Gi Review: Manto 3.0 Gi (in black)

I received this gi from BJJHQ. In no way does this influence my opinion on this gi. BJJHQ.com is a website that does a "deal of the day" for BJJ gear, which ranges from gis, to rashguards to earguards and everything in between. It's always $5 flat rate shipping in the US, and as long as it's in stock, you can grab it! Check out www.bjjhq.com every day for a new deal.

I was excited to get my hands on this gi because I had not seen a great deal of reviews done on it, and it looked like a quality gi for the price. I'm happy to say I was right! I've received a lot of compliments on how sharp this gi looks. However, sizing was an issue for me.

General Overview

This is a single weave gi, meaning it's one of the lightest kinds of gis you can get. There are two rectangular Manto patches on the shoulders as well as the emrbroidered Manto logo on the arms. There is also a Manto rectangular patch on the lapel. The pants have the Manto rectangular patch on the outside of the left and right thigh. There is the Manto logo embroidered on the upper back. The drawstring is a cord as opposed to a flat gi material tie.

Fit

The first time I put on this gi it was HUGE and I mean HUGE. I was swimming in the darn thing! I am 5'5" and 138lbs and ordered an A1. The sizing chart says the A1 is for up to 5'8". I washed the gi in hot water and dried it twice before I wore it to class. To put the shrinkage into perspective, I took some measurements. These measurements are based on Fushida's (Canadian gi company) sizing chart, which is quite detailed and can be found here

Pre Wash

A. 63.5"

B. 30.5"

C. 21.75"

D. 15"

E. 6.5"

F. 11"

G. 22"

H. 38.5"

I. 9.75"

J. 8.5"

K. 11.5"

L. 14.25"

Post Wash

A. 61.5"

B. 29"

C. 20.5"

D. 14.5"

E. 6.5"

F. 10.25"

G. 22"

H. 36.5"

I. 9"

J. 8"

K. 11"

L. 14.25"

Needless to say, it's still kind of big after the hot washes and dryer sessions. I've worn it to class at least 5 times now, and have hot washed it about 3-4 times and cold dried it the other times (remember I washed it a couple of times before I even wore it). I put it in the dryer every time on the highest setting.

This gi is very soft and dries pretty quickly. The collar is reasonably thick. It's not as stiff as my Keiko or Sirius, but it's certainly not flimsy. The sleeves are a little baggy- not as baggy as my Keiko, but not as slim as my women's Atama Mundial 9 or Sirius Ultra-Lite Gold Weave. When my arms are stretched out to my sides and parallel to the ground, the sleeve comes to my middle knuckles. The bottom of the gi top comes about 2-3 inches below my butt.

One gripe I have is the drawstring. The cord is made of a very smooth material that keeps coming undone. The pants are really baggy and before I tighten the drawstring it looks pretty comical! I do like that the pants are lightweight but are NOT ripstop. To me, ripstop becomes too see through when you're sweaty and my ripstop pants are the only ones that have ripped on me. Even though they're a little big, I think they are comfortable.

Conclusion

This is a good lightweight gi that is durable enough for everyday training. It's not as light as some of the competition gis on the market (Vulkan Ultra Light/Pro Light, Gameness Air, etc.), but certainly good enough to wear in the summer. The pricing on this is pretty reasonable- according to mantousa.com, it's only 149.95 for this in black, and the one in white is 139.95. There are cheaper gis out there, but I still think this is pretty good bang for the buck. If this gi was just a size smaller and had a different drawstring it would be PERFECT for me, as I love that it's lightweight and durable. I will continue to wear this gi to class and it will be in my regular rotation.

Gear Review: Manto 'Meia Baiana" Rashguard

Disclaimer: MMAHQ provided me with this rashguard. In no way is my opinion of this product influenced by MMAHQ or Manto.

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&current_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!