Summary
Platinum Jiu Jitsu produces premium limited edition gis with amazing features. It’s as simple as that. Their materials, styling and functional features make their gis worthy of collection. If you are on the market for a gi, I highly recommend considering Platinum Jiu Jitsu.
Disclosures
This Gi was submitted to me free of charge (by way of gireviews.net) for review. I have never done any work with or for Platinum Jiu Jitsu
Introduction
Platinum Jiu Jitsu does not make simple, toned down products. Their products have loud designs. Their main logo is a skull. Their brand screams cockiness. Here’s where it gets interesting: they back their cockiness up. Their gis have the most beautiful sublimated liners and the very best materials and features. Also all of their products are numbered, so you know you are actually getting a limited product. I was very curious to see how their quality would stack up, and like everything else with this gi, it did. Oh it did.
The Platinum Jiu Jitsu Aqua is one of the most amazing gis I’ve ever seen. These guys are on point. As an aside they also sent me a pair of vale tudo shorts with the trial gi, I didn’t wear them to train but the fabric and fit are excellent
Fit
I’m 6’1, 195. The best fit for me is an A2L. This gi is an A3, but it fit me just fine. Maybe an A2L would have been a bit better, maybe not. Of the A3’s that I’ve sampled this is among the ones that fit me the best.
A: 7
B: 29.75
C: 31.5
D: 24.25
E: 24
F: 12
G: 9
H: 38.75
Design
There is nothing subtle about this gi, and I think it’s awesome. Platinum Jiu Jitsu uses a few motifs.
For starters the shoulders of the gi has 808 (an area code in Hawaii) scrawled on them in a complex font. Under that 808 embroidery, they have a circle with a skull inside of it embroidered on each sleeve. A version of this skull is also on each hip and on the body of the gi. The back of the gi has a bird (perhaps a stork or a swan) embroidered on it near the right shoulder. Kind of a random addition to the design but a beautiful embroidery nonetheless.
The inside is where the party’s at. Wall to wall sublimated rash guard material of the very highest quality, this specific gi has an ocean theme. The inside of the gi looks like an ocean scene and it’s absolutely breathtaking. The designs of most (if not all) of Platinum BJJ’s rash guard liners are done by a graffiti artist called Katch 1.
The pants are a nice cottony ripstop and have every single feature I like in a pair of gi pants… I’ll get more in depth with them later.
The color theme of this gi is white, blue and black on the outside, and dozens of colors on the inside. The contrast stitching is blue, the seamtape is a satiny blue with white writing.
Jacket
This gi top is designed for beauty but built for war. The lapel is one of the thickest lapels that I’ve sampled, and it mergest right into the rashguard lining providing a really nice protection from lapel grips.
To be honest, I was very apprehensive when I first received the gi. I was concerned that the beautiful rash guard lining would wear poorly given the friction between my body and the inside of the gi. I found that the material is some of the most durable rash guard material I’ve ever seen. I tested the gi out heavily for over 6 months and the lining still looks like it did the day I got the gi. Perhaps my only “durability” complaint is that the gi is white and white gis get dingy over time, but that’s not a Platinum BJJ problem that’s a white gi problem.
This top is not IBJJF legal, but there are plenty of tournaments that I could wear it to and it’s a pain to choke me with it. In spite of being 450 GSM the gi has a very substantial feel to it, and in spite of having two layers is very comfortable even in hot weather as the rash guard lining wicks away sweat nicely and doesn’t insulate much at all.
My one and only complaint about the gi is that they didn’t choose to finish the borders of the rash guard lining inside the sleeves, rather you can see the tailor’s marks on it. Not really a big deal, but I’m nitpicky.
All of the piping, the eva foam lapel cover, the ID pocket and the outer taping at the bottom of the skirt are ripstop. The branded seamtape on this gi is silky smooth.
Perhaps one of the neatest features on this gi is that it’s a limited edition. Number 13 of 60 to be precise. I don’t know of another gi company that numbers their gis, and I have a lot of respect for Platinum for doing this.
Trousers
Oh the trousers. Oh boy. Platinum has hit the nail on the head on these. Pearl weave gusset… check. Pearl weave knee pads… check… Perfect fit. Check… On points!
I find the design of the split for the stretchy rope interesting, they did a different pattern for that reinforcement than I’ve seen before.
The pants on this gi are relatively simple, but they have everything I want in a pair of gi pants. My hat goes off to Platinum, these pants are perfect.
Rolling Performance
This gi is a suit of armor that I would gladly wear to war (by war I mean competition, if I were going to war I’d want something actually bulletproof, duh.)
The combination of pants with pearl weave throughout and a top with a huge lapel and a nice durable rash guard lining makes this one of my favorite gis to roll in.
Conclusion
The next time Platinum Jiu Jitsu has a gi that you think looks intriguing don’t hesitate, just get it. They do everything right, and it makes me so happy. Their price point isn’t dirt cheap (this gi runs around $175) but this gi is well worth that, and if you can get one on BJJhq when they have a Platinum Jiu Jitsu gi on there even better. This gi is, as of now, mostly sold out (I think they may still have some in size A2 left), you can check out Platinum Jiu Jitsu’s catalog at www.platinumbjj.com
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