Who has the best bargain on a tank?

**RockyR** · 1st February 10, 07:44 PM

Sorry... didn't see Josh beat me to the punch on his comments, but I agree with him.

As Matt Newsome has said before... I've seen horribly made 'Hand Sewn' kilts and fantasticly sewn Hand Sewn kilts. I've also seen horrible AND fantastic Machine Sewn kilts. It all comes down to the Kiltmaker's level of skill.

**beerbecue** · 2nd March 10, 02:41 PM

I am sort of in a similar boat - need an 8-yard wool kilt for band, but don't want bespoke quality - too many bad things can happen to a band kilt......

**Hothir Ethelnor** · 2nd March 10, 09:18 PM

What tartan do you need it in?

Stillwater has cheap wool kilts, but with a stock tartan from Marton Mills or another cheaper fabric mill, a custom kilt might not be too far out there...

**beerbecue** · 3rd March 10, 08:15 AM

earl of st. andrews.....

am going to wait a few more weeks... have parades already scheduled, so am just going to use the bluish one i have in the meantime.....

i checked out some of the vendors mentioned previously in this thread, and have a couple of nice prices to consider....

thought about making my own, but a couple of the prices aren't that much higher than the material...

good enough for me....

**slohairt** · 3rd March 10, 08:51 AM

Earl of St. Andrews is available in Marton Mills' Jura range.

**davedove** · 3rd March 10, 09:05 AM

I think if you shop around among reputable kilt-makers, you'll find the prices are comparable. That's because the greatest cost is the material.

One thing to also remember, if you order from overseas, you will likely have a hefty duty to add to the cost of the kilt. So, even if the price seems lower at first, you could still wind up with a greater total cost.

**ForresterModern** · 3rd March 10, 09:53 AM

Earl of St Andrews Modern tartan is available from HoE and Lochcarron in 10 and 13 oz , from Marton Mills in 16oz, and from Strathmore in 13oz. Costwise, cheapest is HoE 10 oz, but next best and probably best choice is the Marton Mills 16 oz, which will cost you about $170 or a bit more in fabric alone. There are quality kiltmakers who can hand sew you a kilt for between $200 and 400 in labor over and above the fabric cost, and who actually may be able to get you a discount on the fabric as well. Others like Keltoi list their prices based on the build and what tartan range you are requesting your tartan from. I would say you should probably easily be able to get away with a handsewn 8 yard 16 oz kilt for around $400-450 or less if you do your homework.

**beerbecue** · 3rd March 10, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by ForresterModern

I would say you should probably easily be able to get away with a handsewn 8 yard 16 oz kilt for around $400-450 or less if you do your homework.

And in my mind, that is too much.....

**Tobus** · 3rd March 10, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by beerbecue

And in my mind, that is too much.....

I can understand thinking that's too much to pay for a band kilt that's going to see some abuse. You're saying you don't need "bespoke quality", yet the material (wool), tartan (Earl of St. Andrews) and yardage (8 yds.) that you need is going to require it. That is not exactly an "off the shelf" kilt, so you're going to have to wade into "bespoke quality" land.

You could always order the material and do it yourself. But if you think it's the kind of task that takes skilled labor, then you're going to have to be prepared to pay that skilled labor to make it for you. And IMHO the $400 range is not overpriced for what you get.

**ForresterModern** · 3rd March 10, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by beerbecue

And in my mind, that is too much.....

Here are two options that will get you an 8yd 16oz Marton Mills Earl of St Andrews Modern tartan machine sewn kilt for under $400. Mind you I am not specifically recommending them, although I have personally recieved at least three kilts from each source and they have been fine quality in all respects so far, although not necessarily the easiest companies to work with, and you can expect to possibly pay up to $70 US for customs depending on the route of shipping chosen (avoid FEDEX like the plague):

Heritage of Scotland- about $265US plus s/h plus potential customs, and you get the pleasure of dealing with the Gold Bros retail machine, which may be good or bad depending on your particular viewpoint.
http://www.heritageofscotland.com/Ki...65,product.php

Tartanweb- about $348US plus s/h and potential customs duties , generally good and quick work but pretty poor communications overall;
http://www.tartanweb.com/shop/highla...l-tartans.html

If you can come up with the fabric at a decent price I can recommend a couple kiltmakers who could make it up for you at a very reasonable price for a handsewn, if you would like to go that route. PM for more information.

jeff