It's inevitable that pretty much every new BJJ blogger writes a "Buying my first gi" post. So here's mine.
Up until now, I've been training in an old gi that I got when I was training Aikido about 10 years ago. It's pretty solid - an "old school Shogun". It seems tough as nails, but it is heavy as hell with a skirt longer than most young ladies wear and sleeves wide enough to accommodate Napoleon's armies. From what I can see of BJJ that puts me at a disadvantage. There's more material to hold onto, more gi skirt to wrap around my neck and more grips than any of the guys at my gym need to thrash me on the mat.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I have the gi- I made the mistake of going to my first class in tracksuit trousers which for some reason chaffed my knees and left them completely raw (my gi was drying from being washed after being in storage). Since then, though, I've been using the gi. First night wearing it and rolling with my instructor he's got me in side control (this is my second class) encouraging me through some shrimping and bridging:
Of course, no amount of specially cut BJJ gi/kimono is going to make me any better on the mat, so this is definitely more a "want" than a "need". Still, a new gi is fun. Unlike my old Aikido days when I just got whatever gi I happened upon, BJJ seems to have an overwhelming number of brands and options. I can't help wondering if they all just come out of the same factory with a different bit of slap on, kind of like those girls in that Robert Palmer song :).
Cynicism aside, playing internet lead me to a bunch of reviews and long story short, the Tatami Nova seems well recommended.
Obligatory links to slideyfoot's excellent reviews as well as meerkatsu's gi reviews. Both of these guys are far more capable in BJJ and reviewing kimonos than I am. If you want a time tested opinion, go look at their sites.
I'm in the UK so buying from US based companies is often not a viable option given shipping and potential import duties.
I'm a little bit old fashioned perhaps, because I want something relatively plain. I don't want to be the new guy in the gym with the fancy-shmancy logo/decal/drawing/patch that just draws attention and, to be honest, would just embarrass me. Also, being a newcomer, I have no idea which brands say "poser" and which don't. Colour. Well, for a first gi, I think white. I'm more traditional than I thought. They say martial arts makes you examine yourself. Yep. Who knew I had all these opinions.
Before I give the rundown of the various companies I looked at, let me preface this by saying that buying a gi can be an emotional choice as well as a rational one. For some of these, there's no good reason I didn't buy them. Besides, it's not like I've tested them out really. I mostly bought based on the number of quality reviews and a brand I had heard of. Also, I never underestimate the placebo effect, and if having *that* gi makes you want to get out and train, then don't let a few quid get in your way. I mean if it's a case of £200 or something ridiculous, sometimes you have to let your head rule your heart, but really, the difference between 50 quid and 70 quid is probably a night out at the pub. So, just don't go out this weekend, and you can have the one that makes your heart pitter patter.
For me, I really like plain gis. I think a no-nonsense, bare-bones gi would be the business. No patches or logos pre-attached. Just a plain-ol-gi and trousers. I don't know if there's actually a market there, but if there were a gi with nothing on at my price range, I would have bought it. Just a thought to the gi sellers out there.
Now all this research and writing has taken up far too much of my time. I mean am I learning BJJ or learning internet shopping?
Up until now, I've been training in an old gi that I got when I was training Aikido about 10 years ago. It's pretty solid - an "old school Shogun". It seems tough as nails, but it is heavy as hell with a skirt longer than most young ladies wear and sleeves wide enough to accommodate Napoleon's armies. From what I can see of BJJ that puts me at a disadvantage. There's more material to hold onto, more gi skirt to wrap around my neck and more grips than any of the guys at my gym need to thrash me on the mat.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I have the gi- I made the mistake of going to my first class in tracksuit trousers which for some reason chaffed my knees and left them completely raw (my gi was drying from being washed after being in storage). Since then, though, I've been using the gi. First night wearing it and rolling with my instructor he's got me in side control (this is my second class) encouraging me through some shrimping and bridging:
"you can't come to class with that old school Shogun gi with no game".I would have come back with a witty retort, except I was drowning on dry land. Anyway that old school Shogun meant that I could try out jiu jitsu for a couple of months without plonking down too much money up front. But now, it's time to go gi shopping. Yay!
Of course, no amount of specially cut BJJ gi/kimono is going to make me any better on the mat, so this is definitely more a "want" than a "need". Still, a new gi is fun. Unlike my old Aikido days when I just got whatever gi I happened upon, BJJ seems to have an overwhelming number of brands and options. I can't help wondering if they all just come out of the same factory with a different bit of slap on, kind of like those girls in that Robert Palmer song :).
Cynicism aside, playing internet lead me to a bunch of reviews and long story short, the Tatami Nova seems well recommended.
