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diadicic
diadicic's picture
Need a good Gi

Can anyone recommend a good Gi?  The one I used to buy is no longer available.  Needs to be heavy at least 14oz.  We do a lot of gripping and pulling with striking and some grappling,

Dom

Tau
Tau's picture

If you afford it there's no better Karategi than the Seishin brand.

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

In our dojo there is a mix of Blitz (heavier weights) and Seishin. They are of differing quality (as reflected by the price), but both withstand all the fun and games associated with a pragmatic approach.

All the best,

Iain

Bob Davis
Bob Davis's picture

Personally I prefer the Blitz Odachi, as a big guy I like the cut and as a rough guy I like the reinforcement (and of course, you can buy 3 of them for the price of one Seishin, or 4 if you open an account).

diadicic
diadicic's picture

Thank you all.

Dom

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Aside from those recommended already, I can recommend Ronin Brand--they have a super heavyweight gi, and it holds up really well, and it's pretty affordable

diadicic
diadicic's picture

Ordered a Blitz, The pound to US dollars is not so nice.  I may have to look for something different in the future. Shipping will take a little while too. If I like it, I can probably look past it.

Thanks again all.

Dom

diadicic
diadicic's picture

I looked at those and the sizing chart doesn't seem to have one for me. I am somewhere in between a 5 and 6.  But I really wanted to try a 16oz gi.  The reviews read that they run large.

Dom

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

diadicic wrote:
I looked at those and the sizing chart doesn't seem to have one for me. I am somewhere in between a 5 and 6.  But I really wanted to try a 16oz gi.  The reviews read that they run large.

If you're talking about Ronin, they run a bit on the large side, but after washing it in hot water, it isn't too bad. I wear a size 5, and I am 6ft1in tall and around 225lbs

Tau
Tau's picture

Iain Abernethy wrote:
In our dojo there is a mix of Blitz (heavier weights) and Seishin. They are of differing quality (as reflected by the price), but both withstand all the fun and games associated with a pragmatic approach.

I have a mix of dogi. But then, I do a mix of martial arts.

I won't wear my Seishin dogi for grappling as I'm not convinced it'll hold up to the activity and it's expensive to get damaged. But for Kata, padwork and so on I have no dogi better.

swdw
swdw's picture

So here you go. My 2 cents.

People in my dojo have the following gis. I bought a Ronin 16 oz Heavyweight. Durable but if you let it dry completely, will have nasty creases in the sleeves and pant legs an iron can't get out. It is tough though. Once creased, they never go away.

Another has the KI 16 oz. Worst wrinkling gi I've ever seen. Waiting to see how durable it is.

I have a black belt that has a 16oz heavyweight bought from easterncmas.com. You have to do a search for "Heavy weight" on their site in order to find it. The site is in a bit of disarray right now as they got taken down by malware and are in the process of rebuilding it. So far he likes it, and has said it's easy to take care of. Hasn't had it long enough to give a long term durability report, but so far, it's holding up well. These were recommended to me by Kayo Ong who had one at the time that was 2-3 years old.

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Tau wrote:
I won't wear my Seishin gi for grappling as I'm not convinced it'll hold up to the activity and it's expensive to get damaged. But for Kata, padwork and so on I have no gi better.

You can’t beat a judo gi for full on grappling, but I find them uncomfortable as I tend to “overheat” in them; plus, they feel “stiff” when striking. Most of my personal training is conducted in normal clothing these days (preference of my training partners and the training groups I participate in). However, when clothing is needed, I’ll put a gi top on. I obviously also wear a gi when teaching. I’ve never had a Seishin gi rip during training or energetic teaching. I can understand the desire to keep them for best and, for the same cost, you can buy a few cheaper ones and simply bin them when they rip. However, I’ve not had a Seishin rip and they’ve been tested pretty thoroughly.

As a general note, always a good idea to untie the side fasteners when grappling in a karate gi. There’s a good reason why judo gi don’t have those.

