When you fight EP mobs, whatever defence you have in gear doesn't actually make a very big difference. If he's fighting in a group (which he really should, seeing as it is usually a lot faster), the lack of top-notch defence won't hinder him very much.

The reason i brought up non-CP items is because no matter what his rank is, the game doesn't really hand out a lot of CP these days. I think it would be unrealistic to get more than one, perhaps two conquest point items before level 40.