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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Dec 1, 2011 3:51:09 GMT
I am very interested in Samurai and the knights...... so I love the type of swords But I also love the Japanese Samurai armor....... And I have no idea where to look for one. I'm not buying now (Or in the near future) but I am seeking to add a wonderful, yet cheap, set of Japanese Ō-Yoroi or Samurai armor.... Does anybody have purchased one from a respectful vendor? If so, can someone also give me some suggestions on where to buy it? I'm, again, I repeat the repetitive problem for me, once more, in a tight budget. (Maybe somewhere around a $1000 to $1500) I just want one that is displayable and wearable, and made with durable materials. I mean, it's almost everyone katana owner's fantasy to swing their katana in the somewhat feeling of safety in Samurai armor. :lol: (Or in Ninja outfits ) Thank you, SGB Forums has provided me with helpful info and I am thankful for it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2011 3:56:58 GMT
The only set at $1500 or so that I know of is the Hanwei Samurai armor, and it appears to have been discontinued. They still sell the helmet though. I haven't looked or research armor that well, I also found this but I don't know of it's quality. Good luck.
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Dec 1, 2011 4:31:29 GMT
Helmet looks beast, too bad it's back ordered.... :? Samurai Store International? I saw the shipping cost( ), and I decided to look for another site...... I saw this: www.japanese-armor.com/japanese-armor.shtmlHas anybody bought armor from here? Are they a responsible vendor? And is the armor in good quality? They have good looking armor for around $1000 and are reproductions (I just want one that looks like a real thing, can be displayed and can be worn.)
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Post by Vue on Dec 1, 2011 4:31:44 GMT
Hanwei Samurai Armour is not something I would recommend, they're poorly design and constructed. With your Budget of $1500 you could get a good looking set but these are made in China and the overall quality is better than Hanwei's version. you can see some of them here www.japanese-armor.com/japanese-armor.shtml please note that not all of those armour are made in china, there is at least two set's that's Japanese made there. If you want authentic modern replica's then there's no better place www.samurai-store.com/ like KoreanGuy suggested, those armours are made by Marutake Sangyo www.yoroi.co.jp/english/english/index.html Or alternately if you could hunt online Auction sites such as Yahoo Auction Japan, I usually see Gendai suits go for a fairly cheap and these older suits has a better overall quality compare to current modern replica's plus with the aged patina they look a lot better IMO. Go here www.toraba.com/forum/ for all your Japanese armour questions and if you read everything there then you should have the basic understanding and will know exactly what to look for. If you ever wanted a proper set of armour please contact Trevor the owner of Toraba and he'll surely look after you, He usually deals with Antiques but he does have some Gendai suits from time to time at great discounted rates comparing with MSRP.
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Dec 1, 2011 4:39:14 GMT
Thanks for the advice! I'll suspect myself to buy one from Japanese-Armor.com, the armor there are over my budget and the shipping rates at Samurai Store are crazy to my tight budget! ($200+ for shipping internationally!?!) Is the armor from Japanese-armor.com distributed within the US and what are the cost? The quality better be good, I'm flushing down $1000 somewhere in the future! :oops:
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Post by Vue on Dec 1, 2011 4:45:35 GMT
Yeah I had experiences with Mike at Japanese-armor, great communications and products is always as described and he's located in NYC if memory recalls so shipping shouldn't be much. Those suit's that he has should fit your needs for display and to be worn. The quality of those suits is pretty good for what it is, it certainly not the same quality as the Japanese armours but then again it's not the same asking price either LOL. The Chinese is getting better and better at replicating Japanese armours, it'll be just a matter of time until they'll be comparable with their Japanese counterparts.....still a few years to go methinks. Dude 200+ for shipping is nothing, where I live it would cost me like 400+ Keep in mind that these armour are made of steel and is pretty heavy around 20kg + BTW Please keep away from Ebay until you have sufficient knowledge about armours, it's a bloody minefield and most of the stuff there is complete garbage.
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Dec 1, 2011 16:28:35 GMT
You Can find the pattern in various places. Several patterns, actually, depending on which version you want to make and then construct it yourself. Heavy plastic tends to work well and sounds, when hit, about the same as lacquered steel. The samurai in this video is wearing mostly plastic and leather armour that he made:
I had actually forgotten (HOW is beyond me, it's hilarious), but he goes by Nissan Maxima in the SCA.
