Gauntlet Advise -- myArmoury.com

Shawn Henthorn · Posted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 7:05 am Post subject: Gauntlet Advise

I will be looking for some Gauntlets for my kit....as I had planed to use Knights armoury this leaves me in a little bit of a pickle. Now I have tried useing the search function but was unable to come up with anything usefull so I will pose the question here. Have any of you hade any experiance with these http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/knights-a...-9814.html or with these http://www.gdfbglobal.com/glpcat/clnt_cat_ep....d=10189242 or what do you think based on looks? I realize that I could go with another maker but I really cant afford $400 or more for the gauntlets. Once I have the money I might also see if there is someone who would part with their Lewis Moore's. My last option would be to go with Merc Tailor but these are a bit high for me and I would prefer Hourglass gauntlets. Tell me what you think
Thanks

Troy G L Williams · Posted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 8:06 am Post subject:

I sent Merc Tailor an email on Aug 31st about hourglass gauntlets. They said: "Troy, we have the prototyping done on them ( along w/ about half a dozen other items), the damands of our production schedual we haven't had time to do a production run. Keep an eye on the site, we'll get a window at some point to get them out." So, they may be an option if all else fails. I guess it really depends on how quickly you want them. Oleg Yanchuk is going to make some for me along with a custom 14th century suit of armour. I had looked at Knights armoury as well. I don't know if this helps but I wish you well on your quest. Happy

Jason G. Smith · Posted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 7:35 pm Post subject: Re: Gauntlet Advise

Merv Cannon · Posted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 7:48 pm Post subject: Re gaunts Question

Hi Jason............
I cant speak for the other guys but I have several items from GDFB....Gambeson, Arming cap, Halberd, Pollaxe, Shoes, Buckler, Fist-Buckler, etc. They are EXCELLENT value...very well made and robust ! Our group does foot-tourney combat as authentic as possable ( late 14thC.)... and all the guys agree that GDFB items are not only excellent value but very well made indeed ! I dont have the Gaunts ( yet ) but I am sure they would be of the same quality.

Hope this helps........cheers ![/b]

Shawn Henthorn · Posted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 7:52 pm Post subject:

Troy, thanks for the heads up about teh Merc Tailor gauntlets, maybe they will be cheaper that the wisby style as the are a bit more simple.
Hi Jason, yeah the $113 is what drew my attention to them but that is also what makes me more than a little nervous about their quality.
Oh hey Merv, you were posting at teh same time I was Big Grin

I have heard alot of good about GDFB stuff and it usually looks better in person than the web site would indicate but still that price is to good to be true...and you know what they say Wink

Randall Moffett · Posted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 10:40 pm Post subject:

I don't know. I was just lent a GDFB helmet by a friend and it was a very sturdy (2mm) helmet and worked perfect. The lines were very good and the price he paid for it was very good. I then took it home to polish and clean it up as one should after a battle and after a much closer look think it still a great helmet. I have not seen their gauntlets but have seen all sorts of their stuff and have been very impressed by them so far especially their prices..

RPM

Christoffer Lorang Dahl · Posted: Wed 12 Sep, 2007 3:08 am Post subject: Gauntlets from GDFB

Hi!

I am in just the same position as you, looking for some nice hourglass gauntlets. I tried the gauntlets from GDFB at a reseller in Sweden, but they werent my cup of tea. The place between the thumb and the index-finger was quite sharp and narrow, and would, in my opinion destroy the grip of the sword after some time. Apart from that, they were OK, not the best I´ve seen, but gauntlets get beat up after some time anyway, dont they? Big Grin

Gauntlets seems to be my nemesis in my pursuit for a complete harness. I need some serious quality gauntlets, but the only ones I have found is made right here in Norway and the prices are accordingly .

Let me know if you find something nice!

Allso; check my post, some people gave me some good tips there.

Best wishes Christoffer

Shawn Henthorn · Posted: Wed 12 Sep, 2007 4:49 am Post subject:

Hello Cristoffer, Yeah I had looked through that subject but some how I had missed your post about them. I wonder if I coudnt grind or file them down there to alleviate that problem. Other than that how was the articulation and were the gloves any good ? How is their "standard" fit , I am wondering if they would work well with my size large hands ?

Christoffer Lorang Dahl · Posted: Wed 12 Sep, 2007 5:24 am Post subject:

Well, you could grind them down, but you would ruin the brass-finish that goes around the edge. But then again, if protection is your primary request and you are a bit handy, it wouldnt be a problem.

