Gi Review - Padilla & Sons Ultra Light

Short Review: This gi is plain, well-built and affordable, further justifying Padilla & Sons long-standing reputation for quality. As you'd expect from the name, the Ultra Light also has the advantage of weighing less, due to the lightweight jacket and ripstop trousers. It's large out of the box, especially the trousers, so you'll need to shrink it. You might also want to chop down the drawstring, which dangled past my knee. Like the other Padilla & Sons I've owned, the fit is fairly baggy and some may not like the longer skirt, though that's something I'm used to from regularly wearing judogi to class. Available to buy direct from the Padilla & Sons website, here, for $100.

Full Review: In my ongoing hunt for plain, white and functional gis, Padilla & Sons was the opening entry. I bought my gold weave back in 2007, meaning it was the first specifically BJJ gi I had ever bought. I was convinced by reading a few reviews, particularly this one (still probably the best gi review ever written, given how many people bought a Padilla & Sons gi on the strength of that post) which spoke highly of the durability, price and excellent customer service. I found all three of those to be true after getting my gold weave, so ended up buying a single weave a little further down the line. It is now 2011, but both gis show no sign of wear and tear, except for some slight discolouration on the inside of the jacket.

Company founder Joe Padilla is a black belt under Rigan Machado. He has an extensive history in martial arts, as IIRC, Padilla has also done judo, boxing, arnis and kempo. Back in October 1998, he produced a double weave, sold locally in California. The following year, Padilla & Sons expanded into the rest of the USA and Europe, but still on a very small scale. The company took a hiatus for a few years in 2001, starting back up in 2003.

When Padilla & Sons were building a reputation for solid, affordable gis at the turn of the millenium, BJJers wanted a suit of cotton armour that could go the distance. That meant heavy double-weaves, built to last rather than for weight limits or hot weather training. Trends have changed considerably over the years: more recently, there has been a boom in lightweight weaves, the lightest of which is the ripstop.

Padilla & Sons have entered that market with their suitably named 'Ultra Light'. The jacket is one piece, constructed from 400 gram cotton, so there is no seam on the back. The collar is cotton under ply, of a comparable thickness and stiffness to my Padilla single weave, covered in ripstop material. The trousers are also ripstop, as are various areas of reinforcement, such as on the trouser and sleeve cuffs. As I would expect from Padilla, those reinforcements all look very solid, with plenty of stitching.

Joe Padilla is famous for his customer service and rightly so (although as I was sent this for review, it was a slightly different scenario to the previous two times). He provided a tracking ID for the parcel, so I could watch it travel from Los Angeles right through to Bristol, meaning I knew exactly when it was going to be arriving and whether or not I'd have to pay any customs charges. I did get hit slightly with VAT, but not as badly as I was expecting at just under £30 (around a third of which was a dubious 'handling fee' from Parcel Force). However, that potential cost is worth keeping in mind if you're buying from outside of the USA.

There is a broad range in the size chart, from A0 (4'5"-5' and 75-110 lbs) through to A6 (6'5"-6'9 and 290- 325lbs). I went for an A2, as my gold and single weaves are also A2, but I think in future I may go for an A1 instead. Either way, it would be wise to check with Joe Padilla before you put in your order: I can pretty much guarantee that he'll respond quickly with the advice you need. When I bought my first gi, he even offered to call me to discuss the right size, despite the fact I was living in the UK and he's in California.

This gi is not pre-shrunk, so it feels big out of the box. The trousers in particular are enormous, at 100cm in length. The jacket is pretty long too, at 82cm, while from cuff to cuff is 165cm: however, it didn't shrink as much as I expected. The length of the jacket didn't really shift at all. After the first 40 degree Celsius wash, the gi dropped down to 98cm long trousers and 160cm cuff to cuff. The second time, the trousers reduced to 96cm, while the jacket remained about the same. I would expect further shrinkage in future washes, going by my other two Padilla & Sons, or I may try throwing it in the tumble drier: I'll update the review if so.

