J. Higgins Hose

[Benning Boy]

You won't get hosed buying these hose.

http://jhiggins.net/hose-pipe-band-style/

I have a few pairs of hose by House of Cheviot, and others of unknown lineage, and to me, none of them fit quite right. The Cheviot products bunch up in the foot, aren't long enough, and are a very tight fit on my calves. Don't like 'em. As for the foot problem, it seems Cheviots might be knitted to fit the largest foot in a size range, instead of stretching well to fit two or three sizes in a range. Length: When I pull Cheviots all the way up, and then turn them down a single fold, to where they look properly folded given the knitting pattern, the tops are too far below my knee cap -- and my legs aren't especially long (32-inch inseam.) My calves measure 17 inches at the thickest point, and 15 inches three fingers below my knee cap. Yet, all my hose of any origin are, to me, too tight, and stretch out of shape to fit, and don't spring back to original size when removed, but remain distorted.

Looking for something better -- for me -- I tried the pipe band hose from J. Higgins. They seem quite well made and heftier than Lewis hose, in my estimation. They're plenty long, coming three fingers above my knee caps before turning down, and when folded down to three fingers below my knee caps I get a nice wide and thick three-layer top. They don't wad up inside my shoes, and spring back to shape when removed.


The pipe band hose are less than half the price of Lewis, and to my way of thinking a much better deal. The piping hose come in a range of basic colors, more limited than Lewis options, but there are enough colors to cover most contingencies. The less expensive hose would make good tramping hose. They'd look nice, and if you snagged them on brambles and thought them ruined, you wouldn't be out much, compared to Lewis hose, or some of the other offerings.

[Dughlas mor]

Thanks for that, Benning Boy. I`ve been wanting to try those out, and it`s good to hear a positive review.

[tulloch]

Yes, thanks. I am doing a lot of parading around and will quickly wear out the ones I have. This is a good source.