Depending upon who you ask, the “best” gi at any given time will be something that fits them well, incorporates what are considered the latest features and has a good balance between cost and quality (in other words, if it’s inexpensive, some cost cutting in the design/construction is expected and forgiven).
I’ve tried a ton of other BJJ kimonos, but my favorites over the years remains the Gameness Pearl. I own two. I picked up the first one shortly after I started training in BJJ, so I’ve had it for about 3 years now, I’d guess. The second one is a couple of years old. The only noticeable wear on the older one is some fraying beginning to show on the lapels. Otherwise, both still look great, fit great and have worn very well as a part of my regular rotation.
My wishlist of the top three “light” gis I’d like to buy was narrowed down to the Gameness Feather (the new version of the Pearl), the Vulkan PRO light gi, and the Bad Boy Pro Series Lightweight Gi. I’ve seen all three gis in person and they all seem really nice, so it came down to price and brand loyalty for me. The Gameness Feather is significantly less expensive than either of the other two choices.
I’m 5’10” and about 185 lbs. I’d say I have an average build. I have shorter legs for my height, but nothing too crazy. I purchased an A3, which according to the Gameness sizing chart will fit guys between 5’10” and 6’ tall, and 167 to 200 lbs. Quite a range.
The Gameness Feather out of the bag was big for me. I don’t remember honestly whether the Pearl shrunk at all when I first got it, so I was a little nervous. Around the waist and in the shoulders, it was too big. The sleeves were 2 to 3 inches too long and the pants were a good 2 inches long, as well. After washing in hot water and machine drying, It shrunk up to just where I want it. It fits perfectly now.
The gi top was soft out of the bag, but the pants were really stiff. The ripstop fabric is super light, but it was like a starched shirt. The top is a tight weave fabric that looks to me like the pearl weave I’m familiar with. After the initial wash, the pants didn’t let up at all, and if anything, got stiffer, while the top softened up even more.
Quick tip for anyone thinking about dying a gi, you should plan to wash them and dry them completely to shrink them up. If the gi you’re thinking about dying has been line dried and you’re worried about shrinking it up, you might not want to dye that gi. Chances are, like my A2 Shoyoroll, you’ll dye it and end up having to sell or give it away because it shrank too much.
Anyway, back to the Feather, the dying process is rough on fabric and the gis come out of it like cardboard, but washing it with the Milsoft fabric softener brought it right back. Subsequent hot washings doesn’t seem to have shrunk it much more, if at all.
hey man, my krugans is lookin’ fugly cause it’s white and got the dirty hands on the grip / sweat stains on it…
wanna try and dye its some funky color for me?
oops i meant “on the color from grips”
sorry, my “easily being distracted” is kicking in….
what was I talking about….?
damn and I can’t even spell
COLLAR
Put down the whiskey and step away from the bar!
Of course, mike. We’ll work it out. Better wash that fugly thing before you come buy the house, though!
yeah dude I wash it after every use.
its kinda like the yellow stain in the under arm of your shirt…just gross to look at.
We’ll talk.
Wow, the color turned out nicely
I really like that wedgewood blue. It’s sort of a flat, light blue. Pretty much the same color as my first VW bug…
Steve what color dye and brand did to use? Thanks
@darrell. It’s a procion mx fiber reactive dye purchased from dharma trading. Color is wedgewood blue.
Is the feather or the gameness air legal for the Pan Ams?
I’m a little confused about your tip on shrinking and dying a gi. Do you mean that you should shrink it to size before the dying process? Or expect it to shrink to size as part of the dying process? Thanks, your blog is very helpful as I’m getting ready for my first attempt at dying a gi.
Kind of both or either, Robby. It’s really a cautionary thing for people who buy their gis to fit just right and hang dry them. The dying process works best with heat. The color is deeper when you dye in hot water, and the color seems to set better when you wash it the first couple of times afterward hot.
So, I guess what I was getting at is really just to plan for the shrinkage as a part of the process. I’ve failed to do so twice and given away some pretty cool looking kimonos as a result.