Balrog Armor?

[obloquy]

Originally Posted by Lord Gothmog

Even Gandalf who as an Incarnate Maia could only defeat the Balrog at the cost of the life of his physical body. Had he not been sent back (probably by Eru himself) this fight would have been the end of his mission. What chance then that any other in the fellowship could have even defeated the Balrog let alone continued after?

Actually, Tolkien tells us in Letters that Gandalf's death was due specifically to his self-restraint, implying that he could have defeated the Balrog without such a sacrifice had he chosen to disregard the rules of his mission. See here for more.