While it is an option since any class can use cloth - I think it is a terrible waste of gear - heirloom gear is 40 badges that is pretty much custom made for each armor / class type. One of the things that I do when I decide to make an alt is plan and this quality seems to be lost for many of us. I planned the gear for my alt Rogue by getting the shoulders / chest / both swords and health trinket since I "planned" to level my human rogue sword spec till 80. He is now 63 after very little time since I also "planned" what zones I would be leveling in through Azeroth and Outlands

With a "little" planning you can give your alt a great advantange to leveling and power. It is a shame that many of you guys walk through the game with a 80 main and your alt is all hafl-asses because of piss poor planning on your part. Take a little time and have some pride - do some planning before making an alt. Maybe the guy in above comments would of enjoyed his alt more if he had.

Nothing says I didn't enjoy my alt. I have a great time on my rogue, even if I do run in cloth and look rather silly. I merely suggest cloth heirlooms as a means to get to an end. Sure the leveling process is meant to be a time to really explore and learn about the class. But anything that can speed that up is a plus, especially if you don't play your main enough to be able to buy all those items you've mentioned.

If I "planned" everything out to get all that you suggest, with the schedule I have, I still wouldn't have even started playing a Rogue alt. I suggest Cloth Heirlooms simply because you can buy them once, use them everywhere. It saves you time and badges that you can use for other items/weapons. Leveling is a phase that doesn't matter so much once you've gone through it with at least one toon and you can learn plenty about your class as you level regardless of what you wear.

If you're only going to ever get one +exp heirloom set, yes, get the cloth. But if you're really into alts, you should try to get two sets: the cloth spellpower stuff, and the leather attack power stuff.

With these two sets you'll have something that is suitable for any class. Not optimal for every class of course, but good enough.

thats why i have a set for every armor class, just better and the stats work better too