To the rabble:

I dig on USAK.

I don't have as many USAKs as Ron has, I've just got a five yard wool thirteen ounce leatherneck, a pair of eight yard semi-trads (Army and blue Ramsay) and a casual in Farquharson.

I am a fan.

I suppose that someone could pick nits with the USAK--but I freely admit that I am an enthusiast, that I enjoy the kilt, that I came here not to bury Caeser but to praise him (or something like that).

Here's what I get with USAK.

Mostly, I have done business by e-mail or PM. I have submitted my measurements and my tartan choice and I have said "pleat it as you think best" and I have been happy. For my wool kilt, I called USAK and spoke with Rocky for about half an hour. That's half an hour when he could have been sewing kilts and padding his bottom line!

My kilts from USAK all fit, and fit right. I know it would be better if I had gone in and had a personal fitting, but Rocky and Kelly have "targeted my figure, and fired for effect." When I tell Rocky and Kelly my stats and then get my kilt, I have no doubt at all that it will fit me, and make me look good. Tailored clothing simply rocks. I don't know how I managed to live so long without snapping to this.

My USAK kilts are lightweight. I have a five yard, thirteen ounce, worsted wool kilt, and it is nice and lightweight. I have the twinned eight yard Marton Mills PV kilts, and they are nice and lightweight. They are cool, and they are cool.

I know what I'm going to get. When I order a USAK, I know that I'm going to get a machine-sewn, hand-tailred kilt, whether in PV or wool (and the PV is available in two iterations, the semi-trad and the casual, and there's much to be said for each), that fits me, that is a good value.

I am sure that there are other, equally valid choices, in a kiltmaker out there. I look forward to trying other custom tailored kilts, primarily from among our supporters/vendors. But with USAK, I just KNOW I'm good when I order. That's worth something. That's worth A LOT.

This last weekend, when I met up with Mark (MKmound) and Tattoo Bradley and the esteemed Zardoz family, I noticed that Brad and Zardoz were in USAKs, and that they looked as stylish and sharp as Mkmound's wool kilt. If I had not worn my *att *ewsome *ox-pleated 16 ounce Leatherneck, I would doubtless have worn my USAK blue Ramsay semi-trad.

Yeah. They're that good.