Would You Buy This Kilt?.....A Review

[O'Neille]

I have recently tried a couple kilts from unknown and never to be known again vendors on E-Bay. I'm going to review them here for the sake of others who may be tempted. The first is the best of the two and was ordered from Australia. It was the Welsh Patriot Tartan. It is an acrylic tartan fabric with selvedge and measures out to a little over five yards. Machine sewn including the fell. It has a double fringe and 3 fair quality leather straps and stamped buckles. It is lined and has hanging loops. The pleating lines up nicely but the belt loops, waist band and buckle chaps or whatever they're called don't match well at all. The biggie with this kilt is the twill lines go up to the right and not properly to the left. So it is made with the wrong side out. I wore it for a day and out to dinner and it is a passable kilt. I wrote the seller and politely told him about the inside out construction and have not received a reply in 5 days. I guess some people don't care. Here are some quick pics of the kilt including the tag so you can be on the look out.







The second I shudder to call it a kilt. Some of you may remember the hassle I had with this guy http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=21560 and now I can see that the quality of this "kilt" is on par with the customer service. The only positive part of the whole ordeal was the sporran was nice and the shipping was fast.

This is also made from acrylic tartan fabric and measures out to a little over 5 yards. The selvedge is very ratty. It has a stiff 3" waist band and a little half moon lining covering about 7 inches of pleats in the middle. Nothing lines up on this kilt. I got it as an experimental replacement for a Black Stewart Stillwater Standard. Do not make the mistake I made. It is pleated to the white stripe in the red and is pretty cool looking from behind. The fell is not sewn down and when I do sew it it will look much better. There is no more than an inch of taper and it is really a 32 and not a 34. It has no deep first pleat and no reversed pleat. The leather straps are cr@p and the buckles are stamped (it only has 2). I could never make this fit me and I'm a solid 33 and have never had a problem w/ any other kilt fitting (there is no flare to the hips). I'd return it but that would be sending good money after bad. Maybe I'll fix it and put it away until I find some needy skinny kid. So here are the pictures of the "thing" so you can identify the worlds worst kilt by sight.









Do yourself a favor if you are looking for some knock around kilts. Get a SWK in any flavor that matches your budget. At least you'll have a kilt that is useable and if there is a problem we all know it will be taken care of w/o any problems. I am yet to find a kilt that matches the quality and service of a SWK for the price. Fair warning. O'Neille

[Mark Keeney]

Unfortunately you now have a good kilt for changing the oil in your car. Or cleaning the garage or playing in the mud.

The sad part is a first time kilter might think it is what a kilt should look like.

[Tattoo Bradley]

That "Welsh Patriot" tartan is pretty nifty.

[O'Neille]

That "Welsh Patriot" tartan is pretty nifty.

Yeah, that's why I got it because I had never seen it before and liked it. It's too bad about the twill lines but I'll use it anyway. O'Neille

[Mark Keeney]

Yeah, that's why I got it because I had never seen it before and liked it. It's too bad about the twill lines but I'll use it anyway. O'Neille

BTW do you realize your avatar twill lines go to the right too.

[O'Neille]

BTW do you realize your avatar twill lines go to the right too.

Well heck they do don't they? I just went and looked at one of my old tartan books and they are just a muddle with no consistency there either. O'Neille

[mbhandy]

I like the lable "Acrylic Wool"?

What the HE(double hocky sticks)'s is that? :confused:

MrBill

[Martin S]

Strange; both kilts seem to have the same label.

It is a familiar one; one of my kilts had that on it (I think it was the Gold Brothers' business, but not sure), and, as it happens, I like the kilt. It was cheap, needed some adjustment (it was too big), feels like soft wool, keeps its shape

I'd say some of these suppliers get products from several different sources, and you can never be quite sure what you are buying.

Martin

[Riverkilt]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

One of my favorite things about this board is the warnings about things I've been tempted to try.

The lines on the pleats of the back of the second kilt look like an acid trip.

You can have any two of price, quality, or service...usually. These folks look like they only offer price.

I may have paid more for my tartan kilts from USA Kilts and Kathy's Kilts but its saved me agony like this and the value is there solid beside the quality.

Thanks for passing on your less than pleasing experiences too.

For fellow Welshmen, don't forget the Prince of Wales tartan at USA Kilts. Its not shown on the casual listing, but Rocky will do it in a casual. If I had to do it all over again I'd do it in semi-trad. A beautiful tartan, even if it too is a fashion tartan.

Guess I hate it when someone professing to sell quality kilts sucks folks in with a sharp patriotic tartan then screws it up.

Ron

[switchblade5984]

i have one just like the firs in Irish Natl!