Hand Sewn 8 Yard Kilt Price List and Comparison

[KennyB]

Interesting list but are you really sure they are all hand sewn? I'm pretty sure Heritage of Scotland doesn't actually offer full hand sewing because I asked not that long ago and was told even their proper kilts are made in a factory. Not sure about a couple of the other cheaper outlets too. How did you fact check? But good work anyway friend.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Thanks for putting together this price comparison list, which I think will be helpful to many people doing research for their next kilt purchase.

I, for one, am happy to see the Scottish Tartans Museum listed where we are -- right about in the middle.

This reflects our approach to the kilts we chose to supply through our gift shop. We definitely wanted them to be high quality. But at the same time, we didn't see any need to go for the most expensive kilts available, either. The end result is a good quality, made-in-Scotland kilt that is available at a reasonable price.

[gordontaos]

I agree with all of Riverkilt's advice on what most is important in purchasing a kilt. He and I also have the same kiltmakers, so I guess that that says a lot also.
However, I also agree with Slag101, that people tend to fall into different groups, sometimes at different times in their life. If I had known about the huge variation in kilt prices I might have purchased one 20 years ago. But then again, maybe there was not such a variety of materials and styles available 20 years ago.
I think that Bricekolob has provided a valuable service to the current and potential kiltwearing community. Is the initial chart perfect? No. Is it valuable as a resource to all of us? Yes. Is it a good starting point for discussion and decision making? Absolutely.
Thank You

[slohairt]

This is a good list, Brice, although I should point out that my business name is Keltoi, not Keloti!

I should also point out that my prices are in Canadian dollars, so (at present) they would approximately be $492-$700 USD ($510-$725 CAD)

[ForresterModern]

One other you might want to include, at least for folks on this side of the big pond, would be J Higgins. Although their website does not list whther their kilts are hand or machine sewn, I remember when I ordered mine being told it was going to be a combination of the two. Their prices are dependent on tartan weight and hip size and range from US $350-525.

My first kilt in (what else) Forrester Modern 13oz Strathmore is still among the best made and best looking kilts in my limited collection. I would use them again but for finding my own kiltmaker for most of my kilts as I can then search for bargains on tartans I like and have them handsewn up for cheaper than I can have the kilt fabric ordered and made up by most of the retailers, at least most of the time.



jeff

[bricelythgoe]

I will be adding a few more kilt makers to this list and changing the statistics appropriately. I apologize for the spelling errors and will change them as well.

Brice

[bonnie heather]

Thanks for researching and putting this list together, Bricekolob.
I would be very grateful to be included in the list, if possible.
I sew my kilts completely by hand (except machine sewing the top band, after hand basting it to the front apron to carefully match the tartan).

Bonnie Heather Greene, kiltmaker
$475 for an 8 yard hand stitched kilt. (If the tartan is unusually expensive or needs to be custom woven, the price would be more.)
If the tartan fabric is provided to me, I can hand stitch a kilt for a reasonable labor cost.

My small website is bonniekilts.com
I hope to advertise on the XMKS forum sometime in the future.

[bricelythgoe]

I updated the list with Barb T, Bonnie Heather Green, and Lady Chrystel. Everyone, please look over the list one more time to make sure there are not any more mistakes. Thanks to Scotweb and Keltoi for catching the ones I have already made.

[bricelythgoe]

There seems to have been a little discussion in this thread at how useful this list might be. As I stated, each person can look at this list and use it how they want (or not use it at all!). Although there are many things that go into making a kilt, I think for most people PRICE is the best place to start (especially on the first few kilts) and then move on from there. It should not be the only thing to look at, but probably will be one of the first. From there the consumer can look at other things that are important to them: customer service, experience, training, materials, etc.

I am not sure if this is worthy of being a "sticky" thread, but I think it would be a good idea to have some place where people can comment on and rate different kilt makers. Although, that might be hard since advertising is paid for on here. Not sure if that would be considered advertising or not.

[artificer]

There seems to have been a little discussion in this thread at how useful this list might be. As I stated, each person can look at this list and use it how they want (or not use it at all!). Although there are many things that go into making a kilt, I think for most people PRICE is the best place to start (especially on the first few kilts) and then move on from there. It should not be the only thing to look at, but probably will be one of the first. From there the consumer can look at other things that are important to them: customer service, experience, training, materials, etc.

I am not sure if this is worthy of being a "sticky" thread, but I think it would be a good idea to have some place where people can comment on and rate different kilt makers. Although, that might be hard since advertising is paid for on here. Not sure if that would be considered advertising or not.

Thanks for all the work compiling and correcting. I think this is a very handy tool on the road to selecting a kilt maker.

Will it be the ONLY tool? for most, I doubt it, but as you said, price is a great place to start. Price is, for most people, an issue. From there, you can determine who can best help you achieve your kilted goals while staying within your budget.

Now to the HARD part... keeping it up to date!