Full review of the Yuki gi by Jiu Jitsu Magazine
by Mike Velez - Jiu Jitsu Magazine Editor
SENSO IS A BRAND THAT LIKES TO GO BEYOND THE SURFACE. SINCE WE REVIEWED ITS VERY FIRST GI, THE DYNAMO, THERE'S BEEN A BACKSTORY WITH EACH OFFERING. THEIR LATEST CREATION IS THE YUKI. Now, I'm not Japanese, but I have Google. I began doing the research on the meanimg of the name and the phrase "koi-no-taki-noburi" that can be found on the gi. This phrase translates into English as "carp swimming up the waterfall”. The word "yuki" in Japanese means snow. It's that melting snow that gives the koi the opportunity to reach their potential. One legend has it that a large school of koi swam upstream on the Yellow River in China. The school struggled but overcame the currents and made it to the end of the river where they came across a waterfall. Most of the koi gave up and turned back. The remaining koi wouldn't give up. They tried as hard as they could to leap from the river but they couldn't make it. Local demons saw this and mocked them and raised the height of the waterfall out of spite. However, after hundreds of years of jumping, one koi finally reached the top of the waterfall. The gods recognized the determination and perseverance and turned it into a golden dragon, a symbol of power and strength. Seems like a fitting story. Now, let's see if we have what it takes to become a golden dragon.
The Yuki jacket is made of 450GSM 100% cotton pearl weave. The material is brushed and has a soft and comfortable feel. Inside, COOLMAX® material lines the shoulders and waist. This gives a nice feel with or without a rashguard on. Soft taping runs along the bottom of the skirt and along the insides of the cuffs. The collar is constructed with EVA foam- it's neither stiff nor soft. I think a lot of grapplers will enjoy the collar's neutral feel. There's a fair amount of branding on the exterior of the jacket but it's very subtle and anything but obnoxious. The Yuki only comes in white. The material has a very faint blue hue to it that's just a little bit different but looks good.
The pants are made from 10oz 100% cot-ton rip-stop material. The kneepads are doubled-up with material for reinforce-ment. Inside the gusset is more COOL-MAX® material to add to the comfort level. Taping is found at the cuffs of each pant leg. The pants are kept in place thanks to an elastic rope drawstring kept in place by four extra wide belt loops.
Both the pants and jacket are well constructed with triple stitching in all the seams. So far, I've been pretty happy with all the Senso gis I've worn in the past. I did notice that the cut on the Yuki was different from my Dynamo and Sweep. The jacket had a slightly more tapered feel but closed nicely in front. I did notice the length was a bit on the long side. Since talking to Senso, I've been told that future batches will be cut a bit shorter than our test gi.
Without a rash guard on you can feel the COOLMAX® material in the shoulders; it's comfortable and helps to draw moisture off your skin and reduces any chaffing. In the pants it's a nice touch; there's no "catching" against the fabric of your underwear. I imagine that it's helping keep the boys cool as well. Now, we just need some where your nipples go.
After a few washes, the shrink was in line with most other gis. After these measurements were taken, I did wash the jacket in hot water a couple times and got a little more shrink since the sleeves were a tad on the long side for me. The Yuki is available in sizes Al through A4 including an A2W. A complete size chart is available on its website. This is one of those gis that you look forward to wearing. I have a couple that when they're the only ones that are clean it's like "ugh". But the Yuki is not one of them. The pants are cut nicely, the drawstrings have yet to untie on their own during training, and I like how the jacket closes across the front. The jacket has a very lightweight feel despite being 450GSM. The A2 weighed in at 2.35 Ibs, while the pants weighed in right at lib. Not once when rolling was I thinking about the gi for any reason in any sparring sessions. That's a good thing.
The Yuki is a well-rounded gi that will keep you happy during training and in competition. It's well constructed, has clean styling, and feature packed. It's also very reasonably priced at $145. Along with being available on its website, Senso gis can now be found at other retailers such as rollmore.com, fightsupply.ca, and others.
