Which Slim-fit Gi?

Hi, it's time for another Gi but this time I'd like one that doesn't fit like a six man tent on my skinny frame.

I'm approx.  5'9'' and 154 lbs. I'm from Scotland and there are very few slim fit suits for my size. 175cm. I was going to go with an Essimo Ippon in slim fit but on flicking through a BJJ mag ( just curious) I noticed a Gi by Fuji. It's called Summerlight in the US and Ultralight in the UK. It looks perfect. It's a slim fit suit is about £55 cheaper than the Essimo and it has very few patches in plain White.

I would really be using it for club use. Would it be an acceptable Judo Gi? I do go to a local competition now and again but I doubt the suit would be measured.  Possible issues being the narrow sleeve, although I like that, but I can't remember the ruling for that? Lighter than the Essimo meaning my training partners would be able to grip easier.

Having said all that I really like both suits. I haven't tried either on of course. Any thoughts or experiences of either suits would be much appreciated.

Thanks

It probably won't be tournament legal.

I'm confused...are Judogis not usually a bit cheaper?

No, I would say judogis are dearer. Good quality ones certainly.

I need to check out the sizing for tournaments etc the more I read the better the Fuji sounds although love the Essimo too.

Thanks.

Here's the official measurement rules and how to use the sokuteiki measuring device.

But basically, the sleeve end has to be within 2"/5 cm of the wrist bone with your arms held straight out in front of you, similarly the cuff end of the pants within 2" of the ankle bone.  You should be able to get a flattened hand edge-wise into the sleeve.

If you are looking for a slim fit, check out the Toraki Personal Gold.  However that's a really heavy uniform.  You can also get the fit you want in a lighter weight through KuSakura but very pricey.

Thanks. I would imagine there would be two inches. I have ridiculously thin wrists/ankles.

The kusakura website isn't great to negotiate, I think it has slim fit but can't see how you order etc. Mizuno also do slim fit through tozando but it would be about £160 ish. And you can't get a very good idea of the suit from photo. It's a bit risky but a good suit I'm sure. Any other recommendations?

Would I be permitted a badge on the rear of Gi in judo comp? The Fuji has on left arm and upper back I think.

I'll check out the Toraki.

you'll probably also want to remove the patches

Stacey wrote:you'll probably also want to remove the patches

How difficult would that be? Is it not sewn into the fabric of the Gi? Possibly painstaking effort required? I'm sure it could be overcome. It doesn't have the diamond pattern on the lower half of the jacket, but to be honest I don't know how important that is. Also, it doesn't have the reinforced seam running down the back. For a training Gi I think it should be fine. Hope to hear from anyone here that has one. If they also do BJJ I suppose.

You've got to be joking. The BJJ gi I have seen are most definitely NOT suitable for judo. They are too tight on the arm, too short on the skirt of jacket and the softer texture overall makes them just wrong. That's before you even get to the badges. 

Don't misunderstand me, if that was all someone had to start training in then fair enough; but for somebody to go out and deliberately choose the wrong gi, verging on the ridiculous.

You're doing judo buy a judo gi.

Most Bjj gi are pretty thin. The one I've got is about the same thickness as a mizuno single weave judo gi, so pretty thin. I wouldn't expect it to last more than a few months at judo. We are a lot harder on clothes. 
My Fushida  tournament fits kind of like a Bjj gi. You might try that.

TheWizardofOdds wrote:Thanks. I would imagine there would be two inches. I have ridiculously thin wrists/ankles.

The kusakura website isn't great to negotiate, I think it has slim fit but can't see how you order etc. Mizuno also do slim fit through tozando but it would be about £160 ish. And you can't get a very good idea of the suit from photo. It's a bit risky but a good suit I'm sure. Any other recommendations?

Would I be permitted a badge on the rear of Gi in judo comp? The Fuji has on left arm and upper back I think.

I'll check out the Toraki.

The two inches is the measure of how short or long the sleeve is.  The measure of how loose it is would be a hand held flat, put in edge-wise into the sleeve.  The formal requirement is 10-15 cm (4-6") of slop.

I'm not sure you can order direct from KuSakura.  I have used budo export which is in French but if you email them they are very helpful and English is not a problem.  You can also order from Kodokan shop but last I checked they were a little pricier.

I do both styles and use a judo gi for both as the bjj gi feels very lightweight and likely to not last long in judo.  I will second the Fushida Tournament gi as a quality gi that fits well.

still learning wrote:
You're doing judo buy a judo gi.

Even if your doing bjj buy a judo gi. I have plenty of bjj gis, but only use them occasionally. They hardly last more than 9 months. I've ripped sleeves, shoulders and skirt on bjj gis. Nothing like that has really happen with any of my double weave Judo gis. Further, I've find that using a good judo gi saves you money in the long run over a bjj gi.

Thanks for all the replies, they are very helpful indeed.

One thing I'd like to clarify is that I'm not trying to confuse BJJ for Judo or vice versa. I'm just looking for a solution to my problem and I don't think it was an outrageous suggestion regarding the Fuji Gi. Point taken though.

