I sort of Echo what everyone else here has said. I'm on sort of version 4 of my custom armor. All of the money I spent on previous versions trying to save money I could have easily bought quality stuff the first time around, which is the philosophy I'm using this time around. The only real way to save money is to scratch build or look for used deals. Like for instance you just missed a guy here who got rid of used Fett Gloves for about 30 bucks each. I'm constantly looking for deals, so to save money in that regard you have to be patient. Scratch building takes a lot of time, skill and you'll still spend a good bit in materials and tools if you don't already have what you need. I have an extra set of ESB large MOW gloves that I'm willing to let go for considerably cheaper. They are brand new in the plastic still, just too small for my extra large hands. PM me if you are interested and I'll cut you a deal if you are in the US