He doesn't sell a better cuirass, but he does sell Plate Knight Gauntlets and Milanese Plate Leg armor. If you'd rather not grind things out, follow The Jaunt side quest obtained from Blacksmith ...

In addition to all the mundane armor you can find in Oblivion, several pre-enchanted pieces of gear can provide huge benefits to your character's stats, combat prowess, and magical aptitude. This ...

Manager Alex Cora has seen enough of the struggles. He's throwing down the gauntlet and calling everyone out not named Crochet. "They need to step up," said Cora, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.