Shihan/Senior GI vs HeavyGI

[janebartheus93]

Can I know the major and minor difference btwn these 2 type of GI ?

[Wastelander]

I'm afraid it depends on the brand. Some brands call their heavyweight gi "Shihan," while some have different fabric blends for their regular heavyweight and their "Shihan" gi.

[janebartheus93]

I'm afraid it depends on the brand. Some brands call their heavyweight gi "Shihan," while some have different fabric blends for their regular heavyweight and their "Shihan" gi.

Because I'm planning to buy a new gi , now I'm comparing Tokyodo SP-1000/Samurai and other normal heavy GI (I'm not gonna buy HIrota beocz it's too expensive although Hirota was the best ).

[Wastelander]

It looks like the Tokyodo SP-1000 is a cotton/polyester blend. They do that to make the gi look nicer, because it doesn't wrinkle and crease as much as a 100% cotton one. I don't have any experience with that brand, specifically, and have always bought 100% cotton dogi, but I imagine it would be fine.

[JohnASE]

Actually, it looks like the Tokyodo SP-1000 is a rayon/polyester blend, but I otherwise agree with what Wastelander says. The "other normal heavy GI" that the original poster refers to might be the Tokyodo K-10.

If what I've been told is correct, Tokyodo used to be called Tokyo Shureido, but Shureido in Okinawa had a problem with that, so they had to change their name. My guess is that the Tokyodo K-10 is comparable to the Shureido K-10 and the Tokyodo SP-1000 is comparable to the Shureido KC-10, which is also rayon/polyester. I have no experience with Tokyodo, so I don't know whether the quality really compares to Shureido or not.

Long ago, we used to sell Shureido. The K-10 was much more popular than the KC-10. Most of that was probably because of the price difference and people not knowing what a rayon/polyester gi would feel like. Sorry, other than what's already been said, I don't recall the differences between the two types.

[janebartheus93]

May i know how you guys wash the heavy gi(cotton or cotton+poly) ? Using ordinary washing machine or ?

[Roninkai]

Actually, it looks like the Tokyodo SP-1000 is a rayon/polyester blend, but I otherwise agree with what Wastelander says. The "other normal heavy GI" that the original poster refers to might be the Tokyodo K-10.

If what I've been told is correct, Tokyodo used to be called Tokyo Shureido, but Shureido in Okinawa had a problem with that, so they had to change their name. My guess is that the Tokyodo K-10 is comparable to the Shureido K-10 and the Tokyodo SP-1000 is comparable to the Shureido KC-10, which is also rayon/polyester. I have no experience with Tokyodo, so I don't know whether the quality really compares to Shureido or not.

Long ago, we used to sell Shureido. The K-10 was much more popular than the KC-10. Most of that was probably because of the price difference and people not knowing what a rayon/polyester gi would feel like. Sorry, other than what's already been said, I don't recall the differences between the two types.

The Tokyodo SP-1000 is rayon/cotton is more like the Shureido NW-3 which is poly/cotton. They are both on the heavyweight non-cotton fabric. You can also check on the Tokyodo AT-3 in which it's a little bit cheaper than the SP-1000 but on the same heavyweight non-pure cotton dogi. The Tokyodo AT-3 is becoming more popular to some Karate practitioners in Japan than any other dogi. I can only say that the Tokyodo stitching for me is the best compare to other dogi that I've seen and tried.

Well, it's just a personal thing. Go with the one that you're going to be happy and let us know what is/are your feedback on the gi that you decided to get.