Hat Stretcher for Fitted Hat - Cowboy Hat Stretcher - Original Version Beige

I have a huge head and fall between an L/XL and XL/XXL Flexfit hat. L/XL are normally too tight and take a year to naturally stretch enough to feel comfortable. XL/XXL are just right when I buy them but become too loose over time. So I bought this to stretch out a new L/XL, and it worked perfectly! Rather than boiling water like the instructions suggest, I used a garment steamer that I already owned. I stretched the hat about 1/2" larger than its current size and steamed the band heavily for about 2min. Then let it set for about 30min in the stretcher, then take it out for 30min. Then I'd start over, and stretch it another 1/2" more, repeating the same process. I did this several times until I reached the desired size. Not sure if it was necessary but it didn't feel right stretching it the entire way all at once, so I did it in intervals. Ultimately the hat came out perfectly! I got it exactly where I wanted it, and it feels great. It feels like an L/XL would normally feel after a year or two of natural wear, which is just how I like it. It looks good as well, with no indication it was stretched unnaturally. It's been a few days and so far it's still the same size. Overall this was a great buy. It's such a simple product and I could've probably used homemade items to achieve the same result, but I didn't want to bother when something so convenient exists. Can't wait to buy more hats, especially since L/XL usually has a much wider selection and cheaper price.

I bought a fitted 5950 hat in my normal size. For some reason it was smaller than the others I had. I bought this tool and stretched my hat with steam from a tea pot. I was amazed. Hat fit perfectly. Would highly recommend this tool.

I found a really good deal on a Stetson but it wasn't my size. No problem I thought, I'll get a stretcher. When I got this one it's very nicely made, the wood is smooth, the hardware clean, sturdy, functional and refined. My only issue is probably hat specific and that the wood blanks are a little too wide and "circular" for this particular hat. It fits in the hat just fine, I think because mine needs to be stretched honestly more than it should, the wide wooden ends are a little restrictive. But I can't fault the product for that, again I think it's specific to my scenario. But this works great to loosen up the hat and also keep the desired sizing/fit if you're going to store the hat for a while without wearing. I'd still buy this product again if I had to do it over.

Quality is decent. Mechanism seems sturdy. Easy enough to use. Hard to tell the hat stretchers apart when shipping. I will note that wood appears to be untreated and gives of a nice woody smell when hit with steam. I wonder whether the varnish or other color added to some might get messed up with the steam. I think I prefer the natural wood, like this one. Fits inside my stetson fedora well and does its job of stretching the hat. Any limitation on that would be in the nature of the process, not the device. I did find that I was concerned about stretching the hat higher up on the crown than maybe I wanted, so I used the product only half on with the other half sitting below the hat. This also allows me to set the hat down by having the extra part of the stretcher on the counter and the hat does not touch. UPDATE: a few months in and the wood is starting to split a bit. Still functional.

Worked well for my cap, first boil water and have under for 5-10min then use this and let it dry with it on for 2-6 hours. Rinse and repeat as needed

I had an old suede bush hat that I swore fit me once upon a time, but no longer did. It took me a couple days of stretching with this device, mostly front to back, but once on the sides, but that hat not only fits again, I wore it comfortably while running some errands yesterday. Of course there are limits to how far a hat can be stretched using this device, but I certainly had good results. I'm glad not to have to toss what was otherwise a very nice hat.

Easy to use. Stretch's hat as directions says.

I ordered this product because I have a big ole head. Size 8 hats are tight on me. Getting anything larger than that can be done, but it won't be New Era or any recognizable logo. So, I ordered this product to try and get just a little more room in my hats. Once my order came, I immediately put it in my hat and stretched it out. It started to get somewhat tight, but ran out of bolt thread when it reached spread apart enough to actually stretch. I didn't even get to try any steam because this product wasn't any bigger than my head's circumference. I am going to try to fold up 2 handkerchiefs, one for each side, to give a little better fit and see if I can stretch it that way. The product seems of good quality. I just don't think the 6 and 1/2 to 8 and 1/2 was actually measured. Once it reaches 8, the bolts just come out of the middle screw. Really not as advertised. I might give another star if the hanky idea actually works. But otherwise, I don't know who this product is for. If you wear hats that are smaller than size 8, you could just buy a larger size. However, if you wear a size 8, that is generally where sizes stop. So, why would anyone need this product that can't accurately do what it advertises that it does? If anyone who has purchased this item and feels like it was a good buy is interested, I can sell you a lighter for $45 that will melt ice cream and only requires that you set the ice cream down on un-shaded concrete in the middle of summer at 2:30 pm to work properly. Any takers?