Product tested: MKimonos White Palladium Weave Gi. Price listed in the original review: $210. Manufacturer listed: mkimonos.com.
The huge trend these days among gi manufacturers is to go lighter and lighter. The idea is that those few ounces will allow you to make weight, or make it more comfortable to train in during the summer months. But lightweight gis have some definite drawbacks. First off, they don’t wear as well as normal or heavier gis. Second if the fabric is too lightweight, it can be a disadvantage to the person wearing it since it’s much easier for their opponent to get a good grip on it that’s sometimes unbreakable. With those points in mind, MKimonos, and more notably Luciana Machado Simon, the owner of MKimonos decided to go heavy and produce a new “Palladium Weave” gi that will wear like a tank and make life difficult for the opposition.
Size and Shrink
Our test gi was an A3 size gi. We followed MKimonos’ gi care instructions to the tee, washing in cold water and hang drying. After three wash and dry cycles we measured things out and noted quite a bit of uniform shrinkage across every measurement. The overall shrinkage in the torso and sleeves left the sleeve length relatively short for an A3. It turns out my sample was one of the first to leave the factory and MKimonos has since modified the cut for this fabric adding two inches to the sleeve and pant length.
Quality
My first impression of the Palladium was that this is a gi I can pass down to my grandkids. Its heavy weave posed a challenge when it came to folding it into my gi bag. The Palladium weave features a gold weave “waffle” pattern. At first, the weave felt a bit abrasive, but has softened up since my first roll in it. The gi jacket is a one-piece construction. There’s no “Setsugi” stitching up the back and no separate skirt across the bottom. The stitching on the jacket is all double and triple stitching everywhere. Reinforcement material is found under the armpits, above the slit in the skirt, and around the shoulders and collar. Speaking of the collar, the collar/lapel is made from fabric with a tougher canvas top. It’s thick, but within IBJJF specs. At the sleeve’s cuffs there’s canvas reinforcement tape that measures over an inch wide. Its extra thickness helps with durability and should make getting a good four-finger grip a little more difficult for your opponent.
The pants are made from a medium weight cotton canvas. We’d guess it’s about a 12oz. material, but MKimono wouldn’t confirm for us any of the material weight specifications. That’s secret information they’d like to keep close to the vest. Regardless of the exact weight, it’s a soft material, comfortable after a few rolls, with plenty of room all around to maneuver. The material is doubled up in the front of each leg from above the knee down to the cuff. All of the seams are triple stitched. A one-inch band of extra material runs around the inside of each pant cuff. Two belt loops at 11 and 1 o’clock help to fasten the rope drawstring. I’m a fan of the rope drawstring, they do loosen up a little easier than the flat drawstrings, but I’m a fan anyway.
Overall, the stitching and construction looks very good. The stitching thread is white like the gi itself. Contrast stitching shows all the flaws very easily, so it does take a better eye to find the imperfections on a gi like this one. As hard as I tried to find anything amiss, the stitching and construction all looked pretty good. There was a little excess stitching in the seams of the pants that could be cleaned up a bit, but aside from that everything looked very good.
Style and Design
The first thing that comes to mind when I look at the Palladium’s style and design is, “old school.” As for style it doesn’t get more classic. All white, with white stitching. One small patch on the hip of the pants. One small logo on each sleeve at the bicep, and one small patch at the bottom of the lapel. If you’re looking to make a fashion statement at the dojo this gi may not be for you. If you want classic understatement then this is the winner. Another upside to the clean design is if you’re the type who likes to patch things up yourself. In that case, the Palladium, as with all MKimonos, is a clean canvas.
Shrink Me?
Measurements before and after three washes at 65°F, followed by hang drying. Letters correspond to the original measurement diagram.
A: 62.5 inches new → 61.25 inches after washing.
B: 36.25 inches → 35 inches.
C: 25.5 inches → 24.25 inches.
D: 26.5 inches → 24 inches.
E: 38.5 inches → 36.25 inches.
Roll with It
I got to roll in the Palladium at least a dozen times over a few weeks. Between each roll I laundered the gi in cold water and then let it air-dry. It did take a long time to dry, about a day and a half each time in the cool southern California springtime. The first time I rolled with the gi I couldn’t figure out why I was sweating so much. After a few of my sparring partners pointed out how tough it was to get a good grip of my gi jacket, it clicked. The Palladium weave isn’t for the timid that’s for sure, especially with the summer months upon us. The shrink in the sleeves and pants was a bummer, but with the cut already having been changed from MKimonos, anyone purchasing this gi should not have that issue. Despite the shorter sleeves and pants I was rocking during testing, I found I had very little problems breaking my partners’ grips. That’s not to say this gi is grip proof, it’s just that you won’t give anybody an advantage of getting a grip they don’t necessarily deserve like with a lightweight gi. On the wear side of things, everything is tiptop. I wouldn’t expect any notable wear points after only a dozen rolls, but any defects would have appeared by now. I imagine this gi will be around for a long, long time.
All this talk about the Palladium being so heavy and thick you would think that it would weigh a lot more than most other A3’s. In reality, it only weighs in at 5.10 lbs. That’s about 6-8 ounces more than most single weave gis. The only time this gi feels “heavy” is when you’re sweating, because it doesn’t dry as quickly as a thinner gi, so once that fluid is absorbed it stays with you.
Conclusion
I can definitely see the Palladium making a regular appearance at my academy. Maybe not on the hot days of summer, but definitely the rest of the year and at tournaments. Its durability and construction should provide years of use and its weave qualities should provide an edge, even the slightest, in competition. At $210 it’s definitely not cheap, however, considering its quality and durability, it’s definitely a solid value.
Verdict
Definitely built to last. Not the fanciest gi on the market, but by far the cleanest. Palladium weave will leave your competitors wondering where their grip strength went.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5.
