I was in the market for a budget jiu jitsu gi so I decided to give the Bad Boy Standard Single Weave gi a try. At a price point of $120 it is considerably cheaper than some of the other gis I have. Naturally I was worried how much quality would suffer but I had to know if you really get what you pay for with bjj gis. I decided to get the Bad Boy gi in Blue size A3.
Upon first inspection and trying it on, I was quite impressed with this Bad Boy gi. The single weave on this gi was noticeably thicker than any other single weave I have seen (and I have seen quite a bit rolling with a variety of people at my academy). Single weaves tend to be much thinner and less durable than other weaves, generally speaking (see my article that explains the difference between gi weaves). However, the weave on the Bad Boy single felt thicker and harder to grab – a pleasant surprise.
Another thing I liked about this gi was the relatively low-profile and clean design. The shoulder patches added a nice touch, while the lack of the chest patch keeps the front of the gi jacket looking very clean and leaves room for your own patches. I also love the “eyes” Bad Boy logo that is on the front of the gi pants (on the bottom), instead of the typical woven patches down the side of the gi pant leg. This added a touch of uniqueness and the embroidery quality was impressive, given the low price point.
My impression stayed well with my first roll too. The gi felt comfortable and others complimented on the looks and they were surprised when I told them it was only $120. I wish the collar was more firm but I was not surprised as it is made of 100% cotton as opposed to the rubber / EVA foam used in the more premium gis.
The only thing I didn’t like became apparent after my first wash. To put is bluntly, this gi will shrink dramatically. I washed it in cold water and hung dry it. With that, I lost about 3 inches off the sleeves…and we all know how crucial the sleeve length is on a BJJ gi. The length of the jacket also decreased but I was okay with that. So this gi went from a perfect fit to less-than-perfect-but-still-wearable. I was really bummed, but it was my fault because I did not do my research beforehand. Had I known, I would have ordered a size up, then shrunk it in a controlled way until it hit my ideal size (stay tuned for an article on exactly how to do that).
Another thing that I noticed that makes this different than a Pearl Weave (or other hybrid weaves) is the softness and looseness of the weave. I don’t mind the softer feel, but after many washes you can see the weave fraying a little bit. I imagine that if I put this thing into the dryer, the lint trap would be quite full of blue fuzziness. This is a stark comparison to a Pearl weave gi, which (for the most part, depending on brand) has a much tighter weave that stays looking new much longer, apart from the color fade. Which brings me to another point – the color on this gi was very rich and stayed longer than most of my other bjj gis. So the fraying of the weave has made it look a little fuzzier, but it hasn’t becomes less functional…yet.
All things considered I am still happy with my purchase of the Bad Boy Single Weave gi. I just wish that I had ordered a size up…it may have quite possibly been perfect.
Summary
Specs:
- Weave: Single Weave
- Includes: jacket, pants, belt
- Lapel: 100% Cotton wrapped in canvas
- Pants: Canvas
- Drawstring: Canvas (flat, not like a round rope)
- Patches: shoulder, jacket bottom, right pant leg bottom/front
- Shrink-to-fit
Pros:
- Thick weave, especially for a single weave gi
- The blue color looks great, and the color stays longer than other gis
- Great price point
- Very comfortable with fit and softness of the fabric
- Comes with a white belt
Cons
- Shrinks more than expected, even with cold wash and hang dry. If you have a perfect fit right out of the box, then return for a larger size!
- The fabric weave is looser than others…so expect some fraying. It won’t effect how functional the gi is, just will make it look fuzzy.
- Collar is not as firm as most competition gis
Recommended: Yes! The pros outweigh the cons, especially considering the price point. Higher price points will get you a better weave, which eliminates both of the cons. Overall, this is a great gi for everyday jiu jitsu training.
Gallery
Gi jacket and shoulder patch
Single Weave and Collar Detail
Embroidered Logo on Gi Pant
Patch at the bottom of the jacket
BJJSports.com
4 comments
Jiu Jitsu Indianapolis says:
August 21, 2011 at 1:07 am (UTC 0)
Been wanting to know more about this gi. Thanks for the info!
BreakingGuard says:
September 28, 2011 at 11:56 am (UTC 0)
Haha – I love the badboy eyes on the pants – that has to be the best bit of design on a Gi that I have seen for a long time – it just looks so badass.
Chris says:
December 5, 2011 at 10:31 pm (UTC 0)
I’m looking for an A3 BJJ gi now. I’ve seen a couple sites where they say their A2′s are pre-shrunk, but everyone I’ve spoken to tells me a gi will shrink no matter what, so I should go A3.
A good friend swears by Atama, but I’m open.
What would you suggest for a BJJ white belt interested in focusing on gi work?
Thanks for your time,
Chris
BJJGUY says:
December 6, 2011 at 11:59 pm (UTC 0)
Hey Chris,
It’s true that most gis will shrink – to some extent. If a gi says it is fully pre-shrunk, then is you wash it in cold water and hang dry, it should not shrink (well, maybe it will shrink a tiny bit, but not very noticeable). However, if you put a “pre-shrunk” gi in a hot water wash and/or heat dry it, all bets are off. They will still tend to shrink less than non-pre-shrunk (or shrink-to-fit) gis, but you will get some shrinkage.
I would also note that sizing varies from one brand to another, so make sure that you check out the sizing chart for each brand. The only reason to consider sizing up is if fully heat drying your gi is important. That said, there is no guarantee you will be able to shrink it down to the size you want, and it would suck being stuck with a gi that is too big. Once you choose your gi, I would do research on google and the forums to see what experience people have with shrinking that specific gi.
As for Atama, they do make decent products. I have their mundial #9 and I like it (I will be writing a review on it shortly). My only beef with Atama is that they are overpriced. You can get more bang for your buck with some other brands.
If you let me know what you are looking for in a gi (light versus heavy, price range, style, etc.), I’m sure there are a few that I can recommend. For beginners, a good starter gi would be a Bad Boy single weave (like on this post – note that you can get a ton of shrinkage out of it tho), Vulkan Pro Light, Koral Classic, Gameness Pearl, Submission FC Light Gi. If you want something lighter in weight – Vulkan Ultra Light, Koral Light and Gameness Air. You can find all of those BJJ Gis here.
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Alan