MKimonos Palladium gi is the latest in MKimono’s line of premium Jiu Jitsu gis. From the very start when I started to train Jiu-Jitsu I had always been fascinated by this legendary brand coming straight from the source: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil! I remember watching videos and reading old Gracie mags where I would see my heroes Royler Gracie, Saulo Ribeiro or Marcio Feitosa wearing the famous kimono with the M logo. The fact was that not many guys in Europe had Mkimonos aka Machado Kimonos, so it made into somewhat of a novelty. I like lightweight gis with simple design (not too bling), but also that are very solid, so I finally made the step of getting my hands on one and chose to get the same model that the legends use, the Mkimono Palladium .I contacted Luciana Machado at Mkimono and she provided me with ultra friendly service and I really felt that Brazilian warmth. Luciana is famous in the industry for her first class customer service. She has recently revamped her website and is now based in Europe which is great for us. They cary the great Mkimonos Hybrid Gi and the Ultra Light Summer Gi.
Luciana Machado Simon, owner of MKimonos
Mkimonos History: MKimonos was established in 1995 by Luciana & brother Marcelo Machado after Marcelo received hisblack belt from Master Royler Gracie. MKimonos started in a small factory in Ilha do Governador in Rio. Luciana & Marcelo began selling kimonos to Marcelo’s students at Gracie Tijuca & Gracie Humaita which was run by Royler Gracie. MKimonos are the originators of many of the new weaves we see today from the hybrid weave & summer weave, and also the first company to use the gold weave. They have sponsored such athletes as Royler Gracie, Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, Samir Chantre, Shaolin Ribeiro etc..
The Palladium Weave is an MKimonos exclusive that was created in 2011. It maintains the texture and comfort of Gold Weave while providing the strength and durability of a Double Weave. It is heavier than the Hybrid, however some competitors prefer if for competitions due it being difficult for your opponent to grab and manipulate. The new design features a return to the classic Blue M and straight JIU-JITSU logo. The top contains proprietary revisions to two reinforcement points while maintaining the traditional, clean MKimonos lines. The pants feature three enhancements to the reinforcements, new quadruple stitching on the cuffs and a new, corded drawstring.
Here are the specs:
1. Palladium weave is a heavier weave and much more resistant and durable than the hybrid or gold weaves. Matter of factly, its as tough as a double weave. The jacket made from high quality cotton, tough and very durable. Yet very soft.
2. Durable cotton double thick pants with reinforced knees
3. Thicker lapel than the Mkimono hybrid.
4. Superb reinforcement at the key stress areas
5. Clean and simple design
6. Shrink to fit.
7. IBJJF legal
SIZE INFO
OUR SIZETRADITIONAL SIZEHEIGHT (ft)HEIGHT (m)WEIGHT (lbs)WEIGHT (kg)
A1 4 5’1″-5’6″ 1.55-1.67 110-136 50-62
A2 5 5’6″-5’9″ 1.67-1.76 136-161 62-73
A3 6 5’9″-6’1″ 1.76-1.86 161-187 73-85
A4 7 6’1″-6’5″ 1.86-1.95 187-209 85-95
Weight for the A3: 2,2 kgs
Sizing and shrinking:
I told Luciana that I preferred my gis to be a tighter fit so she recommended that I get a A3. I’m 1m85, 82 kilos. When the gi arrived and I tried it on it was already slightly bigger but after a few washes it shrank to fit me perfectly. Shrinkage is minimal if you follow the directions. After about 3 weeks of training everyday in the gi, it hasn’t shrank and perfectly fits me.
Material and durability:
This kimono is a return to the original Blue M and Jiu Jitsu logo and the finish has been done with classy embroidery. Pants are your standard cotton double thick pants with reinforced knees, which makes them perfect for everyday training. The Palladium weave is similar in texture to that of a Gold Weave. This gi is loaded with reinforcements at the key stress areas. The sleeve cuffs & pant cuff s areas are reinforced with quadruple stitching. Other high stress areas like the inner crotch & armpit are reinforced with a stronger material to minimize any material defects.
Nice high quality and classy M shoulder embroidery.
Look:
The 2012 design features the return to the classic Blue M and straight JIU-JISTU logo. In my opinion, this is one of the nicest embroidery combinations in Jiu-jItsu kimonos nowadays.
The great thing about this gi is how simple and understated it looks. I decorated mine with my academy patch and two BJJ Eastern Europe patches. It really is a nice classy low key gi but with some details which make it stick out.
Feeling when rolling:
Training: I wore the kimono every day for 6 weeks, The gi is very comfortable to roll in. The first time I rolled with it I felt like I was wearing a golden armour. The gi really looked different than the others in class not because it was flashy or anything, it was just that nobody in my academy had ever seen an MKimono before and many were grabing it and tugging to test the quality and they were impressed! This Gi feels a bit heavier than most but once you get used to the extra weight you will find this a comfortable GI to wear use. And the probably one of the toughest jiu jitsu gi you can find in the market today. It’s as tough as a Howard (HCK) but way lighter.
In Conclusion
The Mkimono Palladium will last a very long time and is fantastic quality. It retails at 200 dollars which is about 150 euros. This places it in the mid price range for gis however for something as high quality as this and that will last you at least 10 years, it’s money well spent. The fact is not as widespread as other gis like Koral or Keiko Raca so you will have the added benefit of having a authentic gi with tradition and coming straight from the source.
I will give the Mkimono Palladium a mark of 9,5/10
Pros
-Great brand tradition and prestige
-High quality material,
-Strong yet light pants.
-Very solid and will last a long time
-High quality strong fabric
-Strong stitching
– Classy embroidery
– Durable and light
Cons
-Heavier than most gis.
