Wool vs Polyviscose...am I being a snob?

**tundramanq** · 5th September 12, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by Require

I'm a cheapskate so I see how the PV is tempting, but I just feel like you'll get more wear out of the wool.
Wool all the way!

Both last a long time, even in continual wear. The break point for me would be the in going cost of drycleaning the wool. Maybe I'll take a crack at washing one of my less expensive wools ( probably one of Jerry's Pakistani ones) and see how it goes. My machine is a front loader with a hand wash that barely agitates. Then I'll do the clothes pined pleat hang dry. Pretty much what I do with the MM PVs, just with a much gentler thrashing in the machine. The wool will then need pressing that the PV doesn't - no problem - got a pressing table.

**Friday** · 5th September 12, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by tundramanq

Both last a long time, even in continual wear. The break point for me would be the in going cost of drycleaning the wool. Maybe I'll take a crack at washing one of my less expensive wools ( probably one of Jerry's Pakistani ones) and see how it goes. My machine is a front loader with a hand wash that barely agitates. Then I'll do the clothes pined pleat hang dry. Pretty much what I do with the MM PVs, just with a much gentler thrashing in the machine. The wool will then need pressing that the PV doesn't - no problem - got a pressing table.

There are instruction on here for washing a wool kilt in this thread.

**John_Carrick** · 10th September 12, 02:04 PM

My oldest kilt is 26 years and has never been washed or cleaned. I must pong!

**OC Richard** · 24th February 13, 06:14 AM

Save me, o Obi-Wans of kiltmaking! You are my only hope.

Our pipe band will be getting new kilts, and a couple of the guys are fixated on the low price of these kilts, "direct from the British Isles" made from "16 ounce PolyViscose". They're $150.

http://www.mackinnonskilts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=3

To be fair, I will go a check out what their kilts look like and feel like. But these kilts strike me as being made in India... to be fair I should check them personally and look at the label (if any). And only a 24" length is available, a "red flag" for me.

What is your advice, oh kiltmakers? What do you reckon this fabric is?

**artificer** · 24th February 13, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Save me, o Obi-Wans of kiltmaking! You are my only hope.

Our pipe band will be getting new kilts, and a couple of the guys are fixated on the low price of these kilts, "direct from the British Isles" made from "16 ounce PolyViscose". They're $150.

http://www.mackinnonskilts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=3

To be fair, I will go a check out what their kilts look like and feel like. But these kilts strike me as being made in India... to be fair I should check them personally and look at the label (if any). And only a 24" length is available, a "red flag" for me.

What is your advice, oh kiltmakers? What do you reckon this fabric is?

Well, for starters there is no 16oz PV. Steve and Rocky were just discussing that in another thread. The 24" length thing seems to be a Pakistani/India marker as well. "One size fits some"

ith:

**O'Callaghan** · 24th February 13, 10:30 AM

Most cheap kilts are made in Pakistan, usually in the town of Sialkot, which is admittedly close to the border with India, and where there are around 200 different kiltmakers. There's still a huge variation in quality, and not particularly related to price. It is very tempting to buy their wares and resell them at a huge markup, and there are a lot of people that do so.

I once bought a kilt directly from one of these makers via eBay. It was made to my custom measurements and appears to have something in the region of 8 yards of fabric, was very well made, and only cost me $30, albeit the shipping from Pakistan cost as much again. Of course, it is not 100% wool. They said it was "acryllic wool" and it may just be acryllic, but it doesn't seem to 'pill' in the way that acryllic normally does, so it may in fact be a blend with some wool in it.

The catch is that it was a limited time offer from a firm that normally only sells wholesale, and was available in only two different choices, Royal Stewart or plain black, so I ordered a black one. I thought that they had ordered too much fabric and needed to get rid of it, although I have since seen ads from them offering a choice of either saffron or a generic Irish tartan.

Many of these Pakistani firms do supply pipebands directly, because an order for a whole band is essentially a wholesale order. $150 actually seems rather expensive for them, but it sounds like someone in the UK could be making a big profit! As for the restriction to 24" drop, this doesn't sound like something they would limit you to in Pakistan, but rather something that the resellers do, i.e. if they buy a lot of kilts in an average length it is more profitable for them. Maybe in a pipeband that is not such a bad thing, as who knows who a kilt might be passed on to.

**opositive** · 24th February 13, 11:43 AM

at the $150 price point, why not go with stillwater heavy weights?

**Tony** · 24th February 13, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by opositive

at the $150 price point, why not go with stillwater heavy weights?

Because for a 60 bucks more they could have custom fit semi-trad kilts in PV made to order that require no customization or hemming to make them fit and look acceptable.

**Kiltedjohn** · 24th February 13, 12:23 PM

I bought a PV (?) kilt - in the £40 - £50 range - last year to wear while on a short holiday in Scotland.

Given that it will probably get very little use (unfortunately), I wasn't prepared to pay the much higher price for the hand-sewn pure wool version. Also, since I wanted it for everyday wear, including hiking, there was a risk of damage. I wouldn't have risked wearing a very expensive kilt when going over stiles etc.

I was very impressed with the appearance of the kilt - much better than I had dared hope at the price. It was a very good purchase. I don't imagine it will last as long as pure wool, but - given that it won't be worn frequently - this shouldn't be a major issue.

If I lived in Scotland, I would probably wear a kilt much more often. In that case, I would "push the boat out", and buy a full hand-made outfit. For occasional use, however, the one I bought is very respectable, and I would certainly recommend it.

**RockyR** · 24th February 13, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Save me, o Obi-Wans of kiltmaking! You are my only hope.

Our pipe band will be getting new kilts, and a couple of the guys are fixated on the low price of these kilts, "direct from the British Isles" made from "16 ounce PolyViscose". They're $150.

http://www.mackinnonskilts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=3

To be fair, I will go a check out what their kilts look like and feel like. But these kilts strike me as being made in India... to be fair I should check them personally and look at the label (if any). And only a 24" length is available, a "red flag" for me.

What is your advice, oh kiltmakers? What do you reckon this fabric is?

99.9% sure they're made in Pakistan / China. They use the exact same tartans as the "authentic woven tartan / designed in scotland" tag kilts. At $150, you're paying WAY too much. If your band wants a Pakistani import kilt, see Jerry at SWK for a much better deal.

Just because its "direct from the British Isles" doesn't mean it was MADE IN SCOTLAND. Ask them the question where the cloth was woven and where the kilt was sewn.