[Tobus]

I'll be honest. There are waaay too many kilt makers out there for me to find on my own and shop around.

In the next month or two, I'd like to scrape together the money for a 16-ounce wool, 8 yard, knife-pleated traditional kilt. The tartan I want is Colquhoun weathered. It's not a common one, so I know I'll have to pay extra for it.

I'm trying to do an apples-to-apples comparison among the kilt makers to find the best bargain (I define that as the best kilt for the money, not necessarily the cheapest kilt). I know this is a bit subjective and there's a lot of opinions involved. Some kilt makers are extremely high quality, but their prices are extremely high too. Some are poor quality and cheap. But who do you think makes the best traditional wool kilt at the best price that is a good compromise on price and quality?

[cavscout]

Originally Posted by Tobus

I know this is a bit subjective and there's a lot of opinions involved.

Absolutely. But keep in mind, the hunt is a big part of the fun

The first thing I identify when pricing a kilt is Hand-sewn or machine-sewn. You see a huge price drop between those two. I also factor in is the person I'm buying from doing the sewing or is it being contracted out. A Freedom Kilt, a Matt Newsome and a Barb Tewksbury kilt is going to be a slam-dunk in quality and I know the person wielding the needle is taking a lot of pride in every stitch. Another kiltmakers kilt is likely being contracted to a firm in the UK who treats my order as one among many.

So to answer your question by some standards, I would probably say to get into a decent "Trad" kilt in a tartan of your choice at a bare bones price would probably be KiltStore at the top of the page. A bit of a discount, well made (from reviews on here), and access to all the tartans. As long as you factor in I'm referring to the machine stitched. However getting into the rare tartan you are looking for may water down any savings to be had from one kiltmaker to another.

Moving into the Hand-Sewn arena...

Then you have some very talented home-based businesses like Wally at Waterfalls Kilts . He's a member here with great reviews.

And finally, you've got the vendors here I mentioned first who are tried and true and will be an excellent value. Inexpensive doesn't always equate to the better buy. If you can get the coin, a 4-5 yard Matt Newsome box pleat is a kilt I think virtually everyone would love to have in their Kollection.

Sorry that was probably not really what you were looking for but you are right, there are so many options, combination's and variables to factor in that one really has to just start comparing and weeding out just like a multiple choice test.

You might try looking at what each vendor does that is unique and determine if that is of value to you. For example, Freedom Kilts is the only one I know of doing side slash pockets in tartan kilts right now. If that is a feature that you might want, then they stay in the mix. If a box pleat kilt is what you really want, then Matt would have to be at the top of that list. A double box pleat? Lady Chrystal suddenly is coming on very strong.

Working in wool though, I would consider all the ones I've mentioned above
Freedom Kilts, Matt Newsome, Barb Tewksbury, Waterfalls Kilts, Lady Chrystal, Keltoi and KiltStore. I'm sure there are others but all of these participate in this forum and have a fantastic reputation for taking care of the customer and providing a great product.

Enjoy the hunt!

[peacekeeper83]

Another option is the weavers... You can get a handsewn in say a Marton Mills Jura 16oz and come cheaper than a Lochcarron Strome 16oz.. Or you can shop the bargain bins and buy your own tartan and send it to a kiltmaker, for another option...

There are many ways to save your money on a handsewn tank... It just takes a little research, and patience..

[denmcdough]

I just ordered a tank from Wallace Catanach, State College, PA. If you go to waterfallkilts.com, you can see his work. Also, he has been reviewed on XMTS...all positive comments.

Wally ordered my special weave, MacDonagh tartan, in December and, to my surprise, the material arrived at his place last weekend. The material comes from one of the best: D.C. Dalgliesh. Wally's price is very reasonable for a hand stitched tank. I will not quote my price because that has to come from him, depending on what you want, yards needed, special weave, etc. Please do check him out!!!

[tyger]

I would like to mention, and recommend to you, another kiltmaker who makes handsewn traditional knife-pleated kilts: Bonnie Heather Greene (Bonnie Heather on this Forum).

Forrestermodern has posted a review of her work, and I will be posting one in the very near future.

For boxpleats, give Matt Newsome a call.

[slohairt]

Originally Posted by cavscout

So to answer your question by some standards, I would probably say to get into a decent "Trad" kilt in a tartan of your choice at a bare bones price would probably be KiltStore at the top of the page or Keltoi. A bit of a discount, well made (from reviews on here), and access to all the tartans. As long as you factor in I'm referring to the machine stitched. However getting into the rare tartan you are looking for may water down any savings to be had from one kiltmaker to another.

Er, I don't make machine-sewn kilts, only hand-sewn.

Colquhoun Weathered would be a special weave as it is not available in stock from any mill.

[Tobus]

The first thing I identify when pricing a kilt is Hand-sewn or machine-sewn.

Honestly, I don't care. I know some people put a lot of stock into that because it's a traditional way of making it. But I couldn't care less what methods are used, as long as the final product looks good and performs well.

You might try looking at what each vendor does that is unique and determine if that is of value to you. For example, Freedom Kilts is the only one I know of doing side slash pockets in tartan kilts right now. If that is a feature that you might want, then they stay in the mix. If a box pleat kilt is what you really want, then Matt would have to be at the top of that list. A double box pleat? Lady Chrystal suddenly is coming on very strong.

Nah, not interested in anything but a traditional knife-pleat 8-yarder. No bells and whistles or pockets or fuzzy dice.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. There are already some I hadn't heard of before.

Colquhoun Weathered would be a special weave as it is not available in stock from any mill.

Uh oh. I was under the impression that it was available in Lochcarron Strome. Do they not offer it even though it's listed on their site?

[bricekolob]

I would recommend Skye Highland Outfitters. However, I am not sure if he can do special order tartans.

[cavscout]

Originally Posted by slohairt

Er, I don't make machine-sewn kilts, only hand-sewn.

My apologies, I must have been thinking of someone else. Thanks for correcting me. I've adjusted my original post.

Tobus, it's not that hand or machine sewn may be more desirable, it's that you don't want to pay hand-sewn prices for machine-sewn kilts. That low price suddenly becomes a bad deal if you think you are getting a hand sewn but are really getting a machine sewn.

[turpin]

To take that a step further, when you see a kilt advertised as "hand finished", most of the work is done by machine (nothing inherently wrong with that - I have a fine Kiltstore/Scotweb kilt) with some of the finishing touches sewn by hand, such as finishing the left side of the apron, and maybe sewing in the liner an the pleat reinforcement.