Review: Gorilla Fight Gear 2012 "Apeman" Gi

 It seems I had done a thorough enough job when I reviewed the Gorilla“Hitman“ cotton rip-stop gi, to warrant Mike over at Gorilla to give me a closer look at his new 2012 “Apeman” crystal weave gi.

This time around, I got the opportunity to learn a little more about Mike and Gorilla Fight Gear.

 Mike started Gorilla fight gear back in 2005 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. At that time a back injury forced Mike to have a long and hard look at his career in law enforcement. To hedge his bets, he started a fight gear company: Gorilla Fight Gear.

 Gorilla Fight Gear BJJ gi’s are some of the more cutting edge designs on the market and I think it all stems from Mike’s willingness to try and innovate. Not every style choice is a home run in my opinion, but I respect the mindset of trying to keep things fresh and on the edge..

 In Mike’s own words “What sets us apart I would say it's our customer service, if you have an issue with a product I’ll do everything in my power to make it right. Other then that, I’m always crazy about making a better product, so I’m constantly on the look out for new materials or concepts that would make Gorilla Fight Gear unique, I just don't like being the same as everyone else.”

 When I asked about what new products he is thinking about designing, “All our new BJJ gear we have planned for the future all revolves around fabric like bamboo, hemp and even some synthetic fabrics… Make sure we have more gi models in our slim and big sizes. As for other bjj related items we plan on bring in some BJJ accessories and t-shirts. We have to see about that as the main priority (right now) is to remain stocked up at all times.

 I had asked him about his training and he explained that it has been sporadic due to a bunch of different injuries. If you’re interested, Mike keeps a training blog at www.fatninjas.com

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The APEMAN from the Gorilla website

I ordered the 2012 “Apeman” in blue from Gorilla Fight Gear's website. I ordered it in an A5 size. I generally order an A5 and then super hot wash and nuclear dry it to shrink fit down to a roomy A4.
 I now own ultra-light gi’s (which are great for hot weather) and heavy durable gi’s (that help keep my opponents grips off). This gi would be a welcome “middle ground” between the two. The most interesting part of this gi for me was the “crystal weave”. Promisiing to be a little different than the regular sea of "pearl" weaves, light "gold" weaves and the like.

The “Apeman” sells for $149.00 off the website with a Canada Post Flat Shipping Rate of $9.95 to Ontario. Throw in roughly 20 bucks for Ontario taxes and it tops out at just a couple bucks south of $180... gi in hand (or dojo)

The gi came neatly wrapped a few days after ordering it. I ripped into the packaging and found three large zip-lock bags, each containing a different article. The package contained 1) a “crystal weave” top 2) a pair of regular Gorilla twill pants and 3) a premium white belt.

 
My initial impression of the crystal weave as I unfolded it was “this thing is soft!” It is by far the softest gi I have felt. The weave could only be described as a cross between a gold weave and a old school single weave. It is light feeling and seems to breathe well.

The top also has some fairly loud styling to it, with a large embroidered star on the from crest of the jacket, and white contrasting “trim” around the jacket and pant side vents. It is much more pronounced than I had thought based on the pictures on the website. Also along some of the major seams, the stitching is white to contrast the blue fabric. It seems as a conscious style choice, not all of the seams are stitched with the white thread.

The jacket and pants ....in all their glory

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The Top

I carefully went over the top stitch-by-stitch. It is well constructed with no "problem area's" I think since Gorilla has been making BJJ gi's since 2005, they have long since worked out any issues with their gi's. As I have come to expect, everything is well stitched, well re-enforced, and (mostly) well thought out.

The "artistic depth-of-field collar shot"

Right off the bat, you notice the large embroidered star on the front lapel. I believe this is a "love it" or "hate it" styling cue, and is not for the faint of heart.
Being over thirty, I think my days of rocking the explosive-in-your-face clothing is well behind me. I have never owned a piece of clothing with an energy drink logo on it, and I dont intend to start. In complete fairness though, the star may appeal to a younger demographic, and certainly will help you to stand apart from your peers...if that's your thing.

Embroidering the proverbial target on you?

 From a quality standpoint, the star is well embroidered, and is small enough that a team lapel patch will fit over it and cover it completely... but just barely.

View from inside the jacket...if you put a patch over the front.. this will stay to haunt you

Finally, there is perhaps a demographic that might be heavily attracted to this star: The Dallas Cowboy fans.

