The Tux from The BJJ Life $39.95
In the spirit of sharing, I also added another piece of gear to my Gi Bag a few months back. Its about time i posted a review of my Tuxedo Shirt Rash Guard which I purchased from The BJJ Life. I like it for the good time reaction it gets from my training partners. Everyone gets a laugh when I come out of the locker room ready to party, but still be formal. Style wise, it is exactly what it sounds like it is- a tuxedo print on a rash guard. It is well constructed with heavy stitching at the seams, and the print has been washed several times without cracking or coming loose from the fabric. I never dry it, but just leave it to air dry, this could be the reason the print is holding up so well. It is a screened on vinyl material, and I imagine dryer heat would damage it pretty quickly. I like the thing, but it isn't all sunshine- the collar is a little too restrictive. I really wish it had the more t-shirt like lay-flat collar of my other new rash guard which I'll review below. The collar feels a bit like a very weak midget is trying to put a rear naked choke on me, and the reinforces seams don't seem to be allowing any stretch to cure it.Nike iD Pro Combat Core Compression T-shirt $40.00
I picked this up as sort of an afterthought. a buddy of mine was having his birthday, and very generously gave me a ticket to UFC 135 here in Denver. I wanted to thank him so I ordered up one of these customized Nike iD rash guards for him as a birthday gift. While I was creating his shirt I decided:Why the hell not get one of my own? So I designed one using a nickname / forum username, and some other little easter eggs from my life. What I got is what you see to the left. I chose white as the primary color, with blue details signifying my rank. I initially went with white as I also wear it under my Gi, and I didn't want the color to rub off on the inside of my Gi. After use and abuse I see now that there was no need for concern. The shirt is a Nike- and as much as I claim not to be a fan boi of labels, I still trust big names. Nike hasn't let me down here. Stitched together in Mexico, the shirt is well put together and tough. I've been wearing it for about 2 months now and just took the photos for the blog today. The prints are sublimated into the fabric- which is like they dye the design into the fabric instead of sticking the design onto the fabric. This is pretty nice considering how much wear and tear a rashguard gets- friction against the inside of my gi, or against the mats in no gi class. The designs are completely unaffected, and the shirt itself is standing up to my abuse very well. there are a few pills around the shoulders, but i think that is from that metallic liner in my Shoyoroll ComPadre rubbing against it.I wear a large, and the fit is great. The collar is pretty much t-shirt perfect, while still laying comfortably flat. The material feels very light, and breaths, and wicks away moisture really well allowing me to sweat without becoming all soggy and gross feeling. I do regret not going for the long sleeved version, but that is easily remedied in my next order. The price seemed quite reasonable considering that the garment is a custom one off. I am a bit curious how they turn these orders around so quickly- I had my shirt within 10 days of placing the order which was pretty impressive to me, but then this IS Nike, it's not like they don't have the cash-flow to pick up some advanced manufacturing techniques. So I'm pretty impressed with the shirt as a rashguard, and I will definitely be ordering another in the not to distant future.
Next on my wish list are some actual grappling shorts- possibly Forty Thieves, or Jaco. I'm also interested in Scramble grappling tights for No Gi training. I've seen the size of the new gym, and it's gonna be nippy training in the mornings in winter.
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