Who has the best bargain on a tank?

[ShaunMaxwell]

I've had good luck with TartanWeb.com for my last two kilts. Do a search for "Bobilishious" on this forum to see examples of their work, or my review of my most recent kilt purchase (http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/d...x.html?t=55158).

They do both handsewn (listed as "premium kilts") and machine sewn kilts.

I have two of the 8-yard, 16 oz. Marton Mills Jura range machine sewn kilts and couldn't be happier with them, and they were each a bit less than $300, including shipping.

That's the best bang for the buck I've run across yet.

Good luck in your search!

[slohairt]

Uh oh. I was under the impression that it was available in Lochcarron Strome. Do they not offer it even though it's listed on their site?

No, Lochcarron's site is horribly out-of-date. There are a number of tartans on that list that they no longer make, including many weathered shades. This happens to X-Markers a lot, unfortunately.

[slohairt]

Honestly, I don't care. I know some people put a lot of stock into that because it's a traditional way of making it. But I couldn't care less what methods are used, as long as the final product looks good and performs well.

People put stock in it because hand-sewn kilts have sewn-in canvas interfacing and reinforcement while the majority of machine sewn kilts do not. This can make a great difference after a few years of wear. There's a good reason why hand-sewn kilts still exist.

[O'Callaghan]

Nah, not interested in anything but a traditional knife-pleat 8-yarder. No bells and whistles or pockets or fuzzy dice.

Pockets are useful.

Now I'm just trying to picture a sporran with fuzzy dice, for Ford Anglia drivers, LOL! (An old UK model of Ford with tailfins, often seen with fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror, heaven knows why).

On a more serious note, Stillwater have what amounts to a tank for $122, machine sewn of course, which is probably the absolute cheapest available anywhere, but, unsurprisingly, the choice of tartans is extremely limited, and certainly doesn't include what you want.

[David Dubh]

I have a hand sewn tank from tartanweb/scottishkilts.net and I am very pleased with it. Keltoi from all accounts does beautiful work and would be good value for such a rare tartan.It seems a lot of kilt web sites like kinloch anderson and the likes only deal with lochcarron or house of edgar, not that that's an issue if they make the tartan you need.

[Slag101]

I have a machine sewn 4 yard from kilts.com/The Kilt & The Thistle. They are a third party/middle man retailer, but the kilt is top notch, they have great prices, and can easily do an 8 yard. Their delivery is quick, less than 8 weeks. I ordered a kilt from them as a gift for another person 2 weeks after I ordered mine, and both were delivered within days of each other. Their customer service is excellent.

I have a box pleat on order from Keltoi. John has been great to deal with. He helped me shop for the tartan I wanted, which took several e-mails and a phone call. When I thought I had found the tartan I was looking for, I ended up picking the wrong one. I would have never known, had it not been for John contacting me to confirm what I wanted, and pointing out that I may have picked the wrong one. Also, I feel his prices are fantastic for a completely hand sewn kilt. He has a bit of a wait for one of his kilts, but they are completely hand made, and the waiting list is a sign of how much demand there is for one of his kilts. I can't review the kilt yet as I don't have it, but if his customer service is anything to gauge it by, it should be outstanding.

[MacBean]

I saw a really lovely, well-made kilt in Colquhoun made by Rocky at USA Kilts (link at top) worn by our Jon1975. You could contact Jon and see what he thinks. Not weathered, but I thought it a very fine tartan.

[derosa]

I'll throw my 2 cents for Keltoi. I've got 2 and they're great, nice fit. I'd like to get kilts from Barb Tewksbury and Matt Newsome as well but wouldn't hesitate to have John make the next.

[turpin]

Pockets are useful.

Now I'm just trying to picture a sporran with fuzzy dice, for Ford Anglia drivers,

These aren't exactly fuzzy dice, but it gives a general idea.

[ForresterModern]

The biggest issue is the custom weave tartan, as Colquhoun Weathered was only woven by Lochcarron but is no longer a standard stock item, as John said above. It used to be available in 16oz/Strome so you may find some loose stock around in someone's tartan pile but that would be a lucky find.

If you choose a kiltmaker first you may be able to have them make the custom order weave and then just pay a package price, as opposed to ordering the fabric yourself, waiting for it to arrive (8-12 weeks), meanwhile shopping for your kiltmaker. Large selection of kiltmakers and retailers both in the forum and outside, at a variety of prices and some quality and service spectrum.

I personally have gotten great kilts from Barb T and Bonnie Heather (handsewns), from scotweb (partially machine sewn, partially handsewn), and from JHiggins, Scottishkilts/Tartanweb, and Heritage of Scotland (machine sewn), not including a B&S casual and 2 8yd PV off the rack budget kilts, which I consider in a whole different class from the traditional 8yd knife pleat. There has been some service variability, significant price variability, significant turnaround time differences, but the overall quality has been good thus far whether machine or hand sewn. I still have kilts on production at Keltoi (Ancient Caledonia Kingussie 16oz), Bonnie Heather (Allen 13 oz special weave), and Tartanweb (Ancient Red Douglas 16oz special weave) which I expect in the next month or so and will review as they arrive and I get a few minutes.

I would recommend getting quotes from a variety of kiltmakers as to all the above factors, and any more you might have or others might mention. Research makes you a smarter shopper, especially for a higher value custom weave tartan kilt such as you are considering. PM if I can provide further help.

jeff