Since Professor Carlos Machado is based in Texas, and this is a heavily Machado based blog, perhaps some people attending his school, are also Cowboys fans.... hey... you never know.

Anyways...enough about the star.

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The gi top has a few more labels on it, a small gorilla patch at the bottom of the left collar, a stylized "G" black-belt logo on the right sleeve, and an maker/sizing tag inside the back of the jacket.

Collar Tag

Maker/Sizing Tag

For some reason I didn't take a pic of the arm embroidery....Hmmm... I thought I did... oh well.. I ripped this one from Gorilla's website so you get the idea...

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 The sleeves on this gi are more tailored than the Hitman gi I reviewed. They are more like a Gameness style sleeve (if you know what I am referring to) I never liked the wide sleeves that resemble a judo gi, or the sleeves that are so tight they restrict movement. These ones are a perfect balance between the two.

Sleeve Stitching Close Up

Sleeve Cuff Re-enforcement (folded inside out for clarity)

Like I had said earlier, the side vents are trimmed in white. It certainly looks more pronounced in real life than the pictures show, though not to the point of being "too much"

Side vent in an action shot!!....just look at that venting performance!!!

Side vent plus the inside re-enforced area

Something that Gorilla does wonderfully is "tape" the inner seams of the jacket with re-enforcing strips. I believe this is an old technique carried over from judo gi's. I especially appreciate the "taping" that helps attach the collar to the jacket body. This alone will help to increase the life of the jacket by at least a factor of three.

If you think about it... the biggest "rip-zone" when some savage is yanking you around, is from top to midway along the jackets collar...Exactly the place Gorilla has re-enforced.

A final touch on the jacket body is a small inside pocket on the jacket. A couple of years ago, this was all the rage to have on your tournament gi, so you could put a Visa or an MP3 player in there while waiting to be called up. In theroy it seems like a great idea, though I have never used this pocket on any of my gi's for anything. I have in fact, started to dislike the thought of them, as they are perfect "toe catchers" when playing spider guard. I also could easily see that during a competition, you would be fired up enough to forget that you've put your Visa in there before stepping on the mat...

If you dislike it, it looks easy to remove it with a stitch ripper

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The Pants

The pants are fairly straight forward medium-weight cotton twill...except for the crotch re-enforcement which is the same "crystal weave" as the jacket.. Same as the jacket, it is trimmed with white fabric, and has some contrast stitching in white at various seams. The pants have six loops to weave your drawstring through, make sure you can cinch your pants tight without any bunching in the front. A nice touch. They fit on the baggy side, and are plenty roomy for movement...

Loops-o-plenty

As mentioned the crotch fabric is the same as the top...and is generously cut for all the guard players out there. It also seems to breath a lot better than the regular twill the rest of the pants are made from. So it helps to create an sort of "air-conditioning" effect... Who couldn't use that?

The little re-enforcing triangle is still sewn inside where all the seams come together... picture is curiously unavailable... maybe I'm slipping?

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There is no new ground broken on the pant cuffs or the belt loops or drawstrings. All areas are well built and re-enforced. The only real thing of note here is the flat style drawstring. I prefer a rope style, so in my mind a flat drawstring will always be inferior. Your opinion may differ.

Pant cuff flipped inside out to show the re-enforcement

Again... the pant cuff close up

The "flat" style drawstring

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As I said in my review of the Gorilla "Hitman" ripstop gi, Gorilla makes sure to double up the knee-pad well. It covers almost the entire leg of the pants and is heavily stitched. I hate knee-pads that cover as much of the knee as a drink coaster would. Rarely do they stay in place long enough to keep the doubled up fabric "where the rubber meets the road"....so to speak. How many Lucky gi's have a hole just outside the knee-pad area?...I don't know...but I'll bet a few..

The start of the knee pad

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The side vents on the pants help to showcase a beautiful little feature of this gi. The rear waist is slightly offset higher than the front. Untold amounts of people have been spared views of their opponents plumbers crack while in turtle simply because of this small design feature... If you have ever felt traditional pants "slip" down while doing forward rolls, then these are the pants for you.

I probably could have straightened out the fabric a little more to really highlight the offset...

Side vent with the full view of the re-enforced area around it. NOTE: the area ti the right that looks like a rip... is just where the belt loop is stitched

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And finally, something I have only seen on Gorilla Fight Gear pants: A re-enforced seat area. I don't really know why there needs to be double fabric along you butt crack... and I probably don't want to know why... but.. I am somehow glad it is there...

