Review: Stillwater Thrifty Kilt

**ChromeScholar** · 3rd August 07, 08:13 AM

Sent in my order at 7:30 (my time), got a shipping reply at 7:37.

**cacunn** · 4th August 07, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by cacunn

I got to work a little early and went to XMTS to catch up and saw this thread. I went to StillwaterKilts for another looks see. I saw they had a Thrifty Blackwatch in a 50-54. I got my VA check yesterday and still have some money, so I ordered it. Order sent at 8:45 AM. At 9:47AM I got the email that it had been processed for shipping.

I HAD TO WAIT A WHOLE HOUR AND 3 MINUTES

for shipping.

Do you think it will be at my house when I get home?

and the Jonesing begins.

Ordered on Thursday at 8:45 AM, Shipping notice 9:47 AM, and at 5:20 PM Saturday it was sitting at my front door. It may have arrived earlier but I was down for a nap.
Thanks Jerry

This is my first Stillwater Thrifty and I was not sure what to expect. I have USAKilts causal Scotland National and semi-traditional Army kilts. The SW Thriifty was lighter in weight and the pleats are not sewn down. These were expected and for the cost the quality is excellent.

I am very impressed with the pleating, they are every consistent in size and very evenly spaced. Now I just have to decide if I want to sew them down.

Since I stick out in the front and am fairly flat in the back sewing the peats to the fell should not distort the fit.

I can see a number of Stillwaters in the future. The USAKilts are great kilts and there will be more of them in the future, however, the difference is between jeans and dress p**ts. For around the house, in the yard, some where it might get dirty, Stillwater. If it is a little formal and trying to impress the USAKilt. I don't think the average person would understand the difference with out feeling and looking close.

Now how to convince the wife that a Newsome box pleated "Cunningham" would be great for Christmas?

**LordKiltClad** · 3rd August 07, 11:34 AM

I'm in the jonesing club too. Couldn't make Kilt night this past Wednesday so I ordered a MacLaren thrifty instead. Since I'd been chatting with Jerry over email most of the day, my shipping email was instantaneous.

**Ozman1944** · 3rd August 07, 04:03 PM

SWK is truly remarkable re quick shipping & delivery; I never have to wait more than four days. No other company can hold a candle to them in regard to speed & efficiency, as well as communication. If there is a forseen delay they contact at once. (I actually paged another company on Monday re a delayed order- am STILL waiting for a reply-it's now Friday!).
Now if they were able to expand their variety of Tartans I'd deal with them exclusively in a heartbeat.

**BLAZN** · 3rd August 07, 08:19 PM

I personally own 2 Economy SWKs and one Standard.

The first one was a solid black Economy. I had gotten it in about 4 days... IN HAWAII (everything takes weeks to get to Hawaii). Sadly, I never got to wear that kilt until I had moved here to Maine... thanks to a little weight loss. The Solid Black Economy has been a great purchase, and it will be makiing a grand appearance on Labor Day Weekend at the Down East Pirate Days pirate festival in Rockland, ME. It will be the Kilt of Honor in my kilted pirate outfit (along with a frock coat in the making).

Numbers two and three were ordered at the same time. They are the Irish National Economy and Hunting MacLeod Standard. In hind site, I wish I would have gotten the two swapped (IE gotten the IN as a Standard and the HM as an economy).
The Irish National has done me quite well. I have worn the thing so much that it is nearly due to be replaced. I won't hold the fact against SWK's quality at all... I beat that thing up and it is only BARELY showing signs of distress. I did notice when I got it that there were some changes made to the economy between February 2006 and August 2006, but they were mostly cosmetic.
The Hunting MacLeod Standard is a personal favorite. I had gotten matching flashes with that one, and it has been worn as I would wear a regular pair of jeans (casual outfit... with a t-shirt), it has been worn as I would wear a pair of khaki pants with a decent button down, and it has been worn in a semi-formal setting. I love it, though my efforts to lose my belly have resulted in all three of these kilts being loose on their tightest setting.

Finally, I have a Wallace Thrifty on its way for my 11 year old son. He's so excited, and it makes me swell with pride.

I am always trying to pursuade people over to the kilted side, and Jerry's organization is one of the first (and sometimes only) one that I mention.

**ChromeScholar** · 4th August 07, 03:01 PM

I'm expecting my SWK to arrive Tuesday, but hoping for Monday.

**BLAZN** · 4th August 07, 04:12 PM

We ordered my son's SWK Thrifty-kilt Wednesday afternoon. Imagine his excitement when he got it in the mail TODAY.
Jerry must have some connections with the postal service, because I can NEVER get them to ship things as fast as Jerry can.

Oh yeah... the Thrifty is quite a bargain. All the benefits of a kilt, with the speed of the Velcro. My son loves it, and I was amazed that the Wallace tartan is so much better looking in real life than in Still Life. I may have to get myself a SWK Wallace Economy.

**DTrain** · 4th August 07, 04:53 PM

Sorry, but I'm new to the entire kilt thing. What is sewing down the pleats?

**Mr. MacDougall** · 4th August 07, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by DTrain

What is sewing down the pleats?

In this case, we're talking about sewing down the fell... the part of the kilt between the waistband, and where the pleats part from each other, about 3 or 4 inches. The Stillwater kilts don't have sewing in the fell, unlike most kilts. A couple of people have expiremented with sewing the fell, with usually good results.

**fluter** · 4th August 07, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by DTrain

Sorry, but I'm new to the entire kilt thing. What is sewing down the pleats?

from South Carolina.

We were talking about it over here in the do-it-yourself forum.

Ideally, the kilt is tapered to fit us from waist to hips (the fell). A custom made-to-measure kilt will be made to our exact waist/hip/length.

The SWK standard, like many off-the-rack kilts, has a standard amount of taper built in. The economy and thrifty models don't: the pleats are not stitched down to the hip-line. The result is that the pleats can flare a bit at the top. It does not stay up as well, for me at any rate, because I have a bit of a belly.