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Dec 2, 2011 0:57:33 GMT
Thank you for these advice! So your saying the Chinese version is lighter? That sounds better! I don't want something heavy-ish. Is the Chinese version still made out of sturdy steel and does it have to be constantly maintained? I may sound a bit annoying with questions, but when you wear the armor, is their some time of special clothing you have to wear or can I improvise it? Thank you in advance, Vue, I can assume you know some knowledge of this. Taran, That is an awesome video. Star Wars invasion with knights and some samurai :lol: . I have constructed one out of cardboard once, for costuming, don't know what happened to it..... But I still want one made with steel and looks like it was made of steel. Knights...... KNIGHT ARMOR! Does any body also know a respectable vendor that sells them and are they cheaper than Samurai armor? (Not longing forward, but I MIGHT if I have some money laying around) This is an armor thread, right? Wait, is it? :?
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Dec 2, 2011 2:09:27 GMT
I personally really like Armstreet for Euro gear, but there is quite the variety out there. All depends on what you want, how much you want to spend and how much work you are willing to put into it yourself. Many options are inexpensive and don't require much work. Others, not so much. Japanese armour is the same way. Take a look at the Armour Archive. www.armourarchive.org/
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Dec 2, 2011 3:39:37 GMT
I'm possibly be looking for a Crusader or English type plate armor, better if it has chain mail and plate. And around the price of $1000 or under. Is it cheaper if it's made with stainless steel? And can it still be displayed and worn? IS THERE EVEN MEDIEVAL ARMOR AT THE PRICE OF $1000 OR UNDER?
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 2, 2011 4:02:25 GMT
the red armor in the video above is wicked!! especially the mask. wish I could get a better look at it. the rest of the video though......is why I refrain from admitting I'm a SW fan to most new people I meet. I was embarrassed just watching it.
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Post by Vue on Dec 2, 2011 4:07:44 GMT
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Post by Elheru Aran on Dec 2, 2011 15:18:42 GMT
1. Yes, there is armour for under $1K. You can do a Crusader outfit for that price quite easily; even at the later periods, all you're talking about is a gambeson (quilted underclothes, helps absorb blows), mail hauberk, and helmet. The rest is foofraw and extra touches that aren't strictly necessary.
2. You can also find plate armour within the $1-2K range; I'm specifically thinking of Get Dressed for Battle (GDFB) and Windlass here. However, you get what you pay for, and you'll not necessarily get the best performance or value from cheap armour. Rivets will pop easily, it'll dent, et cetera. You will be better off saving up and purchasing something that's worth the money that will last you longer, rather than buying a cheap piece and ending up having to buy a more expensive piece later.
If you want to start out, why not do a Crusader persona. It's cheaper like I mentioned; Norman and Viking are even cheaper as they use less fancy pieces. GDFB, a line of armour for re-enactment/SCA that's retailed by Hanwei but I think they make their pieces in India maybe, offer fairly decent mail and armour for low prices; it's decent beginner's gear. It's better than the Windlass gear, anyway.
Actual plate armour, on the other hand. That is... yeah... it's just not going to be cheap. One thing that does make a difference-- in both ways price-wise-- is whether you want it to be SCA legal or historically accurate, as those are frequently not the same thing. To my understanding (I have no experience, so take this with a grain of salt) it's easier to modify historically accurate to be SCA legal but not vice versa. SCA wear by itself will often be cheaper than historically accurate, but if you want a historically accurate suit that is *also* SCA legal without modification, it's going to cost more because of the extra bits needed (depends on culture/historical period being depicted).
To take a few examples from Armstreet, which is where (I believe) you get the best cost-to-value tradeoff for a domestic manufacturer in the US: a full SCA legal historical suit of armour, Gothic style from the 15th century, is ~$3500. A suit of Gothic plate (not necessarily SCA legal) is ~2450. A 14th C. SCA legal suit is $1500-- it doesn't have as much protection or fancy bits, though. For example, it only covers the lower back-- it doesn't have a full back-- and it seems to lack hip and groin protection. No mail comes with it either; for a historical 14th century suit, you would definitely want mail. A suit of lamellar armour-- definitely not accurate for Western armour after the Dark Ages but okay for Byzantine or Asian-- runs $1680 to $550 but for SCA you'd want some extra protection in the lower end of that range.
