Artificer Brass hinged cantle sporran review

[Panache]

Having had my new Artificer custom brass cantled sporran for a week now I thought I would review the product and Artificer's service for those of my fellow X Markers thinking about order from Scott.

In a nutshell...


....It is really worth it!

This is the sporran I ordered

Front



Back



These are the same ones I posted earlier that Scott took before he mailed it to me. I tried to do some close up shots of my own to show off the features of the sporran but they weren't very good so I'm sticking with the official Artificer pinup shots (only on XMTS can you say "sporran pinup photos"! )

This was an anniversary gift from my lovely Flame-Haired Celtic Amazon Goddess and she thought that the custom brass cantled Artificer sporrans were unlike anything else I owned and told me to order one to my tastes.

Scott was very easy to work with. I explained I wanted something that really showed off the brass hinged cantle and this simple, but handsome bag was what we came up with. I was looking for something in a rich chocolate brown for daywear and Scott obliged with a bag in rich soft supple brown leather. Exactly what I wanted. I really like how the side tassels show off the knob/button ends of the hinged cantle without detracting from it. The clever locking system is easy to use and keeps the cantle securely shut. A rather nice touch was that the sporran was shipped in a soft fabric bag to protect the brass.

So far I have received nothing but compliments and a interest in this piece. Especially among other people with a knowledge of highland dress, it stands out from the crowd as being special.

Here are so photos of the sporran in action

Just after receiving it



At the park



At my Scottish Country Dance class



The outfit I had in mind when I ordered it



And, since I adore the Great Dickens Fair and this sporran is entirely appropriate I couldn't resist seeing how it would look with the rest of my rig!



So are there any possible downsides to consider? The answer would be "a few", but they are pretty minor (but worth noting)

The first is that the highly polished brass needs to be polished regularly if you want it to stay highly polished. Since I have an antique brass waist plate as well as a bright brass one (both from Jerry over at Stillwater Kilts) I'm tempted to see how the brass looks if I let it develop a bit of a patina.

The second is that the brass loops on the back of the sporran require a simple belt, instead of a regular sporran belt designed to clip onto the D rings at the back of the sporran. I would not use clips on these brass loops, they are sturdy but I am sure over time it would put a strain on them and they would break. So you need a plain sporran belt for this type of sporran. Another side effect of these brass loops is that the sporran will move easily along the belt unlike leather loops that will cling to the belt. This really is no problem at all, in some circumstances it is an advantage. However if you are vigorously dancing a Scottish Country Dance pas-de-basque you will find your lovely sporran migrating to the side of your hip!

The last consideration is that Artificer's sporrans are not cheap. . If you are expecting something similar to the mass produced imported sporran prices for an Artificer sporran you will be disappointed. These are handmade, unique, handsome heirloom pieces. For what they are, and all the work that goes into them, a bargain.

I commissioned Scott once before for a skunk skin dress sporran for my son and it is a thing of beauty and I'm very glad to have one of his creations now for my own use.

So as I said before, if you are considering one of Scott's creations...


...It is really worth it!


Cheers

Jamie ith: