Call me frugal, call me cheep

[matt.mackinnon]

My comments were made not about buying a quality made item. I have no problem with that. I am not looking for cheep, but value for the money that is spent.

Years ago I thought it too expensive to have my living room floor refinished. I did it myself. The overall cost was less but It sure kicked the hell out of me. I wouldn't do that work for any hourly wage. It's tough and grueling. I discovered that the skilled folks really do deserve what they charge.

Ken, I know what you mean by gruelling work. I installed rustic walnut flooring in my stitting room and office this year. 350sq.feet of it. It took me 3 weeks from start to finish. I probably saved around $4000 doing the work myself. After it was done, I did get some help from a flooring installer for applying the monocoat finish to the floor. The installer was very impressed at the work that I had done and made a point of saying that this floor looks better than most installs that even he does. I took the time to match grains of wood from one section to another. Strategically placed all the character burly and knotty bits to give the most impact for the room. Hand coped around the wooden central heating ducts. Yes, it took me 2 times the man hours that a pro would have taken, but ended up with a better finished product. But this was a project that I knew I could do.

But that is completely irrelevant to my complaint. A $700 hand made kilt has a whole lot of work and pride that has gone into it. It's expensive yes, but I see value in the product given compared to the price. A flat piece of leather with no decorations and a machine sew around the outside is not worth 1/4 of the value of a hand made kilt. A strip of leather with 3 rivets that could be made in less than 3 minutes hardly seems worth 1/10 of the value to a hand made kilt. But that is the price that you pay. Maybe the kilt should be worth far more than you are currently paying to make it proportional in value compared to the rest of your items in your kit, because face it, why would your buy a sporran, kilt belt, sgian dubh or hose unless you had that kilt to ware them with.

Matt.