Side by side comparisons- Firenze vs Dexter

[new2hats]

Does anyone own both the Stetson Firenze and Dexter?

Can you show a side by side comparison, or at least take some pix if you have one or the other? They seem really similar, have been researching them on different sites, but I am at a standstill as far as choosing which one. Of course I wish I could buy them both!

 

[carldelo]

^^^ The differences are brim size, felt quality, finish, and ribbon width - the brim width is really different between the two - what size brim are you comfortable with?

Firenze: brim width 2-3/8, silk finish Sovereign felt, ribbon looks about 1-1/2 wide
Dexter: brim width 2-3/4, suede finish Imperial felt, ribbon about 1 wide

I have a Hampton in silk finish Sovereign felt, and it is really nice. I have no experience with Imperial felt, but it's the next step up in quality. Royal quality is lowest, a step below Sovereign.

BTW, if you check out the Stetson listings at qualityhats.com, they show the Stetson catalog photos which include designations of felt quality and crown shape. There's a lot of info that can be teased out:

http://qualityhats.com/dexter.htm
http://qualityhats.com/firenze.htm
http://qualityhats.com/hampton.htm
http://qualityhats.com/Chatham.htm

For instance, from these it looks like the Firenze and Hampton are nearly identical, the difference being the crown shape. The felt designation is the first two digits: '33' means Sovereign-silk finish which both have. The next two digits are the crown shape - the Hampton has the '10' shape, i.e the classic Stetson teardrop. Firenze and Dexter have different center dents, Firenze is '11' and Dexter is '25'. The Dexter felt designation is '53' which must signify Imperial suede finish. '3210' means 'Sovereign teardrop', e.g. the Chatham, '2210' means 'Royal teardrop', e.g. the Downs, and so on.

PS the Hampton also has a bound edge, which is something I really prefer these days - it's discontinued but it looks like qualityhats has some left over stock at a relative discount, assuming you want a black hat, of course...

 

[new2hats]

^^^ The differences are brim size, felt quality, finish, and ribbon width - the brim width is really different between the two - what size brim are you comfortable with?

Firenze: brim width 2-3/8, silk finish Sovereign felt, ribbon looks about 1-1/2 wide
Dexter: brim width 2-3/4, suede finish Imperial felt, ribbon about 1 wide

I have a Hampton in silk finish Sovereign felt, and it is really nice. I have no experience with Imperial felt, but it's the next step up in quality. Royal quality is lowest, a step below Sovereign.

BTW, if you check out the Stetson listings at qualityhats.com, they show the Stetson catalog photos which include designations of felt quality and crown shape. There's a lot of info that can be teased out:

http://qualityhats.com/dexter.htm
http://qualityhats.com/firenze.htm
http://qualityhats.com/hampton.htm
http://qualityhats.com/Chatham.htm

For instance, from these it looks like the Firenze and Hampton are nearly identical, the difference being the crown shape. The felt designation is the first two digits: '33' means Sovereign-silk finish which both have. The next two digits are the crown shape - the Hampton has the '10' shape, i.e the classic Stetson teardrop. Firenze and Dexter have different center dents, Firenze is '11' and Dexter is '25'. The Dexter felt designation is '53' which must signify Imperial suede finish. '3210' means 'Sovereign teardrop', e.g. the Chatham, '2210' means 'Royal teardrop', e.g. the Downs, and so on.

PS the Hampton also has a bound edge, which is something I really prefer these days - it's discontinued but it looks like qualityhats has some left over stock at a relative discount, assuming you want a black hat, of course...

Thanks for your post, carldelo, very helpful!

BTW what's wrong with Royal Quality? It seems like it is the low man on the totem pole, is it less durable? Less hare or rabbit? Can you feel and see the difference? The prices on some of the sites are about comparable with the sovereign finish, really...

 

[jlee562]

Royal is Stetson's lowest quality designation. Since Stetson's fur blends are a "trade secret" nobody really knows about its exact composition.

 

[carldelo]

Yes, JLee has it right. Nothing wrong with Royal quality felt - it's a little stiff, a little coarse, but only when compared to the nicer grades. Sovereign is noticeably nicer than Royal quality, so it's interesting that the price difference is generally small, sometimes nonexistent. An old friend and fellow hat collector came over with his new (modern) Stetson Stratoliner, which is Royal quality. He was a little bummed when he handled my (modern) Stetson Whippet, which is Sovereign - it's definitely softer, more malleable, a little denser. My silk-finish Sovereign Hampton is even nicer, with thick, rich felt, approaching the feel of vintage. The Stetson Brewster is a similar long-hair Sovereign felt. A vintage Royal Stetson will most likely be nicer than all of these modern hats, but are hard to come by in my size --- plus I like to support the hat guys trying to make a living out there.