Photograph rights and property of Laura Hensen of GRITZ photography.
INTRO
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This thing is just ugly enough to be pretty. Kind of like the Honey Badger itself. Orange and purple highlights stand out perfectly against the black. Classic Tatami patch work and quality. Lightweight, comfortable, and great fit. This bad boy didn’t shrink much or loose any color in the washes. It doesn’t turn stale and feel like sandpaper when you air dry it, either. The stitching and quality are great so all around, I really, really like this gi.
And of course, quality design by the great Meerkatsu. I still haven’t decided if I like this guy or if I’m jealous of his success. It’s kind of funny because I hate him for making great products! I’m jealous of his creative acumen! Too bad his HB v.2 looks even more sic. You can check out his pre-release review of the HB gi here.
DESIGN
Unfortunately, you can’t wear this gi to the Dojo without being prepared to withstand the barrage of Cobra Kai jokes that are sure to be launched in your general direction. Then, waiting for you when you get home, will be the continued Facebook remarks of your latest and greatest gi outing. It only gets better when you wear it back there a second time. The white belt college student who just finished watching Dodgeball for the 1000th time can’t help but call you the leader of the Purple Cobra’s and start throwing medicine balls at your head! Do you know how hard it is to dodge 8 lb medicine balls every time you walk into the gym?!?
The good news is that your Halloween costume is already taken care of for this year. “Joanie loves Chachi!”
In all seriousness, though, the design on this gi is great. It’s toned down from his original HB rash guard (which I also thought was really impressive) which makes it look great. The little tweaks around the Tatami patch of the HB’s crawling over are a nice subtle touch.
COMFORT AND FIT
Photograph rights and property of Laura Hensen of GRITZ photography
This is probably my best fitting and most comfortable gi in my closet right now. It’s a lightweight hybrid weave that fits like a competition uniform. On me, the sleeves and legs go down to where they’re supposed to. Which, you would think, wouldn’t be uncommon. However, most of my gi’s don’t reach the first knuckle of my thumb (like they’re supposed to).
Since it’s a lightweight, hybrid jacket the collar isn’t overly stiff. Which I find kind of nice considering less than a year ago it seemed most designers were trying to make their gi collars as hard and stiff as possible. If you tuck your chin and protect your neck (like a good Jiu-Jitsu practitioner) the collar stiffness doesn’t make a difference. I don’t want to wear a gi that feels like sandpaper. No fears here with the Honey Badger. The Honey Badger don’t give a shit about collar stiffness. One downfall, I found, to the jacket was that the embroidery on the back will rub and irritate your back.
The pants are 8 oz. twill cotton. Which is nice because it keeps them comfortable as well. However, I usually prefer rip-stop. They haven’t torn yet (and Lord knows my training partners have been trying to tear this thing apart) so it’s been a non-issue thus far. IF they tear, we’ll see how well they take to patching. A definite plus to the pants, on top of the cotton comfort, is the drawstring is cord instead of the twill drawstring. Tatami has made the cord fairly standard in their gi’s, which is great because I HATE twill drawstring. They never pull tight enough and they stretch and come loose. It’s habit for me to replace them now with rope from the Home Depot. Good job, Tatami.
PERFORMANCE ON THE MAT
Photograph rights and property of Laura Hensen of GRITZ photography
I really enjoy rolling in this gi. It fits great. It’s not too tight but it’s not super loose either. It’s the perfect mix between a competition cut jiu-jitsu gi and a traditional judo gi. It can take a beating, that’s for sure. The sleeves are great for gripping and because they’re the proper length you won’t have any issues executing that new Ezekiel choke you just learned!
A closing thought, I haven’t found any loose threads in the stitching. Even after multiple wears and washes it hasn’t started to fray anywhere. Which is pretty impressive considering all the embroidery that is on this gi. I gave this gi a vinegar bath for its first wash and haven’t noticed any color loss anywhere either. I don’t know if that’s because of the vinegar bath or because Tatami puts out quality products. Either way, I’m satisfied.
CONCLUSION
Like I said, I really like this gi. Go buy it and wear it often. You won’t be disappointed in the money spent. It’s IBJJF competition legal and fits great. The included gi bag is nice, too. Cobra Kai!
Photograph rights and property of Laura Hensen of GRITZ photography.
Jonny's Jiu-Jitsu 