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17th March 12, 03:12 PM
#11
Re: Another Warning About Vendors
Email sent. Thanks for that suggestion - overlooked while kicking myself for my assumption of similarity from two different vendors....and not noticing that no length was specified.
Ol' Macdonald himself, a proud son of Skye and Cape Breton Island
Lifetime Member STA. Two time winner of Utilikiltarian of the Month.
"I'll have a kilt please, a nice hand sewn tartan, 16 ounce Strome. Oh, and a sporran on the side, with a strap please."
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17th March 12, 05:44 PM
#12
Re: Another Warning About Vendors
Okay - so WRONG again. Sent an email to House of Labhran and they responded that their garter ties are made by House of Cheviot!!!
Now go figure that!!??
And, the lady says they should only go ONCE around the leg - therefore...no problem...
I've been doing it all wrong - following Matt's advice of a double wrap....who knew.
I remain concerned about the incredible variation in length...sent them this picture showing the short tie at the top being 31" cinnamon...the short reds worked okay at 32 and 33" and the rest are 36 - 37".....some resellers advertise the length as 36"...this is obviously not a consistant length from the HoC mill and such a wide variation in length seems "good enough" for their final inspectors.
So, if I insist on doing it wrong and wrapping twice I gotta be sure to get one of the longer ties when I order....AND fooled me good with the website copy that they were made by HoL....
Which brings me back to the starting point - GOTTA pay attention when ordering from fancy websites..
Ol' Macdonald himself, a proud son of Skye and Cape Breton Island
Lifetime Member STA. Two time winner of Utilikiltarian of the Month.
"I'll have a kilt please, a nice hand sewn tartan, 16 ounce Strome. Oh, and a sporran on the side, with a strap please."
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18th March 12, 05:11 AM
#13
Well, before anyone makes too many assumptions about the standard practices of either vendors or manufacturers, please allow me to clarify a few points.
1. The garter ties sold by House of Labhrainn are in fact made by House of Cheviot.
2. The garter ties manufactured by House of Cheviot can and do vary in length somewhat, but are generally between 30" and 32".
3. House of Cheviot are more than happy to make the garter ties to any length specified.
4. For the garter ties I import from them, which are distributed to retailers in the USA and Canada, I request a length of 36".
5. MOST of the garter ties sold in North America, therefore, will be closer to 36", although some variation can still be found, though it should be close to the 36" length.
6. This does NOT apply to some of the pattern-top hose which are sold with complementary garter ties included, as these are made and packaged in Hawick and will be House of Cheviot's usual length (approx. 32").
So this, in fact, has nothing to do with either quality control at House of Cheviot, nor is it an attempt by any retailer to mislead anyone. Though I agree with Ron, any retailer would be well advised to include the average length of the garters in the product description.
I believe the best way to handle this first would to experiment with different ways of tying the garters, to accommodate the variation in length. The way I show in my video is only one recommended way; there are certainly others. I'm sure we do not all tie our shoes or our neck ties the same way. As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat! :-)
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18th March 12, 08:03 AM
#14
1. I have learned that during my exchange with HoL....though their website did say "our" garter ties.
2. The HoL made no mention of the length or that variations in length are available - a main point of my post - that I need to be aware of going in blind on products with no measurements. I also understand that when the product arrives from HoC to vendors that they are folded and have those plastic thingies through them so the vendor has no way to measure the length - its dependent on the quality control (or lack there of) at the HoC factory.
3. Again, no indication on the HoL website that variable lengths are available - inside information not shared with prospective customers.
4.My first garter ties were red ones you sent to bait me (it worked well) into trying them and they - as you can see in the pic - are short - but still longer than the cinammon ones through HoL. I got spoiled with the 36" and 37" ties when I bought in quantity - having no idea that STM was specifying the length to HoC.
5. If I'd know STM controlled the length at 36" and STM sold cinammon/saffron (suggestion) I'd have bought them from STM. For some reason HoL offered "cinammon/saffron" and had a good reputation so I bought them where I could find them. No clue if HoL specifies the length or just accepts what is shipped. They emailed me they're talking to HoC tomorrow and maybe we'll find out more.
6. Understand about the pattern top hose.
Looking at too many vendors of kilt related goods I still see many omissions of size for offered products. Sporran vendors - especially STM - have changed to include sizes offered. One of my first experiences was buying a BK sporran - when it arrived I could barely get my hand into it...live and learn.
I have experimented with different ways to tie the garters -in fact - adopted the way on your video. And change too - sometimes don't tuck it in but leave it looser. HoL said the garters were only intended to be wrapped around the leg once...and that the cinnamon/saffron garter should be plenty long enough if I just tie it that way....in other words...I'm wrong in wanting to double wrap it. HoL is correct - it works fine that way...and it also helps me clean house as the tassles drag the floor and pick up dust bunnies.
