Brigandine
May 2, 2015 21:16:13 GMT
Post by pgandy on May 2, 2015 21:16:13 GMT
There is not much in this forum regarding armour, which I find unfortunate. I see Elchon made a review of his brigandine back in 2007 and Paul Southern moved it to Armour and Shields, something that I failed to find. No matter, a review that old probably needs updating anyway and I am not sure if we are talking the same brigandine.
Mine came from KoA and was made by Ord of Battles, neither of which I have any connections. Mine is brown but they come in black also. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SNMC7301BR&name=Brigandine+-+Brown+ . I have mixed emotions about this one. After receiving my gambeson and out of curiosity I put both on and gave my house girl an escrima stick and told her to have a go at it. After the first 3-4 strikes she lost her inhibitions and really let go for something like 18 strikes more or less. I could hear the blows but was not aware of any ill effects. I was impervious to any blunt trauma and that left me with a good feeling. When suited up in the gambeson, brigandine, collar, chainmail mantel and coif, helmet, and vambraces I feel snug as a bug in a rug.
The brigandine, or coat of plates, weighs just under 9 lb. However, when it is on the weight is evenly distributed and it feels much lighter and does not restrict my movements allowing me to bend and twist. I should point out that when fully decked out and lean I am aware of being top heavy and feel off balance.
I am sure that the size, or cut, varies from coat to coat. I ordered small/medium and weigh 165 lb and wear a size 57 hat. While the coat fits fine the neck hole on mine is tight for my head. The first time I put it on I became very concerned about being able to get it off. It finally stretched over time so that my head will pass although it is a tight fit. Early on I was so concerned over the matter I had considered stretching the opening with my hat stretcher or as an alternative cutting a slit from the neck down about 2”. In fact I was so serious about the later I bought the material needed to finish the job.
The belts, there are eight, run in the wrong direction, in my opinion. To fasten they are pulled to the rear requiring me to work behind my back. Here is a photo. www.kultofathena.com/images/SNMC7301BR_3_l.jpg . Generally a neck line is cut so that it is lower in the front. In the case of this brigandine the front and rear panels appear to be cut from the same pattern making them identical. So I found it easier to put the coat on backwards with the inside label in front. That way I am able to feed the loose belt end through the buckles and pull tight easier. In the beginning it would take me about 15 minutes to put the coat on and I was exhausted afterwards due to fighting the neck and straps. I actually had to set down and rest afterwards. One might say that it was an exercise in agility, endurance, and perseverance. Not only are the straps hard to manage positioned as originally intended but are made more difficult by the fact that the leather did not want to slide through the buckles. The straps had to find the first opening in the buckle, then forced through until the tongue found the hole, and then repeated again on the rear side of buckle. I found it next to impossible to find and insert the buckle’s tongue through the small round holes provided when behind me. I used a sanding block to narrow the straps which helped some, but were still difficult to slide through the buckles. I replaced all of the buckles with some that I bought from Tandy Leather. These buckles were slightly wider and these two changes made a big improvement. I also re-punched the holes with an oval punch making all of the difference in the world. It now takes about 2½ minutes to don with the aid of a mirror.
I don’t know what gauge metal they used in the plates. It is thin and my guess is 19 ga. I had planned on adding more plates on the backside to the point that I had bought the metal and cut the plates. In the long run I decided the extra weight was not worth it. I feel reasonably safe with the coat and gambeson against cutting attacks and blunt trauma. I suspect a blow or a cutting strike would knock me off my feet before it caused a serious injury. A dedicated thrusting weapon is another story, but then those are designed for plate armour.
While the coat gives good protection around the body a #1 or#2 strike will break the clavicle and/or give lacerations I am afraid. There are no plates in that area and little padding. So I bought a padded collar that works fine. I also have a chainmail coif and mantel for additional protection.
I do not consider any of the foregoing a problem. The issues that I have with the coat are heat build up and weight and will take each separately. I live in the tropics where it is hot. The gambeson alone can cause a problem when the temperature exceeds 23°C. As for the weight, I have a back problem and between 2-3 hours the weight of the gear begins to aggravate it. I can go longer if I am not standing. Both of these are personal issues that most people will not have.
