Well this I can't deny.
Hauby is one of those must-have pieces though. I can understand not getting one until later in your 60s, but it's such a huge boost to so many critical stats that it really can't be overlooked. Especially if you have that many jobs that can use one. I suppose it's less of a screaming need for sam, but war & drk have no better options for the body slot until Berk or Adaberk (which are both just the same thing with added bonuses).
I've never been too good at making money, but our static stopped dead in it's tracks when we hit 60 since we had 3 people that need Hauby's and we refused to level further without them. I got lucky with a couple NMs and managed to afford mine in 3 weeks, but some people stop levelling for months just so they can afford that one l33t piece.
Haubergeon, and all it's variants, is probably the one piece of gear in the game (attainable before 70) that can replace a player's lack of skill. It's big, and to ignore it for that long is a bit of an indication how much LG cares about his char. I don't know him so I won't argue his skill or anything of the sort but devotion to a job can always be measured by anyone - friend or not - just by looking at how prepared a player is for their upcoming levels.
I can agree with that. But I don't think the absence of it makes him auto-gimp.