Summary
As a young gear company, Nine Lives Jiu-Jitsu has their work cut out for them entering a saturated market. We recently had a chance to review their Seven Seas gi to see how they fair against other companies trying to make an impact on the gear market. Was it smooth sailing? Or were the seas rough?
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 Nine Lives Jiu-Jitsu.
Introduction
I first heard about Nine Lives through sponsored ads on social media. A Gi Company that themes their branding around a cat, and calls their product lines “Chapters”…Interesting.
The gi that I reviewed is Chapter 7: Seven Seas.
Upon receiving the gi, I found that Nine Lives included 3items: a custom etched wooden hanger, a branded nail clipper keychain and some stickers. I thought this was neat because most gi companies include OTHER stuff but nothing like this.
My first impressions of the gi were that it is attractive and made out of unusually high quality fabrics. But how would it stand up to my rigorous training over the next few months?
Fit
I’m 6’1, 195. The best fit for me is usually an A2L. This gi was an A2L and I found it to fit great. The pants felt just a touch long, but nothing noticeable and the top fit me perfectly.
A: 6.75
B: 28
C: 31
D: 21.75
E: 20.75
F: 12.25
G: 8
H: 42.25
Design
The gi top is made of a 550 GSM pearl weave and the pants are made of a heavy 12 ounce canvas. The gi has tons of little details all over it but the general color scheme is black and green.
Throughout the gi there are pieces of silky sublimated satin with a wave pattern as well as embroideries featuring different motifs that the company uses. One of the shoulders has a long patch of the wave pattern and the seamtape is made of a similar fabric which is a bit rougher than the satin swaths but still perfectly comfortable.
The design screamed luxury and I constantly got compliments on the gi. Very few gis that I review are ones that fit my personal tastes, this gi hits the nail on the head. Top marks for quality as well as design.
Jacket
This gi top is gorgeous.
I found the weight and consistency of the 550 gsm gold weave chosen by Nine Lives to be perfect. Heavy enough yet breathable, and not stretchy like a lot of other gold weaves on the market. The EVA foam lapel is covered by the same dense twill as the pants, I found the lapel to be a bit thinner than other gis of similar weight but not so much to be a problem.
The right shoulder has an embroidered patch that’s about 11 inches long running down the arm, it has the wave design on it. It’s subtle but very attractive. The other shoulder has a goofy Japanese style cat waving at you. On the back of the gi there is a motif of a logo that Nine Lives puts on all their products.
On the inside of the gi is a whole different set of details with a fantastic sublimated yoke panel made of the softest satin I’ve ever seen. The vents have the same satin. The seamtape is a smooth embroidered fabric featuring the same wavy pattern.
The vents have a third fabric a nylon like plain fabric. This is also used in the pants. One Neat little detail is the asymmetry of these vents, one is green nylon and the other is black twill
In my opinion even if we’re going pure style points this gi gets high marks.
Trousers
I found the pants on this gi to be the most impressive feature.
The heavy canvas fabric aged well over the review period and I loved the presence of gold weave both in the crotch gusset AND in the knee pads. Moreover Nine Lives chose to put the same satin material both in the vents for the fastening rope as well as on the inside of the crotch gusset which made the pants super comfy.
The fastening system was 6 loops with a stretchy rope, I found the stretchy rope to be a touch thicker than other ropes I’ve seen and the ends are melted and knotted.
The loops and the vents are made of the plain nylon fabric while the seamtape is the embroidered wavy fabric from the top.
I absolutely adored these gi pants even though they were a touch long for my tastes.
Rolling Performance
I loved rolling in this gi because I found the fabrics to be very comfortable while never posing a disadvantage to me while rolling.
I’m very picky about what I’d wear to compete and this gi is one that I’d compete in in a heartbeat. My only complaint which isn’t really even a complaint is that it’s almost TOO soft, I kind of like roughing people up…
Conclusion
Nine Lives impressed me with this gi. I recommend checking it out and getting your hands on one, they may still have them available at https://ninelivesbjj.com and if you miss out there’s always the next chapter.
