Kamikaze Kata, Monarch or America gi? Anyone?

[Roninkai]

I am looking for some reviews on the Kamikaze gis like the Kata, Monarch and the America model. If anyone have any reviews on these 3 gis please feel free to write your reviews. Much help and infos will be very much appreciated.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Have you thought about arawaza gi's

[Roninkai]

Thank you Nidan Melbourne.

I was also looking at the Arawaza Crystal and it seems like a very good kata gi and this gi was used by Minh Dack. I am also checking other gis like the Hirota Pinack and their #163, but the only drawback is the 2 months waiting period for them. The Tokaido SSA and the Tokyodo AT-3 are the 2 other kata gis that I am researching right now. The Kamikaze Monarch seems to be catching my attention due to it's price, availability and the quality. I just need someone who owned this kata gi that can give me his own personal views in regards to this gi.

[JohnASE]

First, Roninkai, I see you're located in Vegas. In the USA, the Kamikaze America and Kamikaze Monarch are sold as the Tokon America and Tokon Monarch. They're the same, but there were trademark issues, so here, it's Tokon instead of Kamikaze. I'm not familiar with the Kamikaze Kata gi. Tokon does not include it in their product line.

We stock the America, but not the Monarch, so I'm more familiar with the former. Coincidentally, when you posted this, I had a booth at the USA Karate Nationals, and Tokon had brought some Monarchs for us to sell. Unfortunately, I didn't see this post until now, a couple of weeks later, so I can't physically compare them, but while we had them, I made sure I knew a little about the differences.

The America is a nice, thick gi. It's a traditional canvas. The Monarch is thick, too, but I think it's a little thinner. The Monarch material is nicer though. It's smoother and softer. Some people prefer hard, while others prefer soft. You didn't mention the Tokon Europa. It's between the America and the Monarch in price. It's lighter than either, but still heavy, and it has smooth, soft material, like the Monarch. If I were to guess, I'd say the America is about 14 oz, the Monarch is maybe 13 or 14 oz, and the Europa is about 12 oz.

Oh, and be aware that Tokon has a reputation for running on the large side, so be careful about which size you order.

[Roninkai]

Thank you very much John on the information in regards to the Tokon gi. I will be checking your website after posting this.

[ChrisHigashi]

After trying and testing 7-8 karate gis,

My favourite has to be the Arawaza crystal and the shureido-new wave 3

Both a fantastic gi (the Arawaza is a slimmer fit and is more suited to a slender karate-ka)

Big difference in price the NW3 is expensive but well worth it.

Arawaza crystal is a fantastic choice though.

Order a half size up from your usual if possible