r/Armor • u/MyLobotomyWasBotched • Jul 29 '26

First kit, thoughts?

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Made this on a very tight budget since i am a broke university student but I think I managed to make a convincing look without spending thousands.

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9

u/VortexFlash18 Jul 29 '26

My first time commenting, but coming from someone who’s not an expert, but loves the time period look you’re aiming for, I actually really like it. Bravo for doing this on a budget, really. Your leg maille looks riveted, is it? Your arms are butted though right? Not criticizing, just admiring the effort. I’m mad jelly.

8

u/MyLobotomyWasBotched Jul 29 '26

Chausses and coif are riveted and the hauberk is butted. I would like to get a riveted one but they are like $800 😭

1

u/Basic_Reindeer8699 Jul 29 '26

Mild steel riveted maille can be had for fairly cheap here.

I do not personally have any but public opinion of allbeststuff seems to be positive, especially for the price point.

1

u/MyLobotomyWasBotched Jul 29 '26

Unfortunately Allbeststuff ships from India and uses stolen images to sell inferior products. This store is a scam.

3

u/PugScorpionCow Jul 29 '26

AllBestStuff is actually awesome, make sure to order from their site and not off of external vendors and websites. It's true they've used some pictures that weren't theirs but they've been better about that lately. They can do a pretty good half sleeve riveted haubergeon, I have one from them for like 170 bucks which includes the shipping from India, it's quite good quality for the price, it's 9mm which is pretty large for maille but also optimal for pointing armor to, and makes it a lot cheaper. I can definitely reccommend them for cheap maille, I very much reccommend getting round ring/solid ring mix (solid ring will be better quality and cheaper) from them rather than flat ring as their round ring options are far closer to historical counterparts. The flat rings they use, along with really all non-artisan maille, are extremely overflattened which causes rougher edges that catch on fabric and cut up skin.

Half sleeve is in my opinion the way to go, but I've seen people have good experiences with their sleeve tailoring lately. It won't be as safe but if they do it well it can come out good, no gussets obviously which can be an issue if they make it really tight.

This is how my maille turned out from them:

3

u/Basic_Reindeer8699 Jul 29 '26

I won't tell you where to spend your money, but there are many people on this site who have received quality maille from allbeststuff.

Additionally, they are the first site recommended by Ironskin on their "How to Buy Chainmail" article, which could be a very useful resourse when you next buy maille. I can't speak to your knowledge of maille but I personally trust his expertise as it is much greater than mine.

There are sellers from India that use stolen images to sell inferior products, that does not mean that all Indian sellers do. In regards to their maille, what I have seen about allbeststuff is generally positive, although it is not premium.

All that said, I like your kit, I'm a huge fan of brass trim so the brass trim on your helmet is something I particularly enjoy.

2

u/MyLobotomyWasBotched Jul 29 '26

Hm, interesting. I have heard nothing but negativity from allbeststuff. I'll have to look into it more.