Hirota, Tokiado, Ronin, Other

[quinteros1963]

I'm looking for a nice gi for tournaments and such. I was wondering if anyone had a Ronan uniform. They have one that is made of cloth from Japan that is comparable to the top of the line brands. Its the Shai black label. Its about 160.00 vs 240.00. The Hirota comes with a custom label specific to your organization (which is cool). What brand do you guys suggest? What do you use?

[wayneshin]

Not up to speed with kata gi's but for kumite Arawaza set the standard. The Opal was (IMHO) the best kumite gi on the market - so much so that many others including Adudas,Tokaido, Hayashi and SMA came out with what were close to copies.

They have just superseded the Opal with the Onyx which has once again raised the bar.

[JohnASE]

Hirota is a high quality brand made in Japan. $240 for one seems pretty cheap to me, but the dollar is pretty strong vs the yen right now, so my thinking might be off. I checked last week, and it was around 103 yen to the dollar. A couple years ago, I think it got down to something like 76 yen to the dollar! At that exchange rate, that same gi could be close to $325!

That's probably not relevant to your decision, but now is a much better time to buy than a couple years ago. I don't know what tomorrow will bring.

I'm somewhat familiar with Ronin products, but I don't know anything about the gi made of Japanese material. The implication is that the material was cut and sewn outside of Japan. I have a good guess as to where, but I'm not sure, so I don't want to say. I'd hate to spread bad info. In any case, it should look like a Japanese-made gi, and it might last like one if Ronin's factory did a good job with it. Ronin products are generally good, so I'm sure the quality of construction of this gi will be good too, but it might or might not be up to Japanese standards.

Again, I have little to no first hand experience with these specific products, so most of what I've said is little more than an educated guess.

Oh, and I've heard that Hirota run small, so be careful choosing your size. Exchanging across an ocean could be expensive!

[quinteros1963]

I went with a Meijin Pro 12 ounce. It saved me 100.00 vs the Hirota and came with free embroidery. I won't use it for everyday training, so it should last for years.

[Karate_John]

I have a Meijin myself, I use the 10oz for regular training days. I think you will like the Meijin Pro.

[sensei8]

I have a Meijin myself, I use the 10oz for regular training days. I think you will like the Meijin Pro.

Meijin gi's are an excellent choice, imho. Quality is noted across the industry.

[Zaine]

I really liked my Meijin Gi, it was worth every penny. I ended up losing it a few moves back and haven't had the disposable income for another. I miss it sorely.

[Rig]

I love my Hirota Pinak. I bought 3 of them from kuroobiya.com and after waiting about 8 weeks they finally arrived (they took 3 weeks to clear UK customs!)

[quinteros1963]

I love my new gi. It's so nice I don't want to wear it. The pants actually reach my ankles! The little things in life my me happy.

[Zaine]

I love my new gi. It's so nice I don't want to wear it. The pants actually reach my ankles! The little things in life my me happy.

What did you end up choosing?