Stay clear of Harkila

Leica Geovid Pro - Green
Oddly enough, I stayed clear of Harika for many years considering it over-priced and poor quality, using Deerhunter and Musto instead. The Deerhunter/Seeland sizing was infuriating and invariably gave up after a couple of seasons, the Musto was style over substance coupled with poor quality; then I managed to pick-up some half price Harkila and found it surprisingly good. Roll the clock forward and almost all of my kit is now Harkila (with some Fortis and Nomad - there’s another topical discussion:popcorn:). Last year after my 4 year-old Pro Hunter trousers started to leak after a particularly hard and wet week up on Arran, Harkila replaced them with absolutely no quibbles. Out on the quad in heavy rain last weekend, they are every bit as good as the last pair and we are the best part of a year in of weekly use.

You pay your money and take a gamble with most things nowadays but on balance, having never paid full price for any of the Harkila kit I have, I’m a very happy user!
 
I have to say that in the past I've always been more than satisfied with Harkila kit. I could never afford to dress head to toe in their stuff, but the bits I have outperformed anything else.

However - the Harkila kit I have is not new. The Pro Hunter jacket, still giving sterling service is probably around 10 years old. I've a pair of trousers that's a tad younger than that, all good as well. I recently bought an "Orton" lightweight jacket that I haven't had a lot of use from yet at a good price (always good policy to go for recently cancelled clobber to save on price) but does seem fairly good too. Although I see that with a lot of their stuff now, they are using their own type of waterproof liner, HWS (Harkila Weather system) to provide waterproof and breathability qualities and this is patently cheaper than Gore-Tex. This is what's in the lightweight jacket. It does seem to be waterproof so far, but the breathability isn't as effective. But I guess you pay your money and make your choice.

It used to be that Harkila was the top range stuff and Seeland (a branch of the same company) was the cheaper but not a bad option. It seems now however from the above comments that Harkila stuff is of variable quality. Ho hum. Life gets complicated.
 
I can't see the quality in their prices. Thats why i switched to Swazi many years ago and havent had any issues. However they have moved some production to Thialand and this may result in standards dropping.
 
harkila products are so bad now, i tried one on at the nec s\show, and ripped the inner sleave out, the harkila guy just laughed, i think its time all the gunshops who sell harkila products should tell them to go and do one, and stop selling them there a far better products at a better price than harkila i bought a used jkt years ago before the made in china ones and its still going strong ? bs
 
I had ther same issue with Norrona some years back, Switched to Stoney Creek , no going back .
 
About 35 years ago I bought a tweed and goretex shooting coat from Walter Norton in saville row, way way before these materials became fashionable for shooting clothing. Cost £500 then. Still got it, fits like an old comfortable cardigan and does the job against the weather. Quality does indeed last.
 
I gave up on Harkila several years ago. Use Shooterking now and will do so unless/until they prostitute that brand too.
There is loads of really good products available but Harkila and a few others won't be getting any money from me.
 
Bryan71 said:
I remember when a Barbour Solway Zipper and the Longshoreman Smock were the best you could get.I sold loads of um.I don’t remember any coming back faulty only to be repaired 25 years after wear.🤣
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Still got 2 Longshore smocks. Went to have a look at a new Barbour Northumbria, handed it straight back, felt like tissue paper. The old Northumbria was fantastic, you could back your way through a Blackthorn hedge and remain unscathed & waterproof. Sadly everything seems to be badge engineered for trendy city people.
 
I remember John Humphries designed the Longshore Man with Barbour, I remember him writing about it in the Shooting Times and him wearing it in the adverts, I think that was the first time the sand colour was used too (?).
That must've been 35 yeara ago!
 
Yes Barbour made 3 great garments.Solway,Northumbria and the Longshoreman.
I was given a Double Ventile Jacket as a gift from Barbour wish I had kept it.
 
My Harkila boots must be ten years old, still good but been wondering if I could get them re soled! They were quality back then.
 
all my Harkila stuff is non China

Jacket 2 pairs trousers gloves etc etc All original hunter pro stuff 20 plus years and still great - bought chinese crap couple times since and now left the brand Same as the Swandri original stuff I have

s
 
Smocks: buy a Hilltrek, get it made exactly to what you want, get them to copy a smock by another manufacturer, get it modified how you want it. Get it repaired by the person who made it if you need it. Get it modified by that person if you want it.
Handmade, to fit and suit you, in the UK.
Customer service is speaking to the same person who sold you the item,or the person who made it.
 
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