So ya, I was looking around on Albions website and found these pieces of armor. They looked relatively cheep to me so I was wondering if any of you had experience with them.

I do not have any personal experience with Mercenary Tailor, but I can give you some info to start your research. Mercenary Tailor has their own website at http://www.merctailor.com. It's my understanding that they are run by Allan Senefelder (at the very least, he is involved in the business (he is also, by the way, a member of this community)), and they did recently announce a price increase effective today (you can see that info in this post http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=12020). EDIT: That price increase is effective yesterday (technically speaking). I didn't look close enough at the clock.

I am not certain to what extent Albion's info from Mercenary Tailor is up to date. My impression has been that that portion of their site is just vestigal information from when they were a retailer rather than manufacturer. Thus, I would be much more confident ordering through Allan or the Merc Tailor website rather than through Albion's page.

If you do a forum search for Mercenary Tailor, I am fairly certain that you will find a good number of posts about them. People seem to be happy with their products, and I believe there were even a couple of threads started specifically to point out the good service or quality received. I don't remeber who posted those thoughts in particular, but I am fairly certain that Jean Thibodeau was among them (hopefully he won't mind me dropping a dime (as I'm told some people say)).

As with anything in this hobby, don't hesitate to contact the manufacturer. The single biggest issue with makers seems to be response to inquiries, and it is much better to learn about their response time while researching than it is to find out after a payment or two has been made.

-Grey

I'm about to order their steel buckler myself, just need to have my bank un-blunder my account!

I'll leave feedback here about it.

M.

Does Allan spin his bucklers? I know A&A does. The pictures are not clear enough to tell for sure. Spun bucklers aren't permitted in my Living History group due to modern manufacturing methods. I need a buckler that is planished only.

MT is great, the finish is on the rough side a little but the construction is exalent. Allen uses sliding rivet construction on many of his pieces (one of the only non-high end makers i have found that does so) and the customer service is jaw droppingly good. I have the full 14th/15 century arms and the splinted greaves, I also plan to use MT for my planned upcoming project almost exclusively.

I got the chance to speak with Allan and company at a CHT seminar in upstate NY last year. First thing I would say is the guy knows his armor. He is obviously extensively read, and can converse intelligently on the subject. I ordered a pair of mitten gauntlets and I think they are great. They do not have a mirror polish, but the satin finish they do have is very serviceable and easy to care for. They are rugged, well articulated, well made, and reasonably priced. His communications and turn around time are excellent. I would certainly buy from MT in the future.

For examples of historical slot riveting please see, gussettes of breast plate pages 39-40 Imperial Austria,gussettes on breast plate p.51 Imperial Austria,gussettes on breast plate p.84 Imperial Austria, mitten gauntlet p.47 Arms and Armour in the Cleveland Art Museum,Gothic mitten gauntlet p.178 A&AOTMK, inside of tassets p.180&181 A&AOTMK,inside of leg harness p.232 TOMAR,gussettes on breast plate p.42 Fine Arms and Armor, Dresden Collection. I will try to figure out how to scan pics of pauldrons from The Tower and The Higgins but the suit from the Higgins that folks who've been might remeber is one of two Maximillian suits posed fighting on foot. Additionally the Maximillian leg we own as well as the two sets of lower lames from left pauldrons and the tasset. Also the lames from the right shoulder of an almain collar and the paudron from a childs armour i've owned previously. In discussing slot riveting with Chris Poors of Arms and Armor and David Edge of the Wallace Collection at AEMMA in 2004 ( they are good friends and avid collectors of period arms and armour) Chris shared with me that virtually all the period armour he had was slot riveted.

I don't know much about the armor world but I do know customer service, and when I needed a longer strap on some armor I bought from him his service to fix it was excellent. I had to bascially refuse to let him pay for shipping both ways because I felt it was at least partly my fault, so I paid to ship it to him and then he put new straps on and shipped it back.

It was AAA customer service.

I do not mean to imply sliding rivets are not correct for all periods or armors at all only many armories out there use them in the wrong place and time. I also do not know when and where MT uses them and do not mean to imply they are using them wrong as much as I mean to talk about the things one needs to look for in Living History quality armor.

As I stated Mercenaries Tailor is just not right for every need and one should know what they look to accomplish with the armor they are buying before picking a vendor.

Nevermind, I visited their site and teh helmet I was looking at had doubled in price, and now it's not cheap at all.

Uhhh.... what site were you looking at Michael it certainly wasn't ours if you saw a doubling of prices, we've had the same prices since 2004 until we instituted a 10% increase on Monday. Are you sure its us?

My bad, I was looking at the Casquetel and I mixed up it's previous price with a different item.

Michael not at all, I was worried that perhaps we had screwed up a key stroke in adjusting the prices and maybe had made something appear to be twice its normal price ( i'm scary unkeyboard savy). Actually you did me a favor it made me go back through the pricing and find one we did screw up so thanks.

I just checked in and found this post, so I'd like to chime in here.

I've had my harness almost completely done by Allan at Merc Tailor, and I have to say that the customer service is exemplary - not just for an armourer, but for any business I've ever had the pleasure (or displeasure) to do business with, bar none.

I use it for armoured WMA practice, and it is perfectly functional and durable, and actually fits very well for munitions grade armour. If you have any concerns about fit (as I have, being a fairly large man in the shape of a barrel :p ), shoot off an email, and they'll make it fit.

I've had my harness made over the course of the last year, kind of piecemeal (sorry, Allen...) for, well, monetary reasons, of course, but it all fits up nicely. FYI, here's a list of things I've had done:
Breast and backplate (currently being adjusted for fit)
Spaudlers
Articulated arms w/rerebrace and closed vambrace
Besagews
Articulated knees
Greaves
Kettle Helm
"soupcan" knees and elbows (used for light sparring with my gambeson)

And it will probably keep coming...

I'm quite happy with everything Mercenary's tailor has done for me, but I harbour no illusions as to historical authenticity. As has been said before, some details won't pass muster in a living history group, but I'm fine with that as I don't do living history. My armour needs to be functional, and is as historic as it needs to be in order to be functional. I don't care about the buckles and whatnot. Essentially, as has been said before - it suits *my* needs quite nicely, but as with every armourer, you need to research according to your needs.

Now, if only Mercenary's Tailor could finish prototyping their hourglass gaunts, I've got a half-dozen guys looking for some. <hint, hint>