Thom, I'll go on record as saying the difference between your SportKilt and Casual USA Kilt is night and day. Your SportKilt never looked bad, but there is just no comparing it to the USA Kilt. It would be like trying to compare a car and a motorcycle: they both get you down the road; that's about it. The USA Kilt has fantastic sway and really draws the eye when you move. Please keep in mind, that comment was made by someone whose previous thoughts about clothing rarely rose above the level of, "It's summer. I should buy some new black t-shirts."

For those of you who aren't Thom, I work with Thom and have had the good fortune to watch his adventures in kilt and kilt accessory buying, as I'm also getting into kilts and
Scottish wear as money allows. I have learned from Thom's good and bad experiences, and he's been generous enough to pass on items he either can't wear due to an incorrect size (First rule I learned without paying for it: Be Certain of Your Measurements.) or won't wear due to finding a better product. (Second rule I learned without paying for it: Don't Skimp On Kilt Hose--You Won't Really Save Money.)

I would like to pass on my little bit of experience with Rocky and USA Kilts. I'll preface this to say I'm the very happy owner of a Utilikilt (black Survival model), but I purchased it despite their customer service, not because of it. I emailed them with some pre-sales questions and never heard back from them, in stark contrast with my pre-sales experience with USA Kilts. I emailed Rocky to ask about obtaining some swatch samples of various tartans I was considering for an upcoming semi-traditional kilt purchase, which will be my first USA Kilt. I emailed my question to Rocky on the Saturday of a holiday weekend, not expecting to hear back for several days. I was pleasantly surprised to find he'd replied before 6:00am that Monday. Great pre-sales customer service! I recently placed an order with USA Kilts for a clan crest belt buckle, and despite being listed as a 2-6 week delivery time I received it in just under two weeks. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to my semi-trad kilt purchase! As far as the swatches I received, here are my impressions of the following tartans in PV from USA Kilts:

Grant Hunting Ancient: This is what my semi-trad will be made of. The swatch looks much nicer than the web image, with vibrant colors. Striking yet subtle, with the particular shades of green and blue complimenting each other quite nicely (a fairly bright bottle green and sort of a rich smoky lovat blue).

Black Watch: I found this swatch to be extremely dark and muted, to the point where in all but direct light it looks like dark green on black. Anyone considering a Black Watch kilt from USA Kilts would do well to check out the fabric in person before ordering to make sure the final product is in line with their expectations.

Warrior: This will likely be one of the first casual USA Kilts I purchase after my semi-trad. I love the look of this dark purple fashion tartan. The dark purple background is a very deep plum, almost black, and the lighter purple overcheck is also quite dark, giving it a rich yet subdued tone that doesn't scream, "This guy is wearing PURPLE!" The white stripe draws the eye and provides the needed contrast. A great choice for a darker tartan.

Scott Grant