SUMMARY
Known for their innovative use of moisture wicking materials, Gr1ps has been around for a while. Their claim to fame is their unique cuts and materials. For this men & women Bjj Gi review, Gr1ps sent us 2 of their Armadura 2.0 gis in 2 different sizes for a side by side review.
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 Gr1ps.
INTRODUCTION
I first became aware of Gr1ps when they released their Secret Weapon gi on BJJhq, a gi that was supposedly fitted and featured Coolmax fabric to help make it more comfortable. When Gr1ps reached out about a review, I looked at their size chart and found myself to be smack dab between A2 and A3, so I proposed that they send me one of each to do a direct contrast between two gis of the same model but different sizes and colorways.
The black gi is an A2 and the blue is an A3. I looked at both the functionality of the gis overall throughout the review period of 5 months as well as the contrast in sizing.
THE FIT
I’m 6’1, 205 (a 195lbs frame though.) The best fit for me is usually an A2L. Gr1ps’ size chart made me feel that an A2 OR A3 would fit. It turned out I was correct. The A2 had a nice fitted feel to it, a bit snug everywhere but not enough to limit my mobility. I was pleased with it. The A3 fit me as well, but it was a bit looser. If I were to wear these gis as my primary gis, the A2 would be my competition gi and the A3 my training gi. I’ve included sizing details for both:
BLACK Gr1ps Armadura 2.0 Camo Edition
A: 6.5
B: 28.75
C: 30.75
D: 22.5
E: 20.5
F: 12.5
G: 7.75
H: 38.5
BLUE Gr1ps Armadura 2.0 Camo Edition
A: 6.75
B: 30
C: 31
D: 23.5
E: 22
F: 13.25
G: 8.75
H: 40.5
DESIGN
The design of these gis is stated on the inside of the yoke panel as “the connection between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Italian design and tailoring.”
The gis feature unusual aggressive and angled tailoring, large swaths of camo mesh on the visible surfaces inside the gis and plain mesh inside the arms and legs of the gi jacket and trousers.
I found the quality of these gis to be superb, neither showing any real wear and tear at the end of the review period.
The colorways are: blue and orange and black and turquoise. The blue gi has silver and orange stitching and embroidery with silver and white seamtape. The black gi features silver and blue embroidery and stitching with dark grey and blue seamtape.
JACKET
These gis are made out of a midweight pearl weave. The fabric of boths gis aged and faded nicely over the review period giving them a weathered but rugged look.
The gis have extensive yoke and vent lining made of a camo mesh with subtle G’s throughout the pattern. The inside of the ripstop covered lapels have a strip of seamtape and the bottom of the skirts have both interior and exterior seamtape. The cuff also have the same seamtape. The seamtape is a smooth material with rounded edges, it has the Grip “G” and “everyday warrior” written on it.
The insides of the arms have a large swath of mesh fabric that acted to wick sweat very nicely during the summer.
The external details are a bit simpler: the gis have “Grips” embroidered on each shoulder and a “G” between the shoulder blades. The stitch pattern is very complex and “busy” with tons of aggressive seams and curves. At first I thought this would be an issue but I found it to make the gis fit very nicely and stay close to my body.
While both tops fit me, I like the black gi top better both because I prefer a black and blue colorway and because of the length and fit suits my body better.
TROUSERS
The soft, light ripstop trousers on this gi feature internal mesh both in the hip vents for the stretchy rope as well as a large swath that goes from the top of the crotch all the way down to the knees. The hip vents feature the same camo as the tops.
The closure on these pants is a bit odd, featuring a thick, branded camo stretchy rope a single loop close to the hips and a long double loop above the crotch. This helped keep the rope in place but if it came undone was a bit of a pain to redo.
The pants also feature the same seamtape as the tops with a stripe that goes all the way around the waste under the rope loops and strips at the openings of the cuffs.
External styling of these pants is interesting. They have a single “Grips” embroidery on the front of the left shin, and a large camo patch on the left thigh that has Grips branding as well as the quote “Feel the fear and do it anyway” which I actually really like.
Like the tops, the trousers have aggressive stitching, including angled knee stitching an a loop of externally visible stitching that follows the internal mesh.
The fit of the blue trousers was better for me to accommodate my thick legs.
ROLLING PERFORMANCE
I didn’t know what to expect with the newfangled crazy stitching and the two different sizes… Gr1ps did a great job on these gis.
The black gi is more fitted, the blue is looser and more comfortable. I found the blue to be a BIT on the baggy side and the black to be a BIT on the snug side so A2L would be a good alternative, but these gis were in fact awesome.
One thing I found great about them was the fabric used, Gr1ps did a marvelous job choosing durable, comfortable fabrics. Rolling in the summer was great in these gis because of the wicking material
CONCLUSION
Gr1ps did a great job on these gis, from aesthetic design to cut to fabrics. For these and other Gr1ps products hit them up at https://world.gr1ps.com
