Well something else you need to factor in is that alot of that l33t gear is possible to get at level 30. Including, but not limited to, Fullplated, spell turning helm, withering scythe, fire lance, frost burned bracelet, moonstone pendant, bracelet of lies, Djinni bands, Major/Minor globes Horns of Cthluhu, Tentacle of Cthulhu boots of protection, rod of time. The list is actually very big if your smart and careful. I used to use an invoker/blm team to get pretty much any magic weapon I wanted once they reached level 29 for voke, and 27 for blm.
What I am trying to say is you cannot make the assumption that gear was gained in a dastardly manner. Most of the time it IS a lucky find, or the item is laying on the ground. I have gone after tentacle leg plates a few times, only to find them on the ground when I got to the mob. Same with pincer staff/crabshell leggings. Then there is always the thief that looted the gear, and then got pked in it.