Bu Jin Design Gi

I study two different martial arts, aikido and taihojutsu. As taihojutsu has large elements of judo thrown in, which involves far more grabbing and twisting of the gi than does aikido, I have always worn a fairly thick gi. As one of my gis is now beyond repair, I am thinking of a lighter one for aikido. I see Bu Jin Design has both a 8.5 oz. and 12 oz. gi and am wondering about others' experiences with the lighter 8.5 oz. gi. Does it stand up well in aikido practice? How does it compare to a heavier gi? Thanks.

I have one of the 8.5 dogi tops and it's built well, but I sweat a LOT when I train, and it gets saturated pretty quickly. I haven't had any negative experiences with people grabbing it, and it seems really sturdy, but I switched to thicker ones (mine are Bee brand from Midwest Martial Arts) and I'm happier with those. It's also getting cooler in Chicago, and cooler in the dojo, and a thicker dogi helps.

As far as Bu Jin goes, I like their pants more then their tops.

I found the lightweight gi (I have the women's cut style) to hold up pretty well, mine only started to tear a little in the underarms after about 5 years of use and the ties tear a little (they're designed like karate gis) but remain intact. The bujin pants are nice, too. I like the elastic waists.

Dan,

Since the days when I studied with Paul Minkler Sensei, I've bought my gis from Kiyota Co. in Baltimore. They are sturdy, long-lasting, and relatively inexpensive if you receive the bulk discount by getting a group of people to order. However, most of the people at my dojo wear Gis from Bujin and they are top quality, too. You will not be unhappy with the quality of either, I would say.

I prefer the judo-weight gis, personally.

Thanks for all of your input. I think Peter has a point about the cold weather. It is not like Cleveland is any warmer than Chicago, so I will purchase a heavier gi now and maybe pick up the lighter one next summer.