For the price, the Axe is a great hat.
"For the price, the Axe is a great hat. Is it Stetson Open Road quality? No, it isn’t. That said, the overall look and quality of the Axe are very good, and I am very happy with my purchase so far. The Axe gives you the classic Open Road look without the inflated price. In fact, there’s one thing I actually prefer about the Axe: the shorter brim. My comfort zone is around 2. 5 inches, while the 2. 75-inch brim on the Open Road is pushing the limit for me. The brown earth colors along with the 2. 5-inch brim give the Axe a very subtle, low-key appearance. It doesn’t draw a lot of attention when you walk into a room. Some hats can make a man look like he is trying too hard. The shorter brim and understated styling also make this a great starter hat for someone who is maturing beyond baseball caps and beginning to transition into fedoras. I think a slow transition is important. If you go too big, too bold, and too fast, you can end up feeling like you’re wearing a big red clown nose everywhere you go. That can make beginners feel uncomfortable or insecure about their new look, and unfortunately, it’s one reason why some people give up on the fedora. Baby steps. Start with bland neutral colors, short-to mid-sized brims, and a western crossover style and you'll be fine. Give yourself time to grow into the hat until wearing a fedora becomes you. My biggest downside with the Axe is the sizing. The large is a little too big for me, while I suspect the medium would be too tight. That means I’ll need to install felt sizers in the front and back of the sweatband to get the large to fit properly, and I’m not a big fan of doing that. A hat that is too big still looks too big even with sizers installed. I’ve also noticed that I tend to skip over my other hats where the sweatbands are packed. Personally, I prefer and favor hats with an exact fit. My head size ranges from about 7 1/4 to 7 3/8, so the large will need some adjustment to fit me properly. Hopefully, that doesn’t become an issue with this hat because I really like the look and feel of this hat. Also, I am bald so I will likely install a liner inside this hat to prevent sweat spots from developing at the top of the crown. Overall, I’m very pleased with the Axe. It isn’t a Stetson Open Road, but it also doesn’t pretend to be—and at its price point, I think it offers a very appealing way to get that classic Western/fedora look without spending Open Road money. The shorter brim, understated appearance, and good overall quality make it an especially approachable hat for someone just getting into fedoras as well as seasoned fedora wearers alike."