I messed with the contrast on this photo to try and highlight the re-enforcing patch along the butt crack

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The Belt 

The belt is identical to the one that came inside the "Hitman" gi. If you want to see the photos zip over to that review by using this link 

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The Measurements

I had the pants professionally hemmed. The * is present on the measurements directly affected by the hemming.

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The Verdict

As Mike at Gorilla said, I’m constantly on the look out for new materials or concepts that would make Gorilla Fight Gear unique". I think with all things "on the edge" your bound to occasionally be hit-or-miss. The star on the lapel is a "miss" for me. It is too big and flashy. I prefer a more subtle styling. Perhaps if it was a patch, and not embroidery, I could have simply removed it.

I instead ended up putting a school lapel patch over it...problem solved.

With styling aside, it is still a bad-ass gi that is well constructed, rolls light and fluid, and is the rival of any gi in the $200+ market. Gorilla listens to their customers and tweaks their gear to give the public what they want. It fits well around the shoulders, has no seam on the back, and slims the arms down to give it that "true BJJ cut" feeling. This is no modified Judo gi.

I like the "crystal weave" fabric and find that it breathes really well. Sometimes with other companies "pearl weaves", I find they start to feel like wet paper-towel against your skin when soaked with sweat-which is gross. This Apeman feels soft and breathable when soaked...and still weighs in the same range as a "pearl weave"... Gorilla is really on to something with this fabric.

The fabric that re-enforces the crotch provides a nice breathable area for all your bits. It is such a small thing, and yet really helps to cool you down when you back-to-back-to-back roll.

Overall, it is a great second or third gi.. It is kind of expensive for a first gi. It is especially nice as a milestone present to yourself (like getting your blue belt) It is well put together, refined, and has tons of cutting edge features. 

We are both wearing this gi before shrinking it down in the wash... so it is huge on both of us...lol

I will let you guys know how it ages and what changes (if anything) through use.

Mike

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Like this Review?? Please Comment Below, And Click Here For My Other BJJ Product Reviews

This review represents my own opinions. I am not an expert by any means in cotton, garment construction, or fabric stress. I am just a regular BJJ student who loves Jiu Jitsu. I consider myself as independent and impartial as one can get. I am not sponsored by Gorilla, though I did receive this gi free of charge for the purposes of reviewing it.. If you have any questions about this review, please comment below or email me at lifevsjiujitsu@gmail(dot)com.  I hope you enjoyed the large detailed photos I included; it is something I think many reviews are lacking. Thanks for reading. 

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Jean Jacques Machado Competition Video's

There is a great story I read about Grandmaster Carlos Gracie and Jean Jacques Machado

Once was visiting a dear friend of the family, Luzita, who just had a handicapped baby. They were chatting and Luzita was holding her baby when she noticed that Carlos was carefully looking at the child. She asked what he was thinking about and the Master said: “You can be cool (calm) because your son is going to achieve everything he wants in life. This handicap is not going to get in his way at all, much to the contrary." That baby was Jean Jacques Machado, future Jiu-Jitsu phenomenon and ADCC world champion (source)  

(̶N̶o̶t̶e̶:̶ ̶A̶p̶p̶a̶r̶e̶n̶t̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶t̶o̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶G̶r̶a̶n̶d̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶C̶a̶r̶l̶o̶s̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶a̶b̶y̶ ̶J̶e̶a̶n̶ ̶
J̶a̶c̶q̶u̶e̶s̶ ̶M̶a̶c̶h̶a̶d̶o̶.̶.̶.̶i̶f̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶p̶y̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶e̶m̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶p̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶
a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶R̶C̶J̶ ̶M̶a̶c̶h̶a̶d̶o̶ ̶P̶h̶o̶t̶o̶ ̶H̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶y̶)

Thanks Alan for finding this gem!!

The fact that Jean Jacques Machado was able to achieve the accomplishments you will see below is almost unbelievable.  Professor Machado has a congenital disorder on his left hand known as Amniotic band syndrome This disorder severely limits the functionality of his hand. Rather than accept any sort of limitations, the Professor exploded into the Jiu Jitsu scene winning tournaments and "super matches" against the elite. His strong use of under-hooks helped to propel him to the top of the "No-Gi style" ADCC Tournaments.

