Fuji Elemental Gi - FYI

[Charlemagne]

Hi all,

I have had a hard time finding Gi's that fit me well. I'm a pretty big guy and the place I have the hardest time is across the thighs and seat. Even gis that fit well everywhere else are often way to tight there. I had good luck with a Storm Gi when I trained Gracie Barra, and have had good luck from a fit perspective with Fuji. So, when I switched to where I trained now, I decided to go with Fuji, and since I don't like a bunch of patches or over the top logos on my Gi, I went with their Elemental Gi, which is a relatively new release.

Initially, I liked the Gi a great deal. It fit just fine after washing in hot to shrink it down a bit, and I like the minimal styling. However, after training in them for a few months, I have run into a problem. Both of the Gis have started to tear around the collar. I could hear the ripping while drilling, and as I mentioned, it has happened to both of them. The drilling was relatively benign in its intensity, and it isn't like we were rolling hard or anything, just normal working of technique in a class setting with average sized people.

So, at this time, unfortunately, I have to warn people to stay away from this particular Gi until Fuji remedies their quality control or design to eliminate this flaw. If it was only one Gi, you could chalk it up to a random event. But, it is both of the ones I purchased, failing in the same way within a couple weeks of each other (one white Gi and one Blue), so I believe this to be a design or execution issue from Fuji.

Thought you should know, particularly since I was pumping the Gi up on the forum a few months ago.

 

[Charlemagne]

As an update, I have reached out to Fuji and they claim to have made reinforcements to the collar area in their second batch of Elemental gis and are offering to replace the ones I am having problems with. Hopefully the problem has been addressed, if so, kudos to Fuji for handling it swiftly.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

As an update, I have reached out to Fuji and they claim to have made reinforcements to the collar area in their second batch of Elemental gis and are offering to replace the ones I am having problems with. Hopefully the problem has been addressed, if so, kudos to Fuji for handling it swiftly.

Please update this thread later when you've had a chance to assess the replacements.

 

[Charlemagne]

Please update this thread later when you've had a chance to assess the replacements.

Will do. I suspect that, if they say the area has been reinforced, then the problem is solved, but you never know. I just sent an email to their Customer Service now detailing the conversation I had with their rep via Facebook, and hope to hear something sooner rather than later.

 

[Charlemagne]

Fuji emailed me back this morning and said that two replacement jackets, with the updated design, will be shipped, so hopefully things are good to go. They also asked for me to take a picture of the tears and send it to them so that they can forward the pics to their manufacturer.

So far, I am quite happy with Fuji's customer service.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Fuji emailed me back this morning and said that two replacement jackets, with the updated design, will be shipped, so hopefully things are good to go. They also asked for me to take a picture of the tears and send it to them so that they can forward the pics to their manufacturer.

So far, I am quite happy with Fuji's customer service.

Cool to hear that the company is doing right by you. Post a review of the replacement jackets when they arrive.

I've bought mostly Fuji uniforms for years, just because they are typically some of the cheapest around and they seem to hold up pretty well.

My latest gi, which I got for my birthday in June, is a Sanabul. It was actually cheaper than the Fujis, it's comfortable and I like the design and fit better. However it's a lightweight gi and I'm not sure if it will be as durable as the Fujis have been. If it's still in good shape this time next year, I might switch my standard recommendation for entry level gis from Fuji to Sanabul. In the meantime I'll keep on recommending the Fuji to new students and your experience with their customer service backs that up.

 

[Charlemagne]

Cool to hear that the company is doing right by you. Post a review of the replacement jackets when they arrive.

I've bought mostly Fuji uniforms for years, just because they are typically some of the cheapest around and they seem to hold up pretty well.

My latest gi, which I got for my birthday in June, is a Sanabul. It was actually cheaper than the Fujis, it's comfortable and I like the design and fit better. However it's a lightweight gi and I'm not sure if it will be as durable as the Fujis have been. If it's still in good shape this time next year, I might switch my standard recommendation for entry level gis from Fuji to Sanabul. In the meantime I'll keep on recommending the Fuji to new students and your experience with their customer service backs that up.

The all around Gi's are strong, but man do they hold sweat and they stretch like all get out when someone gets a grip. The price point is great, so there has to be some trade off.

I'm actually looking at Killer Bee right now as well, and hope to try one of their soon.

 

[drop bear]

Our club Gi,s are all fight world clothing which is probably not going to help anybody.

But they are light and so far hold up.

 

[Charlemagne]

UPDATE:

Both of the replacements that Fuji sent have noticeably thicker material around the collar area, which is where the last ones tore. I've worn them both a couple of times, and so far, things seem to be fine. If that changes, I will share it here.