Poly Viscose vs acryllic fabric question

[Colin]

I have only personaly seen two types of Polyviscose. The 8 oz Canadian tartans that Bear carries (Maybe Pete as well) and the 10 oz stuff produced by Marton Mills (used by Rocky, Pete, Bear, Scottishkilts,etc). I have not seen the 13oz PV produced by F&K, but given the level of wool I have seen from them, it should be quite nice.

I owned an arcylic kilt (like the ones produced by Stillwater) from Canada Kilt, and it was nothing like the PV I have come to know. Different feel, different look, and different hang. I have seen really nice arcylic kilts and I have some not so nice arcylic kilts. I do like that SWK advertises their Economy line as acrylic. I like to know what I am buying and not have to guess. When I got my acrylic kilt, the seller (I won't say maker) was asked what material and where the kilt was made. All I was told was "not wool" and "overseas, but not Scotland".

I think the term PV is thrown around, and ususally identified incorrectly, way too much in my opinion. I have no problem with a cheaper kilt being made in an alternative place or in an alternative fabric, but I still want an honest answer.

Acrylic kilts are warm, and quite soft, however I found they wrinkle fairly easily and that the hang just isn't as good as wool or PV. Having said that, you can get a nicely made acrylic kilt for very cheap $$$ that will serve you well without breaking the bank. Stillwater in particular has shown that they can offer a wide range of products in this material (and others) for a reasonable cost, while maintaining the features and design that their customers want.

I have owned 3 PV kilts from Bear and my son has 1 PV kilt from Pete (CCK). While these are more expensive than an arcylic kilt, the hang, the material, the feel, are more suited to my taste. My only complaint with PV was that at times it was quite thin. It will be interesting to se ehow Gordon's 13oz turns out, and the impressions of the 12oz Pete had made up from MM. For me personally, if the kilt isn't going to be a worsted wool, it's likely to be PV.