Here is the brigandine over my gambeson
Side view after modifications
With the recommended collar
Decked out. I thought that I'd throw this one in for good measure.
Mine came from KoA and was made by Ord of Battles, neither of which I have any connections. Mine is brown but they come in black also. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SNMC7301BR&name=Brigandine+-+Brown+ . I have mixed emotions about this one. After receiving my gambeson and out of curiosity I put both on and gave my house girl an escrima stick and told her to have a go at it. After the first 3-4 strikes she lost her inhibitions and really let go for something like 18 strikes more or less. I could hear the blows but was not aware of any ill effects. I was impervious to any blunt trauma and that left me with a good feeling. When suited up in the gambeson, brigandine, collar, chainmail mantel and coif, helmet, and vambraces I feel snug as a bug in a rug.
The brigandine, or coat of plates, weighs just under 9 lb. However, when it is on the weight is evenly distributed and it feels much lighter and does not restrict my movements allowing me to bend and twist. I should point out that when fully decked out and lean I am aware of being top heavy and feel off balance.
I am sure that the size, or cut, varies from coat to coat. I ordered small/medium and weigh 165 lb and wear a size 57 hat. While the coat fits fine the neck hole on mine is tight for my head. The first time I put it on I became very concerned about being able to get it off. It finally stretched over time so that my head will pass although it is a tight fit. Early on I was so concerned over the matter I had considered stretching the opening with my hat stretcher or as an alternative cutting a slit from the neck down about 2”. In fact I was so serious about the later I bought the material needed to finish the job.
The belts, there are eight, run in the wrong direction, in my opinion. To fasten they are pulled to the rear requiring me to work behind my back. Here is a photo. www.kultofathena.com/images/SNMC7301BR_3_l.jpg . Generally a neck line is cut so that it is lower in the front. In the case of this brigandine the front and rear panels appear to be cut from the same pattern making them identical. So I found it easier to put the coat on backwards with the inside label in front. That way I am able to feed the loose belt end through the buckles and pull tight easier. In the beginning it would take me about 15 minutes to put the coat on and I was exhausted afterwards due to fighting the neck and straps. I actually had to set down and rest afterwards. One might say that it was an exercise in agility, endurance, and perseverance. Not only are the straps hard to manage positioned as originally intended but are made more difficult by the fact that the leather did not want to slide through the buckles. The straps had to find the first opening in the buckle, then forced through until the tongue found the hole, and then repeated again on the rear side of buckle. I found it next to impossible to find and insert the buckle’s tongue through the small round holes provided when behind me. I used a sanding block to narrow the straps which helped some, but were still difficult to slide through the buckles. I replaced all of the buckles with some that I bought from Tandy Leather. These buckles were slightly wider and these two changes made a big improvement. I also re-punched the holes with an oval punch making all of the difference in the world. It now takes about 2½ minutes to don with the aid of a mirror.
I don’t know what gauge metal they used in the plates. It is thin and my guess is 19 ga. I had planned on adding more plates on the backside to the point that I had bought the metal and cut the plates. In the long run I decided the extra weight was not worth it. I feel reasonably safe with the coat and gambeson against cutting attacks and blunt trauma. I suspect a blow or a cutting strike would knock me off my feet before it caused a serious injury. A dedicated thrusting weapon is another story, but then those are designed for plate armour.
While the coat gives good protection around the body a #1 or#2 strike will break the clavicle and/or give lacerations I am afraid. There are no plates in that area and little padding. So I bought a padded collar that works fine. I also have a chainmail coif and mantel for additional protection.
I do not consider any of the foregoing a problem. The issues that I have with the coat are heat build up and weight and will take each separately. I live in the tropics where it is hot. The gambeson alone can cause a problem when the temperature exceeds 23°C. As for the weight, I have a back problem and between 2-3 hours the weight of the gear begins to aggravate it. I can go longer if I am not standing. Both of these are personal issues that most people will not have.
Here is the brigandine over my gambeson
Side view after modifications
With the recommended collar
Decked out. I thought that I'd throw this one in for good measure.