My Experience with Order of the Gael Hangers

[Riverkilt]

I don't recall whether I first heard about the Order of the Gael hangers here, or at a highland games where I met Joe Austin at a booth. In any case, I now own 18 Order of the Gael hangers and use them to hang all my wool kilts - and now my three leather kilts too.

A couple weeks ago I was trying to figure out how to store my three leather kilts. I'd gone from building my own hanger from a 2x2 and cup hooks to laying them out around the cave - sort of as a curio or decoration. Then it hit me. I'd shown how just one clip on the Order of the Gael hanger could hold a 16 ounce wool strome kilt. If one clip could do that certainly all six clips could hold my leather kilts.

I already had to order a new hanger for the wool kilt I just ordered from Rocky - why not order four and hang the leather kilts too? So I did. The hangers arrived promptly and Tuesday I hung the three leather kilts off the new hangers. Today, five days later they're still hanging, no slippage from the clips, it works!

There have been posts about broken hangers and the wire hang down thingies coming out. Out of 18 hangers ordered I had one break (Joe promptly replaced it) and one wire come out of one hanger on one side. I just pushed it back into place and its held ever since.

The way the hanger works is there are three wires, each with two clips, coming out of the hanger. The pleats are clipped to the back wire. The underapron is clipped to the middle wire. The apron is clipped to the front wire. SIX clips hold the kilt up evenly all around.

If you look at the website http://www.orderofthegael.org/kilthanger.htm its easier to see than to explain.

Yes $20 is a lot for a hanger - but it does the job an does the job well (value!) and also holds kilt jackets, ties, et.al. for easier travel and storage space savings. For all the time and money I've wasted over the years trying to "get it right" with kilt storage, and the quality of the hangers, they are a bargain.

I really like how the kilts hang from these hangers and can't help but think they'll extend the life of the kilt.

One of the joys of this board is sharing a good thing. Enjoy too - IF you wanna.

[unixken]

I too, have some of these hangers. They do work very well, but honestly, I find them a little crowded/"busy" to use on a regular basis. I have one of the OoG "Kilt Kit" bags, with three of their hangers, and the hangers work well with that garment bag. But on my closet hanger pole, I frankly find these much faster to use, and just as secure, with all my 8yd 16oz kilts. Granted, mine are all wool or PV (no leathers), but if your closet is deep enough to allow for the length, basic storage works well with the simpler hangers.

[mookien]

Owning about 10 Order of the Gael hangers, I second Riverkilt's comments. They are relatively expensive, but I prefer them over other hangers that I have tried. I, too, had one break during shipping and Joe immediately sent me a replacement, no questions asked. I have never had a wire pull out (knock on wood) or one break during use.

Once you have hung a kilt on them a few times, they are easy to use and they help keep your kilts in perfect order. I believe that is largely due to the sturdiness of the hanger, the six suspension points, and the fact that the kilt hangs on the hanger much the same as it does on the wearer - pleats in the back, inner apron in the middle, and outer apron in front.

Though they are designed for use with the Order-of-the-Gael's Kilt Kit, they work fine with any hanging bag and, thus, are convenient for transporting your kilt.

[Riverkilt]

Aye, I don't use mine with the kilt kit - just alone.

Know there are MANY other hanger options. Point of this post is to review the Order of the Gael hangers.

[unixken]

Aye, I don't use mine with the kilt kit - just alone.

Know there are MANY other hanger options. Point of this post is to review the Order of the Gael hangers.

And as any good review goes, it should include both strengths and shortcomings of the product being reviewed. To the good, the unit is strong, compact in length, does a great job of securing the kilt, is backed by a good supplier, and it works with the garment bag for which it is sold. It *is* a good product.

But even the best products can have weaknesses. To it's detriment (and this is just my opinion... my "review" as it were), the ganged up wires make the smallish clips somewhat crowded (especially the ones on the middle bar... the outer bars get in the way of conveniently spreading the clips on the inner bar). This makes the unit very "busy" (especially with a thicker, full-bodied/heavier kilt fabric), and can make it slow to apply to it's intended purpose. I'm sure a little practice will improve one's use of the product. But a bit more gap between the wires, along with larger clips, would be equally beneficial.

[Riverkilt]

Agree, there's a learning curve with the clips and wire bars. But I don't even think about it anymore. Just clip it up.

The "smallish" clips are 5/8" wide. Same width as the plastic clips on the Big Box store plastic hangers I hang my lighter weight PV and cotton kilts from. The OoG metal clips are much stronger and have a protector on the ends so they won't damage the kilt fabric.

I agree with reviewing the negative side too. Just haven't found one with the OoG hangers.

[unixken]

The "smallish" clips are 5/8" wide.

The width doesn't seem to be where my issues are. It's with the fact that the clip sits between two wires that do their best to limit the ease with which the clips are pinch-spread without interference from the clips on the adjacent bars... or with the adjacent bars themselves. These also serve to limit the ability to rotate one clip out of the way while working with an adjacent clip.

Yes, I figured out ways to work with the hanger, and yes, it works well to hang a kilt and keep it off the floor. But as minor (or as non-existent) as these concerns may be to others, they simply don't exist at all, with other hangers I have used, that can be had for half the cost. They may be ideal for some. Just not for me.

[Riverkilt]

Just commenting on the "smallish" notation which could easily be misunderstood.

Enjoy your less expensive hangers.

Perhaps you could start another thread on their ability to hold leather kilts.

[unixken]

Just commenting on the "smallish" notation which could easily be misunderstood.

The measured dimensions of OoG hanger are 5/8" wide by 1 7/8" long. The dimensions of the clips on conventional kilt hangers are 3/4" wide by 2 1/2" long. I will concede that the OoG clips are not "smaller". Rather, the clips on a conventional hanger are "larger".

Enjoy your less expensive hangers.

They serve the purpose for which they are intended, perform well within the limits of my experience, use a simpler design requiring fewer parts and less mechanical complexity, and represent a significant cost savings. I enjoy value in items I purchase. By extension, the greater the value, the greater the enjoyment.

Earlier, you said:

Point of this post is to review the Order of the Gael hangers.

But you then changed the scope:

Perhaps you could start another thread on their ability to hold leather kilts.

Was the thread meant to review the OoG hangers? Or to review them only in the context of their ability to hold leather kilts? Perhaps that is the point that could be easily misunderstood.

[Riverkilt]

It don't matter any more - the thread is well screwed up. If you didn't read the title and the initial post then you didn't.

Just feel like this thread's intent has been stolen. If you "need" to do that then you "need" to do that.

Order of the Gael hangers are a fine product and the company is run by a fine man - Joe Austin. I just fail to see the need to point out that there are other hanger options on THIS thread. Everyone already knows that.