Meijin Gi or Ronin Gi

[Akikazeninja]

I am getting a new heavyweight gi (in black) and was wondering which brand you guys suggest, and I wear a size 5 in a century gi so what size should I get in either of these brands, thank you

[Wastelander]

I am getting a new heavyweight gi (in black) and was wondering which brand you guys suggest, and I wear a size 5 in a century gi so what size should I get in either of these brands, thank you

Your styles listed are heavy with grappling, but it sounds like you're getting a karate-style gi--why not get a judo or BJJ-style gi?

That said, either one would be a fine brand, although I think Ronin may come out cheaper.

[senseikellam]

Well, I am a big fan of Meijin. I have worn many different brands over my many years of training and I have not found any that I like better for the price. They also offer half sizes which is nice if you want just a little better fit than you often find in just the whole sizes. I always had to settle for a 5 when ordering from Century or Tokon, but, I was thrilled to find a 5.5 by Meijin. I like my pants a little longer and the 5.5 gives me that. They also provide free embroidery and they know how to get the kanji correct. Another fine choice that I have recently came across is the Fuji brand (specifically there BJJ uniform).

Anyway check out Meijin at:

http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Products/Pages/Meijin_black.htm

[Akikazeninja]

I ended up going with the ronin because I heard that meijin has a terrible customer service reputation and if my gi didn't fit I want a company that will work with me

[ShoriKid]

Well, I am a big fan of Meijin. I have worn many different brands over my many years of training and I have not found any that I like better for the price. They also offer half sizes which is nice if you want just a little better fit than you often find in just the whole sizes. I always had to settle for a 5 when ordering from Century or Tokon, but, I was thrilled to find a 5.5 by Meijin. I like my pants a little longer and the 5.5 gives me that. They also provide free embroidery and they know how to get the kanji correct. Another fine choice that I have recently came across is the Fuji brand (specifically there BJJ uniform).

Anyway check out Meijin at:

http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Products/Pages/Meijin_black.htm

Senseikellam,

Which Meijin lines have you had? I've been looking at their uniforms for several months and really wanted to good feed back on them. I'd love to go up to one of the top Taikido lines, but I can't sink that much into a single uniform right now.

So, the one I'm looking at right now, with custom embroidery, is the Meijin Premium in black. How heavy is the weave of the cotton canvas in the uniform and how well do they hold up over time?

I'm still banging around in a pair of old (one is 15 years old!) Century Iron Man uniforms and a many times patched single weave judo gi right now and I want to treat myself to a new gi.

[Ldridge]

Hi im new to Karate (ive just turned 22 and remember doing the basics when i was about 5 haha) Ive been looking into heavyweight GI's as well and am really interested in Meijin from what i have heard but living in the UK means i have to order it from the US and with what i have heard about the customer service as still not sure what to do as id like a nice heavyweight GI that is comfortable and will wear well without spending over £100. Any help form previous customers would be greatly appreciated ! many thanks - Lewes

[Akikazeninja]

Hi im new to Karate (ive just turned 22 and remember doing the basics when i was about 5 haha) Ive been looking into heavyweight GI's as well and am really interested in Meijin from what i have heard but living in the UK means i have to order it from the US and with what i have heard about the customer service as still not sure what to do as id like a nice heavyweight GI that is comfortable and will wear well without spending over £100. Any help form previous customers would be greatly appreciated ! many thanks - Lewes

welcome to karateforums lewes I don't know much about meijin so I won't say they are good or bad but what I can say about ronin is that they are excellent one of the guys in my dojo has a heavyweight ronin gi and that thing is beautiful! It is pretty heavy (wears like a tank) but it is so nice I ordered one from kinjisan.com a few days ago. I don't really think you could go wrong with either of them though.

[Ldridge]

Hi im new to Karate (ive just turned 22 and remember doing the basics when i was about 5 haha) Ive been looking into heavyweight GI's as well and am really interested in Meijin from what i have heard but living in the UK means i have to order it from the US and with what i have heard about the customer service as still not sure what to do as id like a nice heavyweight GI that is comfortable and will wear well without spending over £100. Any help form previous customers would be greatly appreciated ! many thanks - Lewes

welcome to karateforums lewes I don't know much about meijin so I won't say they are good or bad but what I can say about ronin is that they are excellent one of the guys in my dojo has a heavyweight ronin gi and that thing is beautiful! It is pretty heavy (wears like a tank) but it is so nice I ordered one from kinjisan.com a few days ago. I don't really think you could go wrong with either of them though.

Hey thanks for your reply, i checked out the website but again id have to order from the US, its kind of a bummer really as ive had problems with the government wanting duty paid on items comming in (even 2nd hand off of ebay) so im reluctant to to purchase from outside the UK but i feel a bit confined with the choices ive seen on UK websites. Distributers over here should really do more to stock the decent brands i think. I will continue to look around though and thanks for your advice

[Dr. D]

I have purchased two of the Meijin Pro karate gis this year (2012), one for myself and one for my daughter (a black-belt), and we could not be happier with the quality, the fit, and the embroidery. Excellent service overall. I am no expert at all on the heavy weight gis as the Meijin was my first (I trained for 3 1/2 years with Tiger Claw's light weight, $20 gis, and they have held up quite well for the price), but so far I am very pleased. I would highly recommend it. I am also looking seriously at Karate International for an alternate heavy weight gi: http://www.kiintl.com/. Prices are very competitive, and reviews I have found are very solid. I am not convinced that anyone should pay more than $150 for a top-quality gi, regardless of the claimed quality. Has any one purchased a gi from https://www.kiintl.com? If so, I would like to know your experience.