A major attraction for me is that Padilla & Sons don't slather their gis with advertising. There are only two bits of embroidery, featuring the Padilla shark. On the trousers, there is a mercifully small patch (also on the jacket lapel), rather than the huge billboards common to many other gis. The design is slightly different to the single and gold weaves I own, as rather than a shark on the arm and then another encircled by text at the bottom of the jacket, the embroidery is on both arms.

The 'Padilla & Sons' logo has changed since the gold weave, with a new design which I think was first brought in for the lightweight weave. I prefer the earlier version, but it's easy enough to remove if I ever decide to do so. Another difference is a large inner label that sits just behind your neck, which I found slightly itchy. I would expect that to lessen over time, but if not, as with the embroidery I can just pull out the stitches. The information on the label is at least useful, as it gives washing instructions, which I haven't often seen on gis.

Ripstop trousers tend to become a stiff when wet, which you'll notice after you take them out of the wash. Nevertheless, I didn't experience any discomfort during training, which has also been the case with the other two sets of ripstop trousers I own (on the Predator and Gorilla ripstop, both of which feel a little softer than the Padilla & Sons trousers). I guess it depends how much you sweat. The drawstring is enormous, so you may find you need to cut that to a more convenient length. I often worry about ripstop tearing, as I'm still not that used to wearing it, but the Padilla & Sons trousers have held up fine so far. That includes two classes on passing the guard, meaning the material by the knees was getting scrunched up and yanked for about three hours.

If you're looking for a plain, well-made gi for a fair price, then Padilla & Sons are tough to beat. This gi is ideal for people who cross-train in judo, or who don't mind a looser fit, but you might be less keen if you're used to your gis clinging tightly to your body. Available to buy direct from the Padilla & Sons website, here, for $100.

Gi Review - Padilla & Sons Single Weave

Having been so happy with my gold weave, I was keen to order a single weave from Joe as well. Like before, I needed to go through PayPal direct to Joe, but because I'd already done it once, I had no qualms about doing so a second time. Joe even gave me a slight discount due to having bought from him previously, so I got my single weave for £52 ($100), which includes postage to the UK. Available to purchase from the MatRat site.

It arrived about ten days later, during June 2008. I put it straight into a 30 degrees celsius wash, then spun dry on low heat for ten minutes to shrink it down. I washed it three more times after that, spin drying for two more ten minute low-heat cycles. The fit was pretty good after twenty minutes, but I like the gi to be relatively tight, so did a third run of ten minutes and finally two sets of five minutes on high heat.

An immediately clear difference between this and the gold weave, aside from the obvious reduction in thickness, is the large seam down the back. However, having rolled in this gi for four months, I haven't noticed any discomfort from the additional fabric, so clearly its cut in such a way that the seam doesn't dig into your skin or make the gi any stiffer.

The gi trousers initially seemed a little more prone to bobbling on the knees, which I at first thought might indicate they're a good bit thinner. However, that has calmed down after a few washes and months of training, as the knees now look the same as on the gold weave trousers, so I'd guess it was just a matter of washing and drying rather than thickness. They're reinforced in the same way as the gold weave, which is true for the rest of the gi. The extra cloth on the armpits, crotch and knees further adds to durability.

Instead of the fastened loops on the gold weave trousers, they hang loose on the single weave, but that's a fairly trivial distinction. It does at least mean I can distinguish between the two, as otherwise there isn't any way – at least to my uneducated eye – to tell them apart (along with the Padilla shark logo being a slightly difference colour than on the gold weave).

I've found the Padilla & Sons single weave comfortable to train in, well-fitting and so far, durable. There hasn't been any wear or tear up to this point, the threads haven't unravelled or otherwise become loose, and the embroidery has remained as good as new. I would be equally happy to recommend this gi along with the gold weave. Which one you go for depends on how thick and heavy you like your gi. They both have a more judo style cut than some other BJJ gis, with a longer skirt on the jacket. Particularly given its low price tag, this is an excellent product.

