Quote Originally Posted by Sean_the_Kilted View Post
I'm thinking about getting either a Freedom Kilt with some of the pockets or a Utilikilt Workman. For those of you who own both, how do they compare and which one would you recommend?
I have both, 4 UKs and 1 FK.
I would most likely be wearing it hiking and around the house/yard.
For casual wear around the house, a UK may suit your purposes better. For me, my FK is the equivalent of the better Dockers in my closet. I would do and have done yard work and house work in my UKs.
Which pleat style do you prefer Fk knife or UK reverse Kinsquise (sp?) and why?
The FK pleats are more kilt-like and have better swing. There are more of them, too. The UK pleats are sort of floppy and sway more than they swing, and, having less fabric, feel less substantial. I think they wrinkle more easliy, and tend to curl outward (though Riverkilt Ron has more or less solved this problem with the way he hangs them with weights to dry, he has reported). Steve has mostly solved this problem with the FK. I think I prefer the performance and appearance of the FK pleats. On the other hand, with fewer pleats, a UK weighs less than a FK, and I think I could wear a UK longer doing chores than I would a FK. (I have worn the FK all day when I had no commitments without any problem, however.)
Which is more durable?
I've seen some pretty shabby UKs, but I think people tend to abuse them more than they would a custom FK. The cotton twill of my FK feels more substantial than the twill of the UKs.
Which has the better apron width?
Depends on what you are looking for. Again, the FK apron is more kilt-like, but the UK apron flops right down between your legs without any fuss when you sit.
anything else to compare them?
See Ron's comparison above. The FK is a better garment than the UK, but there's a lot I do that I don't want to do in my better garments. I can dress up my FK (with no cargo pockets) and my UK Mockers, but a UK Workman's, Survival, or "Original" is never going to be terribly dressy.

Regards,
Rex.

A note on terminology - I see Big Mikey is using "kilt-like" to mean "sort of but not so much like a kilt". I am using the expression to mean "more like a 'tank' than not."