Very Detailed 2009 Atama Ultra-Lite Review

[chadsxe]

This is the start of a very detailed review of the 2009 Atama Ultra-Lite Gi. There is already a review of the older model up and that can be found via this link Older Atama Ultra-Lite

According to Atama “The difference from the previous Ultra-Lite is the color of the Atama embroidered logo.”

Now for a little back story. I am 6'1 and 1/2" and currently weigh around 182 pounds. This left me with deciding between an A2 an A3. After some research I decided to order them both and try them on for myself. So I ordered an A2 from Atama and had found an A3 deal on craigslist.

A2 – Out of the bag it fit really nice. Sleeves were a just about the perfect length overall jacket length was spot on.

A3 – Obviously this ended up being a tad bit bigger. But still fit relatively nice everywhere.

I struggled forever deciding which size to keep. But after having talked to a few other people on Sherdog the A3 seemed like the smart choice. Had the A2 shrunk at all it would have been shorter then my liking.

One problem. The A3 had a few snags in the threading at the bottom back of the jacket. Kind of hard to explain but there were loops of thread pulled up from the jacket. After having to explain to Atama customer service that I was not happy with this they exchanged it. They were really helpful but I feel like I did get a little ripped off. They agreed to the exchange but made me pay to send it back. Outside of that they were 100% nice and quick to my needs.

This is a picture I took of it. It is not the best picture but it demonstrates what I was talking about. There were three of these loops. The thread is connected at both ends.


So, before sending them back I decided I would take some measurements of the jackets. I made sure that these measurements were spot on.

This is the A2 jacket.
Front

Back


And this is the A3 Jacket.
Front

Back


At this time I did not measure the pants.

[chadsxe]

After having sent the Gi back I got a new A3 5 days later. I doubled checked the jacket measurements against my original ones and they were identical. So the manufacturing is consistent. This time around though I did measure the pants as well.

A3 pants front

A3 pants side


Weight

Pants - 491 grams / 1.08246 lb / 1lb & 1.31oz
Top - 1020 grams / 2.24871 lb / 2lb & 3.97 oz

So yes it is very “lite”.

Currently I have the gi soaking in vinegar and cold water for 30 mins. Yeah I know it’s white so what is the purpose. Honestly I really don’t know. The instructions that came with the gi say

“For White/ Blue / Black / Red Ect Products

Before first wash, soak the kimono in the sink or tub with 2-3 cups of white vinegar and the rest cold water. “

I am guessing there is no purpose of me doing this being it’s a white gi but it can't hurt. Maybe the logos stitched in will keep color better. I do not know.

After I pull it out of the tub I will wash it on cold and hang dry it. Once it is hung dry I will then take all measurements again and post pictures. From there I will decide if I need to shrink the gi via heat. Until then hear are some more pictures.

Jacket

Arm Logo

Black arm trim

Skirt reinforcement

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Arm pit reinforcement

Lapel reinforcement

Lapel

Lapel Logo

Weave

Pant

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Pant Logo

Top Patch

Draw String Loop

String

Bottom Pant

Pant Reinforcement

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UPDATE 8-10-09 8pm - 1st Wash

Well, I have the measurements for the first wash cycle. This wash was done on the cold cycle of my wash machine and was hung over chairs to dry. To be 100% accurate I had a fan in my room that happened to be pointed in the direction of the gi. I did not purposely set the fan up this way but I figured I would mention it because there was a slight breeze going across the gi.

Front

Back


As you may noticed it shrunk up a little bit on all ends. Nothing major though. The pants on the other hand did not shrink at all so I did not make a new diagram for them.

The pants dried in about an hour. Which is amazingly fast to me considering my old pants took multiple hours to dry.

The jacket also dried SUPER quick. I would estimate that it was fully dry in about 5 hours. The lapel dried much quicker than the rest of the jacket which I did not expect.

I feel like I need to shrink it a bit more so I decided to put it back in the wash again but this time I am using the warm setting of my washing machine. FYI my machine has a cold, warm, & hot setting.

If the gi dries by tomorrow I will take to role in for the first time. I will also update tomorrow with new measurements form wash number two.

UPDATE 8-11-09 10:30am - 2nd Wash

I just got done measuring after the second wash of the gi. This wash was done on a warm cycle and hung dry over a chair with the same slight breeze from my room fan as the first wash. It defiantly shrunk up some more.

Front

Back


Again this gi drys so fast. The lapel seriously dries in about an hour and the rest of the jacket takes about 4-5 hours.

I think I will be rolling in the gi today and then come home and give it a HOT wash this time. Be back later with some updates.

First training session 8-11-09 2:00pm

Just got back from training in it for the first time. Some observations....

It is super light. To the point where it is almost like it is not on.

It breathes very well. I actually can feel a breeze of air as I am moving. Other gi’s I have tried in the temperature between the outside of the gi and the inside gi is noticeably different once I start breaking a sweat. Not the case with this one.

The lapel is still a bit stiff and I am thinking this is causing the gi to open up a little when I start moving. I imagine this won’t be an issue once I break everything in.

The pants are every bit amazing as everyone has raved about them.

There is very minimal stretch to the gi.

I just threw it in to the wash on the HOT setting. I feel like I can handle a bit more shrinkage. Like before once it is out and dry I will update with more measurements.

[chadsxe]

Another place holder...

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Hold...

[RogerF]

can you tell me what the diff is between the summer kimono and the ultralites?
other than no seam in the back for the ultralite

[stu3ufc]

very nice review

how do they hold up in sparring


im not a fan of summer lite kimonos because they aren't strong enough to help you break you opponants grip and they become baggy with sweat

[p_ahn]

Originally Posted by stu3ufc

im not a fan of summer lite kimonos because they aren't strong enough to help you break you opponants grip and they become baggy with sweat

not this one, stu.

I have this exact same kimono and it remains light and airy even after you sweat buckets unlike my P&S Light Weight and Shoyoroll Comp Model.
to be fair, the P&S Light Weight and Shoyoroll Comp Model are not technically "summer lite" kimonos.
FYI, I still use my P&S Light Weight happily but am in the process of getting rid of the Shoyoroll.

my Atama Ultra-Lite is my current favorite to roll in due to the extreme heat and humidity.
also, the collar of of the Atama Ultra-Lite is excellent and the lighter-than-single-weave-material is surprisingly strong and rigid, yet remains light and airy, like I mentioned above, which remains a mystery on how the boys at Atama did it.

in fact, I like this gi so much, I am considering buying the blue version of it.

RogerF, go to the Atama website: it's all there.