Hello, I'm interested in buying a replica suit of armor but my budget is pretty limited. I've already looked on eBay and most of the examples there are terrible but they are cheap. The only other source I've found of a cheap set of armor is these ones from Kultofathena. Has anyone had experience buying one there?

Also, the Milanese armor they have looks really odd. Was it even that fat, is that the right helmet?

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http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...ese+Armor+

I wouldn't buy it if I wanted to use it as it wouldn't fit correctly and as you said, its cheap.

KOA - bad choice for anything

Better to put off your purchase and save up for something a little better.

I would maybe consider putting your money toward either a pre-made arming garment (gambeson/aketon/pourpoint/pointed doublet), or toward making your own (fabric, etc...), as you will likely find that you can get a much better product while still having a relatively small budget. It will get you that much closer to beginning to acquire proper pieces of plate harness on the future. Other parts of your "soft kit" will be important as well, like the armour's surcotte/jupon/tabard, historical footwear, hosen, civilian attire and embellishments, if you are concerned with historical accuracy. Note that if you want a plate harness, you can't make a jupons to wear over it until you have the armou!r :P

Hold on now, fellas......Erold, what do you plan on doing with your armor? Are you looking for just costume armor for the Ren Fests, or are you planning on doing actual full-contact sport fighting? Or just to display? I bought a full suit--if you want to call it that--from KOA and I'm quite satisfied with it. My *other* full suit, I bought from Medieval Collectibles. I bought it in pieces so I could get the sizes right, and it fits like it was custom made for me. Stay away from EBAY, by all means. You'll be lucky to even get the right product. Amazon is not much better, but they are good about backing up their stuff and giving refunds...just be careful what you order. ;) ....McM

Thank you for your replies, but I decided to risk it and buy some display armor on ebay instead since it's cheaper. I contacted the sellers(who oddly are all from India, they dominate the armor replica market) and they assured me they are legit and won't rip me off. It's already on its way and should arrive in the US next week

Display armour should actually look like historical armour even if it isn't suitable for wearing.

Hey Harry,

You had a bad experience with KOa?

Let us know


And Eric, there are good aromourers out there that will make you real armour to fit
It looks good on display but for the price get the real stuff

If you can wade through the swamp of Deepeeka stuff, they still have a few goodies. :lol: One of their own customer service people recently told me that they can't compete with Ebay and Amazon.com on certain things. I asked if they could match or beat a price on an item I found. They could not. I bough the item from Amazon for a LOT less than KOA had it listed. But...I'm the consumer. Why pay more when you don't have to? KOA is a great company IMHO, but I'll take a deal when I can get it. ;) ...McM

Yep, Kultofathena has very good customer service and they reply to any questions fast. Ordered a helmet from them before and it got here fast, also almost ordered that milanese display armor until deciding to risk it with eBay instead. Also decided to order two more sets of armor now that I got this first one and the sellers do deliver what they sell. I'm hoping it at least looks like what they advertised in the photos. Will post updates once I receive it.

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KOA
Bad experience? Unbelievably bad. They lost me as a customer over $25 worth of buckles that were labeled with the wrong size on the KOA website. I bought about a dozen buckles for an armor project. The woman with whom I spoke refused take the goods back and exchange them or refund my money. She said that if I cut down all of my straps then the buckles would fit, and therefore the advertised size was correct (there was no arguing with her logic).

I even sent photos with a ruler next to the buckles to show that they were not the advertised size.

Mind you, I had spent over $1,000 at KOA by this time. (Not one penny since then.)

I am pissed about the attitude of KOA customer "disservice" and I am very vocal.

Well, whatever kind of business they are, they saved me about seventy bucks and I got what I wanted...and well satisfied with the product I got....with a guarantee of return or refund. Amazon and Ebay have saved me tons of money and I will continue to use them...until KOA has a product they DON'T have, and offers a decent price for it. I can't gripe about anything at KOA...I've spent several thousands of dollars buying from them, and have yet to experience anything negative from them. In the past, I have had to return a few items...no fault of KOA...but because the product didn't meet my criteria. Refunded without a single hitch. Sorry for them if they can't keep up with the times....that's just the way it is. I've worked hard all my life for my money and I'll spend it where I see fit to do so.

On a calm sea every ship has a good captain. Getting the product we want tells us nothing about the company..We can't tell how good a company is until we have a problem and see how they deal with it..

I have only had to return one order to KoA and it was as painless as it could be.

They were more than accommodating and did not offer any resistance to my return.

My buying experience from KOA is nothing but 100% positive. As I stated earlier, I have had to return a few items. No fault of KOA at all....just because the item didn't suit my needs. Maybe I was being too damned picky, but it's MY money--and I won't spend it on something that does not suit me. KOA refunded me and even sent me an Email with suggestions of other products I might consider. I thought that very nice of them. As a matter of fact...I had a personal phone call from Ryan W. (da boss) after I made an order of over $2000. He just wanted to make sure that my order was correct and that I was pleased with what I received. I was....greatly. My advice to anyone considering buying from KOA....Do a little research first. You CAN FIND items they sell for a lesser price...but you won't get the CS that they offer. I'm very sorry that some of you had a bad experience with them, but it was most likely an isolated incident involving an employee who probably no longer works there. ;) .....McM