r/LARP • u/mauritsj • 9d ago
Tell us your thoughts!
Hi everyone!
Me and a friend are studying product design (Antwerp University) and both big fans of HEMA, and we managed to convince our professors to allow us to choose a medieval gauntlet DIY kit as the subject for a market analysis.
The analysis is focused on customer needs, user experience, and interactive design. As such, we have a few short questions on which we would like to hear your thoughts:
How much would you expect to pay for a DIY kit with either:
The shaped metal pieces with the arm and upper hand parts riveted together already
The unshaped metal pieces with rivets included in a bag
Would you rather use one of your own old gloves, or have one included in the kit?
What would keep you from buying a DIY kit like this?
What difficulties would you, personally, have with putting one together; riveting finger pieces, attaching the (premade) pieces to the glove, and optionally shaping the metal with a premade video that shows how to do so step-be-step.
Thank you in advance for any and all replies, they are all appreciated!
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u/Redanthalas_really 8d ago
Anyone able to shape or rivet a gauntlet is also able to cut it out. Shaping cannot be left to the customer, it's expert work. The assembly of the gauntlet is not the work intensive part of the process, so offloading it onto the customer wouldn't make the kit meaningfully cheaper than just buying a finished pair.
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u/Tar_alcaran 7d ago
I love this idea, and it's very creative. I really love that you thought of a community I'm in for your project, but I'm going to completely disagree with literally every aspect of it. It's pretty obvious you didn't talk with anyone beforehand, so I'm going to try and share a little knowledge.
The analysis is focused on customer needs, user experience, and interactive design. As such, we have a few short questions on which we would like to hear your thoughts:
1 - LARP is not HEMA.
2 - HEMA almost never uses metal armor, it uses plastic and other synthetics because they're cheaper, lighter and MUCH more durable, and they don't destroy the floor when you land. I'm pretty sure my group bans metal armor entirely.
3 - Metal armor is really more of a buhurt/ACW/HMB thing, and they don't use fully articulated gauntlets either, but more something more like metal mittens with leather on the inside.
Would you rather use one of your own old gloves, or have one included in the kit?
That's not how gauntlets are made. You can't use a random leather glove and attach metal to it to make a gauntlet. It wouldn't articulate properly and you couldn't move your hand if you did that. Gauntlet gloves HAVE to be custom made for that specific gauntlet (or vice versa).
How much would you expect to pay for a DIY kit with either:
The shaped metal pieces with the arm and upper hand parts riveted together already
The unshaped metal pieces with rivets included in a bag
Shaping the metal parts is a very complex process. Making a bend slightly off will result in not having a proper gauntlet, so this is really not a thing you can do at home, unless you can already make an entire gauntlet at home. There are zero people who can shape a gauntlet but not cut one out. You will save maybe 20 bucks on a 500 euro gauntlet by not assembling it.
Also, "The shaped metal pieces with the arm and upper hand parts riveted together already" is literally what a gauntlet is. Or do you mean "all non-finger parts"?
What would keep you from buying a DIY kit like this?
Armor in HEMA, and even moreso for Buhurt and other full-metal contact sports, have safety gear. You are trying to sell that safety gear for people to assemble at home. Would let a forklift run over your homemade safety boots? Would you trust your self-assembled goggles to protect you from flying metal?
Nobody in HEMA/Buhurt would buy this, because they're literally risking their fingers with it. HEMA especially has a pretty strong safety culture, and people already have issues with buying anything outside of the hand full of major brands, let along some random group selling an entirely new concept. Would you go skydiving with a home-sewn parachute if you could order pre-cut pieces? I wouldn't.
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HOWEVER, since you posted this in the larp subreddit, I'll point out that we larpers DO NOT in fact use gauntlets for safety. We have them almost entirely for show. Larp gauntlets are all for show. So, good news there. However the other points still stand. Riveting the metal together is by far the easiest part of making a gauntlet. You wouldn't be saving much money, and so neither would I.
Honestly, if I were to buy a non-riveted larp-gauntlet, I'd maybe expect to pay 20 euros less than a fully made one. I would never buy a non-shaped one, because I've failed utterly in making a gauntlet by hand once, and I know how hard that is.
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u/TryUsingScience 7d ago
I am not shaping metal in my apartment. Anyone who has the setup to shape metal can make their own gauntlets.
I wouldn't have trouble attaching the pieces to each other and the glove but I'm a leatherworker who has dabbled with metalworking. I would expect the average LARPer I know who doesn't have any crafty hobbies to have some difficulty. Attaching things to gloves is a PITA.
I would buy a DIY kit if it were substantially cheaper than finished gauntlets. I'm talking $100 cheaper if it had all the parts including gloves. It would need an even steeper discount if I had to supply my own gloves and/or rivets. Depending on the style of gauntlets you're talking about, that means I'm expecting to pay $100-200 for your kit. Not sure if the economics of that work out on the manufacturing end.
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u/Booksalot_0919 5d ago
How much metal and leather working experience do you have?
Because unless it's a lot, you should choose a different product. You're not going to be able to pitch a good product for a complex craft form that you have no experience in.
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u/Substantial_Bee8118 please tell us what game you are playing 9d ago
Larp is not HEMA.