Along with the main pic of me wearing the gi (not quite sure why I have the belt so high, but meh), here are some pictures of the seam on the back (rear of the gi on the left, inside of the gi on the right):

Gi Review - Padilla & Sons Gold Weave

I bought my first Padilla & Sons gi back in September 2007. The excellent Smash Pass review served as a very convincing advertisement, having been alerted initially by a post over on MAP. Due to all the positive feedback on the internet, I decided to go for this gi as my next purchase.

As I’d been hearing from several sources, Joe provided excellent customer service, sending me a series of polite, professional emails confirming the size (I am 5'7 and 65kg, so bought a 4, which is equivalent to an A2) and giving me shipping details. He even offered to call me (from the US) to further discuss sizing options. Though I said it was fine to email, I was impressed he was willing to do that, and judging by what I've read other people say, its something he's done a lot. There were a few problems getting the right shipping through the MatRat site, so eventually I just went through PayPal: the gi is only $80, so even with $37 shipping to the UK, it remains a reasonable price. In English money, that’s just under £60 total. This is significantly cheaper than other gis of a similar quality: Atama, Koral etc are all well over $100 (see Smash Pass for comparative pictures of Padilla, Atama and Koral, going through collar width, reinforced areas etc), and then you have the shipping on top. I can think of numerous people who have paid more than £100 for a Koral.

My gi arrived shortly afterwards (I was on holiday at the time, but I don’t think it was more than a week or so), securely wrapped. I didn’t get hit by any taxes, so my expenditure stayed at just £60. Inside was not only my gi, but some kind of grip exercise device Joe had thrown in (that would normally cost about $5.95), a Padilla & Sons patch, and a list of washing instructions (cold wash only, drip dry, avoid using the spin drier). Washing it once at 30 degrees C seemed to shrink it sufficiently, as my gi has fit well ever since.

It was thinner and lighter than I expected (but still strong), and also comfortable – there was none of the abrasion I get from the Katama. It is also not overly doused in patches, which is definitely a plus point: I prefer a gi that is as plain as possible. I haven't noticed any wear so far, after six months of use.

Perhaps most importantly, despite the good quality (Smash Pass, backing everything up with pictures, rates it as on the same level as Atama and Koral, if not better), its cheap. $80 in the US, and as mentioned, cost me less than £60 despite shipping to the UK: the single weave is even less, at $70. Also, Joe gives great customer service:

There are lots of other glowing reviews across the net, such as NHB Gear, and Joe also made a post on The Underground. As those tend to disappear (I think you have to be a pro member to see older threads), I'll quote his two posts on that thread:

My fabrics are manufactured per my specifications. The Gold Weave fabric in white and blue are a weight of around 700 to 770 grams per meter at 60" inches wide. My single weave fabric is around 650 grams per meter.

From an engineering standpoint tear values can be set by applying weight to a sample piece of fabric to determine the point where it will tear or begin to fatigue. Comparing the two fabrics that we make, the single weave textile is slightly stronger.

The Gold Weave is heavier in weight but has more of an open weave. This results in a softer more pliable feel. My uniform's quality, workmanship and life cycle are equal to the standards of all major manufacturers.(just a little better) :-)

Regarding [...] our collars, [...] we came up with a design standard after receiving numerous requests about the super thick rope like collars that are really uncomfortable and start to fray after a few years.

Please call me personally anytime with questions or comments about our products.

Special discounts to active military and law enforcement. Thanks to everyone for giving us the opportunity!

He followed that up with:

[...] Our single weave is more of a tapered fit across the chest, but not too constricting.

Our Gold Weave model Jacket has one piece pattern and has a shorter skirt length. Our cut gives enough room in the chest area. I think this is important for mobility. Please check out our website.The pictures give a good reference of overall fit. The Black Hybrid is a 16oz. black canvas training uniform. It is the snug fitting kimono in our product line. For everyday training it is my favorite.(less to grab) :-)

As this is so much cheaper than a lot of the other brands out there, I try and recommend Padilla as often as I can. I plan to buy a single weave next (update: review here), so I can then compare that to my current gold weave: from what I've read on the net, its an equally high quality product. Available to purchase here.