Obligatory links to slideyfoot's excellent reviews as well as meerkatsu's gi reviews. Both of these guys are far more capable in BJJ and reviewing kimonos than I am. If you want a time tested opinion, go look at their sites.
Requirements
I spoke to my instructor first to find out if there's a preferred "club" gi. There's a team gi if I end up competing, but I'm nowhere near good enough to worry about that yet and it's a touch on the pricey side for a neophyte. Other than that, his advice was to grab a cheap one and if I wear it out grab something more expensive/robust. Atama being one of his favourites, but again, probably more money than someone new wants/needs to spend. Sounds sensible.I'm in the UK so buying from US based companies is often not a viable option given shipping and potential import duties.
I'm a little bit old fashioned perhaps, because I want something relatively plain. I don't want to be the new guy in the gym with the fancy-shmancy logo/decal/drawing/patch that just draws attention and, to be honest, would just embarrass me. Also, being a newcomer, I have no idea which brands say "poser" and which don't. Colour. Well, for a first gi, I think white. I'm more traditional than I thought. They say martial arts makes you examine yourself. Yep. Who knew I had all these opinions.
The contenders.
There's a plethora of BJJ gis, rashguards, spats, hold-alls, clothing, peak caps. Bloody hell. It's not a sport, it's a lifestyle. There's the colour - white, blue and black being the most common, but it seems that pretty much any colour goes in class. Tie dye? No problem. Back in the old day, you could have any colour you liked as long as it was white. The weave; Gold weave, pearl weave, single weave, hemp. To be honest, it's pretty confusing to the rank noob. Meerkatsu has a nice rundown on pretty much everything gi related if you want to geek out on the info. One more gotcha - some gis (perhaps more notably the higher priced ones) don't come with a belt. So factor this in to your budget - I've seen belts go for anything from £5 to £10 to £20. Maybe you can snag one from a recently promoted blue at your club? :)Before I give the rundown of the various companies I looked at, let me preface this by saying that buying a gi can be an emotional choice as well as a rational one. For some of these, there's no good reason I didn't buy them. Besides, it's not like I've tested them out really. I mostly bought based on the number of quality reviews and a brand I had heard of. Also, I never underestimate the placebo effect, and if having *that* gi makes you want to get out and train, then don't let a few quid get in your way. I mean if it's a case of £200 or something ridiculous, sometimes you have to let your head rule your heart, but really, the difference between 50 quid and 70 quid is probably a night out at the pub. So, just don't go out this weekend, and you can have the one that makes your heart pitter patter.
Gi/Kimonos in the UK
In no particular order then, a bunch of UK based gis for your perusal:Tatami Fightwear
The Nova is about as inexpensive a gi as you'll find. Unless you go for a complete unknown brand off ebay. They seem to get good reviews. A safe bet and the gi I ended up buying. In a way I would have liked to get something different, just to try something else, but the Tatami seemed to fit all the requirements. Apparently, the patches come off easy, which I like the sound of. Comes with a free white belt. The Nova is £55 on Tatami's site, but if you look around a bit (ebay or other Tatami registered sellers), you can find it lower. Mine was £47 including postage.Venum
The challenger gi was on special at 49 Euros. This actually makes it cheaper than the Tatami for me. But it's got a big piece of embroidery on the back saying jiu jitsu. I mean.....duh.....Actually if it said "Got my back?" or "Hooks in!" then I would have been more tempted.Spider Jiu Jitsu
This gi looked cool. Nice and plain. Good website. £50. You have to order from their distributor MMA Fightwear and the delivery wasn't free so really this one boiled down to simple price. It looks about the same as the Tatami, but is an unknown to a certain extent. Maybe I should have given them a try, but the embroidery did put me off a bit. I know it's only a little bit on the front lapel and I suppose it has the advantage of you always knowing which side of the jacket goes over the other (lol I know noob mistake, happens to everyone). I know you can unpick it, but I've done some sewing in my time and it's a hassle. No free white belt, but I did email the Spider Jiu Jitsu and to their credit, they told me if I ordered through MMA Fightwear and sent them the details of the order, they would get a white belt popped in there for me for free. So big plus on customer service.Black Eagle
Seem to be having some trouble as of writing this - I don't know the skinny, but it looks like the original owners of the company are unhappy with the new owners.....anyway didn't want to be in the middle of something so I probably didn't give them a fair look.Scramble
I must admit, I like the look of the Ichiban. Sadly, it isn't for sale. I also like the rainbow spats, but let's not get distracted. Scramble's basic white gi is £100 which is just too much to spend on a first gi for me. Realistically, BJJ has a high drop out rate. I'm nothing special, and I don't want a £100 momento sitting in the closet if I quit. Their "wave" kinomo looked cool as well. I like the lining and it looks relatively plain. Again though, too expensive for a first time.Progress
