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Originally posted and hosted at: Killer Bee Gi – Ligustica Mark I Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gi KaosX.net
Full pictures available there, it's a chore to post more than 6 pictures on sherdog
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Many people have been asking me about this review since I noted I would be doing it. It’s a sharp looking Gi in a good price point. But how does it fare on the mats? Check out the rest of the article for the full review!
Let me preface this review with a few important notes.
1. This is my first Gi specifically tailored for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (and not Judo/Korean Martial arts). My frame of reference before this comes from Howard Kimonos, Century and Fuji Gis. Two are more Judogi’s and one is…cloth in the shape of a Gi.
2. Jesse was kind enough to offer me a discount on this Gi for review purposes, I’m all about full disclosure when I’m reviewing a product. Because this product was paid for it will be something I am keeping and not returning after review.
So, with that being said…let’s get started! (Pictures below the article, as always!)
I found the Killer Be while hunting down smaller Gi companies. After exchanging emails with Jesse Bellavance, the owner of Killer Bee, I was set with my order.
I received the Gi within two days time via Fedex; this exceptionally fast shipping impressed me greatly. I’m on the east coast so keep that in mind people on the west coast if your ship time differs from mine! Upon opening the package I found the Gi top and bottom neatly separated in large sealed bags, held in place securely with proper packing materials.
Jesse recommended I use the sizing calculator available on the website before ordering just an A5 (I’m a big guy) in both jacket and pants. This turned out to be EXCELLENT advice as the A4 pants fit me perfectly and didn’t need hemmed/tailored at all. If I had ordered A5’s they would have needed hemmed and would have been baggier – not something you want in BJJ.
The package also included care instructions for washing and also noted that the Gi was pre-washed in retayne – a product Killer Bee sells to aid in keeping colors form bleeding when washing the Gi. It’s recommended for maximum effect to color lock the gi like you normally would (google for that – it’s amethod of using white vinegar and water to lock the colors into a gi that isn’t white).
I followed the instructions and treated the gi before using it. When you’re using a colored gi, especially black, this is a courtesy to the people you’ll be rolling with. Any “fuzzies” or lint on the gi will cling to your opponents Gi once you’re both drenched in sweat. If they’re wearing a white gi you can doom their Gi to having the color of the fuzzies bleeding onto the white fabric. This has happened to me before, despite using a lint roller on the gi. I was also surprised that there was no, or minimal shrinking – this is a good thing to me.
The gi jacket is pearl woven 100% cotton, from a single piece of fabric (the main body), reinforced in key areas and comfortable to wear. The lapel has a rubber core – which makes it as comfortable as it can be while getting collar choked. The lapel is also quite thick, so keep this in mind depending on your preferred lapel size. The patches and design of the Gi really appeal to me. The ends of the sleeves have a patch like material on them noting the “Killer Bee” brand. There are patches capping the shoulders, across the lapel and at the bottom of the lapel as well. In class I warmed up in the gi, drilled in the gi and rolled in the gi – the jacket stretched out a little bit after doing so which made the fit a lot more comfortable than right out of the box. It wasn’t overly tight in any specific place, but was comfortably tapered to my body.
The pants are completely made of ripstop and feel great to roll in. They have the same graphics as the jacket and the same trim around the end of the pant sleeves as on the jacket sleeves. The cord around the pants is a basic rope style cord with the ends dipped in a thick rubber coating. They took a few times tightening and loosening to be able to secure when being worn.
At no point did the gi hold me back from working on any part of my game in class. In discussing the gi with my no-gi instructor for the night, I found that he actually owned a Killer Bee Ligustica as well and has had a good experience with it – sherdog posters in the grappling forum know him as Jimmy “Frodo” Cerra.
Killer Bee will be coming out with some new designs soon featuring embroidered logos and fewer/no patches if you’re into the “less is more” approach or prefer to put your own patches on your gis. I’ll be continuing to use my Killer Bee and would recommend it as a great gi to consider purchasing if you happen to be shopping for a BJJ gi.
