Noah_Legel
Blue Belt
My first impression of the gi was that it was a workhorse gi. It is unbleached and has a rich, natural color, and it doesn't seem to care about flaunting any special features it may have. The stitching is done with a thread that blends in well with the fabric, and I asked Chris what it was made of but all he knew was that it didn't take dye well, and was probably synthetic. That said, if you plan on buying one of these and dying it, just keep in mind that the threads are going to stand out. The fabric used in the jacket feels very tough and durable, and is somewhat rough on the inside, rather than the soft brushed feel of my cotton single-weave, and it does seem to weigh a little more than my cotton single-weave, but not so much as to be irritating. Something that may bother some judoka is that as this gi was designed for BJJ there is no setsugi seam/stitching on the back, which means that it isn't going to lay quite as flat against your back while standing, but it will make it a little bit more comfortable while working your newaza. The fact that there is no diamond pattern embroidered on the skirt did bother me a bit, as it allowed me to pull the jacket out of my belt more easily than I would like, but I will probably take it to a local embroidery place eventually and see what they can do about that. The pants are made of the same 55/44 hemp/organic cotton blend, but in a smooth canvas that is very soft and comfortable, without losing the feeling of durability. Something I noticed when I put the pants on that I found to be very nice was the drawstring:
The rope drawstring didn't twist up inside the waistband of the pants like flat drawstrings tend to do, and that kept the fabric frum bunching uncomfortably as well. While the rope drawstrings are a common feature on high-end BJJ uniforms, they are pretty much unheard of on judogi. I also like the fact that there are three loops in the front of this gi, as my karategi only has two, and my judogi has just the middle one. Overall, the gi was comfortable enough that my girlfriend put it on and wouldn't take it off, so that's probably a good sign. Prior to washing (see picture above) the sleeves were just a little too long, and the pant legs were dragging on the floor a bit.
Construction-wise, it has quite a bit of reinforcement to it, which is definitely a plus, and some of it was quite a surprise. The slits on the skirt of the jacket were reinforced all the way around by a strip of reinforcing tape that is a little over an inch wide:
Another thing that I noticed was that the bottom of the skirt was taped all the way around, which is not something I have seen in many judogi, although I have also never seen a judogi rip or have any sort of damage down there, so perhaps it is unnecessary. The reinforcement in the armpits was pretty standard--5 rows of stitching through an almond-shaped patch of the same material the jacket is made from--but I was actually hoping for a bit more. I have found that quite a bit of stress it put on the back of the shoulder during Judo, so I would like to see the armpit reinforcement go further up the back. The lapel has 5 rows of stitching, and seems to be pretty soft for BJJ, but is about the same as my cotton single-weave judogi. I did notice, however, that the right side (inside lapel) is a bit thicker and stiffer than the left, and I'm not sure if it is by design or by accident. Some of the stitching on the hems is a bit 'wobbly', and while that probably isn't going to cause too much of a problem most of the time, I did find one place on the gi that could be a trouble spot:
The stitching is there, but it ran off the reinforcing tape and left enough of a gap that my thumb can get inside. This is on the inside of the right (interior) flap of the jacket, and this strip runs perpendicular to the lapel, so it isn't in a position to be easily snagged, but it is definitely a concern. I am sure that this is an isolated manufacturing error, but it does show something about the manufacturer's equipment and/or attention to detail. The stitching is all tight and feels strong, it just doesn't run straight all the time. The hem of the pants have two rows of stitching, which is pretty standard, and the pants are lined from just above the knee all the way to the hem, which is much nicer than the little patch of padding you get on many judogi pants. The pants have some extra reinforcement to the crotch gusset, which is something I had not seen before, but definitely appreciate--afterall, who wants the crotch of their pants splitting open during an uchi-mata?
Something in the pants that I did find a bit disappointing, however, was the reinforcment of the vents. The vents are small, which I definitely like, as it helps keep fingers out of there, but the reinforcement is no more than I have in the pants of my karategi:
Overall, the construction of the gi is pretty sound, but there is always room for improvement, and I think that Chris is going to have to talk with his manufacturer about keeping an eye on the sewing machines a bit better.
There is some embroidery on the gi--a logo on the left sleeve and between the shoulder blades. Now, these logos are in positions that make the gi illegal for Judo competition under IJF regulations, and this has been mentioned to Chris at Datsusara MMA, and he will take the regulations into consideration on the next redesign of this gi. As far as the quality goes, the embroidery is soft, smooth, and VERY tight--in fact, it's probably the best embroidery I have seen. It will be a shame to have it ripped out if I want to compete in this gi. One thing that I did notice about the logo on the back is that it doesn't quite line up with the stitching of the interior label, which makes them look crooked. Also, there is a small bit of black thread from the interior label that shows through on the outside of the gi, which is a minor issue and may not be something that can be avoided with the equipment being used to manufacture the gi.
There is some embroidery on the gi--a logo on the left sleeve and between the shoulder blades. Now, these logos are in positions that make the gi illegal for Judo competition under IJF regulations, and this has been mentioned to Chris at Datsusara MMA, and he will take the regulations into consideration on the next redesign of this gi. As far as the quality goes, the embroidery is soft, smooth, and VERY tight--in fact, it's probably the best embroidery I have seen. It will be a shame to have it ripped out if I want to compete in this gi. One thing that I did notice about the logo on the back is that it doesn't quite line up with the stitching of the interior label, which makes them look crooked. Also, there is a small bit of black thread from the interior label that shows through on the outside of the gi, which is a minor issue and may not be something that can be avoided with the equipment being used to manufacture the gi.
My Datsusara MMA Titaniumweave Gi has since been washed on a gentle setting in cold water and hung out to dry in the Arizona sun. It fits much better after the wash and dry--the sleeves end about an inch from my wrist bones and and pants just brush my feet. It's next test will be in the dojo.
After a couple classes and washes...
I got pretty sweaty, as usual, and was pleasantly surprised that the gi wicked it away and didn't feel soggy and disgusting like my cotton single-weave, and didn't get flimsier as practice went on. I will mention that the fabric has a faint (VERY faint) smell to it that I noticed after working in it for a while that reminds me of potatoes. It's certainly not something that would make me stop wearing it, but I suppose if potatoes make you gag, this probably would not be the gi for you. Anyway, the skirt didn't pull up out of my belt as much as I expected--most likely due to the reinforcement tape at the bottom catching on my belt--but it did twist around more than my cotton judogi. Not enough to really be annoying, but enough to mention. Overall, it held up to the throws well, and didn't hurt my elbows while moving around on the ground. The fact that it didn't pull up out of my belt was nice, but having it pull open a bit more than I am used to shows that there does need to be some texture down there to provide more friction between the skirt and the belt. My partners all said that it felt soft, and I did get several comments on the uniqueness of the gi, in comparison to the standard judogi. To finish off the testing, I took it to my workout room and did several sets of pull-ups on the sleeves and lapels, and I didn't hear any tearing or popping, though the sleeves did stretch out a little, which is fine, since they still shrunk a little bit more after the first wash.
WEARABILITY: 4.5/5 - Jacket is a bit rough inside, but not too bad. Very comfortable pants
CONSTRUCTION: 3.5/5 - Good material, some manufacturing issues, may be easily corrected
DURABILITY: 4/5 - Strong material, good reinforcement, but construction issues may hurt it
PRICE: 4/5 - Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either for what you get
OVERALL: 4/5 - Needs some adjustments for use in Judo, but will definitely work for day-to-day practice and it feels like it's going to last a good long time.
This review can also be found at my blog, with some suggestions to Chris at DSMMA that I thought I would throw in there.
