Gi Review: Grips Athletics "Cyborg" Limited Edition

Fresh out of the box

Opening:  This review is on Grips Athletics limited edition Cyborg Gi. This Gi comes in both white and black and retails for $189.00 on  Grips Athletics   as well as    BJJ/MMA Warehouse . I was able to pick this up on Black Friday for 50% off! This Gi has what they call Cool Max in certain areas, which is like a soft mesh to wick away sweat. Being almost $200 this is a premium Gi and my expectations are high as I think they should be. I have no idea if this is an homage to Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu or just a love for a Terminator like approach to BJJ. Either way I like it.


I have no affiliation with Grips Athletics, nor am I being financially compensated for this review. All thoughts expressed are my true and honest opinion.

Factory Specs:

Gi Jacket:
100% Cotton Pearl Weave
Triple stitching, reinforced slits
Steamed and pre-washed for a more tailored fit
Shoulder padding with mesh fabric
Extra thick lapels

Clean jacket complete with Cyborg serial #

Gi Pants:
100% Cotton Japanese Twill Weave
Knee padding with mesh fabric
Steamed and pre-washed for a more tailored fit
Triple reinforced stitching in key stress points
Elastic padded drawstrings
6 belt loops

Clean and simple trousers

Initial Impressions: Right out of the box you can tell that Grips put some effort into the packaging. The pants and the jacket were both individually packaged in plastic, folded nicely, and laid into the Gi bag. After tearing the plastic open like an entitled child at Christmas, I was surprised how light the Jacket was and how aggressive the weave is. More on that later. The collar is not too thick but not overly thin either. There are 5 rows of stitching on the collar which seems to be the standard now a days. The pants are very well constructed and have several nice features that you should expect from a higher end Gi. The heavy triple stitching is extremely well done on this product, maybe the best I have seen so far. This is a very clean looking Gi and not too blingy in my opinion. It has a fair amount of branding but not in an "In ya face way". The main logos are wonderfully embroidered, not a single flaw or loose stitch to them. There is a small patch on the left leg pants that keeps with the Cyborg theme. So far so good.

My Stats: I'm 6ft tall and I weigh 227lbs with a 37" waist. Finding a Gi to fit right is hard because I have a larger athletic frame with wide shoulders and big quads, but I am not a super tall guy. An A3 will fit me in length but usually won't close all the way since my back some what wide. So I usually go for an A4 and try to shrink it down. I was interested to see how a "tailored" or slim fit Gi would be for me.

Gi Stats: Before/ After 3 washes

Top

A-Wingspan: 71"/ 69"

B-Length 32.3"/ 32"

C-Width 25.6"/ 25"

Pants

D-length: 41.7"/ 40"

E-Width : 24"/ 24"


So after three washes and being hung dry each time, this Gi really did not shrink much at all. Grips states it is pre-washed so that my explain the minimal shrinkage.

Fit and Feel: This Gi is light and soft. It is super comfortable to wear around. I would probably wear it to bed as pajamas if my wife would let me. I'll talk about the pants 1st. These are so light and comfortable. I'm not sure is all "Japanese twill weave" is like this but I like...a lot. In most cotton pants I have seen the fibers that make up the weave for the pants is usually larger and more coarse. I would never have thought that until I had these pants to compare them to. The fibers in these pants are so much smaller in diameter and the seem much smoother. This gives the pants a slick smooth look and feel. They almost remind me of a very high end pair of Karate Gi pants. These are much thicker and more durable while maintaining their light weight. There are a few more bells and whistles which you can see further down in the review.

The Top is very light weight as I mentioned earlier, but the GSM spec is not stated on the GRIPS website. I would venture to guess it is somewhere from 420-525 GSM. The jacket has several side panels that make up the tailored cut/fit. When laid out it appears rectangular like every Gi I have seen but when you put the jacket on it does seem to hug around the middle more so. The Kimono top feel very soft and easy to move in. On my body type it is fairly tight in the upper back area but I believe it might be due to the tailored panels. It does not restrict my movement though, which is great. I think this Gi would also fit someone with a thinner frame just fine. This jacket is a pearl weave but the "pearls" are farther apart than in my other pearl weaves and they are also larger. This I think is why the jacket is so soft but the large pearls also act like a cheese grater on your partner/ opponents knuckles. This makes it harder to break grips but leaves them with sore knuckles for their efforts when you are able to break the grip. I am assuming that there will be lots of blood stains on this Gi down the road. I am not sure if other Grips Gi tops are like this or if this is the only one.

The large "Pearls" are much harder than I expected, yet the jacket is soft and flexible

Carbon fiber/Bio-mechanical themed Cool Max liner is very soft

Spandex pocket and seam tape. both smooth and nicely stitched

Excellent seam tape and Cool Max re-enforcement

Not the same seam tape as inside the jacket but still very smooth and comfortable

Back of the Gi and the other side if the carry bag

Even the armpit re-enforcement is high quality and aesthetic

Angular stitching of the top of knee pads

Close up of Cool Max liner knee pad (inside side)

More of the nice seam tape and high quality bungee/ elastic drawstring. Did I mention there is 6 belt loops!

Great double and triple stitching. More Cool Max liner in the hip areas

Same very well done seam tape like the sleeves

This Gi is incredibly comfortable

Sleeves fit great

A little tight across the lats, but it did not hinder any movements even when playing guard

I was happy that the pants were baggy and did not restrict my movements, I could probably fit into and A3 pair of pants. Although I'm not sure how much room in the quads I would have.

The fitted cut still allowed for good shoulder movement

Lets Roll: This Gi performed just beautifully. The I am not sure that the Cool Max liner can take all of the credit or if it is just the cotton and the weave but I was not nearly as hot and sweaty (well still pretty sweaty but not as hot) as in my Estilo or my Storm. The inside of the jacket and pants even where there is no liner feels great. The only drawback is the Grips people can get on you. Since it is so soft it is fairly easy to manipulate. I figure it can only make me better and improve my grip break game so it is not a big deal to me at all. As I mentioned earlier, the Gi top is abrasive and a few people have mentioned it. Not to be rude or anything but its not my problem :) I would not recommend raking your forearm on someone's face (well don't ever do that) but especially not in this Gi. Unless you don't like them or are in a tournament if that is your thing.

Final Thoughts: Without a doubt this is a great Gi. If it is out of your price range or just would not spend $190 on a Gi then wait for a sale. But I think it is certainly worth the price. Like anything, time will tell with durability but there are so many factors with that like care (washing), how often you use it, etc. For me this Gi will earn its paycheck. Positively a recommend.  Happy tapping!