Thanks!
Full pictures available there, it's a chore to post more than 6 pictures on sherdog
---
Many people have been asking me about this review since I noted I would be doing it. It’s a sharp looking Gi in a good price point. But how does it fare on the mats? Check out the rest of the article for the full review!
Let me preface this review with a few important notes.
1. This is my first Gi specifically tailored for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (and not Judo/Korean Martial arts). My frame of reference before this comes from Howard Kimonos, Century and Fuji Gis. Two are more Judogi’s and one is…cloth in the shape of a Gi.
2. Jesse was kind enough to offer me a discount on this Gi for review purposes, I’m all about full disclosure when I’m reviewing a product. Because this product was paid for it will be something I am keeping and not returning after review.
So, with that being said…let’s get started! (Pictures below the article, as always!)
I found the Killer Be while hunting down smaller Gi companies. After exchanging emails with Jesse Bellavance, the owner of Killer Bee, I was set with my order.
I received the Gi within two days time via Fedex; this exceptionally fast shipping impressed me greatly. I’m on the east coast so keep that in mind people on the west coast if your ship time differs from mine! Upon opening the package I found the Gi top and bottom neatly separated in large sealed bags, held in place securely with proper packing materials.
Jesse recommended I use the sizing calculator available on the website before ordering just an A5 (I’m a big guy) in both jacket and pants. This turned out to be EXCELLENT advice as the A4 pants fit me perfectly and didn’t need hemmed/tailored at all. If I had ordered A5’s they would have needed hemmed and would have been baggier – not something you want in BJJ.
The package also included care instructions for washing and also noted that the Gi was pre-washed in retayne – a product Killer Bee sells to aid in keeping colors form bleeding when washing the Gi. It’s recommended for maximum effect to color lock the gi like you normally would (google for that – it’s amethod of using white vinegar and water to lock the colors into a gi that isn’t white).
I followed the instructions and treated the gi before using it. When you’re using a colored gi, especially black, this is a courtesy to the people you’ll be rolling with. Any “fuzzies” or lint on the gi will cling to your opponents Gi once you’re both drenched in sweat. If they’re wearing a white gi you can doom their Gi to having the color of the fuzzies bleeding onto the white fabric. This has happened to me before, despite using a lint roller on the gi. I was also surprised that there was no, or minimal shrinking – this is a good thing to me.
The gi jacket is pearl woven 100% cotton, from a single piece of fabric (the main body), reinforced in key areas and comfortable to wear. The lapel has a rubber core – which makes it as comfortable as it can be while getting collar choked. The lapel is also quite thick, so keep this in mind depending on your preferred lapel size. The patches and design of the Gi really appeal to me. The ends of the sleeves have a patch like material on them noting the “Killer Bee” brand. There are patches capping the shoulders, across the lapel and at the bottom of the lapel as well. In class I warmed up in the gi, drilled in the gi and rolled in the gi – the jacket stretched out a little bit after doing so which made the fit a lot more comfortable than right out of the box. It wasn’t overly tight in any specific place, but was comfortably tapered to my body.
The pants are completely made of ripstop and feel great to roll in. They have the same graphics as the jacket and the same trim around the end of the pant sleeves as on the jacket sleeves. The cord around the pants is a basic rope style cord with the ends dipped in a thick rubber coating. They took a few times tightening and loosening to be able to secure when being worn.
At no point did the gi hold me back from working on any part of my game in class. In discussing the gi with my no-gi instructor for the night, I found that he actually owned a Killer Bee Ligustica as well and has had a good experience with it – sherdog posters in the grappling forum know him as Jimmy “Frodo” Cerra.
Killer Bee will be coming out with some new designs soon featuring embroidered logos and fewer/no patches if you’re into the “less is more” approach or prefer to put your own patches on your gis. I’ll be continuing to use my Killer Bee and would recommend it as a great gi to consider purchasing if you happen to be shopping for a BJJ gi.
Thanks!
