A kilt comparison

[Snowbear]

I have 3 kilts at hand at the moment. A casual 5 yrd wool kilt in Douglas from Jim Morrison Kiltmakers, a wool 8yrd kilt in Black Stewart from StillWater, and a handmade 8yrd wool kilt in Royal Stewart. All 3 kilts are made of 16 oz wool material. The pricing are very different from eachother, but a quick comparison could help someone to not choose the wrong kilt.

Weight

Royal Stewart : 1,72kg
Black Stewart : 1,45kg
Douglas : 1,15kg
(It was a surprice that the differences in weight were this much between the two Stewart kilts)

Average pleatdepth

Royal Stewart : 3,5"
Black Stewart : 3"
Douglas : 1,7"

The Douglas kilt


Looks good from the front, but it does have a few imperfections in the fabric. The selvedge is also a wee bit uneven.


When putting it down with the pleats up is the worst that can be done with this one. The pleats are so small that they will not stay together. I tried to arrange them, but it is impossible to make the all lie side by side like a 8yrd kilt.
The sewing is actually quite nice. The only con is that the seems are not straight all the way in every pleat.
You can see the fringe as well. This is a nicely done single apron.


The buckle is smaller than on my other kilts, but the leather used feels good. At the buckle you can also see that the fabric stretches, and you can see that some treads are loose. The fabric feels nice and soft, but not firm and heavy.


Black Stewart


From the front. Nice, strong colours. A bit coarse fabric. The selvede is almost straight, but nothing noticeable if you'r not looking very closely.


Her you see the pleats is deeper, and makes the kilt lay down completley. The set is good, but some uneven seems over the pleats. Well make double fringe.


The set is well made in the pleats.


For some reason there is something that looks like a stitching down the front, just to the left of the blue stripe.


There is 2 buckles. They are firm and solid metal. Only downside is that the leather is stiffer than the leather used on the Douglas kilt.

[Snowbear]

Royal Stewart


The front view of the kilt. Good fabric. Nice straight selvedge.


The pleats are nice and deep. The kilts lies down, and stays there. Double fringe, very nice made.


The pleats are perfect to each other. Even the diagonal stripes match.


The buckles are good and strong. The leather is strong, but a bit softer that the Black Stewart. There is good hold in the fabric as well. A little stretched, since I like to wear the kilt tight.

Summary

Douglas
When just going around at home the Douglas is what I wear. It is light, has soft fabric, and feels like a kilt with all the pleats. When going outside I will not put it on. The main reason is that the first pleat that is under the apron is the same size as all the other pleats. This makes it a bit more difficult to sit down with the kilt falling a bit. It feels like the kilt wants to look like a skirt when sitting down, and that would reveal the famous mystery with the kilt.

Black Stewart
When going out for some fun at a local pub or hanging out with the pipe band, the Black Stewart is great. The cheap prize lets me have a good time without have to think about all the money that will be lost if someone spills something on it. It also feels nice and heavy, and the wind will not lift it up. The first pleat under the apron is large, so sitting down is an easy thing to do. The apron ends straight down.

Royal Stewart
For the finest occations I have my Royal Stewart. Perfect pleating, and some of the best wool I have felt. It is heavy, so I feel well in it. The fact that it is hand made makes it fit perfectly. The apron is cut slightley diagonal, and I do not have much of the kicking pleat. Without doubt my best kilt

All three kilts are great at their pricerange. With the Douglas being just under the price of the StillWater, StillWater feels the best. The fabric is softer in the Douglas, but heavier in the one from Stillwater. Stillwater might be a better buy for the quality. There is a leap up to the hand made kilt, but for £260 it is worth every penny. You will get a kilt that is made just for you, in a very nice quality wool, and you can even pass it on if you get kids that will grow into it.

[Galician]

They are all fine kilts that you have. I have a couple of the wool heavyweights from Stillwater as well, but I, and others on here, don't think that they are 16 oz. wool. I find them more equivalent to a 12-13 oz.

I do like them but they are what they are.

[Snowbear]

That's true. When I put the on the weight I realized that is was a wee bit lighter than teh other 8yrd I have

[Highlander31]

Nice review. Thanks for posting it.

[English Bloke]

Sorry Snowbear, I missed this first time around. I'm really pleased that you like the Royal Stewart. It looks just as fantastic as my Bruce kilt. £260 isn't cheap but It's not as expensive as some companies ask for a hand sewn kilt. I'm glad you're happy with your investment.

[MacBean]

Very helpful comparison for those contemplating the whole 9 yards (e.g. me). Thank you. Could you offer some indication of how the handmade, and heavier, kilt feels to you? Some I have seen really appeared awfully heavy.

[English Bloke]

They are much heavier but once strapped on it's barely noticable. It also doesn't fly about in the lightest breezes and the swish and swing (because of the weight) is not found in lighter alternative fabrics... These kilts are also individually tailored works of art and worth every penny of the extra expense. Well worth saving up for.

[Snowbear]

The heavier kilts feels better. It actually feels to me like the StillWater kilt is heavier than my handsewn, even the handsewn is 300g heavier. If you have a perfect average body, you might feel the same with a off the rack kilt. A handsewn is made to fit exactley you, not everyone one the world with a 36" waist.

The handsewn actually looks better, tighter, swing better, and more like a solid kilt. You will also have the advantage that it will not fly up so easily (good to keep in mind when going to ceilidhs).

I have these 3 kilts at the moment, and I like them all three. I could do without the casual one, but I love my Royal Stewart because it just is the best kilt I will ever have. The Black Stewart is good when going to a consert, pub, etc. where I don't want to risk my best kilt.

[Jack Daw]

A very nice display with a good contrast/comparison among your kilts. Thanks for the edification.