Gameness

Gameness Gi

A while ago I purchased a Gameness gi from my school as a backup. One to keep in the car for when my others were dirty. I ended up wearing it as much as my Keiko and Koral because it was high-time for my Kwon to be retired.

The Gameness top material is pretty soft, and the collar is very heavy-duty, making it difficult to grab. The pants are somewhat stiffer than my other pants, with a smoother finish. They don't move quite as nicely, and the crotch hangs way too low, making them difficult sometimes. However, they are all-around too big, so I don't get tangled up too much.

The Gameness shrunk alot when I put it in the dryer. The unfortunate part about shrinkage is it always affects length, not width. The result was that the pants are just barely the right length but too wide, still. The top is also still baggy but the sleeves are now much shorter.

Here's a picture of me in my Gameness top and my Keiko A2 pants:


As you can see, the pants (Keiko) fit well, and the top (Gameness) is a little bulged around the middle.

One last reason why I don't really like Gameness: I found out recently that "gameness" is the term used by dog fighters to say that their dog is ready and prepped for fighting. Dog fighting is NOT cool. I took the front patch off my gi right after this picture was taken.

Overall Fit: yuck
Color: white, black, blue, forest green
Patches: modest, "Gameness"
Stitching: so far, so good
Fabric: moderately rough
Pants: ok fit, fairly baggy in the butt; Drawstring: fabric style (as opposed to rope), slightly difficult to pull after washing, easily straightened to fix
Jacket: big, shallow lapels, stiff collar

Gameness Pearl by Georgette Oden

Note: For Georgette's original post, please visit her amazing blog HERE.

FYI, I'm obviously female -- 5'2" 125ish lbs, 34-27-36.

Gameness Pearl gi: I bought it here from GroundandPound.com for about $95 plus shipping. I have a size A1 and it weighs 4lbs.

This feels heavier than my pink Keiko. The kimono is slightly stiffer and feels more heavily woven/thicker, but is still quite silky to the touch. The collar is more flexible than the pink Keiko, but the Gameness sleeves are harder to grab. I'm not as crazy about the pants, which I think have less room for my rear, and also have a self-fabric drawstring that's harder to adjust. I also dislike the belt loops, which are set about 2" apart in the center (I'd prefer them more widely set.) The pants fabric is a little thicker, rougher than the Keiko ones. I like that it doesn't have the big dog patches. I do wish the trim on the pants wasn't fraying though. It didn't shrink much at all, maybe 1" in pants length. The kimono is pretty much the same size it started as.

Here's a shot of the fraying at the edge of the trim down the pants leg...



Grade: B+

Amanda said...

Amanda said...
I'm 5'7" and anywhere between 138-144 lbs. I have wear 3 kimonos right now.

First was the Gameness A1 Single Weave (it's like $75 at Budovideos). It fit really well when I first got it but with hang drying, the sleeves and the pants have become short on me. They would never pass for competition but I like it for training. It's really comfortable but the collar is very easy to grab. The pants have 2 loop holes and each drawstrings has kind of busted out on the side. It's hard to explain but it doesn't seem to affect the performance at all.

My second gi is a blue A1 Gameness Pearl. Unlike my single weave Gameness, I haven't noticed any shrinking at all. The sleeves and pants are still are great lengths for competition. This gi feels heavier than my other Gameness but it is still very comfortable.

My final gi right now is a red A1 Keiko Raca Limited Edition 2009. The pants fit perfectly for me since day one but the jacket was big. I've attempted to shrink it about 3 times now with some success. The shrinkage is very minimal each time (could be good or bad!). As of now, the sleeves are a good length but I feel like the width of the jacket itself is still big. It's definitely manageable though. The jacket closes perfectly on top of each side.

I just pre-ordered a White Ripstock Shoyoroll gi in A1. I should receive that in Dec 2009 or Jan 2010. I'll be sure to let everyone know how I like the fit.

Georgette said...

Georgette said...
I'm 5'2" and vary between 120-130.

Gameness Pearl A1: thick, sturdy, a little big and a little rough. The pants are too long for my tastes, very little shrinkage in the dryer.

Keiko Raca kids' gi (white with pink) M4: My absolute favorite, light and flexible, perfect fit, and instead of a fabric cord, it's rope which slides easily.

Atama summerweight A1: perfect for 100+ degree days in an un-air conditioned academy. Very comfortable, but the sleeves are too long and I have to roll them up.

Badgerland Jiu Jitsu sells some gis in pink and lavender from Pakistan-- in sizes for kids up through adults-- and I like my pink one. Extremely thick compared to my other gis. The top is a little small around the waist but the pants are perfect.
October 13, 2008 12:04 PM

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
I really like your entry... I too have had issues finding a gi as a 5'4" woman, so it's good to get feedback on various gi makers from a woman's point of view. Here's my two cents on the kinds I own:

I have an Adidas women's judo gi that I really like, but it has the typical judo shorter pants and sleeves, the only draw back, other than the fact that the black and white stripes on the shoulders of the kimono tend to wear down more quickly than the rest of the garment.

I also have a Gameness Pearl men's gi in size A1 (they don't make women's) and although I LOVE the construction, specially the round waist ties on the pants, they do NOT work well for women because the pants don't have enough rise in the back (in other words they come up WAY too short and look like you are trying the low-rider jeans look in a gi!). I have to use a pair of gi pants of my husband's that shrank to much for him with the kimono and the pants sit useless in my closet. The kimono is ALMOST too big, so going up a size to get bigger pants isn't an option either. They don't do mix and match sizing. I will note that every guy I know with a Gameness Pearl LOVES the gi, but they don't fit any woman I know because of the pants.