Hirota Pinack for Kata Review

Jesi Boy · White Belt

The Hirota Pinack for Kata is a fantastic Japanese made gi that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

The Pinack for Kata is my own personal kata gi. I have owned it for nearly six months, where I have worn it (and been successful) in two major tournaments, and it has been the best karategi I have owned by far!

My previous kata gi was an Arawaza Crystal, so the Pinack was a big step up (in price and quality).

The Pinack comes fully tailor made, which means you will have to provide your own measurements.

Because of the gi being tailor made, I can’t comment on the fit of the gi, but I can say how the material effects the fit.

When you first put on the gi, it is really stiff and may not look the best on your body. However, you will find that once you have warmed up, the gi will not be as stiff and look much better.

Now, the material itself is very smooth on the skin, making the uniform comfortable to wear, but not as smooth in comparison to the Shureido New Wave Three.

The Pinack does not provide as much snap as the Hirota Takumi or #163 (which have much louder snaps), which may be more preferable if you are using the gi for training purposes.

The Pinack feels very light, but still holds its shape like a normal heavyweight, and allows for ease of movement (which is ideal if you are performing dynamic katas).

The only fault I found in this gi, was the draw string system at the waist. I am still searching for a karategi that has a good drawstring system, and to be honest, I don’t even know if they exist!

I find that whenever I pull tight on the strings (and tighten the waist), when I let go it just goes back to where it was before, not becoming any tighter.

My ideal drawstring system is simple… when you pull the strings, the waist becomes tighter and stays there when you let go. If you have found a gi like this, please comment down below.

Overall, I loved the Hirota Pinack for Kata. The fact that it is high quality, Japanese made, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing makes up for its one little error (regarding the drawstring waist).

If you want to see the full review, go check out my website in my profile. It is there that I will be posting more reviews, and much more!

-Jesi Boy
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"It's what you do in the shadows that brings you into the light."

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

In my experience, the only gi that had a drawstring that stayed when pulled was from my Century middleweight gi that had an elastic waistband. I don't think you'll find that in traditional waists. You'll just have to do what the rest of us do: suck it in when you tie!
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

Shizentai · Green Belt

That's interesting, my Pinack has really good-fitting pants with strings that stay nicely. I find that if the pants are cut right for my measurements, the string doesn't need to come in much, and so the string is kind of irrelevant. I didn't put my numbers into the sheet to buy mine though. I just walked into their factory in Fukuoka and let them do a karate makeover-montage on me

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I also have a rather different two-knot system for holding up my pants that I learned from my college club-mates in Osaka. Maybe try switching up they way you tie them?
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"My work itself is my best signature."
-Kawai Kanjiro

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

Shizentai · Green Belt

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