"Great Scot" Kilts

[hospitaller]

Catch22 anyone?

I believe I will be going through somebody I've actually heard of and seen work from.

I was looking at their website and I'm not too impressed either. It would be best to leave the company alone until more positive reviews come forth.

A new company that no one has heard of is required to have more positive reviews....yet if no one wants to shop there because no one has heard of it, there will not be enough reviews to satisfy the requirement.

Wife and I were planning to go to Nashville, IN this weekend (it is a 30 minutes drive from home) so I'll make a point to stop by their shop and see for myself, check their materials, products and most importantly, the owners themselves.

For those who do not know the area, Nashville, IN is renowned in the SoIN, SoOH and NorKY area for its craft shops, woodworking artisans and overall 'old world' atmosphere, so having a Kilt shop in there is fitting.

So, I'll try to give an honest review of this shop, with the disclaimer that I am new to kilts and not up to snuff in the ranks of kilted snobility (thankfully) so it will be the positive review of someone no one has heard of.

[hospitaller]

I went to the site. There are a few things there that cause me to have reservations.

I do NOT intend to be confrontational, simply some observations on the comments.

Of 11 oz. tartan they claim, "If you live in the warmer climates of the United States, this is the weight for you." I have worn 16 oz tartan in 90 degree weather with no discomfort. 11 oz/yard is really too light for a kilt.

Not knowing where you live, and knowing where I live (30 minutes from this shop), this area is too warm and humid during summer. And if someone wants to buy an 11oz kilt, then that is the right weight for that kilt, for that customer. Their suggestion does not disqualifies them from anything.
People make kilts out of leather and out of denim, why would a lighter wool not be appropriate?

Of course, there are no such things. A coat of arms belongs to only one individual at a time, and a person can be crimally prosecuted in Scotland for displaying arms not his own. This sends off all sorts of red flags.

In Scotland for sure. Not in the US. Not in Spain either. Not in France and not in Germany and Belgium.
They offer heraldry graphics for most European originated names.
People other than the illuminati want to have something with their name and some traces of its history.
I do not see red flags at all. Judging by their location, 99% of their potential customers will not go to Scotland to flaunt their newly acquired 'heraldic name-parched-wall-hanger-upper'

Finally, they advertise ladies' kilts. Perhaps it's a quibble, but ladies do not wear kilts. Men wear kilts. Ladies wear kilted skirts. Kilt merchants should know the difference.

Perhaps. As others have pointed out, this appears to be a 'new shop' (one that no one has heard of before) so, unless all merchants are natural born experts, they will learn as they develop and grow.

Perhaps they retail good kilts. I don't know. But I would hesitate to rely on them for advice.

Thanks for your advice.

And I would like to ask to please stay on topic as this is starting to veer off course.

The OP was asking for product reviews, not personal impressions based off a website or comments on work that so far, only 1 person here as first hand experience with, and his review was positive.

So please, lets stay focused, thanks.

[gilmore]

Not knowing where you live, and knowing where I live (30 minutes from this shop), this area is too warm and humid during summer. And if someone wants to buy an 11oz kilt, then that is the right weight for that kilt, for that customer. Their suggestion does not disqualifies them from anything.
People make kilts out of leather and out of denim, why would a lighter wool not be appropriate?

I live in the Deep South, where the summers are hot and humid. It is not the weight of the wool that causes a kilt to be hot.

The problem with lighter, 11 oz wool is that it wrinkles easily and is too light to hold pleats well. This is very, very well known in kilting circles, and a kilt merchant who isn't well aware of it is suspect.

In Scotland for sure. Not in the US. Not in Spain either. Not in France and not in Germany and Belgium.
They offer heraldry graphics for most European originated names.
People other than the illuminati want to have something with their name and some traces of its history.
I do not see red flags at all. Judging by their location, 99% of their potential customers will not go to Scotland to flaunt their newly acquired 'heraldic name-parched-wall-hanger-upper' .

Even in the US most people who are interested in heraldry are well aware that only those entitled to a grant of arms should display them. When a person displays arms not his own, he proclaims to all the world that he has more pretentiousness than sense. These bucket shops who sell people arms that are not their own are little more than rip off artists, convincing people to buy something that is not rightfully theirs.

Perhaps. As others have pointed out, this appears to be a 'new shop' (one that no one has heard of before) so, unless all merchants are natural born experts, they will learn as they develop and grow.

And learn at others' expense. Why should customers pay for their education? Gernerally it is the other way around. One relies on a merchant's expertise rather than paying to be misinformed. Do you think they should learn by selling men women's skirts until some one points out the errors of their ways?

....
So please, lets stay focused, thanks.

IMHO we are quite focused.

[attworth]

hospitaller - I look forward to your review.

[RStewart1961]

Hi.. after nearly seven months of waiting, I finally received my nearly complete kilt outfit from GreaScotShop. I am satisfied with the quality but very dissatisfied with the level of communication and customer service. For the amount of money I've spent, I think anyone would expect more. Virtually none of my phone calls were returned and only extremely sparadic email messages were returned.

The payment plan is somewhat of a questionable arrangement. I placed my order in January and made payments through June. However, when i finally did receive the kilt I noticed the kiltmaker's packing slip said "March 2008," which naturally lead me to believe they were warehousing the order until it was more substantially paid via the payment plan.

I'm still waiting for the sporran and the sgian dubh. Our local highland games are this weekend. Can hardly go to the games with an imcomplete outit!

GreatScotShop.com come has not been a working website all week and once again, calls and emails regarding the two remaining items of my order have gone unanswered.

Though I am satisfied with the quality of the package I've received so far, this is definately not a place I will transact business again with in the future and I would encourage you to avoid them as well.

Randall

[Birddog]

Randall, thank you for the information and the review. Sounds to me like they will have a hard time doing business if they don't take care of the customer. But, atleast you got, from your description, a good kilt. Too bad about the rest of your kit.

Even in the US most people who are interested in heraldry are well aware that only those entitled to a grant of arms should display them. When a person displays arms not his own, he proclaims to all the world that he has more pretentiousness than sense. These bucket shops who sell people arms that are not their own are little more than rip off artists, convincing people to buy something that is not rightfully theirs.

Sorry to disagree, Gilmore, but I have never in my life heard of such a thing, and I have been interested in my heritage my whole life. I've known others who have had Coats of Arms hung in their homes who have never mentioned such. If I look at the site for Clan O'Driscoll, there is not a single mention that no other O'Driscolls, or in my case Driscoll, should not display them. Now mind you, I'm Irish, not Scottish, so perhaps what you were refering to is specific to the Scots. I would like to know more about where your information came from for further research.