The Hierarchy Of Muay Thai Brands?

Hey y'all!

I'm going to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam this summer. Naturally, I plan on scooping up some nice gear while I'm there.

I want to get myself a GOOD set of gloves, shinguard and Thai pads and I'm willing to spend decent loot on those. But I also want to buy inexpensive Muay Thai gear for friends / family members as souvenirs (shorts, bag gloves, wraps, etc).

So can you guys tell me what is the hierarchy of Muay Thai gear? For example, if you were to rank all the Muay Thai brands you can think of and classed them into three categories (high end, middle of the road, low end), what would your list look like?

For example:

1. High EndWindy
Twins
King
Top King
2. Middle Of The Road
Raja
Sandee
Tuff / Kombat
3. Low End
Thaismai
Han

BTW, I'm not saying that my list is correct; I'm just using it as an example. So let me know what you think is the correct hierarchy of Muay Thai brands.

 

Fairtex is the rolls royce of equipment in Thailand. Twins and Windy are also in that top tier and have a long established history in Thailand and they're worn in official stadium matches. You're right about Thaismai, which is at the lower end and is cheaper but still reputable brand and you'll see it everywhere at gyms, especially popular with locals. The newer expensive brands like Boon and Yokkao may be just as good as top tier but they're harder to find and don't have the same brand recognition or reputation.

 

How much would a pair of Thaismai gloves run me in comparison to a pair of Fairtex gloves?

Shukran.

 

Thaismai is about half the price of Fairtex

 

Boon have a good rep but Yokkao are not supposed to be good at all according to a couple of posters on here.There's a review up showing how cracked the leather is on some of their gloves after a few months of use.

Post 13 onwards:

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f67/yokkao-16oz-thai-flag-gloves-1914851/

 

I've been told that, if I shop right, I might be able to find Fairtex, Boon, Twins (etc) gloves for around 30$. Does that mean that I can find Thaismai gloves for 15$?

 

Stick to the higher end brands for durability.

Raja is considered high end as well along with Boon.

 

+1 to this and tone

 

When it comes to ranking the high end, my personal preference is:

Fairtex/Top King, Boon, Twins, and Windy.

Very good list overall though, I am unfamilar with the lower end thai gear.

 

I agree with this ranking except I would put Fairtex at the top without hesitation. Top King and Boon in my eyes are tied for second.

 

How bout FBT and Ultim8? Second or third tier I presume?

 

I have both fairtex sparring gloves, and boon bag gloves. They are on the top of the hierarchy IMO. They use quality materials and their craftsmanship is top notch. The leather doesn't wrinkle as much as other brands do.

 

Fairtex gloves are great except the velcro doesn't last as long as Twins. Fairtex needs to do something about their velcro closure gloves, their velcro doesn't last long at all.

 

I was wondering the same because FBT can be found for very cheap on eBay.

 

Fairtex
boon raja windy
thaismai FBT sandee

 

Also King belongs in the top tier as well but are harder to find. They’re separate from Top King. Apparently the story goes 2 brothers ran King and after personal differences separated and one created the Top King brand. King gloves are the official gloves for K-1 MAX and are perfect for the lighter weight guys because the hand compartment is more compact. In 16oz Fairtex I have to wrap differently (more around the knuckles, less on the wrist) in order to fit properly. I did a review on Fairtex vs King comparison a while back and should pop up in a search if you want more detail.

 

Boon is as good or better quality than any other brand. I prefer Boon and Top King

 

BTW, how does a Thai brand get the name "Boon". Does Boon mean anything in Thai? Or is it named after a foreigner (like Bas Boon perhaps)?

 

If I remember correctly, Boon is actually an Australian brand. I don't like Boons as much as the proper Thai brands because the cuffs are too long and tight, which some guys prefer because they want extra wrist support but for muay thai gloves, the wrists are meant to allow flexibility for clinchwork. A lot of people on here don't seem to know this.

 

Are there brands I should definitely stay away from?