Balmoral purchase

[thescot]

Bill, are you thinking of Ian Parenteau at https://www.glengarryhats.com/? He is in Canada. I've bought a few things from him, and I'd say his balmorals are maybe not 9/10ths of Robert Mackie, but still really good value.

I know I am very late to this party, but I've been occupied with other pursuitss for some time. LOL

However, I did think I should say that the balmoral I purchased from Glengarry Hats several years ago was short on material. By that, I mean it didn't have enough cloth to flop over the top the way my Scottish made bonnets do. I mentioned this on Xmarks several years ago, and another person (con't remember who) said that he has noticed the same thing.

Look at the difference between a Foreign Legion beret (https://www.ebay.com/itm/312598170371)

and a French Basque beret to see what I mean. (https://www.laulhere-france.com/en/for-him.html).

I won't even mention those God-awful things the U.S. Army wears. They look like flower sacks.

I can't fault the quality of the sewing or the material on the bonnet, just the shortage of material. The bonnet ended up looking more like a beret than a bonnet, so I never wore it much. The glengarry I purchased, however, was fine. And BTW, their website says they are from Malta, not Canada if that makes a difference. I suspect their products are made in Pakistan, but I can't tell from the site.

Personally, I would go with Mackie. You can't beat their bonnets, and I can guarantee it will be top notch.