Help me decide on a Gi

[Synexus]

Hi folks,

i am currently searching for a new Gi..But i am having some trouble. By now i only tried the Tokaido Tsunami Silver and didnt like the cut and was a bit too heavy.

Now i am thinking about getting either a Kamikaze Kaiten Gi or a Shureido Gi.

The Gi shouldnt be too heavy 10 or 12 oz should be fine. By the way does anyone of you know if the Tokaido Tsunami Silver is heavier than the Shureido Tk 10? I couldnt find anything about the reAl weight of the Shureido Gi..

At the moment i am leaning towards one of these:

Kamikaze Europa

Kamikaze America

or

Shureido tk10

Shureido tkw11

I am 6' and 187pounds. Oh and if anyone can suggest other Gi it will be much appreciated.

[JR 137]

What are you currently wearing? What do you want to change about it?

The Tokaido you tried on isn't made in Japan, and doesn't use the Japanese no. 10 cotton canvas most other Tokaidos use. It's a Tokaido, but it's outsourced and made to a price point.

I used to own a Shureido K-10 and loved it. It also uses Japanese no. 10 cotton canvas. That material is comparable to most 12 oz. gis. It's softer than most 12 oz. gis, and breathes better. It also stays white a lot longer.

Tournament cut and traditional cut are very different.

I can keep going, but I'll leave it at that so the post isn't too long.

[Synexus]

Thanks for your answer. I only own a cheap KWON 10oz thats why i decided to go for a more expensive gi next.

The KWON Gi is alright but i would like the new gi to be softer, of higher quality and i am looking for a better cut.

About the Tk10, i am not sure if it is too heavy for the everyday training, i study Shotokan Karate for a year now btw.

Are the sleeves very short on the tournament version? I would like the trousers to be over the ankles and same for the jacket, what i would not like is if it looks like a Tshirt and short trousers .

Maybe there are some other alternatives? The price should not be higher than the tk10 tho

[JR 137]

Too heavy for everyday training is a personal thing. Some people train in a 14 or even 16 oz. gi everyday. I own a 14 oz. KI gi and think it's too heavy, but a lot of people at my dojo also wear it with no complaints. I sweat more than most others, so it's all relative. Having a 10 oz. now, a 12 oz. shouldn't be too much heavier from a heat aspect. It'll be stiffer/more solid in a good way, meaning it won't be a mess while you're working out.

None of the gis I've seen come with short t-shirt-like sleeves, unless the description explicitly says it. The t-shirt look is because someone cut it that way afterwards.

If it fits right out of the package, a tournament cut gi's sleeves with go a little more than half way down the forearm, and the legs will be about half way between the bottom of the calf and the ankle. Think women's Capri pants. Traditional cut will be to the wrists and ankles. Very, very few people will get a proper fit without hemming sleeves and/or legs. And you have to account for initial shrinking.

Tournament cut gis will also be wider in the shoulders and armpit area, and the pants will be baggier around the thighs and hips. Traditional cut will be more straight. Think boot cut jeans vs. straight leg.

The Shureido TK-10 is tournament cut, whereas the K-10 is traditional cut. The "T" in TK stands for tournament. The size charts for tournament cut are a bit misleading. For instance, a TK-10 size 4.5 has the exact same measurements as a size 5 K-10. The TK has extra material in the shoulders/chest/armpit area. It was too much for me. They're also a bit narrower in the abdomen.

Here's what I mean (although the sleeves and legs are longer than the stereotypical tournament cut)...

http://www.discountmas.com/robrshun.html

Traditional cut...

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/discountmas_2268_797769

The Kamikaze gis will be cut exactly like the second picture, as the Ronin gis are pretty much the same gi (coming from a conversation with a person who sells both).

The K-10 is a great gi worth every penny of its price IMO. Heavy enough to keep its shape and be durable, yet not hot. it's a bit rough feeling straight out of the package, but it gets pretty soft once it's broken in after a dozen or so washings and wearings.

Regarding Shureido vs Tokaido Japanese made gis, both are equal in material quality and workmanship. They're just cut differently IMO. I had a Shureido and a classmate had a Tokaido Ultimate. The Shureido is a stockier guy's cut, whereas the Tokaido is a tall and slim guy's cut. People argue all the time as to which is the better gi, but owning one and trying on the other one, we both thought they were equal. In fact, if you took the labels off, you'd think they were different cuts of the same gi.

