For those who are unfamiliar with MMAHQ, it's a website where they sell one discount MMA item per day. It can be anything from a jiu jitsu gi, a rashguard, boxing gloves, or shin guards. The discount is normally pretty steep, and shipping is only $5. For example, today's item is a Venum gi for 120, but it normally retails for 200. You can check out these deals at http://www.mmahq.com
Manto is a jiu jitsu brand that makes gis, rashguards, grappling shorts, and other grappling related products. From my knowledge, they are primarily known for their rashguards, as they also make a variety that are IBJJF approved for nogi tournaments. I will be reviewing one of their long sleeve rashguards, which is a size small.
Specs from the website:
- fully sublimated printing on front, on sleeve, in back
- material: 100% polyester
- long sleeve
- tight fit
- improved neck and overall fit
First impressions/look:
This is a very decorated rashguard. There is an outline of the Jesus statue in Rio on the back, with "Rio De Janeiro" written right underneath. There is a big MANTO logo with two people on the front. It says "MEIA BAIANA" on the left sleeve, while the right sleeve is blank. There are also two smaller MANTO logos on the sleeves with the two people about to grapple. This is a compression style rashguard. There are small cuffs at the end of the sleeves, which I imagine is to prevent it from riding up.
One of the first things that struck me about this rashguard is that the logos and designs are sublimated. This means that they will not fall off or fade like screen printed logos. Upon initial inspection, there were no loose threads in the rashguard.
Fit/Feel:
As of now, this is the best fitting rashguard I own. I have a small and am a 5'5" 140 pound girl, so keep this in mind when I discuss sizing. Manto has a pretty detailed sizing chart, which you can check out here: http://www.mantousa.com/productimage.php?product_id=71¤t_image=2
I also own Hayabusa, Kaizen, Sirius, and Cageside MMA rashguards. The cut of the Manto rashguard is slightly longer to prevent riding up. While my other rashguards are also cut this way, the Manto is the only one I truly do not have to adjust. I wear rashguards under my gi, and it's a pain to keep having to pull down my rashguard while rolling. I have not had this issue with the Manto at all. The neck is also high enough that it isn't a turtleneck, but still covers me up to the base of my neck. Since most rashguards are cut for men, I've found that they are made for people more broad than myself. This makes the neck a little wider and the shoulders a little more loose than I'd like. This is not the case with the Manto, which does not have either of these issues.
Additionally, this rashguard feels very soft. I guess it's the 100% polyester material, but it's the most comfortable rashguard I've worn so far. I have only worn it twice so far, and both times I wore it under my gi. I rarely do nogi, so I think durability will be less of an issue for me.
Conclusion:
I rate this rashguard as a 9.5/10. The only reason I am not giving it a ten is because I think I'll need to use it for a few more months to see how it holds up. The fit and feel is unmatched by any of my other rashguards thus far. I think I'm going to buy the short sleeve version of this in the future, and maybe one of their gis for tournament use. Some might feel strange with the big Jesus silhouette on the back (I am not religious myself), but it's not a big deal for me. And if that's the biggest complaint one could have, that says a lot about how good the rashguard is!
Out of interest, would you be happy to wear something like the Sacrament gi, which also has religious connotations? Interesting discussion over on Meerkatsu's blog and Facebook page on the topic of religious overtones in BJJ gear.
ReplyDeleteslideyfoot- I don't think I'd feel comfortable wearing the Sacrament gi. Sacrament is a company that is based on religious beliefs and shows it in a more flashy way. I see the Jesus statue on the back of this rashguard as more so cultural than religious, as it references the big Jesus statue in Rio. Additionally, I don't think Manto is a religious company.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that is possibly also the reason for the Bullterrier 'Jesus' gi (I would guess, given that I don't think the owners have any strong Christian leanings): cultural reference to the statue, rather than to the religious figure. Although Bullterrier is a bit more blatant, so at face value, I'd still be uncomfortable wearing it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have a fairly low threshold for that kind of thing.
I have the same rashie and I really like it. I have a couple of minor complaints about it, including being a bit wide around the neck and starting to show signs of wear. But essentially, I never regretted buying it.
ReplyDeleteI also see the silhouette of the Rio Jesus statue as a cultural thing, a Brazilian icon.
I would not wear something that has distinct religious overtones, such as the Sacrament gi, or the Bullterrier one with the big crosses.
Oh this is so cool!! i like it!! :P
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