To buy or not to buy? That is the question.

[Mel1721L]

http://www.heritageofscotland.com/8-...78,product.php

I don't have a lot of money, will I regret buying this?

[McMurdo]

That depends, I think the question really comes down to two considerations first whether or not you want PV. Secondly are you happy with the company? If you answer yes to both of those then go ahead and make the purchase.

[artificer]

http://www.heritageofscotland.com/8-...78,product.php

I don't have a lot of money, will I regret buying this?

That depends quite a bit on what you are expecting.

I have two kilts from Gold Bros (Heritage of Scotland, Monarch of the Glen, etc, etc, etc).

Are they 'bad' kilts? Not for the money.

Do they remotely compare to one of my custom made kilts? Not in a billion years.

The pleats are top stitched to the fell, there is little internal structure (no stabilizer), and they have rather weedy leather straps.

Do I still wear them? Sure. On occasions where one of my good kilts might get very dirty or beer soaked (like at a music fest).

If you watch ebay you might find one your size pop up. Gold Bros seem to drop loads of stuff on ebay for a lot less than they it for on their websites. I think I paid an average of $50 for each of my kilts, including international delivery.

ith:

[pbutts]

It concerns me that they are only asking for one measurement.....waist. That means unless you are perfectly "average" (whatever that means), the pleats could hang too loose or too tight around your rear end, and the kilt could be too long or too short at the knees.

For the extra money, you could get a custom fit PV kilt from USA kilt.

[Blupiper]

I have one of their PV kilts in Gunn Modern. It's a good knock-about kilt, well worth the money they charge for it and I like it. The PV material is substantial, has a soft feel and perhaps is a bit more "limp" than wool. It has very long straps--I guess it's easier to fit more sizes of people that way. My feeling is they try to hit the middle of the bell curve in terms of sizing to keep down their costs and so on. If you know going in what it is (a casual, mass produced PV kilt) and that off the peg it's not going to be like a more pricey, bespoke one, you won't be disappointed. It has a place in the market and serves a useful purpose. My two cents.

JMB

[California Highlander]

http://www.heritageofscotland.com/8-...78,product.php

I don't have a lot of money, will I regret buying this?

I bought two HoS PV kilts on sale last year. As Artificer mentioned, they were about US$50ish each including international postage. Are they as nice as my wool kilt? No, not close. Again, Artificer's comments are spot on. These have a lot of pleats and were much heavier than I expected for PV. For yard work, walking the dog, around the house, or a sporting event, they are fine. Length is a bit long for me and I will get them hemmed at some point.

I knew exactly what I was getting and when I would wear them, so I do not regret the purchase. HoS was actually quite good on the customer service front in my contact with them.

[Mel1721L]

That depends, I think the question really comes down to two considerations first whether or not you want PV. Secondly are you happy with the company? If you answer yes to both of those then go ahead and make the purchase.

I don't know the company. I've had two acrylic "starter kilts." The 16 oz one I was quite happy with, but the 11 oz, not so good but I haven't tried a PV yet. However it's only for dog walking etc.

[Mel1721L]

That depends quite a bit on what you are expecting.

I have two kilts from Gold Bros (Heritage of Scotland, Monarch of the Glen, etc, etc, etc).

Are they 'bad' kilts? Not for the money.

Do they remotely compare to one of my custom made kilts? Not in a billion years.

The pleats are top stitched to the fell, there is little internal structure (no stabilizer), and they have rather weedy leather straps.

Do I still wear them? Sure. On occasions where one of my good kilts might get very dirty or beer soaked (like at a music fest).

If you watch ebay you might find one your size pop up. Gold Bros seem to drop loads of stuff on ebay for a lot less than they it for on their websites. I think I paid an average of $50 for each of my kilts, including international delivery.

ith:

Thanks for your input. My woolen one is still in the postal system so I have nothing good to compare it with yet. It's not a lot of money, so worth a gamble probably. I had seen these on ebay in the past and wondered about them.

[Mel1721L]

It concerns me that they are only asking for one measurement.....waist. That means unless you are perfectly "average" (whatever that means), the pleats could hang too loose or too tight around your rear end, and the kilt could be too long or too short at the knees.

For the extra money, you could get a custom fit PV kilt from USA kilt.

Yes one of the acrylic kilts I got didn't hang very well, I've just washed and ironed it to see if that would make any difference, They were the 24" drop which just happens to be ok for me. USA Kilts are out of the question due to the high U.S. postal charges and the tax I'd have to pay on it here.

[Mel1721L]

I have one of their PV kilts in Gunn Modern. It's a good knock-about kilt, well worth the money they charge for it and I like it. The PV material is substantial, has a soft feel and perhaps is a bit more "limp" than wool. It has very long straps--I guess it's easier to fit more sizes of people that way. My feeling is they try to hit the middle of the bell curve in terms of sizing to keep down their costs and so on. If you know going in what it is (a casual, mass produced PV kilt) and that off the peg it's not going to be like a more pricey, bespoke one, you won't be disappointed. It has a place in the market and serves a useful purpose. My two cents.

JMB

Thanks for your 2 cents. I was wondering about the PV material but it's only the price of a good pair of shorts I suppose. As for the straps, I could trim them down with a sharp knife. I had to shorten my belts that way after loosing 12" off my waist.