This is a review of my Toraki Blue single-weave judo gi. It was originally posted
here but reposted in entirety here to avoid being a link whore.
In the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu there are a handful of really popular and well known gi manufacturers. Toraki is not one of them. Toraki is a very small Canadian judo gi manufacturer with no BJJ specific offerings. They really concentrate on judo pretty much exclusively.
Which begs the question -- why am I even considering them for a BJJ gi when I have a ton of other options available? I've had experience with Toraki double weaves for some time, since I have a Toraki Silver gi and a Gold gi I use for my aikido training. The lower end Toraki single weaves start as low as $50 and their high end semi-custom stuff is almost $200. The single weave prices are so low that I felt I had to give them a look when I was shopping for an inexpensive "backup" blue BJJ gi.
Differences Between Judo and BJJ Gis
First, let's understand the difference between a judo gi and a Brazilian jiu jitsu gi. Judoka aren't on the ground all the time, in fact they probably spend less than 20% of their time on the ground. For this reason they're not terribly concerned about how a gi works in the guard.
Also, because take downs and throws are such an integral part of the judo game, sleeves and skirts are expected to be a minimum size. Interestingly enough when I just looked this up, the IJF rules stipulate a 10 to 15cm gap between arm and sleeve, which means that you can get away with a lot skinnier sleeves than I originally thought.
Construction
This gi is made in Pakistan out of a single weave material. The pants are very lightweight with reinforced knees, using a 3-loop fastening system. The drawstring is flat, which is unfortunate since I prefer the rope style drawstring used by Gameness.
As with most or all judo gis, the jacket has a vertical seam and a horizontal seam on the back. The sleeves are large, about a half-inch wider than my Gameness Pearl.
The outfit is pretty light, here are the dimensions:
Weight: 4 lbs 5 oz.
Sleeve Width: 8 in.
Lapel Width: 1 3/4 in.
Like most judo gis, the Toraki Blue doesn't have many markings. There is an embroidered (woo!) Toraki logo on the shoulder:
And then another embroidered (woo!) Toraki logo at the bottom of the jacket lapel.
There's another on the pants as well. No huge billboards or stripes.
Shrinkage
Toraki uniforms are not pre-shrunk, so make sure that you don't purchase a gi where you'll be on the high side of the sizing chart unless you plan on cold washing and air drying all the time.
This picture shows the gi as it fits me out of the box. This is a size 4 Blue (one unfortunate aspect of Toraki is that they have three different sizing systems, one for white, one for blue, and one for their lower end stuff, so sometimes you'll see a size 4, size 5, or a size 180). I'm 5'10" and 205 pounds.
Here's a picture after it has been washed one time and dried twice. It's still a little long and loose, but it will probably fit just right after a few more washes, at which point I'll air dry it.
Summary
For $60 ($55 for the white), it's hard to go wrong with this gi. It's sturdy, comfortable, and sized well, and even comes with a white belt (although without the black stripe for putting advancement markers). Yes, it's a judo gi, so you might suffer with slight discomfort from the jacket seams and you'll be at a small competitive disadvantage due to the sleeve size, but realistically these are minor quibbles when you're dealing with a a $55 gi compared to the $100+ typical price for a BJJ kimono from the big names like Koral, Gameness and Atama.
REVIEW: Toraki Blue Judo Gi (w/PICS) 
