# Heavyweight or Lightweight?



## Dom_ISK (Oct 12, 2014)

Hello Sir's/Maam's

I'm not sure if this is a personal preference or whether there is a legitimate argument for one or the other (or somewhere in between), but I was curious to see if the TSD contingent on here prefer a heavy weight or a light weight dobok? 

I have owned/destroyed more dobok's than underpants over the last few years and have positives and negatives for using either, but was just curious to hear everyone's opinions.


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## ride57 (Oct 12, 2014)

I have one of each. They light ones tend to not last long. I just got a middle weight which I like. I also shorten the sleeves and legs.


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## Runs With Fire (Oct 13, 2014)

We try to go as heavy as can be acquired without looking something like a judo club.


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## Dirty Dog (Oct 13, 2014)

I wear fairly heavy dobaks from Moo Sool Sa. They're heavy enough to absorb a pretty fair bit of sweat, tough enough to wear for years, and custom made in Korea. If you're tall and skinny or short and round, you can order a size X body with length Y sleeves/legs. Since they're made to order, and shipped from Korea, it does take a while to get them, but the cost ends up being nearly exactly the same as I'd pay for a similar-weight dobak from Century that hasn't been tailored.


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## tshadowchaser (Oct 13, 2014)

I always preferred light weight in summer and heavier ones in winter. That being said it was always heavier ones for any type of demonstration or if I went to a tournament.
Admittedly it has been years since I wore a dobok


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## Dom_ISK (Oct 13, 2014)

Thanks for the replies all 

I generally always go for a Heavyweight, I have a couple of 14oz doboks which I got from Playwell Martial Arts over here in the UK. I find they are much more satisfying for Hyung practice and performance, you just don't get that 'snap' on your strikes in a medium/lightweight. Having said that I've had some really nice lightweight ones which are great for sparring, they just don't last five minutes. I would love to have one of the Sang Moo Sa/Pine Tree Dobok's but they seemingly don't ship outside of the States? Shame, I have heard that they are pretty much the best dobok you can buy. 

I'm crossing the pond next year for a competition so if I don't have any luck by then I could always try and pick one up then!


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## dancingalone (Oct 14, 2014)

Dom_ISK said:


> T I would love to have one of the Sang Moo Sa/Pine Tree Dobok's but they seemingly don't ship outside of the States? Shame, I have heard that they are pretty much the best dobok you can buy.



I got some sample uniforms from them a few years ago when I purchased my dojang and was setting up my business workflow.  I was not impressed with the quality of their heavyweight uniforms.  The lapels were way too thin and flimsy for my purposes.  It's possible that they could have improved since then.  At one point, they did have good quality merchandise, but I gather they left trade for a time and reorganized...The goodwill of their brand among old time KMA stylists stems from the first incarnation of the company in my understanding.


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## Dom_ISK (Oct 14, 2014)

> I wear fairly heavy dobaks from Moo Sool Sa.  They're heavy enough to absorb a pretty fair bit of sweat, tough enough  to wear for years, and custom made in Korea. If you're tall and skinny  or short and round, you can order a size X body with length Y  sleeves/legs. Since they're made to order, and shipped from Korea, it  does take a while to get them, but the cost ends up being nearly exactly  the same as I'd pay for a similar-weight dobak from Century that hasn't been tailored.



Thank's for the link, i've not seen this site before. I would love to have a custom made Korean dobok! The price seems very cheap too, I assume this doesn't include shipping! This is what I use https://www.playwell.co.uk/tang-soo...6.html?zenid=0a18bf14d74ccf6102a8a6baaabdf3f8 very hard-wearing but tend to shrink quite a bit on the first few washes. They also trim them in midnight blue as well as black. 



> I  got some sample uniforms from them a few years ago when I purchased my  dojang and was setting up my business workflow.  I was not impressed  with the quality of their heavyweight uniforms.  The lapels were way too  thin and flimsy for my purposes.  It's possible that they could have  improved since then.  At one point, they did have good quality  merchandise, but I gather they left trade for a time and  reorganized...The goodwill of their brand among old time KMA stylists  stems from the first incarnation of the company in my understanding.



Ahh bummer  A couple of us have them over here and they have survived the test of time but, like most handmade products, some will be better than others. I would be interested to hear other people's reviews on these as I was quite sold, or any other recomendations. Thank you for the advice


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## reeskm (Nov 3, 2014)

As far as I'm concerned, for tangsoodo, heavyweight is the only choice. Especially for dan ranks.

For years i've worn 14oz ProForce doboks that come pre-trimmed in midnight blue the way it should be for MDK style.
The last two uniforms tops I ordered were "Gladiator by Proforce" 14 oz and shrunk about 2 inches vertically, and so after about 20 washes aren't useable anymore, as they are too short in the waist.

The Moosulsa USA website says they ship to Canada and Europe. It does say that it is expensive, but if you chose "by ocean" and wait a while, the shipping is much cheaper.

I know my kwanjang ordered from them before, and by ocean did take a while to Canada (about 2 months).

Dancingalone,
What uniforms do you wear? Do you add trim to yours? Also, are you familiar with the Proforce 14 oz and how does it compare to the Moosulsa you got as samples?
In my experience, the older Proforce Ultra 14oz that I have have lasted 5 years so far. The oldest one I have is nicely broken in and perfect for tournament sparring.


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## karatemom3 (Nov 7, 2014)

I've worn ProForce uniforms for years and the last one I bought got too short after about 12 washes.  I just got a Century uniform. I haven't ironed it yet but it looks shorter too after one wash. Very disappointing.