[JR 137]

If you're in the US and want to buy a Shureido, call Shureido USA. They'll have you measure a bunch of different parts of your body and will come up with the right size for you. They'll also mix jacket and pants sizes, and can alter gis. They're a few dollars more than other places on the web, but when you know you're getting exactly what you need, it's easily worth an extra $20 or so for the service they provide.

http://www.shureidousa.com/index.html

[Synexus]

Wow nice answer, helped quite a bit.

Judging by the pictures i would say i prefer the more traditional cut for the jacket(could be a little longer but just a bit not as long as on the 2nd pic tho)but i like the look of the baggier pants on the first picture.

But i am not a big fan of really short sleeves and pants it just doesnt look right to me.. i dont know.

I am not living in the US, i am from Europe and i couldnt even find a site that sells the KW 11 that is a little lighter than the k10.. There is is one site offering the k10 but they describe the gi as a 16oz heavy gi which i dont believe.. Do you by any chance know if the k10 is lighter than the Tokaido Tsunami Silver?

Would the Kamikaze America fit as an cheaper alternative to the Shureido or would you suggest going for the Europe one?

[chiliphil1]

Wow nice answer, helped quite a bit.

Judging by the pictures i would say i prefer the more traditional cut for the jacket(could be a little longer but just a bit not as long as on the 2nd pic tho)but i like the look of the baggier pants on the first picture.

But i am not a big fan of really short sleeves and pants it just doesnt look right to me.. i dont know.

I am not living in the US, i am from Europe and i couldnt even find a site that sells the KW 11 that is a little lighter than the k10.. There is is one site offering the k10 but they describe the gi as a 16oz heavy gi which i dont believe.. Do you by any chance know if the k10 is lighter than the Tokaido Tsunami Silver?

Would the Kamikaze America fit as an cheaper alternative to the Shureido or would you suggest going for the Europe one?

The K-10 is not a 16oz gi. The Japanese do not provide an "oz" designation for their material. Most believe it's about 12oz, give or take a little. What you cannot see from online pictures is the #10 duck canvas that Shureido and Tokaido use. This material is absolutely amazing! It has a good weight, so it looks and feels substantial but it breathes like a lightweight gi. I promise you, don't obsess over the weight, these do not perform the same way that other heavyweight gi's do. I have the K-10 and several Century models, as well as a Ronin brand gi and I can tell you first hand that the only thing similar about them is that they sort of look the same.

I can train in class with my K-10 and almost forget that I am wearing it. On the other hand if I toss on a Century I feel suffocated and can't wait to get it off! The surface of the material is also different, where the Century feels coarse and almost rubs you raw the Shureido feels smooth, almost soft and comfortable. It is really a remarkable difference.

Personally, if you can afford it I wouldn't get anything but a Shureido or Tokaido. As the poster said above it depends on how you're built as to which one would work better for you, but I wouldn't even look at other brands, they are not on the same level.

[Synexus]

Thanks guys. I think i might just order the K 10 and try it out. Can you guys suggest a size to me? Does the Shureido shrink a lot?

[JR 137]

It will shrink a bit. It's best to find your size, then order a half size larger. The best way to do this is to measure your current gi, then see what's comparable in the gi you want. Shureido has measurement charts -

http://karategiblog.altervista.org/2012/07/consigli-su-come-scegliere-la-vostra-taglia-per-i-karate-gi-shureido/

As chiliphil said, there's Tokaido and Shureido, and there's everything else. The Kamikaze gis are quite good, but for not much more, Shureido is far better IMO. Better material, craftsmanship, etc.

[Synexus]

Hey again,

i have decided to go for the lighter gi the #11 canvas since it is cheaper and it should be fine for me.The problem is that i cannot find a shop in my country that sells the KW11 i can only find the TKW11. So the question is which size i should order so i do not have very short sleeves and more importantly no short pants if i go for the tournament cut kw11.

In the dimensiontable you linked i cant really find a difference besides the the tkw is up by a half size in the table.

So do i have a chance to make the tkw fit similar to a kw11, pants near the ankle and not too short sleeves?