Which Karate Suit to Buy?

There are many karate suits to choose from and most of it depends on your budget and your grade.

Will a better karate suit make your karate any better?

No buying a better karate suit will not make the standard of your karate any better but it will make you more comfortable while you are training and will also help with things such as absorbing sweat and making your techniques appear sharper and more defined.

Do I have to spend a fortune on a karate suit in order to get a good karate suit?

No you can pay as much or as little as you want, within reason, however the better karate suits obviously cost more than the cheaper karate suits due to the higher quality material that the karate suit is made out of.

Which karate suit is best for me?

This depends on many different factors. For example if you are going to wear your karate suit to competitions and the type of style and cut of karate suit you want. It also depends on your grade and the weight of karate suit that you require. This blog reviews most of the major karate suits in order to help you select the karate suit that is right for you.

Blitz Karate Suits 

Blitz make a wide range of karate suits from lightweight (fairly low quality beginner suits). This is the karate suit that most beginners will begin wearing. It is the ideal karate suit for someone new to karate who does not want to spend a lot of money on their first karate suit. However after about six months you should look to upgrade your karate suit to a heavier better quality karate suit. The student karate suit is available in cotton or poly cotton.

One of the karate suits definitely worth checking out is the new and improved competition karate suit by blitz. It is now made of 50% cotton, 40% polycotton and 3% lycra. It is a lightweight suit weighing only 12oz which makes it ideal for summer training. The competition karate suit is ideal for karate tournaments due to its extra strength and longer jacket which allows for extra movement and prevents the jacket riding up. The only problem that I have found with this suit is that it is not suitable for shorter people. This is due to the length of the trouser legs which are incredibly long. Overall the suit is of a high quality and reasonably priced.

There are two other popular karate suits made by Blitz. They are the white diamond and the silver tournament karate suits. They are heavier suits allowing crisp, sharp sounding movements. The white diamond karate suit is the heavier of the two but is also stiffer. The main problem with this suit is that the cord trousers sometimes seize up after washing. However it is a good quality suit that you can expect to last you a long time. The advantage of the white diamond karate suit is that it is a Japanese cut suit which means that it has shorter sleeves and trouser legs. This is ideal for training as it means that your karate suit is not in the way of your training. It also comes with two sets of trousers so if you would prefer lighter, longer, elasticated trousers then you can wear the kumite trousers that are provided with the karate suit. The silver tournament blitz karate suit is a lot softer than the white diamond suit but it is lighter and does not come with two pairs of trousers.

Overall Blitz made good quality suits and are ideal for karateka of every level. The only real issue that some people have with Blitz karate suit is that they are made from canvas and this is not as comfortable as cotton karate suits.

Adidas Karate Suits

Adidas karate suits are of a fairly good quality but are also fairly expensive. They come in a range of different weights and some of which are WKF approved. They are also available in Japanese or European cut. They are comfortable crisp karate suits.

Arawaza Karate Suits

Arawaza karate suits are of a very high quality. They are all made of cotton and are therefore very comfortable and easy to iron. Arawaza make a range of different karate suits of all different weights. Most of which are WKF approved and give a very nice feel to your training and produce a good sharp sound during your training. The Arawaza and the Kamikaze karate suits are similar and are both very high quality.

The karate suits are slightly more expensive than the Blitz karate suits but the extra money is definitely worth it for the extra quality and comfort of the suits.

Tokaido Karate Suits

 

Tokaido are the world leaders in karate suits. These karate suits are the highest quality suits available. They come in a range of different weights and all the Tokaido karate suits are WKF approved. The best karate suit available is the custom made Tokaido karate suit. All you have to do is give Tokaido your sizings and they make the suit to measure. The karate suit is hand made exactly to your specification. These suits are only available to Sensei’s who are 3rd Dan or above due to their popularity. However this karate suit is fairly expensive but is worth the money.

Another karate suit from Tokaido is the new Tokaido NST. It is an ultra lightweight karate suit. It is one of the best quality karate suits on the market. It combines quality with comfort and is ideal for both dojo training and competition karate.

The Tokaido karate suits are available in Japanese cut and European cut allowing the best possible fit for people of all body sizes.

Although Tokaido karate suits are some of the most expensive available but they are also the most comfortable and are the highest quality karate suits on the market. They are definitely worth the money.