Tokyodo Int. AT-1 Medium Weight for Kata & Kumite
This is my second dogi from Kuroobiya, I bought it early summer 2024. I also have a Hirota heavyweight cotton and a Hirota Pinack for Kumite dogi, for context. First off, Hamid was as friendly and helpful as ever. He personally recommended the AT-1; I was told that the dogi was thin but stiff which would result in a very light dogi with excellent snap. So I decided to give it a go, jacket half a size larger than the trousers (I felt that the jacket in the Tokyodo cut was not long enough in my size). When it arrived and I tried it on, coming from cotton and soft poly/cotton dogis, honestly, I wasn't in awe at first. What put me off initially was the material, in particular the stiffness, even though I was 'warned': I noticed that even the slightest of fidgeting resulted in an audible noise from the dogi - this really annoyed me at first, I felt that everyone was watching me in the dojo. Another point is that despite the product page says differently, at least my AT-1 creases like crazy when washed. I'm not that fussed about creases, nor do I like ironing, so overall, I guess I don't really care. There is another review for the AT-1 here on Kuroobiya where the reviewer says that the dogi feels really unpleasant, like an armour when sweaty. I'm only guessing but I think I might understand where the reviewer was coming from: a tighter fit which would be perfectly fine with a medium weight cotton dogi would probably not work here due to the extra stiffness. For me though, the dogi being aptly roomy, it feels really good and comfortable, even when wet (after breaking it in). On to the definite positives. The quality of the dogi is impeccable, I'd go as far to say that the quality is at least on par with the Hirotas that I've had and there are some bits that are even better. E.g the stitching in general seems better to me, the trousers feel more refined and comfy. Sleeves and trousers were shortened to my measurements to fantastic quality (free of charge). The dogi produces a really good snap even if I don't try - a good trade-off for the fidgeting thing mentioned above. Crisp movements, fantastic snap - honestly, the snap is as good or even better than that of my heavyweight Hirota. All in all, I really warmed up to it in the past few months, to the point that it has become my go-to dogi for everyday training.