eBay Black Watch Review

[Tartan Hiker]

Continuation of the thread “Somebody had to do it…”

Subject of thread: This offering on eBay -- http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-WATCH-TART...QQcmdZViewItem

The Black Watch kilt, size 38, arrived today. Here’s my review:

Material – Medium-weight wool and acrylic (80/20) blend. I have no idea how to go about determining the actual weight of the fabric, but comparing it to my Stillwater Standard it appears to be about twice as heavy. Holding it up to the light reveals a very dense weave with very little light penetrating. It’s no 16-oz. Tank, but it is certainly not lightweight! The quality of the weave is good. There are a few glitches but nothing major. Colors are bright and consistent. Bottom edge is plain woven and not frayed.
Measuring along the bottom of the kilt from apron corner to apron corner I get a measurement of 7.25 yards.

Stitching – A mixture of hand and machine stitching. All of the pleats are hand-sewn down 6.5” from the waistband. The stitching appears sturdy. Both apron edges are hand hemmed, nice and tight. Lining looks to be polished cotton, extends 6” from waist band, and is hand-sewn. The edge of the waist is bound with black satin, machine sewn. The “buttonhole” through which the left belt goes is very nicely crafted.

Construction – The kilt is pleated to the sett, and the tartan lines up nicely across the pleats. There are 22 pleats in all, each 5” deep. (I can hide my entire hand inside one pleat). There is no evidence of tapering in the pleats, but then again I hardly expected to see that. The edges of both aprons are tapered 2.5” top-to-bottom. Length is 23.75”. There are no belt loops.

Hardware – There are three buckles and straps. The buckles are nickel-plated brass (non-magnetic and from southern Asia, so I’m assuming brass) and are cast, not stamped. They are much more attractive than those on my Stillwaters. The pins are, however, pot metal steel. The buckles are attached to the kilt with leatherette vinyl and are quite adequate. The straps are, however, of very thin, brittle leather and are attached in a way that could only be described as minimally durable. They also shed their black surface finish quite readily, and are pretty ugly. I will be replacing these by week’s end.

Shipping and overall buying experience – All correspondence was very satisfactory. Questions were answered and additional photos were emailed by the seller in a timely fashion. The shipping container was very sturdy, the kilt was bagged and padded within, and the basting threads were in place. I did need to press out a few wrinkles upon unpacking it, and I repressed the first left pleat edge for a better fit, but other than that it was good to go on arrival.

The test drive -- I wore the kilt to class tonight with much praise from my students. Throughout the evening it stayed well in place, no bunching beneath the sporran or shifting of the aprons. The mass of material in the rear provides bodacious swing. All in all a very comfortable kilt. I had planned to have one of my students photograph me in the classroom, but the camera’s memory card decided that tonight was the night to die. I will submit some photos when this problem is resolved.

The bottom line – I paid $50 for the kilt, plus $10 shipping, making it cheaper than many of the other budget lines. For the money spent I am very pleased. My only major complaint is the straps, which are easily replaced. I will be ordering at least one more in MacDonald for my son, and perhaps another MacDonald for myself.

I would have to say that if you are looking for a mid-weight kilt that you can use where you’d fear to take your heirloom-quality kilt, this is a very good deal.