Purchase of Kimono

[KenJeet]

I am about to purchase a kimono for Gracie jiujitsu practice. I have looked into ATAMA, Storm, Krugans, Kagi, HCK, Ouano, and Machado. How would you guys rate these in order of quality? Would you recommend lightweight or heavyweight? I just want to make sure that it lasts a long time.

[KenJeet]

Oops, I forgot to mention Aries.

[dan downard]

I have a kagi and a judo gi I dont need anymore.What size are you?

[Triangle]

The HCK Competition Single ($90)is awesome for practice, but it is thicker than other single weaves, so its suitable for compeition as well. I have NEVER worn out an HCK even after training for years.

There are lots of well made gis out there, but HCK uses a cotton fabric from the far east which is superior to Brazilian or middle eastern cotton. Add to that incredibly tight stitching and a tailored-like fit and you have the best damn gi available, in my educated opinion of course .

Ouano and Atama are nice gis as well.

[John Bennett]

Hey Dan, How does that Kagi compare to the HCK?

Kagi is $85. HCK is $90. I have an HCK and an Atama but was thinking about trying something different for a change like a Kagi or a Torah.

[vortrex]

I just got an HCK double yesterday. I had a krugans before that. the quality of the HCK is more than I had even expected. it makes my old krugans look like it was made of paper towel. I don't know how you could get anything better than the double which I think is still on sale right now for $130, shipping included.

[GinSueDog]

I don't train with a Gi normally, but I use a pair of HCK Gi pants and they are really nice. I was using a pair of Ki Gi pants before and they don't even compare. Plus the HCK is really reasonable in price.-ED

[Karlinhos]

i have an HCK DOUBLE and a SINGLE.

use them accordingly:

DOUBLE for tournaments
SINGLE for training

i've see the atama, krugans and ouano.

my ranking of these:

#1 - HCK (no competition)
#2 - atama/krugans (tie)
#3 - ouano

good luck to you.

TRAIN ON!

karl

[Martial Artist]

I have an Howard Single and a Atama Golden Weave.The Atama is lighter by far.But, most gis are lighter than Howards than Howard Singles.The Howard Single is heavier than most doubles.As for training,I wear both to train.I dont have enough $$ to have 2 training Gis and a Comp. Gi.But,in tournaments I'm going to wear the Atama because of how light it is.But,I bought the Atama for $120.00 about 3-4 days before the Howard Doubles went on Sale.If I could have i would have bought the Howard Double but I am not in any way complaining about the Atama.

[dan downard]

John,I really cant judge the difference.I have only owned the Kagi.The judo gi is my brothers old one from his training days.The judo gi is soft as a babies bottom compared to the kagi.I only wear the gi occassionaly,so it is still stiff.But,the judo gi has the soft thin fabric on the bottom and just wont do too well for all the guard passing.

[KenJeet]

Does anyone know the color of the ATAMA Golden Weave? I've heard it's a very good gi.

[Martial Artist]

Blue and white.

[vortrex]

martial artist...

since HCK is out of my size right now, and I need a smaller jacket, thinking of also getting an atama to tide me over. my HCK is a double, so if I am going to buy another gi I may as well get something other than another double. do you have any more detailed opinions of the golden weave? how is the atama cut as compared to the HCK (wrists looser/tighter, skirt longer/shorter, etc)?

thanks!

[KenJeet]

How about the Machado Kimono? By the way, does anyone have their website address?

[Martial Artist]

http://www.machadokimonos.com.br