Let me start by saying that Les (whonew) posted in my trading thread in which I had put up a number of Warhammer 40k models for trade, he offered something to the effect of "Anything on my website". As soon as I got onto his site my eyes landed on the wisby gauntlets and I began to salivate. I asked if he would be willing to trade for a set of the wisbys in mild, fully expecting him to say "Heck no! Choose something cheaper!" but instead received an affirmative response. Rarely in my entire life have I ever been so surprised and excited at a simple forum private message response.
Communication: 5 out of 5
Despite my rather incessant nagging about particular details on the gauntlets and the fact that his shop underwent a natural disaster over the course of construction, Les never failed to respond to my messages promptly and helpfully.
Construction/Shipping: 5 out of 5
He got these bad boys made for me in a matter of a few weeks, despite having multiple orders ahead of mine AND suffering a natural disaster during construction, as previously stated.
Product Quality: 5 out of 5
They came as plates riveted to pieces of leather. Sewing them to the included deerskin gloves occupied me for two or so hours one evening, and I have had no issues since that. Despite causing a stink about which color I wanted the leather cuffs in (Sorry Les), I actually ended up leaving the cuffs off (for now) due to some conflicts with my current vambraces, but the cuffs were included with riveted plates, ready to sew on and with a strap and buckle each ready to go.
Protection-wise, I love these gauntlets. I have been mostly using them with s&s so protection has not been a huge issue. Recently I got a chance to use them with a hand-and-a-half sword, and took numerous blows from greatweapons to the fingers and back of the hand. While I certainly noticed I had been hit, it was little more than a minor sting that I had forgotten about by the time the fight ended, they do a great job of distributing force throughout the interlocking plates, and I feel that my hands are as safe as can be in these things.
Patience: 5 out of 5
When I first conceptualized my kit, wisby gauntlets were a "One day I will be able to afford these... one day..." item for me. It had never occurred to me that, within six months of beginning to build my armor, a situation might arise that made getting a nice pair of wisby style gauntlets a possibility for me. On that note, I am sure I was an annoying customer over the course of this interaction, emailing and PMing him over every little question and concern, constantly bugging him about shipping times and blah blah blah. I was giddy and excited like a five year old. You should have seen me when he told me they shipped, checking with my apartment's leasing office every few minutes between 3 PM and 5 PM every day to see if they had arrived yet. I give Les a 5 out of 5 for putting up with me and continuing to answer my questions with patience and kindness.
Overall: 5 out of 5
One of the best experiences I have had purchasing armor through the interwebs. I will be coming back to Les in the future and referring my friends his way whenever possible.
EDIT: Removed the last image. I had taken that picture on my first sew-job, when the thumb was not adequately covered. I have since corrected the issue, which was due to my incompetence rather than a problem with the gauntlets themselves.