Ordering belts online - Quality comparison.

[LLLEARNER]

Thank you. I just ordered a Pro Force Gladiator through Amazon expecting decent quality. What I received was a threadbare, dirty belt with loose stitching. It appeared to be in manufacturer packaging. needless to say it is going back. I came here to find a recommendation after searching amazon and only finding mediocre reviews. This thread was already here and near the top. So I just ordered a KI. Thank you all for your psychic ability.

[LLLEARNER]

I ordered the Ki belt as the Pro-Force Gladiator was not acceptable to me. I am not trying to dig at Proforce I have a 14 oz gi that is working very well. I think it was just a lemon from the manufacturer and when packaged the defects could not be seen. I am happy I ordered the Ki. It seems to be very well constructed and soft. I will wear it to class this Tuesday.

[JR 137]

I ordered the Ki belt as the Pro-Force Gladiator was not acceptable to me. I am not trying to dig at Proforce I have a 14 oz gi that is working very well. I think it was just a lemon from the manufacturer and when packaged the defects could not be seen. I am happy I ordered the Ki. It seems to be very well constructed and soft. I will wear it to class this Tuesday.

Seido Juku, which I'm a student in, uses KI for their black belts. They last quite a while. Seido doesn't issue new black belts with each dan promotion; a new stripe is embroidered on. Very rarely do people get new ones because the old one is too far gone. They're most often replaced due to the karateka losing or gaining weight.

[LLLEARNER]

I am new to Martial Arts. I just started Shotokan (White belt). I was just having a tough time finding a decent quality at a decent price. I live in the sticks and there is not much around.

[sensei8]

Didn't a white belt come with your gi? If so, then, for now, use that one.

[LLLEARNER]

No. A belt did not come with my Gi unfortunately. I am not sure if it was because it is an adult size or for some other reason. It is a proforce 14 oz.

[Karate_John]

Ah, Yea, It seems most heavy weight GIs don't come with belts as they are marketed toward those who have experience and therefore does not need a belt.

My Ronin brand white (Travel belt) seems to be of good quality... Better then the proforce that came with my judo gi.

[Nidan Melbourne]

No. A belt did not come with my Gi unfortunately. I am not sure if it was because it is an adult size or for some other reason. It is a proforce 14 oz.

Thats interesting that a belt didn't come with your Gi. Because majority of the gi's i've bought or have ordered on behalf of people have come with a white belt.

To date I've ordered around 40 Gi's for either myself or various people and i'd say a good 35 of them came with a belt. The other 5 came from a supplier that sells belts separately to the uniforms as they have a high turnover of purchases that come from experienced martial artists who already possess their own belt.

[LLLEARNER]

I am ok with no belt coming with my gi. I can understand if it was a gi marketed to first time students, but from my limited exposure most first time students don't start in a heavy weight. The Ki belt was not expensive so I am ok with it. I just was not happy with the condition the "new" belt was in. Especially seeing that the same brand makes a high quality gi. I know it is not a custom or really high end product. But I am happy with the quality so far.

[JR 137]

From everything I've seen, only the "student" uniforms (as they're usually referred to by the manufacturers) come with white belts. Middle and heavyweight gis most often don't include a belt. How many people just getting started buy a Shureido K-10, Tokaido Ultimate, etc.? It really only makes sense to include a white belt (or any other belt) with the uniform that comes free with signing up for lessons and kids' gis.

Don't get hung up on the quality of a colored belt. You usually only wear each one of them for a few months to a year unless you're in a system that only has white, brown and black. KI and Century make good quality colored belts without charging excessive amounts.