When asked if there is a noticeable difference between a standard traditional 8yd kilt in 13 or 16 oz tartan and a 5 yard casual in similar tartan I would have to say, yes definitely if you have any experience with kilts. If you have little or no experience with kilts, like most folks you would focus on the front of the kilt since that is the view most people are going to have of you, from the front. You would probably not notice the fewer number and shallower depth of the pleats in ther rear, and you probably would not notice that the amount of fabric included in the overlaps at the fringe ends of each apron is significantly less (4" triple overlaps on most of my "tanks" and about 1.5-2" single overlaps on my "6" yd B&S casual) which makes a difference in how well the aprons hang and stay closed as you walk or in a breeze. From the outside you would probably not notice that the lining is shorter and the body of the kilt itself less substantial feeling overall, but you might notice there is less lenght of sewn pleat in the fell from the outsied, if you look closely. The quality and weight of the buckles and straps may or may not be comparable. But most of all, the difference which seems to bother me the most, is that (as described in another thread of mine) the amount of fabric is indeed less, 5 or 6 yds nominally instead of 8 yds nominally in the traditional. But that nominal advertising description goes only part of the way to actually assessing how much less tartan fabric is really there. Most of my 8 yard kilts were indeed made with 7+ yards of fabric, which I think is reasonable considering you have things to match up like setts with the pleats, and some wastage in sewing a split 4yd double width piece of tartan into an 8-yd piece of single width (again having to match the tartan with some wastage). You have the same absolute amounts of wastage in a 5-6 yd kilt, but that constitutes a larger percentage of the overall amount of tartan you have avaialble, so the tendency is for a 5-6yd casual to actually have significantly less than the ascribed 5-6 yds. My B&S "6" yd casual actually had barely over 4 linear yards of material in it in the end, only about 55% of the amount present in my other 8yd tanks and a full 30% less than the advertised 6 yds. My 8 yd tanks had betwee 7.1 and 7.4 actual yards of fabric in them, a wastage loss of only 8-12% of the nominal 8 yards advertised. That much material difference does show if you know what you are looking at, and sometimes if you don't.

But 5-6yd casual kilts have a place in the world, like non-wool kilts, off the peg kilts, 4yd box pleat kilts, 8yd traditional machine or handsewn kilts. As long as you do your research and know what you are getting and why you chose that level/style of kilt, AND it suits your needs and desires in regards how YOU want to look, in my opinion almost any kilt is better than none at all. Even a budget kilt can be a way to start into kilting, and some/many may never decide to go any further than that, as it meets their needs. Others may desire to move on to more traditional, more extravagant, and obviously more expensive kilts and either stop somewhere along that trail or continue for the rest of their life seeking kilt heaven (look at Hamish with I believe now more than 100 kilts in his collection), that perfect high quality tartan in the perfect hues and weight, hand made into a work of art that rests effortlessly on one's hips and waist as if you had grown to fit it rather than had it built to fit you.

To each his own. Kilt on. I will now step down from the soapbox to leave time fo someone else to comment.