I think everyone agrees that Jiu jitsu is best learned with the gi. Even one of the best in No Gi Tournaments like Marcelo Garcia would agree that nothing compares to the precision that the gi provides for beginner to elite Jiu jitsu practitioners. Over the past two years, I read lots of reviews online about gis that would fit my budget. Considering that most gis we purchase from the Philippines come from the US, the shipping cost is just too much to handle sometimes. A $100 gi would suddenly end up as a $200 gi at the end the line, with all the legal responsibilities that you need to pay settled.
I started the Tropic Lightweight Gi primarily because of the logistics problems we faced. Secondly, I find it a great thing to share to other people a solution that worked well for me. The gi might not be released officially to most of the countries but my vision is to always provide the most budget friendly (but more than) feasible solutions to problems I see.
If you will ask me, I really find the gi at par with its counterparts in the market. It is 1.7 kg (for a2) and can be considered lightweight. Since I want to shave less weight in order to stay healthy as a competitor during tournaments plus the fact that it is really hot in the Philippines most of the time; the Tropic Lightweight Gi provided solutions to the problems I faced as a grappler.
As for the durability of the gi, it holds well against other brands. For the jacket and pants, we engaged both on durable 450gsm preshrunk pearl weave fabric plus rip stop material for the pants. For the thread, we made use of Kevlar threads and added a bit of funk using a contrast color. Yellow contrast stitching was used for the blue gi, red on the black gi and green on the white one. In addition to these things, the stress points were triple stitched.
As for the design, we’ve made use of taping by the edge of the sleeves and the gi and also the pants. As for the embroideries, we have them on four spots: one on the pants and three for the jacket. I sent the gi to GiReviews.net last Wednesday last week and hopefully it reaches them on time with the 3-4 business days that the guys from JRS Express promised.
For guys who are looking for a gi, feel free to drop us a line on Manila Kimonos Facebook Page. You can also email us: manilakimonos@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter. The site is still under construction and the store is still not yet officially open for international orders since we are trying to find the best forwarders that could give us the best price for their services.
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