I think bottom line to all this is that the HoC mill is shipping out garter ties in a wide variety of lengths, packaged in a way that makes measuring the length nearly impossible for the middleman, so the ultimate customer receives a product that varies from 31" to 37" and has no clue what will arrive until he opens it an measures it.
Since the product arrives only held together by a plastic thingie it seems that HoC is endeavoring to save packaging costs to keep the product price low. Appreciated for sure. But I wonder if they'd consider adding a little stickie with the length on each one. Like shoelace vendors do to tell you how long the shoelace is gonna be.
Wouldn't be so frustrating if I didn't love these things so much - they are sooooo much more comfy than elastic flashes, and I like the look. And I'm probably gonna add more colors ere long because I like that versatility....and I've had many attractive women ask me about them. Attracts their attention for some reason. But now I know to ask the vendor to unsnap the tie and measure it for me before shipping...
I gotta pay attention and not assume....
Last edited by Riverkilt; 18th March 12 at 08:07 AM.
Ol' Macdonald himself, a proud son of Skye and Cape Breton Island
Lifetime Member STA. Two time winner of Utilikiltarian of the Month.
"I'll have a kilt please, a nice hand sewn tartan, 16 ounce Strome. Oh, and a sporran on the side, with a strap please."
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18th March 12, 08:53 AM
#15
Thanks for all your help on this.
Understand now it ain't you folks, you're just the middleman in the deal.
I never had an issue with them either - until now. And the pic shows why.
So, we'll see...
Ol' Macdonald himself, a proud son of Skye and Cape Breton Island
Lifetime Member STA. Two time winner of Utilikiltarian of the Month.
"I'll have a kilt please, a nice hand sewn tartan, 16 ounce Strome. Oh, and a sporran on the side, with a strap please."
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18th March 12, 09:00 AM
#16
Originally Posted by Riverkilt
But its back to asking that vendors have the courtesy to include sizes in their descriptions of products when advertising them on line so that we can see our WIDELY varied bodies compare to the product size.
If an online vendor does not include all of the information that I want to know about a product, I usually look elsewhere. If I am really interested in a product, and can not find it described better at another website, I will email the vendor and ask for the information that I want.
It is surprising how frequently vendors do not include size in their descriptions. I am currently considering ordering an unusual sporran strap, but I'm not sure I like it enough to be bothered asking about the dimensions. Had the dimensions been listed and found to be workable, I would have placed the order quite a while ago.
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18th March 12, 09:15 AM
#17
Originally Posted by Riverkilt
...
I think bottom line to all this is that the HoC mill is shipping out garter ties in a wide variety of lengths, packaged in a way that makes measuring the length nearly impossible for the middleman, so the ultimate customer receives a product that varies from 31" to 37" and has no clue what will arrive until he opens it an measures it.
... and I've had many attractive women ask me about them. Attracts their attention for some reason. ...
To me it appears that the bottom-line problem is not that the HofC makes garters in different lengths. It is that they, and the retailers that sell them, do not include a warning in big red letters on their product web pages that say something like
Note: While our garters, when sold separately, are about 36" long, the garters sold with this product are about 30" - 32" long.
That would have obviated both of our problems, and I suspect a lot of other folks problems, too.
As an aside, the last quoted comment from you should have been the zeroth point on your list above.
I changed my signature. The old one was too ridiculous.
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18th March 12, 09:55 AM
#18
That sounds beautiful - any chance of posting a pic on new thread - I'm sure there'd be lots of interest.
Ol' Macdonald himself, a proud son of Skye and Cape Breton Island
Lifetime Member STA. Two time winner of Utilikiltarian of the Month.
"I'll have a kilt please, a nice hand sewn tartan, 16 ounce Strome. Oh, and a sporran on the side, with a strap please."
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18th March 12, 10:03 AM
#19
Originally Posted by labhran1
We understand that there are a range of ways to tie these. However, I imagine that the length of the tie was based on the way most of the keepers and guns wear them on the estates here in the Highlands and Englandshire.
These are not worn commonly worn with kilt hose in Scotland and most of the people who wear them are game keepers or the guns with breeks and plus fours. For that way of wearing them they are round the leg once and tied.
Coming from the kilted and shooting/fishing world in the UK, I can confirm the above is the norm.
Last edited by Jock Scot; 18th March 12 at 10:04 AM.
" Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the adherence of idle minds and minor tyrants". Field Marshal Lord Slim.
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18th March 12, 10:29 AM
#20
Originally Posted by Jock Scot
Coming from the kilted and shooting/fishing world in the UK, I can confirm the above is the norm.
Oh Geez, now I'm confused.
Is it that self tie garters are not typically worn with the kilt, that no garters are typically worn with the kilt, or that elastic garters are typically worn with the kilt?
Inquiring minds, outwith the Highlands, want to know!
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