The review will start with the following:
POSITIVES:
1. SIZE: My height is 169 cm and I ordered the size 175cm (4.5). The Gi fits very well. The shoulders areever so slightly out of proportion to the sleeves as it is also accounted wide shouldered people. My shoulders are not wide however the fit is very good. The sleeves have a very nice length to them coming around 8 cm from the wrist bone. The jacket "skirt" has a good length as it is a Japanese cut and does not look small when the belt is tied further down the body. Overall the if you are ordering, go half or one size up.
The pants fits very nicely. The jacket gives a slightly slimmer fit wheres the pants is more roomy and big. There is alot of legroom at the bottom of the pants to give off that slim jacket wide pants look as seen in modern karate tournaments.
2: MATERIAL: The material is great. It is a canvas material. It feels different from the 100% Cotton gis. The cotton is are ever slightly more comfortable. The Shori may tend to hold a bit more sweat in the process of training but it is ideal for competition. It has the brushed canvas look rather than the smooth silky shiny outer material but that's to only be expected in super high premium karate Gis like Hirota etc. The gi is built very well. It is very firm out the plastic packet that it is sent in. Over time it will start to soften abit however it still remains ruggedy with a very nice snap. Don't dry it in the sun, and it will keep the color and the stiffness.
The cuffs on the arms, and the pants have a double layer fold with 10 rows of stitching to ensure it holds its shape. This is something that cannot be found on other brands with this price point in South africa so big ups for Adidas doing this at this price range. The stitching at the bottom of the jacket is stiff and exceptional. It is not flimsy like the Arawaza Gis at this price point. It HOLDS shape. The cuffs on the pants is to die for. It is also double layered and keep that shape very well. Something again no other brands in South africa provides.
3: FIT AND FEEL: The Gi fits well. VERY snappy out of the plastic as mentioned earlier. IT IS LOUD when you start using it. So start using it at home for a couple weeks and wash it. Then start using it at the dojo so you don't attract attention. Again, this is suited more for tournaments.
NEGATIVE:
1: There's something I disliked. Snt sports shoes the picture with a HIGH WAISTED pants which was the reason the Adidas was bought however in the description it says regular waist pants. The Gi comes with a REGULAR WASIT PANTS, NOT HIGH WAISTED, which was a disappointment to me. HIGH Waisted is extremely comfortable when compared to regular waisted pants.
OVERALL:
For the price of R2000 - R2500, I would hands down recommend this Gi over the other brands. Some of the brands like Arawaza and Tokaido don't give off such good quality at this price point. The Adidas has superior stitching and support, better cuffs, better material, better snap, better feel, better weight (heavier) and a better fit and look in my opinion. It offered that slimmer tailored jackets with the bigger pants. It looks AMAZING. The gi does not look Bulky like the Tokaido, tokaido doesn't even have 10 rows of stitching on the bottom of the jackets like the Adidas, and the jackets is very bulky and does not look good. The Adidas fits better than the arawaza and the material is hands down better at this price point. It does it look super skinny and slim like the Arawaza. My Arawaza kata deluxe has shrink from a size 4.5 to a 3.5 over 1 year. The arawaza also has flimsy stitching on the jacket skirts.
Overall, in this price range, Save yourself the trouble and get the Adidas. Other option might be the SMAI KAMINARI X but not sure as I haven't tried on the Gi. Hope this helps the Next Buyer.