Essimo Ippon, Toraki, Fuchida?, Mizuno, Adidas j930s (although I can't find it in 175cm), KusaKura, these are the options so far, I may have missed a few. I think I will probably refrain from the Mizuno and KusaKura as rightly or wrongly I think they suggest a better Judoka than I should be wearing it. For now.

Trawling the web I have noticed the name of Yudan. I have never heard of them and a quick look reveals that it's a Brazilian company and they have a judo gi. I like the look of it as it seems very plain and quite close fitting. However, there is only one photo on their site and it's not great. Also, the text is in Portuguese so I can't garner much info from the site. Does anyone know of any sites referring to this gi or any reviews of it etc.?

Go with the Toraki, man.

I have the fuji BJJ gi you refer to. I like my mizuno single much more. it actually fits much more snugly than the fuji does, and seems much more sturdy. it's just as light, but IMO more comfortable. and it's cheaper. nobody is going to hold it against you that you have a nice gi at any level of experience, and the mizuno single isn't exactly a top of the line gi that people will be intimidated by.

TheWizardofOdds wrote:

Stacey wrote:you'll probably also want to remove the patches

How difficult would that be? Is it not sewn into the fabric of the Gi? Possibly painstaking effort required? I'm sure it could be overcome. It doesn't have the diamond pattern on the lower half of the jacket, but to be honest I don't know how important that is. Also, it doesn't have the reinforced seam running down the back. For a training Gi I think it should be fine. Hope to hear from anyone here that has one. If they also do BJJ I suppose.

get a decent seam ripper and make sure you don't puncture the gi fabric too much, let alone rip it.  The more patches, the more arduous.  And, the type of sewing around the patch will make a difference in terms of how badly you may maul your gi.

rjohnston411 wrote:Go with the Toraki, man.

I've had a right good look around their site and although in keeping with just about every other company in that the photos of the gis are frankly, shit, they've got that measurement thing down. I really like the fact that you can give them your calf/bicep statsin too. I have broad shoulders am very thin in the arms and legs and that makes all but tailor made suits billow about. The only thing I can't locate is shipping fees which is what killed the fushida deal as it put the same again on postage. They have a warehouse in Germany though.

genetic judoka wrote:I have the fuji BJJ gi you refer to. I like my mizuno single much more. it actually fits much more snugly than the fuji does, and seems much more sturdy. it's just as light, but IMO more comfortable. and it's cheaper. nobody is going to hold it against you that you have a nice gi at any level of experience, and the mizuno single isn't exactly a top of






the line gi that people will be intimidated by.

I love the simplicity and the look of the mizunos so it would be good but I can't afford their slim fits. The Nippon is £250 or something. I know what your saying though.

I said nothing about slim fits. I said the single weave fits slim. it seemed to shrink more inward than upward, which to me is a wonderful thing, and hard to find. just don't get the half sizes because they're, well, how do I say this... they're the opposite of a slim fit.

I'm not sure what is going on with the quotation thing but I can't seem to scroll down to the end of the persons quote before I give my reply? I'm using my phone so maybe that.

I think I'll leave the badge/Gi ripping but thanks for the advice. I've been roundly shamed into the more mainstream judo Gi route!

Does anyone know anything about the yudan? I've sent them a message on their site but I think there's little chance if a reply. The only other stockist I've found is bjjprogear or something like that in the US but they seem only to have a big size left. I'd love some info on that Gi.

genetic judoka wrote:I said nothing about slim fits. I said the single weave fits slim. it seemed to shrink more inward than upward, which to me is a wonderful thing, and hard to find. just don't get the half sizes because they're, well, how do I say this... they're the opposite of a slim fit.

I know you didn't. I'm just hell bent on getting one! I think I'm terrified to go any other way than half sizes now as my one and only Gi is a shuurai lite in 175cm and is a pretty good fit for length it's just massive. I feel as if 170 would be too small and 180 too big. I suppose all manufacturers are different but you can't try them on before you buy so it's a gamble.

I don't know what mizuno does for sizing across the pond, but what I mean is they offer things in sizes like 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, etc. what I mean is the _.5 sizes are the wider ones.

I'm 6'-5", 230 lbs (195cm, 205kg 105kg), and my size 6 mizuno single is one of my favorite gi. I wear it whenever I'm expecting a hard workout because it's so light and comfy.

genetic judoka wrote:I don't know what mizuno does for sizing across the pond, but what I mean is they offer things in sizes like 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, etc. what I mean is the _.5 sizes are the wider ones.

I'm 6'-5", 230 lbs (195cm, 205kg), and my size 6 mizuno single is one of my favorite gi. I wear it whenever I'm expecting a hard workout because it's so light and comfy.

205kg.. are you Rafael Silva lol?

damn it, I meant 105.

genetic judoka wrote:I don't know what mizuno does for sizing across the pond, but what I mean is they offer things in sizes like 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, etc. what I mean is the _.5 sizes are the wider ones.

I'm 6'-5", 230 lbs (195cm, 205kg), and my size 6 mizuno single is one of my favorite gi. I wear it whenever I'm expecting a hard workout because it's so light and comfy.

Vin would know.  Hope he can answer here, soon.  He knows his products, both here in the US as well as across the pond