All the best,

Iain

diadicic
diadicic's picture

Wastelander wrote:
If you're talking about Ronin, they run a bit on the large side, but after washing it in hot water, it isn't too bad. I wear a size 5, and I am 6ft1in tall and around 225lbs

Ok Size 5 might work for me.  

Dom

Nimrod Nir
Nimrod Nir's picture

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Tokaido at all. Perhaps it's not available in the UK?

I'm using both Tokaido (Tsunami model, which I am not sure is still manufactured, but they have similar ones like the Kata Master) and Seishin (regular model, not the Supreme heavy gi). 

I like the Tokaido one better. First, it is a little bit cheaper (though still relatively expensive). Second, it is heavier and feels better built to handle pressure. The Seishin one feels a little bit too thin. Third, it wrinkles less (the Seishin one is very wrinkly).

Seishin does have its unique advantages (high waistline, secret samurai pocket, air vents), but overall, I think the value for money goes for Tokaido.

diadicic
diadicic's picture

I have received my Blitz.  It's a pretty nice Gi.

Dom

PASmith
PASmith's picture

I've thought for a while now a company should do a true multi-purpose cross-training gi. With so many traditional martial artists looking to train more pragmatically and combine grappling and gripping with striking while still maintaining the traditional look. Something that combines some of the strength of a judo gi with the comfort if a lighter weight karate gi? They could even do a version with black trim for the tkd people (like myself) who want a dobok they can actually rag on. IMHO a gi should be a functional piece of training equipment but some seem to be much more geared towards looks rather than functionality.

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

PASmith wrote:
I've thought for a while now a company should do a true multi-purpose cross-training gi.

That’s a really good idea. Padded collar, no side ties (always get ripped if you don’t untie them), reinforced knees, etc. There are many “normal” gis that do the job, but a dedicated halfway gi would be a good idea.

All the best,

Iain

Neil Babbage
Neil Babbage's picture

PASmith wrote:
I've thought for a while now a company should do a true multi-purpose cross-training gi.

Iain Abernethy wrote:
That’s a really good idea. Padded collar, no side ties (always get ripped if you don’t untie them), reinforced knees, etc. There are many “normal” gis that do the job, but a dedicated halfway gi would be a good idea.

Another business opportunity for you then Iain. More seriously, it's generally pretty easy to get custom clothing manufactured and a sensible price as long as you can find someone to make the initial sample that the manufacturers can reverse-engineer. I've done this for cycling clothes many years ago when the club I belonged to didn't just want their own colour / brand but actually wanted a brand new design. 

PASmith
PASmith's picture

Blitz do a ju-jitsu gi that sort of sits between the karate gi and the judo gi but the one I have is very stiff.  Might just need wearing in?

One thing I've wondered is why karate gis aren't held closed with some velcro patches rather than traditional side ties? Something that will hold closed in regular use (striking, padwork, etc)  but come apart when pulled on without ripping anything during any drills with grips, lapel grabs, etc.

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

PASmith wrote:
One thing I've wondered is why karate gis aren't held closed with some velcro patches rather than traditional side ties?

Probably tradition :-) I guess the Velcro could also cause a rash / cuts on the skin, but with clever positioning it should not be an issue. Great idea!

Neil Babbage wrote:
Another business opportunity for you then Iain.

I know almost nothing about clothing :-) Gi for teaching, my one suit for formal associations (funerals, weddings and court appearances :-)), t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms at all other times. Best left to people who understand these things :-)

All the best,

Iain

PASmith
PASmith's picture

I guess the Velcro could also cause a rash / cuts on the skin, but with clever positioning it should not be an issue.

Yeah maybe. Velcro gets used on gloves, mitts, pads, etc so should be OK on a suit. Make sure the "hook" part of the velcro faces out so it rubs on your partner and not you and all should be well. Some ITF doboks have a zip in them which I think is odd.

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Actually, Michael and Aaron of Karate Culture did an experimental run of keikogi very much like what you're describing, minus the velcro. It was a neat idea, although I wasn't fond of the branding (they put their logo on the shoulder, instead of just a tag at the bottom). I couldn't afford to grab a set to try, though.