J. Higgins experiences?

[creagdhubh]

Why not contact other forum sponsors and get quotes from more than 1 source? Most kilt companies offer price breaks to bands ordering multiple kilts.

Agreed. I have heard horror stories in regards to the quality and craftsmanship of J. Higgins' kilts.

Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

Hi Kyle,
Actually, I did try the search function first. I found Alan's very favorable experience regarding his jacket and a brief review from 2008. Unfortunately I also found every other time the company was even mentioned.
It was my humble hope that instead of reading a dozen pages of postings that probably weren't what I was looking for, I might be able to quickly consolidate the information I was seeking - that is a more detailed review of things customers did or did not like about their product.

Gotcha, no worries!

[T-Bone]

T Bone

You are correct, there should be no join in a kilt made form single width cloth. A Kilt in single width cloth should not cost anymore than a standard kilt (unless it's an "old and rare" tartan or a special weave or something). It's actually LESS WORK as the kiltmaker doesn't have to join the 2 pieces.

This is one of those rare cases where confirmation from a professional of what I thought actually makes me feel worse.

It sounds like J. Higgins is hit or miss. They had some good hits in the 90's, but now you might want to look elsewhere. I know I am.

[ForresterModern]

T Bone

You are correct, there should be no join in a kilt made form single width cloth. A Kilt in single width cloth should not cost anymore than a standard kilt (unless it's an "old and rare" tartan or a special weave or something). It's actually LESS WORK as the kiltmaker doesn't have to join the 2 pieces.

Not meaning to argue or anything Rocky, as you know orders of magnitude more about kilts and tartan tha I ever will (insert bow of respect here), but isn't it generally true that tartan material woven in single width is generally greater cost to procure per yard than double width cloth per yard which is then divided by 2 to yield the true single width per yard cost? It certainly seems so when I have been tartan shopping, but then again it may be that those tartans I have been shopping for which only are available in single width are "old & rare" or special weaves, thereby explaining the higher "per SW yard" cost. It only makes sense that labor costs to join two split pieces of DW would be higher than working with a single long piece of SW tartan, I agree.

jeff

[bdkilted]

I bought my tank, my wife's kilted skirt and a number of other items from them. Service is great, kilt still looks new and have no complaints. My only complaint is that I have large calves and their 'new' acrylic hose do not have enough room in them to fold them over. I regularly recommend J Higgins to other members of my clan when they ask.

[kennethrmc]

I bought a 13 oz. 8 yard Clergy tartan kilt from them three years ago. It is one of three bespoke wool kilts that I own. Service was excellent (talked on phone with the owner while ordering) and I have been very pleased with the kilt. Fit is excellent and it wears well, and I've gotten good use of it the past few years.

[RockyR]

House of Edgar went to a high speed single width loom a few years ago. Any of their Irish County tartans, Medium Weight range, Medium Weight "old and rare" range, Heavyweight range, etc are all woven on single width looms. Some are a bit pricier, but most are 'normal price'. No, single width doesn't mean more expensive necessarily.

I BELIEVE what you're thinking of is DC Dalgliesh's Single Width cloth... In that instance, yes it is almost double the cost (which would probably be more than a $95 surcharge).

Not meaning to argue or anything Rocky, as you know orders of magnitude more about kilts and tartan tha I ever will (insert bow of respect here), but isn't it generally true that tartan material woven in single width is generally greater cost to procure per yard than double width cloth per yard which is then divided by 2 to yield the true single width per yard cost? It certainly seems so when I have been tartan shopping, but then again it may be that those tartans I have been shopping for which only are available in single width are "old & rare" or special weaves, thereby explaining the higher "per SW yard" cost. It only makes sense that labor costs to join two split pieces of DW would be higher than working with a single long piece of SW tartan, I agree.

jeff

[Streetcar]

Agreed. I have heard horror stories in regards to the quality and craftsmanship of J. Higgins' kilts.

Cheers,

That's exactly what I was looking for.

And no disrespect to the many fine vendors on this board, but the band did solicit bids from several different manufacturers - of which I had little say unfortunately. I ask specifically about J. Higgins because they appear to be the front runner, and I'd like to be able to go to my board before the final decision is made with as much information as possible.

For what it's worth, our kilts are going to be a solid navy. No tartan. I've been told by some that it's easier to make a kilt with no tartan, and told by others it's harder to make a kilt without a tartan.

So thank in advance, to the collected experience and braintrust here at X-marks!!

[RockyR]

The thing to keep in mind about solids... If the material is a tuck selvedge, it will be VERY obvious where the tuck ends 1/2" from the bottom. The best scenario for a solid kilt is a proper kilting selvedge.

That's exactly what I was looking for.

And no disrespect to the many fine vendors on this board, but the band did solicit bids from several different manufacturers - of which I had little say unfortunately. I ask specifically about J. Higgins because they appear to be the front runner, and I'd like to be able to go to my board before the final decision is made with as much information as possible.

For what it's worth, our kilts are going to be a solid navy. No tartan. I've been told by some that it's easier to make a kilt with no tartan, and told by others it's harder to make a kilt without a tartan.

So thank in advance, to the collected experience and braintrust here at X-marks!!

[donlp1]

For what it is worth, I have bought 2 8yd 13wt kilts from them. one about 5 years ago and one about 2 years ago. Both are great! they are made exactly to the measurements I asked for and the communication from them, verifying the order and meeting ship dates were very good. I ordered a jacket also (in the wrong size of course) and with a few e-mails it was worked out in a couple of days.

Nothing but a good experience for me!