Hi,

I was wondering if anyone might be able to tell me if this chainmail would be:

1. Belegarth legal
2. A good purchase in terms of durability for what we do

http://www.bytheswordinc.com/p-13985-bl ... b2780.aspx

edit: Looks like there is a shirt with sleeves for the same price:
http://www.bytheswordinc.com/p-13991-ma ... b3931.aspx

Thank you!

1. Assuming the specs are correct (that's an incredibly cheap price for that much chainmail, even butted), it should be Bel legal. The only three requirements are that it is at least 20 gauge (so 16 gauge is fine, regardless of whether that's American or Standard), that it's made of period metals (any sort of steel is acceptable), and that it can't be deformed by hand (9.5mm 16 gauge mild steel should be more than adequate in that regard).

2. Butted mail isn't as durable as riveted mail, and mild steel isn't as durable as stainless or spring steel. But it should stand up to getting hit by foam swords just fine. The bigger issue is stress from your own movements; you may have to do some patching around the sleeve gussets after a while, or anywhere that takes repeated pulling stress while being worn. "Zinc-plated" (or, in other words, galvanized) steel is moderately rust-resistant, although the wire is generally treated before being cut into rings and thus the butted ends of each ring are untreated. You can get it wet during play, as long as you store it dry.

Keep in mind that (again, assuming the specs are accurate) the shirt is going to be on the order of 20 lbs. 9.5mm is smaller than a lot of people use for 16 gauge wire. It's certainly more accurate and durable, but it'll be heavier than some of the other chainmail out there.

My biggest concern would be that it sounds too good to be true. I made a shirt recently with similar materials, gauge, ring size, and shirt size. The wire alone was $50 bulk, and it probably took 100 hours of work. Now, I'm no professional, so this person probably gets better bulk rates on wire and is more experienced at knitting chainmail. But even if he gets half the price and twice the speed, he's still earning far less than $2 per hour. So I wouldn't be surprised if some of the specs are wrong, or if the workmanship is shoddy. It's also probable that the chain was knitted and/or assembled by low-wage labor in India, not uncommon for cheap chainmail sold in the states.

Finally: Keep in mind that the maximum chest size measurement is probably with the rings entirely stretched out. If you come close to filling that measurement, the shirt will not drape properly and will be very hard to get on and off. It also won't be nearly as long as it is on the guy in the picture (since stretching chain sideways makes it shorter).

Thank you very much! If I end up picking up a shirt, I will let you know how it is!

As I was not looking forward to building a 4th suit of armor I picked up this same shirt (sleeved one) and have been less than impressed. It blows links all the time and can the rings can be opened by hand (even my old weak * hands) the armpits and neck hole are prone to tearing. I spent today working on doubling up the neck line, removing half the sleeves and closing up holes. the link cuts are ragged in places and have left scratches on my bald * head during donning. That being said, I only paid $85 and it has lasted 7 months before this overhaul. Would I buy again? Nope. Will I tun it into something useful probably. If you get one of these the all the fitting/reinforcement work at the get go and it would make a decent useable first set of armor on the cheap.

Thanks for the review. I guess you get what you pay for with chain mail.