It has been a long time since I have done a gi review on the
blog. I recently had the opportunity to
test out one of 93 Brand's latest offerings the 100 Kilo gi and that was just
the inspiration I needed get on here and share it with everyone. 93 Brand is an American company based out of
New York that was founded in 2012. They
are very well known in the Jiu-Jitsu community for offering basic gi designs
that are not overly flashy. There is
something to be said for simplicity in the design of a gi. As much as I take pleasure
in a gi adorned in eye catching logo patches and a custom look right out of the
box, I also enjoy the ability to get creative and add on my
collection of patches from my gym and various others acquired from seminars, organizations and causes I support. They also offer a full line of gear
not limited to belts, rash guards, grappling tights, and t-shirts. 93 Brand offers some excellent pricing on
their gi's well under the $200 mark. You
can usually purchase their gi's anywhere from $99-140 pretty regularly on
various sites.
Design
If you are Jiu-Jitsu purist then 93 brand has a lot to offer
in the way of getting you geared up and on the mat with little fuss. The 100
Kilo at first glance is a clean, organic look with a well blended combination
of classic colors. It is a solid off white gi with the look and feel of
unbleached cotton, soft to the touch right out of the bag with charcoal grey
contrast stitching and crimson accents on the taping, logo patch and
embroidery. Each sleeve features 93 brand logos embroidered in black, white
crimson and charcoal grey. The bottom of the jacket has some added flair with
the words “position/submission” embroidered charcoal grey and crimson. The cuffs of the jacket, inner portion of
lapels and skirt, and cuffs of the pants have crimson taping and are very soft. All of these
elements provide a subtle but appreciated balance to the look of the gi. The
pants match the jacket well with the contrast stitching, reinforced knee and a vertical 93 brand patch down the front of the right leg rather than down the
side as we might see in a lot of other gi’s on the market.
Construction
Specifications:
As many know, Gold Weave gi's tend to suffer from shrinkage more than almost any weave available on the market. I spoke with George of 93 Brand prior to receiving the gi and he informed me that "the 100 Kilo has undergone two treatment processes since the unbleached fabric tends to shrink quite a bit." That isn't to say it won't shrink but it should prevent any unexpected surprises after being laundered the first few times.- Unbleached natural cotton
- 450 GSM Gold Weave jacket
- 10 oz. twill cotton pants
- Minimal contrast stitching
- Interior seam taping
- Gold Weave lined knee reinforcements
- Gold Weave crotch gusset
- Stretchy para-cord drawstring
- 6 drawstring loops on the pants
Touted as the 100 Kilo gi, the actual weight of the A-1 tested came in right at 2.6 pounds. For those of you who don’t want to make that conversion, that is 1.18 kilograms. Made of 100% cotton, when I opened the package and pulled the gi out I contemplated actually sleeping in it. Generally treated with a finishing chemical, most new gi’s feel like sandpaper and smell like the rubber sole of fresh pair of Keds. The collar itself is very sturdy and thick; no flimsy collar present here. The traditional stretchy drawstring is present here. This type of drawstring seems to be the industry standard these days. In my experience these usually are manufactured to be longer than necessary as I found with the Kilo. That being said, it is easily cut to the desired length and burning the ends makes for an easy modification. The stitching throughout the jacket and pants seems to be very good. I have seen very sloppy work in this area even with some of the most expensive brands on the market. Sometimes it is simply a cosmetic issue and even worse can affect the structural integrity of the gi. Fortunately that is simply not found here with the Kilo. The pants have reinforced knees that run mid-thigh to just 5" above the cuff on the pant legs. I prefer to see the longer, reinforcement to provide additional cushioning and the Kilo does this well. As many know this provides cushion, and additional support for those who like a gi that fits relatively close to the body. If you do prefer that type of fit like I do, then you may be familiar with the added wear and tear that comes as a result of added stress and pull on the flat panels of fabric and critical fulcrum point seams. The crotch gusset is constructed identical to the Gold Weave fabric of the jacket.
I can’t help but refer back to my comment about this gi
being comfortable enough to wear to bed as pajamas…although my wife might
actually be able to defend the middle-of-the-night Kimura or ankle lock I try
in my sleep. That being said, I knew
there may be a chance that the jacket sleeves would stretch during training or
become more pliable after a sweaty high intensity roll. One thing I knew for
sure, I was excited at the idea of NOT getting chaffed to hell with sandpaper pearl
weave on my shoulder blades and elbows! The skirt proved to be a very acceptable length, not too short or too long. The fit in the shoulders is perfect and the overall fit of the jacket does feel a bit roomy for my body type. It doesn't fit me like a competition gi but I think you can get a pretty good idea from the pictures provided. If I have one complaint about this gi it is that I did experience some stretch in the sleeves. Modern day Gold Weave gi's almost all suffer from this due to being manufactured to be "light" and comfortable. I have had the chance to work with most of the current Gold Weaves on the market these days and almost all of them have some stretch particularly when they get damp from training. That isn't necessarily a bad thing if you prefer a very comfortable jacket that doesn't feel like you are wearing body armor. My fix for this issue is to not fret about a little over-shrink in the sleeves to counterbalance any stretch you will experience while training. In order to custom tailor the fit of the Kilo I ran it through 3-4 trips in the washing machine on a warm setting, low spin cycle. I followed this up with trips through the dryer to help steam the material and shrink it down.
All in all my experience using the 93 Brand 100 Kilo gi has been an absolute pleasure. Even under heavy training conditions the Kilo never feels heavy from sweat and doesn't trap body heat. I have used this gi quite a bit over the last 2-3 months and it handled everything I threw at it. It appears to be very durable and hasn't shown any degradation at all.
All in all my experience using the 93 Brand 100 Kilo gi has been an absolute pleasure. Even under heavy training conditions the Kilo never feels heavy from sweat and doesn't trap body heat. I have used this gi quite a bit over the last 2-3 months and it handled everything I threw at it. It appears to be very durable and hasn't shown any degradation at all.
93 Brand offers a great range of sizes for any body type. The original sizing chart can be found at http://www.rollmore.com/93br-kilo.html where you can purchase this gi and other 93 Brand products.
Size Height Weight
A0 5'0"-5'4" 100-130lbs
A1 5'2"-5'7" 125-155lbs
A1L 5'5"-5'9" 125-155lbs
A1F 5'3"-5'7" 110-135lbs
A2 5'7"-5'10" 150-180lbs
A2L 5'10"-6'1" 150-180lbs
A2H 5'7"-5'10" 200-230lbs
A3 5'10"-6'1" 175-210lbs
A3L 6'1"-6'4" 185-220lbs
A4 6'1"-6'3" 215-250lbs
A5 6'3"-6'6" 240-270lbs
*Note that all measurements were taken after shrinking the gi down for my use.
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