Every now and then, Karate Depot ask me to review something for them. This time they’ve sent me their elite heavyweight gi to try out and report on.
I have to say that so far, I’m impressed with it. It has all the toughness and ruggedness of other traditional gi’s, but being made from soft brushed cotton, it is very comfortable. So even us big roughty toughty Karate types can enjoy a little softness in our training 🙂
Seriously though, it is comfortable. I don’t know if it due to hardness of the water in the area I live, but my other gi feels like cardboard when it is freshly washed. That stiffness soon comes out with ironing or a bit of sweat (I really should iron my gi more often - what can I say - I’m a single guy)!!
My new Karate Depot gi however did not have that cardboard feel when fresh from the wash, it was still comfortably soft and I did not have that “breaking in” feeling at the beginning of a session that I do with the other gi.
I find that with some gi’s, the trouser draw-string gets a little bit stiff and does not always slide very well when putting them on. This draw-string however is very easy to do up. It is however still very new, but I believe that it is partly to do with the soft cotton that it is made from.
The gi is still very big on me, I should have probably chosen the size down, but never mind. I’m hoping it will shrink in the wash. Anyway if you want to know what it actually looks like on, you see me wearing it in video in the video in this earlier posting.
The only very trivial down side I can see with this gi is that is that the post wash creases don’t drop out so well as they do with my other gi. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to get the iron out after all !
For those interested, here are the technical specs from their website:
- Made with K-10 quality 14oz. 100% soft brushed cotton
- Side vents with tie straps for improved ventilation
- 10 rows of reinforced stitching at the sleeves
- 5 lines of stitching at the collar
- 13 lines of stitching in the pants
- Traditional drawstring waist
- Mesh and vinyl carrying bag included
You can of course find out more on this Karate Depot page. It is a good buy.
