Monday, February 7, 2011

Fenom Lotus A1/A2

UPDATE: So Triin offered to send me a once-washed A2 for free, as a replacement (I would only have to pay for shipping). Can you say awesome!?!? It just arrived today, and it seems to fit much much better. I'll do a full review (see below) once I roll in it a few times and wash it. But regardless of how it fits, she totally made a customer for life (I'm definitely going to be rocking a Fenom t-shirt soon if the gis don't fit).

So as a welcome back present from summer break at home, my boyfriend (in Tennessee, where I go to school) got me a Fenom Lotus A1. SQUEEEEEEEEE!!! I had only wanted it for months, and I was excited to finally get one. Since my second gi didn't really fit me so well, I was hoping this one would.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. I'm ~110 lb, 5"4', with long limbs and a short torso. The pants were rather short, as were the sleeves. Asides from that, though, the gi was very nice. The material was light and yet felt strong, and I loved the F design. I wore it (and competed in it once) for about four months, but I just sold gave it last week to a 14-year old girl, who fit into it better than I did. This will give you an idea of why:

I e-mailed Triin about any difference in pant sizes for the black and the white gi, since I really like Fenom but can't get another gi that fits this short on me. She responded promptly (less than an hour), telling me that the first batch of Lotus gis were inconsistent in shrinkage--some shrank a lot while other didn't shrink at all. The Classic (black) gis are cut longer to begin with, so I'm waiting to hear back from her about the return policy. If all goes well, I'll likely get the Fenom Classic and post here when I do!

Updated review: The A2 fits much, much better. The length is just about right, although it is a tiny bit...busty for me (I can totally deal with that). It came washed once, so I don't know the original lengths, but I washed it in cold water and hang dried it and it didn't shrink any more (if at all).  Rolling in it was wonderful--it was as light as the A1, the drawstring was actually better (I really like this one!), and it will probably be my go-to gi, especially now that spring is coming.
Measurements:
Pant length: 33.5"
Inseam: 23.5"
Waist: 40"
Jacket length (as measured down the midline of the back): 28.5"
Sleeve length from collar to cuff: 25.5"

And pictures:


The sleeves are just about the perfect length for me.  Pants are a tad on the short side, but that's probably better just as long as they're tournament-legal.  I would definitely recommend this gi to anyone who is thinking about it.

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