Black HW Karate Gis

[asuki]

i would like to get a black heavy-weight karate gi... preferably the brushed cotton for softness. so far i am looking at Ki, Proforce or Ronin. Are any of these brands more preferable over the other or are they all fairly similar? i now have a sun pro but its not brushed cotton and rather stiff, i also want to move to a traditional waist band. i also like a roomier fit.

thanks for any advice and or comments.

[IcemanSK]

You might also try sangmoosa.com Their's feel comfortable to the touch, but I've not worn one. They too have drawstring waist.

[SenseiJ]

I bought a Ronin last year and love it. I find it as good of quality as my Shuriedo.

[asuki]

I bought a Ronin last year and love it. I find it as good of quality as my Shuriedo.

Can i ask which Ronin you have? Also how is the fit? Do they run true to size?

Thank you!

[SenseiJ]

I have the super heavyweight 16oz duck canvas. I would say that they run true to size.

[JohnASE]

Gis from Ronin and KI should be pretty comparable in quality. Other than that, I don't know much. I'm not that familiar with differences between models. A 16 oz heavy weight from one might be better quality than a 12 oz heavy from the other. KIs Mugen line is probably better quality than their standard heavy weight. I doubt Mugens are available in black though.

Ronin and KI usually have a pretty roomy fit, but I'm not familiar with Sun Pro, so I don't know how they compare. My experience is that drawstring waist pants tend to have roomier fits than elastic waist.

I'm not very familiar with Proforce gis. Proforce is AWMA's brand.

All 3 companies have been in business for a long time.

Sorry I can't be more help.

[asuki]

does anyone know anything about the HSU brand karate uniform?

They have a 8 oz and a 15 oz. i like that you can buy the pants and jackets

separately to mix and match.

Thanks!

[JohnASE]

does anyone know anything about the HSU brand karate uniform?

They have a 8 oz and a 15 oz. i like that you can buy the pants and jackets

separately to mix and match.

Thanks!

HSU has good quality stuff! We stock their judo gi (single weave white) and sell their 8 oz karate uniform when we run out of our own brand. We used to stock their black 15 oz, but it didn't move fast enough for us, so we only special order them now. I don't think either of these is brushed cotton though.

Their 8 oz uniform is made with good material. The weave is fairly tight, so it's not rough, and it's fairly flexible. They used to be elastic waist only in the small sizes, but lately, they've been coming elastic in all sizes. If you don't want elastic, you might ask them what they have in stock. An 8 oz uniform is NOT a heavy weight or even close.

The 15 oz uniform is nice, thick, and durable. Most of our customers for this uniform have been Kenpo black belts who want something heavy. I'm not sure how soft it is after washing. People used to say it was pretty stiff, but we've heard it might be a little lighter and more flexible than it used to be. Sometimes, the weight of uniforms will vary from shipment to shipment, even with reputable manufacturers. Our customers liked it the old way. I don't think any sizes are elastic waist, but you might want to confirm with them.

HSU is a reputable company. I'm not sure what their customer service is like on the retail level, but they take good care of us.

[senseikellam]

There are several good quality black gis out there. It all depends on what you want to pay. The KI Heavy Weight Brushed Canvas Uniforms are made of 100% cotton 13.8 oz. Duck Canvas from https://www.kiintl.com are a good choice and run around $70.00. The ironman by Century is nice, but, runs around $120.00. A uniform that is surprising nice for around $80.00 is made by piranha gear and comes in either a 4/5 sleeve or a full sleeve length. I have the their 4/5 gi and like it a lot. Check it out at http://www.piranhagear.com/index.php/clothing/uniforms/karate/karate-gi-14-oz-4-5-sleeve-black.html. Also, if your not in a hurry to purchase one, then keep checkinghttp:// http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Products/Pages/Meijin_champ.htm as they will be offering a black gi within the next few months. I have one now in black, but, they are not currently listed on their site as they are making some improvements to it, but, I can't see how you can improve on PERFECTION. It will be like the Meijin PRO and they even offer free embroidery with a very fast turn around. I LOVE their work on everything as I have a black gi and a white one from them as well as a black belt with very nice embroidery. Meijin also offers split sizes and half sizes.

[asuki]

Thanks for all of your replies, they are very helpful.

On the Piranha uniform, how are the pants? Do they tend to run short?

I have read a few reviews that say they tend to run short, however the

people posting reviews seem to be on the taller side. I am 5'6" and

wear a size 4.

thanks!