I personally am fascinated by his "always attacking" style of fighting and his ability to push the pace of the match. Truly a champion. 

IF I can ever find a copy, I would love to watch "Force Of The Spirit". Until then, I will continue to watch these videos of his competition footage, 

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

In BJJ/ Grappling Tournaments

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Roy Harris

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Rogerinho (?)

Jean-Jacques Machado vs.Wallid Ismail

Jean Jacques Machado vs. Yuki Nakai


Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka - L.A. Sub X


In the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC)

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Caol Uno- ADCC 1999 66-76 kg Finals

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Ricardo Arona- ADCC 2001 Absolute Finals


Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Leo Vierra- ADCC 2000 (?)


Jean Jacques Machado vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka ADCC 2001 Absolute


Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Matt Serra- ADCC 2001 66-76 kg Finals


In MMA 

Jean Jacques Machado vs. Frank Trigg VTJ 1998 - Vale Tudo Japan 1998

If you know of any more on Youtube...let me know and I will embed them here.

Mike

Around The "Machado" World This Week...

I have been away to Ohio for a few days. While I was down there, I took the opportunity to train at Jorge Gurgel's MMA. While Professor Jorge is a accomplished MMA fighter and Jiu Jitsu wizard (see season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter), the gym is probably best know as where Rich Franklin trains. I had a blast and will elaborate on my experiences there in a separate blog post. When I came back, I was surprised to find several new videos and news from around the "Machado World"

First and foremost I heard about the news of Joe Rogan's Black belt promotion in 10th planet Jiu Jitsu. 

"I just gave @joerogan his 10th Planet black belt... Here's the pic of @joerogan getting his black belt :)" -Eddie Bravo
 

 

Eddie Bravo presented Joe with his new belt on Tuesday night (June 26th). It was an emotional moment for Joe, and my respect goes out to him. Congratulations.

Joe and Jean Jacques Machado

While not technically a Machado black belt, I know Joe received his brown belt from Professor Jean Jacques, and Eddie Bravo is a two stripe Black bel under Professor Machado. I am a dedicated listener of The Joe Rogan Experience and have really come to enjoy Joe's insight and candor into the world of MMA and jiu Jitsu. 
Joe has the ability to sum up the reasons why I do Jiu Jitsu nicely with rants such as this:

"[There’s] something that my Tae Kwon Do teacher told me when I was a little kid that I never forgot was that Martial Arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential, and nothing in my life has ever put me in face with reality better than Jiu-Jitsu, ‘cause I think in life we can all distort our perceptions of things in order to make ourselves more comfortable, in order to except where we are, and there are a lot of people out there running around life full of s—t. You can’t be full of s—t when you do Jiu-Jitsu,” he said. When you do Jiu-Jitsu, it’s impossible to be full of s—t, because reality comes at you in the purest form possible. A life or death struggle using your determination, your focus, your techniques, your mind, and your training over and over again. And its reality, and if you f—k up, and you get caught in a triangle, you gotta tap and that is the end of the story. It’s as real as it can get, and that has made me a better person. It’s made me a better man, it’s made me understand myself, my weaknesses, my strengths, the s—t I need to work on. Jiu-Jitsu has been one of the most valuable tools that I have ever had in my life.”

You can check the video of his promotion here...

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 My fellow blogger "Jake" over at The Ground Never Misses published an excellent interview with John Will, one of BJJ's "Dirty Dozen". John is a Rigan Machado Black Belt and has some great stories about traveling to Brazil for the first time with Professor Rigan.

Click here to get to read Jake's excellent post and interview, as well as see some cool vintage footage of tournaments.

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It also seems that Jean Jacques Machado  has been traveling and has done another couple of techniques and interview for Jiu Jitsu Mania (a-la-Jits Magazine when Professor Machado came to our school)
 

It is always interesting to hear what Professor Machado is doing and what his opinion is on different topics.

The first technique video goes over a killer "Loop Choke" from Halfguard. My half guard is rarely an offensive position for me, I generally focus all of my energy to passing. I really like this technique and can see some real possibilities, though I feel like surprise is a considerably advantage when trying it out in rolling.

The second technique is a "crucifix" set-up from the butterfly guard. When I watch these techniques, Professor Machado moves so fluid. When I try these techniques, I feel clunky and robotic...something to work on for sure.

Awesome stuff,

Hope you enjoyed it

Mike.