To answer another of your questions-- stainless is sometimes cheaper, sometimes not. It just varies. It does have the benefit of requiring less maintenance which is a plus for some folks.
Lamellar and mail have the option of DIY much more easily than plate. As such it's not uncommon for a lot of people to just buy a bunch of aluminum or steel, cut it to size, or rings, and lace/weave them into armour by themselves. Much cheaper financially, but consumes quite a bit of time.
Hope that helps...
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Dec 2, 2011 21:09:39 GMT
Stainless is perfectly wearable. It even weighs a touch less than mild steel and needs far less maintenance. It is, however, significantly more expensive. You'll find it more common to wear stainless arms and legs and mild bodies and helms due to the cost.
That, definitely.
I rather wish tsafa were posting rather than just lurking and checking his PMs. He seems to be on a first-name basis with every producer of European SCA-legal gear. Of course, after hearing the story of how he developed the Perfect Finger-Gauntlet Design only to find out it was exactly the same design handed to him before he set off on his odyssey of discovery and invention, I'm pretty sure I know Why he is so familiar with them.
No one on SBG could help you more with assembling a hard kit than tsafa. Well, for SCA purposes, anyway. For anything else, well...
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Marc Kaden Ridgeway
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Retired Global Moderator
Awful lot of leaving and joining going on here for me .... And gosh I can't recall doing a bit of i
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Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Dec 3, 2011 2:36:39 GMT
Moving to the proper new subforum
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Post by Vue on Dec 3, 2011 2:52:00 GMT
Woot Woot thanks Marc, we needed this
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Dec 3, 2011 5:22:40 GMT
Wha? :shock: Sweet! I started a forum sub-topic! (Too excited :? ) But I think all the credit goes to Marc (Who may have made it....) I am so proud! This is also what people really need, too! Okay.... ._. Back to armor, no? So the clothing used to wear the samurai armor can't be substituted? That looks nice, but I think there might be an alternative.... And can I just combine different types of Medieval armor together into one? (Even if it would look stupid and un-fitting :? ) I kinda found what my expected armor would look like(I'm fine with no chain mail): Basically, an armor that has a similarity as that one...... in my price range ($1000 or under) :mrgreen: Oh! Is there American sellers of Medieval armor? I'm not risking with International shipping rates
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Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Member
Retired Global Moderator
Awful lot of leaving and joining going on here for me .... And gosh I can't recall doing a bit of i
Posts: 8,778
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Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Dec 3, 2011 10:57:27 GMT
No credit to Marc... Another mod suggested it Kaizen created it. I am a worm .
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Taran
Member
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Post by Taran on Dec 3, 2011 16:48:39 GMT
Oh! Time to go fishing!
Anyway, good luck finding that at under a grand, Superweirdo. Though with your buddy's help and the patterns available at paces like Armour Archive, you could possibly Make it for less than that in materials.
edit: I take that back. You could probably find most of the pieces at a reasonable price from unfinished dealers. Like buying unfinished furniture. I can't think of any of them off the top of my head, though, but tsafa gets most of his armour that way.
As for wearing pieces of 2 or more different types of armour... It may look dumb but it's perfectly historical. Most people, even knights and nobles couldn't afford the best armour in the world, so they pieced together what they could afford, what they received from their fathers, and, oftentimes, what they scavenged off the battlefield (or what their servants scavenged for them, depending). Among the most common ways to do this was using the most upgraded head, arm, and leg protection they could afford (upgrading in usually that order) and some old scale or chain or brigandine on the body, relying on the shield to protect the torso.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2011 17:06:38 GMT
I don't think it'd be that hard to get it under $1000. You could go to Kult of Athena and pick up a helmet, breastplate, and gambeson from GDFB for very cheap. You said that you're fine with no chain mail, so that should save a bit. It won't look exactly like that picture, but it will be something that you can add to later when you feel like it/get the money.
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