Has anyone pressed a kilt in a pants press?

[bonnie heather]

Right now we're on a trip in Japan. I brought several kilts to work on during the long flights, bullet train rides and early morning hours wide awake from jet lag. I did the pleat stitching on 3 kilts but needed to press the pleats and apron edges. There's no iron in the hotel room. But there is a Toshiba pants press. The size is great...17" x 33". It seems to do the job very well and I really like it. I don't know if the Toshiba pants presser is available in the US.
Has anyone used such a press for kilts? What do you think?

[Steve Ashton]

I have used pants presses and industrial presses on kilts before with mixed success.

Please remember to baste your pleats very well. I do so every 4-5 inches just to insure nothing is out of place.

ps. Bonnie, I have attempted to contact you via PM a couple of times now. Would you please send me a PM or an email through the site.

[fluter]

You can find trouser presses in the US, but they're fairly pricey. I wouldn't think than ideal for the apron edges.

[CDNSushi]

Pants presses are very common here in Japan, and Toshiba as you might expect is only one of many companies who produce them. They range in price between ¥9000 and ¥22,000 (or roughly $90-$220).

I don't know about their availability or popularity outside of Japan, but would not recommend exporting one. Japan's power grid is similar enough to N. America at 100V AC to allow electronics to function properly (as they usually contain a transformer and circuits to adapt the power into something usable anyway) but for any items that have a heating element or spinning rotor, it will be underpowered outside of Japan, causing its lifespan to be drastically diminished (even if it turns on and seems to work).

[okiwen]

When I made my kilt I used one to place the pleats to begin with. I use it after the pleats are basted in well.