As for the fit, my hand is quite normal, size 8-9. The fit was quite OK, but my fingertips were "butting" against the tip of the gloves. The size was supposed to be normal, but they seems a bit to short on the fingers. Apart for that they seemed good. What kind of fighting do you do? I am into fiore/tahlofer and with all the turns of the wrist, the protection around the wrist was misplased sometimes. But I am seriously picky about my gauntlets.

I hope I didnt ruin everything for you, but in my opinion the gauntlets is one of the most imporant pieces of armour, and demand some time when choosing.

Christoffer

Kel Rekuta · Posted: Wed 12 Sep, 2007 6:36 am Post subject: Re: Gauntlet Advise

Christoffer Lorang Dahl · Posted: Mon 24 Sep, 2007 11:26 pm Post subject:

Hi again Shawn!

How did your search for gauntlets turn out? I am still having problems deciding what to get for myself.

Christoffer

Shawn Henthorn · Posted: Tue 25 Sep, 2007 6:03 am Post subject:

I hasnt yet. I am waiting to see what the new ones from Mercs Tailor will be like and if the price is right i will likely go with them. Un less by some miracle I can get my hands on some Lewis Moores.

Risto Rautiainen · Posted: Tue 25 Sep, 2007 10:37 pm Post subject:

Hi Kel!

Have you already seen those GDFB hourglass gauntlets? Do you consider them to be good protection for WMA sparring? What sorts of modifications do they need to be serviceable?

Colin F. · Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 6:10 am Post subject:

Given that people are looking at GDFB stuff, has anyone had any experience with their Milanese Gauntlets (or their gambeson for that matter!)? I'm looking to get a pair of gauntlets as I begin to get a decent set of sparring protection together (i.e. fencing mask, gauntlets, gambeson).

cheers,

Colin

Alexander Borum · Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 7:34 am Post subject:

in regards to GDFB - im not really that happy with my dealings with them.

i have had so great a hazzle with them, that they got on my blacklist. - this is however, not based on the actual goods (for the most part) but more on customer relations and stuff like that. in regards to their gear, sure its good value for your money - nothing fancy, but sturdy and durable. - personaly ive handeled both their plate and chain based armour - both was okay quality - but not exactly craftsmanship. but still, sturdy and durable.

anyways, i wont go into to much detail as to my previous experices with them in this thread, as it would like just be a derail on a promising discussion

Risto Rautiainen · Posted: Wed 20 Feb, 2008 9:00 am Post subject:

I finally got the GDFB hourglass gauntlets I ordered in November last year. Cost me 139eur including shipping. One thing I noticed is that when using an icepick grip with my rondel dagger the angle of the dagger is a bit weird. See this pic:

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV26cHFr

It's a bit distorted because I took the pic by myself, but I can't get the angle to be any bigger than 90 degrees. Is this common with hourglass gauntlets?

Here's a couple of more:

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1zAMji
http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1zBmJr

They are not a piece of art in any way, but worth the money I think. The scales of the right thumb were off the glove when they came but that was easily fixed with a bit of glue.

Christoffer Lorang Dahl · Posted: Thu 21 Feb, 2008 2:13 am Post subject:

Risto - I made a pair of hourglass mittons a long time ago, they look like trash but kept me safe in those newbie-years. One thing I was cautious about was making the "upper" part protecting the armwrist wide enough. If the angle on the hourglass-shape is not curved enough, you get the problem you are experiencing.

I think you would avoid this problem with a more quality-gauntlet, but then again, you tend to get what you pay for with armour. Different needs and different uses - production meets demand.

How is the grip between the thumb and index-finger? Do you have enough room for a good grip?

I have ordered a pair of gauntlets from a guy in Poland, should have them in a couple of months.

Risto Rautiainen · Posted: Fri 22 Feb, 2008 12:27 am Post subject:

Thanks for the answer Christoffer.

Christoffer Lorang Dahl · Posted: Fri 22 Feb, 2008 12:40 am Post subject:

As long as you can do the "Posta de finestra" without any trouble, you are OK, right? ;-)

As mentioned by many others, I think GDFB should be considered as a "finish it yourself", as armoronline and such.

Anyway, thank you so much for the feedback on the gauntlets, especialy the use with a sword. I am sure the rest of the people in my group will welcome any info on them, as many have considered buying them.

Good luck!

Risto Rautiainen · Posted: Fri 22 Feb, 2008 3:24 am Post subject:

I'm glad it's of use. I can do posta di fenestra easily in most cases. I am a right hander. And if I try to do it to the right in a forward weighted position with my right foot forward, then I REALLY need to twist my upper body to get the blade properly aligned. But there's really not that many situations you need to do that, is there. Happy