Saturday, May 16, 2015

Twenty-plus gis--- which one do I like best?

Yep, over twenty gis. (And that's just how many I have right now, obviously. I have no idea how many more I've owned over time.)

The two most common questions I get-- why, and which one is best.

Why is easy: I train 6-7 days a week, often twice a day.  When I was back home in Austin at Relson's and then Humaita, sometimes it was three times a day. You can't just have four or five gis... you'll wear them out, even if (like me) you can machine-dry them without worrying about shrinking.  (I prefer to shrink my gis because usually I'm an A0, sometimes an A1.)

Edited to add: for fit evaluation, just know that I am short (5'2") and fat (too much to fight leve/lightweight) and my shape tends towards pear with junk in the trunk.

The gis I have:
Mizuno Rickson model (vintage)(size 3.5)
Black Eagle Predator (men's fit) x3 (A1)
Black Eagle Predadora (ladies' fit) x3 (F3)
Black Eagle Raptora (F3)
Atama ladies' fit (F3)
M Kimono (vintage) (A1)
Scramble Sengoku (A1)
Moya Hawaii (got it used, I wouldn't buy a Moya new and in fact I want to sell this one as wearing it embarrasses me because of this.) (A1)
Fuji (vintage)(A1)
Ouano (vintage)(A1)
Fenom x2 (one is A1/A2, the other is A1/A1C, jacket/pants)
Maeda Conde Koma (A0)
Datsusara hemp x2 (A1)
Kauai Kimonos ripstop x3 (A0)
Vulkan Pro Light ladies' fit (F3)
Vulkan Ultra Light mens' fit (A0)
Vulkan Ultra Light ladies' fit (F3)
Aesthetic Whiteout (A0)
Competidor (A1)
Lucky (the original Lovato version) (A1)

I've semi-recently also had DFKC and BJJ Globetrotters gis.

There is NO ONE BEST GI.  Sorry.

Coolest for collector/rarity reasons: Mizuno Rickson

Most comfortable material: Datsusara hemp

Lightest/best for hot weather training and travel: Kauai

Best fitting pants for smaller waist, bigger butt/hips/thighs: tie between Predadora, Fenom slim cut but curvy (half size between one and the next), Fenom classic cut

Best heavy jacket/hard to grip lapel: tie between old (no longer made) Ouano and Scramble Sengoku

Best light gi for competition: cross between no longer made, limited edition Predadora, the Aesthetic Whiteout, and Vulkan Ultra Light (either fit)

Best gi for cool colorway/embroidery/interior lining: tough call, some worthy options are the Aesthetic Whiteout, Competidor white with pink flower (no longer made), Maeda Conde Koma, DFKC (2014 womens' competitor, white or black), Scramble Sengoku, Fenom white with dark magenta embroidery.

There you go, my humble opinion, as of now. :)

5 comments:

JiuJiu said...

I have nine gis right now:

1. Hyperfly pink koi gi
2. Fuji pink blossom gi
3. Leticia Ribeiro gi
4. 93 brand 100g
5. Tatami Estilo 3.0
6. Inverted Panda
7. Tatami Zero G
8. Muaewear Oniwakamaru gi
9. Submission Fight Co Maniac gi

My absolute favorite is my Leticia Ribeiro. The top and bottom fit me PERFECTLY. I also really love my Estilo and Zero G - but only the tops, as the trousers were so incredibly tiny.

The three I wear the most are the Leticia, Hyperfly, and Fuji. I machine dry the Hyperfly and Fuji because they're bigger/baggier. THe Leticia fits me perfectly, and I'm a bit paranoid it will shrink.

The two I waaaaaant: the lilac Vulkan gi, and a Fenom gi.

Georgette said...

Julia...mind posting your height/weight and measurements? And what sizes they are? I'll add that to my post, too.

Bobby and Amanda said...

I've only owned 5 gis in 11 years of doing BJJ. I tend to wear them into the ground before getting a new one. Here's my list:

1) no-name student gi
2) Atama gold weave
3) $10 judo gi found at thrift store
4) Vulcan Summer gi
5) SubmissionFC Hemp Sensation*

*I just found out that the Hemp Sensation is actually not made of hemp and SubmissionFC is supposedly giving out real ones to those who bought the fake ones so maybe I'll get my 6th gi!

The best gi out of all of them was probably my Atama. The jacket lasted me almost 9 years before turning to rags.

JiuJiu said...

Sure thing! I can do that tonight (ps. poke me on Facebook if I forget!).

Sizes, my height, weight...any other measurements?

JiuJiu said...

Aaaand you inspired me. I wrote this out for someone a long time ago - I just hadn't put it up. I made a sweeeet graphic to go along with it.

http://jiujiubjj.com/reviews/bjj-gear-my-gis-and-their-fit/