Fuji Gi Review

Just before Christmas, I cashed in a cash-back offer on a credit card I use for business expenses. With a portion of the money, I purchased a uniform from Fuji Sports. I have heard much about them, seen the BJJ uniforms offered as prizes at BJJ competitions, and even read some reviews. A couple of friends who train BJJ have bought them, and they had good things to say about Fuji.

Now, it's my turn.

I purchased the "BJJ All Around" uniform in white. I do not train BJJ, but this uniform is largely devoid of the excessive patches present on most BJJ uniforms.

Looks
It has a very crisp and handsome looking logo embroidered on the left shoulder and the nape of the neck. It came with BJJ patches unattached. I will not be affixing them on my uniform (anybody want some good looking patches?). It is a good bleached white color. Not bright, but not matte, either.

Fit
The fit was superb. I ordered a size "A-4" which is analogous to the traditional martial arts size 6. I stand 6'2" and weigh about 220 pounds. Fuji's size chart indicates the A-4 will fit a person 6'0" - 6'4" and 200 - 250 pounds. I fall right into the middle of that range.

For those wondering, my waist measures 37" and my chest is 48" and the jacket fit around my torso is perfect - complete overlap in front of the folds. A larger person who wants the gi to completely overlap in front would want to order larger. Similarly, a man with smaller measurements who wants the gi to completely overlap should order a smaller size.

The pants were ever-so-slightly long on me. However, I have only a 29" inseam, so this is expected. I would imagine these pants to be a perfect fit for 99% of the folks out there 6' to 6'4" in length. The pants fit around the waist perfectly. I would imagine that someone with a 40" waist or larger would want to move up in size. Similarly, a man with a waist smaller than 36" who wants a snug fit might want a smaller size.

The hand opening at the end of the sleeve is much narrower than the judo gis I have. Makes sleeve chokes... interesting. Similarly, the ankle opening on the pant leg is tapered to a good fit. Speaking of the pants, the knee pad covers the entire front half of the pant leg from the ankle cuff all the way up to mid-thigh. The pants tie-cord is rather plain, but I will upgrade sooner rather than later.

Construction
The jacket material is noticeably thicker and nicer than the single-weave judo uniforms I own. It is not as thick as any double-weave I've ever seen or owned. The pants material is thicker than standard judo gi material... but not too much so. I'd say the difference between an 8-oz fabric vs. 10-oz fabric.

I have lucked out in the past with two Gladiator uniforms from AWMA, which turned out to have very soft jacket material. I'm talking softer than Charmin, man. However, I have another Gladiator uniform from AWMA that is very rough material. The jacket from Fuji leans 2/3 of the way to the softer uniforms. Not the softest I've ever felt, but much softer than your typical judo gi.

Price
This is what amazed me the most. Although a decent judo gi can be had for under $100, the same is not true of BJJ uniforms. BJJ uniforms usually start around $120 - $150, and go up to $300+.

The Fuji All Around gi has a list price of $94 + shipping.

I ordered several belts for my students in an upcoming belt test, in addition to the uniform, so I cannot say what the shipping charges would be for the uniform alone.

Disclaimer
Yes, I ordered a BJJ style uniform.
No, I do not practice, train, or teach BJJ. I have no rank in BJJ.
Yes, I will be wearing my (Japanese) Jiu-Jitsu black belt when I train and teach with this uniform on.
(if I ever decide to take a BJJ class, I'll naturally wear a white belt)

There are some keyboard commandos that make the impression this offends them.

If this is an issue for you, get over it. I do not claim to train or teach BJJ. It is not a BJJ belt. It is a uniform that can be worn during BJJ, Judo, or any other martial arts class. It works perfectly for my class. If this is still an issue, then you shouldn't wear Judo uniforms in your BJJ classes, nor should anyone else. Kinda silly concept if you ask me. Again, get over it. The issue is in your head, and nobody I've ever met on the mat cared.


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