I finally got my mind wrapped around that.

As to the coarseness, I've found that even the best fur felts feel different one hat to the next and for some reason the color of the hat can make a difference. I was genuinely disappointed with this Stratoliner until I began working on the crease. The more I worked it the better the felt responded and the better the hand became. I've had this happen before, but never to this extent. Sure, the ribbon isn't perfect and you can see tolliker marks, etc. but I was expecting all that with a Hat-Co Stetson. Now that The felt has soften up on me I've made peace with the hat and like it enough to keep it. In fact, I liked it enough to give a sage Premier Stratoliner a try and that hat arrived just as I had hoped...faith restored. My only hesitation when buying hats such as these is the nagging voice in the back of my mind that keeps telling me that for just a little more I can get a custom that I know will be nicer albeit with a few months wait.

 

[T Jones]

It was explained to me that the Premier is the Royal DeLuxe sold with an open crown and that both liners are correnct for the hat. I finally got my mind wrapped around that.

As to the coarseness, I've found that even the best fur felts feel different one hat to the next and for some reason the color of the hat can make a difference. I was genuinely disappointed with this Stratoliner until I began working on the crease. The more I worked it the better the felt responded and the better the hand became. I've had this happen before, but never to this extent. Sure, the ribbon isn't perfect and you can see tolliker marks, etc. but I was expecting all that with a Hat-Co Stetson. Now that The felt has soften up on me I've made peace with the hat and like it enough to keep it. In fact, I liked it enough to give a sage Premier Stratoliner a try and that hat arrived just as I had hoped...faith restored. My only hesitation when buying hats such as these is the nagging voice in the back of my mind that keeps telling me that for just a little more I can get a custom that I know will be nicer albeit with a few months wait.

If it's something you can live with and you're happy with it in the end, that's all that matters.

 

[RJR]

If it's something you can live with and you're happy with it in the end, that's all that matters.

+1

 

[Rockwater]

Two black Royal Strats, left one is a recrease, right is factory. Why do I have two? I dunno.

 

[jlee562]

Here's a fun little nugget of info from the Stetson Tokyo instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeE2f5RFhcg/

Apparently the premier Strat is 10% Beaver, 90% Rabbit!

 

[Jedwbpm]

I don't know where they got the numbers from. They won't even give us the numbers. I'm not saying they are wrong just don't no where they got them from.

Jeff

 

[M Hatman]

Here's a fun little nugget of info from the Stetson Tokyo instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeE2f5RFhcg/

Apparently the premier Strat is 10% Beaver, 90% Rabbit!

I don't know where they got the numbers from. They won't even give us the numbers. I'm not saying they are wrong just don't no where they got them from.
Jeff

The Premier model hats (Stratoliner,Whippet) are the Stetson Royal Deluxe felt......whatever it is made of.......as Jeff says.....they will not tell anybody.
M

 

[M Hatman]

I was looking at that ins

Here's a fun little nugget of info from the Stetson Tokyo instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeE2f5RFhcg/

Apparently the premier Strat is 10% Beaver, 90% Rabbit!

I was just looking at that instagram again and just noticed the price.....well over $400 US WOW.......and we though our hats were expensive......
M

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I'm thinking of adding a Caribou to my family if Premier Stratoliners. I'm looking at ordering again from one2miniranch.com at $183 with free shipping. Are any of you aware of someone selling them for less?


http://www.one2miniranch.com/stetson-premier-stratoliner-open-crown-fur-fedora/

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I wholeheartedly agree about the premier Strats!!!! I love mine....I have Carabou (though on that one the brim DOES NOT have the nice kettle flange the others do), Silverbelly and Cornhill. Get lots of compliments on all three........
M
PS Here is my Carabou and my Silverbelly.......I really love them!!!!!
View attachment 95915 View attachment 95916

Any idea why your Caribou did not have the same flange as the other hats? I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Caribou but I want the brim to have the same flange as all my others. Thanks.

 

[RJR]

I'm thinking of adding a Caribou to my family if Premier Stratoliners. I'm looking at ordering again from one2miniranch.com at $183 with free shipping. Are any of you aware of someone selling them for less?


http://www.one2miniranch.com/stetson-premier-stratoliner-open-crown-fur-fedora/

In my experience he's been really competitive plus being a Lounger.