Full Gauntlets Review: West Coast Armory

[Dietrich von Stroheim]

I've been making some changes this year to improve my kit, so long as it does not sacrifice comfort and performance. The latest was a Christmas present to myself that I just unwrapped from under the tree: some lovely new full gauntlets from West Coast Armory.

These gauntlets are near-weightless, and comparable in agility and performance to my hockey gloves or Egg gauntlets...and are a hell of a lot sexier! They ground out against a swordhilt, and are very comfortable for gripping the hilts of rattan or steel greatswords. In fact, it feels like I am just wearing the leather gloves that are rivetted into them.

I'm looking forward to trying these out in combat.

Now, on to some pics, courtesy of my 7-year-old son's mad photography skills!

Close-up of gauntlets, gripping hilt of steel sword
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A customer who is very happy with West Coast Armory!
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Close-up of the gauntlets at rest:
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Adding these gauntlets to this kit:
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produces a combination of appearance and performance that I am very happy with.

Brand and Gunther at West Coast Armory were a pleasure to work with, their communication was great, particularly for a busy holiday season, and I recommend them without reservation!

[seanjohnson1]

Nice any opinions how they would do for x-box heavy?

I need to be able to pull that string back with out some metal edge wearing on the string and without too much fumbling...

[Dietrich von Stroheim]

Nice any opinions how they would do for x-box heavy?

I need to be able to pull that string back with out some metal edge wearing on the string and without too much fumbling...

Sean, clamshells probably won't work that well for playing X-box


I'm gonna assume we are talking about combat archery here. I just put on the gauntlets, took my wife's crossbow, pulled the string back, slid in a bolt and fired. It feels just like wearing leather gloves, so yeah, these would work.

That said, for combat archery I think you can just wear demi-gauntlets.

[seanjohnson1]

Cool! Thanks !

and yeah x-bow....lol...i saw x-BOX right after i submitted it....i was in a hurry, and home with the flu...lol...i think whatever flu Jacki over at Shamrock has, has came thru the internet and made me sicker than i have been in years...aweful...

Perhaps there SHOULD BE a first ever SCA CLAMSHELL MITTEN guantlet x-BOX competition...i imagine it would be mostly thumb button only action....and clumsy at that...

[Dietrich von Stroheim]

Internet-transmitted flu? I guess that went 'viral'!

Hope you feel better soon, man. It is almost New Years, and there is drinking to be done!!

Heheh, funny image of the X-box clamshell tournament...I'm picturing Super Duke and Average Grunt sitting down on a couch furiously button-mashing, and the guy being like, 'YES I finally won a tourney match against Duke Badass!'