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## kitkatninja (Nov 10, 2014)

Personally I have all 3 (light, medium and heavy weight ones), I do prefer the heavy weight ones (closely followed by the medium weight ones) over the light weight ones.

Of course when it comes to washing it, the light weight ones are a lot easier


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## dancingalone (Nov 11, 2014)

reeskm said:


> Dancingalone,
> What uniforms do you wear? Do you add trim to yours? Also, are you familiar with the Proforce 14 oz and how does it compare to the Moosulsa you got as samples?
> In my experience, the older Proforce Ultra 14oz that I have have lasted 5 years so far. The oldest one I have is nicely broken in and perfect for tournament sparring.



Sorry for the tardy response - I don't visit as often as I used to.

I own a TKD dojang and most of the students elect to wear the V-neck dobaks (mostly Dynamics World with some Bold Look - the dans generally buy Nike if they use V-necks), though I also allow crossover karate gi (and wear them myself).  I don't wear trim since I'm not Moo Duk Kwan (my TKD lineage is Chung Do Kwan).

I am familiar with the 14 oz Pro Force uniforms and I think they are a very good value.  Certainly both the Ultra and Diamond models PF offers have muchi heavier lapels than the Sang Moo Sa dobak I got as samples.  If Moosulsa is a separate company,  I have no experience with their products.   

Personally, I favor Shureido and Hirota for my own use, but they are surely more costly to the wallet.


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## dancingalone (Nov 11, 2014)

karatemom3 said:


> I've worn ProForce uniforms for years and the last one I bought got too short after about 12 washes.  I just got a Century uniform. I haven't ironed it yet but it looks shorter too after one wash. Very disappointing.



If you hang dry (yeah, it's inconvenient), your uniforms will last longer and will not shrink after the initial washes.  

Are the pants or sleeves too short or is it the skirt?  I actually like the first two above the wrist and ankle which many in Korean styles might feel is too short.  On the other hand, the skirt must be an adequate length or the uniform just feels sloppy in my opinion when it comes out over your belt.


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## Dom_ISK (Nov 12, 2014)

We had a sample of the Moo Sool Sa dobok arrive this week and it looks fantastic, I'm completely sold so thank you again for the link  

The ProForce TSD dobok's look really good and it's nice to see they do green and red trim too. We don't have anywhere over here that does that so our gup's have to be pretty handy with a needle and thread! It would seem most heavyweight dobok's will shrink during the first few washes, my current two are well worn in now but I still let mine hang dry and always iron them a bit damp for best results!


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## reeskm (Nov 27, 2014)

dancingalone said:


> If you hang dry (yeah, it's inconvenient), your uniforms will last longer and will not shrink after the initial washes.



I did this! I was shocked that they still shrunk anyway. A lot of these heavyweight uniforms ask you to "dry clean only" - but who has time or $ for that?



dancingalone said:


> Are the pants or sleeves too short or is it the skirt?  I actually like the first two above the wrist and ankle which many in Korean styles might feel is too short.  On the other hand, the skirt must be an adequate length or the uniform just feels sloppy in my opinion when it comes out over your belt.


I think if I understand you right - it's shrinking in the skirt and body of the uniform under the arm-pit all the way down. It's most noticeable because the "v" cut on the left and right side of the "skirt" shrinks upwards about 2 inches above the belt line. The little tigers in my class always remind me that my boxers are showing! LOL!

Interesting you mention the shortened uniform! It's very old school in MDK TSD - I prefer it this way too. I don't like tripping on my pants and find it easier to teach and train in sleeve grabs and wrist locks, and demonstrate proper foot techniques with shorter pants and sleeves.


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## reeskm (Nov 27, 2014)

reeskm said:


> Dancingalone,
> What uniforms do you wear? Do you add trim to yours? Also, are you familiar with the Proforce 14 oz and how does it compare to the Moosulsa you got as samples?



I'm sorry Dancingalone, I didn't read the thread properly. It was Dirtydog that I meant to address this to.


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## Dom_ISK (Dec 20, 2014)

Hi all

Sorry to quote myself but....

"We had a sample of the Moo Sool Sa dobok arrive this week and it looks fantastic, I'm completely sold so thank you again for the link "

Following this we ordered five or six uniforms from Moo Sool Sa for our club and they arrived sooner than expected! The sample uniform wasn’t quite what we wanted unfortunately, the cut and quality were everything we were looking for but some of the Hangul print we requested was a little out in terms of size. That aside, the uniforms themselves were fantastic. The darkest midnight blue trim I have ever seen without being black!

The main problem was that we asked for 15 oz uniforms which was what they were advertising on their website and was what we were looking for in the first place, (hence this thread) but on arrival the doboks were much lighter than expected. We use a 14oz cotton dobok from Playwell martial arts (UK) and they were much lighter than these!?

It was a shame as everything else was near perfect. As Reeskm said above; heavyweight is the only choice! They just don’t have….

“the heavier 100% cotton fabric than the fabric we used for your uniforms, so we can't make the ones you need”

They have been amazing and responeded very quickly to our constant nagging! and offered us a full refund (minus tax) but it was a big disappointment as the dobok’s were perfect and everything we wanted bar the weight.

We are subsequently looking for an equivalent or to pursue my original aim, and possibly get a sample Sang Moo Sa dobok across the Atlantic. There seems to be mixed views on these?


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