Ki Mugen Orange Gi review

[DarthPenguin]

Hi, i just recently purchased a Ki Mugen Orange label and i thought it might be nice to post a short review. I had to order it from the USA to get shipped to the UK and when making the decision to get something shipped it can be helpful to have some reviews to read

IF reviewing items isn't permitted (i think it is but just being sure) then apologies and please delete this!

Item ordered : Ki Mugen Orange Label Karate Gi

Size order : 6.5

My size : 6'4", 225/230lbs (to get an idea of Gi Sizing)

Initial impressions

Gi arrived very nicely packaged. When unpacking it was a little lighter than expected but seemed well put together. The trousers are extremely similar to my Atama Mundial ripstop BJJ Gi trousers which i love, so a massive plus from me there!

Gi Seemed a little larger than expected when unpacking but i know these things shrink. I had originally ordered a size 6 but the retailer had been in touch and told me that a 6.5 should be fine for me and i went with it since i should be in the middle of the range.

Fit

I washed the gi in a warm/hot wash and then dried it for an hour to shrink it down. Length is exactly as hoped for though it is slightly baggier than i would have preferred ideally. Should shrink a little more in subsequent washes. Is perfectly usable and tbh the thought that it is baggy might just be my being used to the more tailored fit of a bjj gi. When i wore it to karate class i got no strange looks or comments and it seemed about the same as the other class members.

I really like the drawcord fastening on the trousers. They are identical to my Atama ones but fasten even better. Very snug fit with plenty of freedom of movement

Quality

Item seemed solidly put together and well made. Stitching was good and couldn't find any issues. I plan to update this review once i have trained in it a few times and again after 6mths or so. This should hopefully give a better picture of the quality

Value for money

This is a difficult one as it also factors in the shipping costs / customs charges etc for a USA - UK order. If i was ordering it in the USA then i have no problem at all saying i would order again as the price is good and the quality seems good for the price. For the UK though it is harder as, once i had ordered, i managed to find a retailer that sold Tokaido gi's in the UK and once shipping etc is factored in they come out at about the same price. Since everyone always talks about the quality of Tokaido it is hard to recommend something else at the same price, but i haven't tried a Tokaido so this may be better if i had both to compare

Ease of ordering

This (unfortunately) is more negative. I tried to order the Gi originally from the manufacturer. There website is awful and kept failing when it went to add shipping costs etc. I emailed them several times (as i do like to purchase from a manufacturer where possible) but then took a couple of weeks to reply to each email. I sent a couple but when no responses were received i went elsewhere - their responses were received after i had ordered from someone else.

I instead ordered from another often recommended martial arts supply store (i won't give the name here as that isn't the purpose of this review). They very much were a mixed bag which surprised me. Replied very quickly to my original enquiry email on stock. Then once i had ordered, accepting that there would be a delay of a couple of weeks, they went dark. I emailed them once the expected time period had elapsed and they ignored all emails. Eventually i raised a paypal dispute to cancel the payment and they instantly responded (though didn't acknowledge their failure to respond previously). Once they did get in touch they processed things quite quickly and they filled out the customs declaration in a manner that minimised the customs charge i would receive (which was good)

Would i order Again?

If i could find another KI gi from a UK supplier, with them in stock then the answer (currently) is a resounding yes, though this could always change based on how it holds up over the next few months.

From the USA again? Probably not unless it was from another supplier that i have dealt with previously, as i can't be bothered with unnecessary hassle.

If there is anything i have not mentioned that might be useful then please feel free to let me know. Everything above is my personal opinion and based on my own experiences. I totally accept that things can be different for different people at different times and by no means think that any issues i may have had would be the same for others.

[sensei8]

Sounds to me like you're new gi purchase is a smashing success all the way around. I've never purchased any gi's from the company you mention, but they sound like at least worthy of a look at. Enjoy the new gi!!

[Zaine]

Sounds to me like you're new gi purchase is a smashing success all the way around. I've never purchased any gi's from the company you mention, but they sound like at least worthy of a look at. Enjoy the new gi!!

Mugen is the "high quality" version of KI International. The Lexus to the KI regular Toyota Camry. Higher quality parts and a look that you recognize. They're good GIs, and when someone is looking to upgrade for the first time from their light-weight one that the dojo provides I usually recommend Mugen. Good quality without being a burden on the wallet. DarthPenguin mentions Tokaido, and I would put them on par with that. Not quite the prestige of Shureido, but still a very solid experience.

[DarthPenguin]

Sounds to me like you're new gi purchase is a smashing success all the way around. I've never purchased any gi's from the company you mention, but they sound like at least worthy of a look at. Enjoy the new gi!!

Mugen is the "high quality" version of KI International. The Lexus to the KI regular Toyota Camry. Higher quality parts and a look that you recognize. They're good GIs, and when someone is looking to upgrade for the first time from their light-weight one that the dojo provides I usually recommend Mugen. Good quality without being a burden on the wallet. DarthPenguin mentions Tokaido, and I would put them on par with that. Not quite the prestige of Shureido, but still a very solid experience.

Thats good to know!

[Shojiko]

Mugens are fantastic.

I actually favor gis with a shorter top skirt.

In either case, mugens are incredibly strong and endure a very long time.

KI international is a solid company

[Zaine]

KI international is a solid company

Agreed, and they're my preferred. I've tried a lot of different gis, but I always come back.

[mjh1969]

Mugen Gi's are nice. I have two of them. They aren't too heavy and work really well in hot weather. KI international is in Inglewood, CA which is 40 minutes by my house. I have been there a few times and their customer service is top notch. I use their belts as well. Like others mentioned earlier, they aren't hard on the wallet.

[bushido_man96]

This was a very useful product review. Thanks for taking the time to write it up, DarthPenguin!

[DarthPenguin]

This was a very useful product review. Thanks for taking the time to write it up, DarthPenguin!

Thanks! I've always found reviews to be very useful myself when purchasing stuff (especially since a lot of 'decent' ma stuff ends up having to be ordered from abroad for me.

Hopefully can start a trend!

[DarthPenguin]

Just posting an update here as i have always found a 'few months down the line' update to be very helpful for me when purchasing items.

Still happy with the gi. Colour wise it is still bright white and no issues with stitching etc. Does crumple a bit after hanging to dry so can be a bit awkward to iron but that's no big deal.

Still comfortable. Only minor gripe i have is that it is really baggy i think. That may be due to them talking me into taking a 6.5 rather than the 6 so nothing i would mark down for but i would bear it in mind if ordering something.

Generally i wear a XL or XXL in everything i buy and i find this loose, but still fine to train in and that might be someone's preference. Myself, i probably prefer something a little more fitted (might be a legacy form my bjj training where the gi's are quite form fitting)

I would still recommend it but i would say just to check / be careful on sizing if ordering