These look the mustard. Reasonably plain gi. No aggressive patches anywhere. £92 is probably a good price. Just a bit out of reach. Same as Scramble really. In fact, they look pretty similar. Hmmm....Evolution fightwear
Apparently, one of the earlier UK gi brands. Sub £60 (on special, reduced from £99) and seems like a safe bet. Didn't find much about them out there and the gi on the website is photographed peculiarly. I don't know. Could be ok. Not enough information really. That's the problem.Faixa Rua
Faixu Rua. I have no idea how to pronounce this. Their basic classico gi looks fine really. The brand seems to have good reviews on the usual suspects of sites, so yah, probably fine. £65 isn't going to break the bank. Judging by the pictures alone, it looks like there's a fair amount of sleeve width. Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't buy this one. Perhaps the extra £15 over the Tatami Nova? Writing this, I feel a bit bad really, it looks like a good gi. Next time!Grab and Pull
Fun fun fun. Another gi that looks like it's Scramble or Progress type contender. They had a special on when I was looking, but didn't have my size, so zoots to that. £89 for a gi puts them in a sort of middle ground I guess. Nothing particularly put me off here except that 89 quid ain't 50 quid. Apparently they are being re-branded to BJJ247 but so far that just looks like a blog.Tuff fightwear
Aaah this is the business. Looks like a bare bones sort of brand - 50 quid kimonos, reduced to 25? Sign me up, I'll try 'em out. No A2 in stock sorry. Huge lapel patch as well.Valor
The Bravura looks the business and at £55 it certainly hits the right area of price. Looks pretty plain. No images of the back of the jacket though. But looks almost exactly like the Tatami Nova. Would love to do a side by side of these two since they seem to offer the exact same price point. I prefer the look of the ultralight 2 with the blue stitching, but then we're moving out of cheap first time gi teritory again.K2
Their "1914" looks like it fits the bill, being the more minimally decorated type gi. Just too expensive at £89. Also, no idea if it comes with a belt or not.Battle Gear
Vanguard at £60 and Soldier at £50. These look nice, I have to say. Out of stock as at the time of my buying, otherwise they might have got my business. Also, they do spare trousers, so I'm keeping them bookmarked - I kind of like the idea of a spare pair of gi trousers instead of my lounge pants. Yeah damnit I'm getting old.....lounge pants. lol.Submission Sniper
Free T shirt with every order! and Braulio Estima on the front page, so yeah, why not! Also, the only reason I'm training BJJ is because a friend who trains with Victor Estima said I should have a go so.....I think their cheapest gi is about £65 so not bad really. Very plain looking gi which I like. Comes with a white belt so actually pretty good value from what I can see. If you need a T shirt for putting on post-training then this is probably one of your better bets. Also, free shipping on new gis. Why didn't I buy this one? Why? Quick, someone tell me how well I'm going to roll in the Nova before I get buyer's remorse.Strike Fightwear
Nothing wrong with the look of these, they simply didn't have a white gi in stock when I was looking. The GRPPLR looks like it would have ticked all the boxes. A little more pricey than the Tatami, but hey.Gawako
I know I've been on about a plain gi, but I have to say, I almost bought this one. The Kabuki Kimo-Noh *is* the customised gi that made me go "yeah". I don't know why. Down from £120 to £79 when I was looking brought it into the affordable, but not quite cheap range. I like it. I really like the look of this gi. The only thing that stopped me was that I feel like I should have a few more BJJ miles under my belt before I wear something with a cool fucking dragon on the back.Final thoughts
So there you have it - I can't cover every gi in the UK, but if I've left someone out, let me know, I'm happy to put them on the list. If you're a brand and you think I could review your gi, get in touch (bjjzero@gmail.com)! Yah, I've got no game, but hell, a beginner's perspective is always good eh? Imagine if your gi gave me superpowers and I started tapping out blues or purples just because I was wearing it......Imagine that :)For me, I really like plain gis. I think a no-nonsense, bare-bones gi would be the business. No patches or logos pre-attached. Just a plain-ol-gi and trousers. I don't know if there's actually a market there, but if there were a gi with nothing on at my price range, I would have bought it. Just a thought to the gi sellers out there.
Now all this research and writing has taken up far too much of my time. I mean am I learning BJJ or learning internet shopping?
Good luck with the gi reviewing! Doesn't matter what level your BJJ is at, just that you can train regularly in the gi/rashguard/spats etc, then give useful feedback for people thinking of buying the product (i.e., how much does it shrink. any quality issues, was it comfortable, what's the cut like, is it well reinforced, etc). :)
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