So I was in the market for a couple new gi's for training and after much research I decided to give the JJPG gi a try. I originally wanted the competition version of their gi, but the only gi they had in stock in A2 (I'm 5'10" 195) was the blue ripstop gi. I was hesitant at first because I have a Koral lightweight gi and I don't like it that much. Anyhow, I decided to get it and just use it as a training gi.
INITIAL:
When I picked it up at FedEx, the gi, in the shipping bag, weighed 3.4lbs on FedEx's shipping scales. I was shocked. I was even more shocked when I opened the bag and noticed that this included a gi bag in the weight too. Talk about lightweight! When I took the gi out of the bag I was shocked at how soft the top of the gi was. The ripstop material also felt more sturdy than my Koral gi, and the pants were way better than the Koral lightweight pants. The collar on the gi top felt a little thin, definitely not as good as the Koral gi, but I wasn't too worried about it. The kneepad reinforcements were pretty nice.
FIT:
Out of the bag the gi fit a little different. The skirt was definitely longer than the Koral and the sleeves were a little shorter. I was worried that if the sleeves shrank anymore that the gi would be illegal by ibjjf standards. The top also had good space in the back and chest area. The pants felt a little tight at first but not too bad and the length was good. All in all I was pretty pleased with the gi. I was hoping that I could get the gi to shrink a little but was so worried about the sleeve length that I decided against trying.
SHRINKAGE:
I washed the gi in cold water and then air dried the gi. I will tell you that this gi will shrink even with a cold wash and an air dry. The sleeves shrank slightly and I feel as though it would be iffy to pass a gi checker. If I T rex armed it I would be fine. The skirt also shrank and the whole jacket became much more snug. The pants also shrank a little by to my surprise, the pants felt great. The pants fit snug in the hip/butt area but still left me with plenty of mobility in the legs. These pants fit like a good pair of fight shorts in the waist/hip/butt area.
TRAINING:
I decided to wear this gi to class and the gi looked and felt great. I didn't roll in the gi because I had to bug out of class early, but I really really liked this gi. I have a gameness feather with the ripstop pants and I am not a fan of them, but I love the JJPG gi. I even like the top better than the Koral.
ISSUES:
After training in the gi I brought it home to wash it. Once again I did a cold wash and an air dry. When I pulled the gi out of the wash, I noticed that the seem on the right arm, about mid forearm, was beginning to unravel. The fold on the seam in about a 1 inch section began to start coming loose. This troubled me greatly. I decided to contact JJPG about this. Of all the gi's I have had, I have never had this happen to a gi after 2 washes and one wear to class. I called JJPG and spoke to someone on the phone and was advised to email [email protected] with pictures of the issue and that they would get back to me by the end of the day. I sent the email off and have yet to have a response. Kind of disappointing because I really like this gi and was going to buy another one when they restock. Here are pics of the issue:
Overall, I really like this gi, but I am not sure of the reliability of the product. I have a buddy I train with whose Uncle does alterations and repairs and I am going to see if he can fix it because I have a feeling I won't be hearing from JJPG. Oh well, guess I'll try the Tatami next.
INITIAL:
When I picked it up at FedEx, the gi, in the shipping bag, weighed 3.4lbs on FedEx's shipping scales. I was shocked. I was even more shocked when I opened the bag and noticed that this included a gi bag in the weight too. Talk about lightweight! When I took the gi out of the bag I was shocked at how soft the top of the gi was. The ripstop material also felt more sturdy than my Koral gi, and the pants were way better than the Koral lightweight pants. The collar on the gi top felt a little thin, definitely not as good as the Koral gi, but I wasn't too worried about it. The kneepad reinforcements were pretty nice.
FIT:
Out of the bag the gi fit a little different. The skirt was definitely longer than the Koral and the sleeves were a little shorter. I was worried that if the sleeves shrank anymore that the gi would be illegal by ibjjf standards. The top also had good space in the back and chest area. The pants felt a little tight at first but not too bad and the length was good. All in all I was pretty pleased with the gi. I was hoping that I could get the gi to shrink a little but was so worried about the sleeve length that I decided against trying.
SHRINKAGE:
I washed the gi in cold water and then air dried the gi. I will tell you that this gi will shrink even with a cold wash and an air dry. The sleeves shrank slightly and I feel as though it would be iffy to pass a gi checker. If I T rex armed it I would be fine. The skirt also shrank and the whole jacket became much more snug. The pants also shrank a little by to my surprise, the pants felt great. The pants fit snug in the hip/butt area but still left me with plenty of mobility in the legs. These pants fit like a good pair of fight shorts in the waist/hip/butt area.
TRAINING:
I decided to wear this gi to class and the gi looked and felt great. I didn't roll in the gi because I had to bug out of class early, but I really really liked this gi. I have a gameness feather with the ripstop pants and I am not a fan of them, but I love the JJPG gi. I even like the top better than the Koral.
ISSUES:
After training in the gi I brought it home to wash it. Once again I did a cold wash and an air dry. When I pulled the gi out of the wash, I noticed that the seem on the right arm, about mid forearm, was beginning to unravel. The fold on the seam in about a 1 inch section began to start coming loose. This troubled me greatly. I decided to contact JJPG about this. Of all the gi's I have had, I have never had this happen to a gi after 2 washes and one wear to class. I called JJPG and spoke to someone on the phone and was advised to email [email protected] with pictures of the issue and that they would get back to me by the end of the day. I sent the email off and have yet to have a response. Kind of disappointing because I really like this gi and was going to buy another one when they restock. Here are pics of the issue:
Overall, I really like this gi, but I am not sure of the reliability of the product. I have a buddy I train with whose Uncle does alterations and repairs and I am going to see if he can fix it because I have a feeling I won't be hearing from JJPG. Oh well, guess I'll try the Tatami next.
