The Armour Archive

OK here is the question I have this may be placed in the wrong area if it is I apologize.
How many weeks should it take to make the gauntlets with measurements in hand if you tell me it takes longer than 5 weeks to make a pair I will lay off of this AA member.

Really depends on how complex the gauntlet design is, the materials, the level of finish the armorer is putting on the metal, and the sophistication of the armorer's shop.

Also, did you get a time estimate when you put in your order? If you haven't gotten one, five weeks isn't really a long time in the made-to-order armor world, I think.

To sum up, I don't think five weeks is too long and you should communicate with the armor to get an estimate. No time estimate = no real reason to get upset.

EDIT: Just looked at the topic again. For hourglass, finger, made-to-order gauntlets, I think five weeks would be almost absurdly fast.

svonbaden wrote:To sum up, I don't think five weeks is too long and you should communicate with the armor to get an estimate. No time estimate = no real reason to get upset.

EDIT: Just looked at the topic again. For hourglass, finger, made-to-order gauntlets, I think five weeks would be almost absurdly fast.

+1

I (personally) wouldn't expect anything under 8 weeks (without being quoted a time estimate). Especially it also depends on if this is a 'pro' armourer or someone who makes armour on the side, if they have any other orders in their queue before you, etc (which are things you didn't mention, but still factor into the equation).

It depends on factors discussed above. If you didn't discuss delivery time in advance of the order, you just learned a huge lesson about buying made to fit armour.

It took 7 months for a pair of custom clamshells I bought in the late 1990s from Red Falcon. Custom = fit me. That was due to the queue. I think I was quoted 3 months. But in my mind you always double whatever time they tell you for a more realistic ETA.

It depends too on what communication you have had with the guy. If every time you talk to him, he is giving you a bunch of lies about the progress and the delivery dates, then you may be rightfully worried.

It depends on who it is, too. If I am secure that I will not be robbed, I am willing to wait and leave them alone to do their work.

Of course, I am lucky enough to have one functioning kit already. Couple that with 16 years of buying custom armour, and my expectations are outrageously low based on actual experience.

all depends on how busy the armourer is.
the european guys seem to offer a pretty good turnaround but siiping is slow.

as a new armoury takes orders it slows down. especially if it a hobby armourer. some guys acceot dwn payments spend the money then bog way down. their intentions are good but they accepted more business than they could make in a reasonable amount of time.

ice falcon or stonekeep would have had them to you in week and most likely less than 2.

if you paid pennies for them expect them to take a longtime.

if you paid upfront and didnt hold part as a motivating deposit things might not go so well depending on the reputation of the guy you bought from.

so the answer depends on the situation and the agreement between you and the armourer.

5 weeks for custom armour seems pretty darn quick to me.

Also, is there a queue? Even if it takes 3 days to make your armour, there may be several weeks of backlog to get through first.

5-8 weeks is really reasonable and common in custom armour from my experiences. Good communication though makes the difference between if it feels like a long wait or a short one though

Ka0z wrote:OK here is the question I have this may be placed in the wrong area if it is I apologize.
How many weeks should it take to make the gauntlets with measurements in hand if you tell me it takes longer than 5 weeks to make a pair I will lay off of this AA member.

I'll join the chorus here. If they are custom fitted gauntlets and not off-the-peg, then 5 weeks is very reasonable. For example my custom sabatons took more than 12 weeks and my breastplate is currently going on week 5. This is something that takes some getting used to in our American got-to-have-it-now culture. Europeans seem to be much more at ease with typical armour wait times.

I've actually started to enjoy the wait times. By the time I receive the product I'm totally amped up and ready to put some dents in it.

Theres a lot of unknown variables. Is he a full time armorer. If not, is he working double shifts in his real job, etc etc.

If he is full time, how many people ordered from him before you did?

Ive had a couple people over the years send me nasty emails saying something like "how long does it take to make a pair of splinted legs??? I ordered them a week ago!!"

I usually reply with "About three hours.. Course the twenty orders in front of you is gonna take me about three weeks."

I long for the days when we actually had twenty orders in queue LOLOL

If they're a part-time armorer you could wait for up to 9+ months like me

Hello,
In my opinion, try to get used to the wait times...

Unless I have an event and I need to get a piece for that specific event, in which case I discuss this with the maker prior to placing the order. I don't let it bother me.

For example I have dozens of different orders in progress with various makers... many of whom I've already paid. Some have been over two years since I placed the initial order. I have said that I don't care when the items are finished... its not like food or water that I need to survive. I would rather have the maker take the time to do it right then rush and give me a lesser product.
Cheers,
Hadrian