Karate Gi - Medium Weight (1)

I practice Kenpo, we use black karate gis. I have been through several gis, KD Elite, Macho, Pro Force, but I have to say, this gi fits better and is way more comfortable than any of those gis, although I really did like the KD Elite, but they quit making them!Anyway, this gi has a better fit than KD Elite, the jacket is longer which I like very much. Right out of the bag, this gi fit me pretty much perfectly. I do have to hike the pants up and tie them off above my bellybutton, but I am sure with a washing or two, they will shrink to perfect size. I am 6' 00" and weigh 175 lbs. The gi would fit easily fit someone 10 lbs lighter and probably 25 lbs heavier than I am. There is plenty of room in the pants for high kicks and strectching, but they don't look ridiculously baggy like some uniforms, this uniform has a nice cut that looks very good, right out of the package you will love it! I am very happy with the gi, it is the perfect weight, I really wouldn't want it any heavier for the hot weather and high humidity we get down here in Florida. It is perfectly light enough, and it breathes very nice.After reading some of the comments, I was expecting to have to alter the pants to fit, but they fit perfectly as does the jacket. Normally I wear a 35" waist and 31" length with my pants if that will help give an indication of my build. I am tall and slim, the pants are maybe an inch or two long, but I pull them up and tie them, and I am sure after the first wash, they will shrink down a bit to the perfect size. Even if they don't, the are fine the length they are.The uniform comes with a white belt, but I use my blue one that I earned from my Sensei, working on my green belt now in style in my new Ronin gi. It is very sharp looking, roomy and comfortable, and breathes really nice in keeps you cool during workouts. I love it, I am going to buy more of them in the future!

I am 6’0 and 198 lbs. per the size chart, I’d be a size 5 or 6. I initially ordered the 5 thinking I was already going a bit smaller, but I was still swimming in it. The size 4 is perfect, and I don’t have twig legs either. Out of caution I have only washed cold and line-dried, though there still looks to be a tad bit of room in the pants to shrink. The gi top however is snug (but still not tight) as-is and therefore don’t want it to get any smaller. If you are a similar height/weight as me, I’d highly recommend the 4. The pants hit just at the ankle, no need to tailor or roll them up, just be mindful not to shrink. These are a bit warm for summer classes but not too heavy, just an overall solid and quality gi that has kept up with all of the rolls etc. that I throw at it. Highly recommend, just be mindful of sizing.

Having practiced martial arts for nearly 16 years now, I’ve been through my fair share of uniforms. My current trend is cotton traditional uniforms, hence why I bought this one.Now, I have 12oz heavyweight uniforms that I do love because of the snap and comfort they provide, but they are basically cotton sauna suits...Thus my search began for a medium weight cotton uniform. Having experience with Proforce heavyweight uniforms, I decided to give them a try and found that their Medium weight uniform felt way too rough on my skin for daily practice or wear when teaching, even after fabric softeners. Disappointed, I expanded my search. My old middleweight Century uniform was comfortable while it fit, but trying them out I found that they must have altered their uniform construction parameters between now and then because the pants are meant for someone extremely tall and thin with no thighs...awesome...on we go.I wasn't, and quite frankly still am not, willing for fork out more than $100 for a uniform, and most of the top traditional or karate style brands that I explored (Tokaido, Seshin, Suriedo) can go well above that price line with just shipping costs alone.Don’t get me wrong, they are all quite likely worth the price judging from all the glowing reviews I’ve read, I’m just not willing to pay it.Enter the Ronin Brand Gis.I saw this uniform brand here on amazon and initially thought, “This looks like another weird off-brand amazon exclusive...”. I saw the price tag and figured I’d give it a shot seeing as it didn't seem to be too far off the mark.Boy, was I wrong!Out of the package, this uniform is soft and smooth. While it definitely isn't as soft as some of the V-neck uniforms I’ve worn and destroyed, it certainly beat all other competition in its price range so far.I have some discrepancies, and they are more personal preferences.First, the size chart is inaccurate. Going based off of the chart provided, I originally ordered a 5. Knowing that it would be large, I almost made the mistake of bypassing my normal try-it-on phase. Glad I took a step back to analyze it...The size 5 fits more inline with a size 6 or 7 in the more mainstream name brands for martial arts uniforms. Granted, yes, I could have washed it hot and dried it hot, but it still would have been way to big to wear without some serious tailoring. So I sent it back and bought a size 4, which is my typical uniform size.The size 4 was still large, but much closer to the correct fit for me. I washed it hot and dried at a low temp and viola! Fit was spot on! Now, I’m a short guy, so some hemming on the pants would have had to happen regardless, but 4-5inches vs. 10-12inches is a huge step.As far as the fit goes, the pants fit well. A little snug on the front of the thighs, but after some movement and loosening of the fibers, they are great. The top could stand to be cut just an inch or so longer on the skirt, but in overall fit across the chest, stomach, and back, it fits well.All in all, this uniform feels and fits well, but be mindful of the size you buy. If you don’t mind doing a fair bit of tailoring and custom work, get your true size based on their chart, but be warned.Another discrepancy I have pertains to the cuffs of the jacket and pants. Every uniform I have ever worn has had a 1.5inch-1.75inch wide cuff. This one came with a roughly 3/4inch-1inch wide cuff.For some, this may not seem like a big deal, but the cuff width and thickness plays a large part in the “snap” sound that these uniforms as supposed to make. Back to the tailoring aspect, the uniform’s material is rather thin for it’s weight class, so folding the cuff in on itself once or twice at the desired width proved to be more than effective to address this problem. I decided to also reinforce the spots I had to cut the material with an iron-on fray stop tape.My last complaint is WRINKLES!Holy mother of WRINKLES! Pulling this thing out of the dryer, even with dryer sheets, it looks like it was just wadded up and thrown in a gym bag for 3 weeks! Once upon a time I had all of my good uniforms professionally cleaned, lightly starched, and pressed. It looks like I will have to have this one done similarly. I’m not the best at ironing and starching, having ruined a couple of military uniforms taught me that lesson, so I’ll be going back to the professional route.In short; the uniform is good, but needs a litte customization and TLC regardless of what size you get, and be ready to either shell out a bit of cash for professional cleaning an pressing or DIY with the iron and starch at home for a nice and crisp snap.

I am new to karate and have no experience to compare this to anything else, but it seams to be very well made and very sturdy. I'm kind of wishing I had ordered a light weight version now, as this one is kind of heavier than I had anticipated, but again I have no frame of reference; it is just pretty sturdy/thick. As for length, I am 6'5", 200lbs, and evenly proportioned; and the size 7 was WAY too long for me (by atleast 6-8"). The size chart recommended size-7 for 6'0"-6'5" (the smallest option for 6'5"). I don't know if they expect it to shrink a ton when washed, but I thought that was just way too long, so I reordered the size-6 and it appears to fit just perfect out of the box (not sure what will happen after washing). Out of the box I just barely step on the edge of the pant legs, so it can still afford to shrink a bit and continue to fit well. All in all I am happy with the purchase. I will try to update review if it ends up shrinking a lot.

Best gi I've ever worn. My belly is a bit too big for a 5, so I got a 6 and had it hemmed. Super!