
At last, the ‘Raptor’ limited edition gi has been released into the wild! Black Eagle/Predator BJJ has been working hard on developing a women’s BJJ gi line. This includes the lightweight training gi, the ‘Predadora’, and the special edition training gi, the Raptor. The Raptor has been through two major iterations of development and my earlier pre-review examined the prototype. This review looks at the full production version which has seen some significant changes since its prototyping. While the initial implementation was well done with great styling and finishing touches – especially the rash guard inner lining – as noted in the pre-review there were issues particularly around fit. The production version of the Raptor offers enhanced construction and has resolved many of the eccentric length to width proportioning issues present in the prototype trouser fit.
The Raptor is no longer a pre-order item and is now available to order online from the Black Eagle shop. This is truly a limited edition kimono and once these babies are sold, that’s it. The Raptor is priced at £109.99 and qualifies for free shipping.(1) This review is of the F3.(2)
Raptor Features

The revised Raptor maintains the styling choices of its prototype ancestor in terms of epaulette, back and trouser embroidery designed by Meerkatsu. The embroidered patches are very well executed and in the finalised version the tight threading demonstrates particularly polished finishing. The patches are done in a dark mauve/purple outlined in black. A coordinating purple stitching is used throughout the gi and internal stitching of stress points on the jacket and trousers is done in a triple-stich. The jacket is done is a soft pearl weave and the canvas trousers include 6 belt loops.

While I am a sucker for embroidery and consider the Raptor patches a great mix of fierce and feminine, my most beloved feature of this gi is the rashie inner lining, which was carried over from the prototype. The lining tape has been tweaked to be branded with the Black Eagle name and bird of prey motif. This new tape is in a shade of purple which harmonises much more closely with the embroidery thread; the prototype used a deep purple, which was beautiful in itself, but perhaps not as suited to the overall concept as the updated colouring.
Raptor Fit

Black Eagle’s women’s gi, up until now, have catered to an extreme ‘A’ body type, with a very tailored jacket including a minimal overlap and shorter skirt and extremely generous trousers that were very wide, though disproportionately short. The finalised Raptor offers an alternative fit that is less radical in trouser dimensions, while still offering room for a range of women’s curves, and a slightly more generous jacket that retains a tailored silhouette. It may be worth noting that the refined proportions that are used with the Raptor are being rolled out to the Predadora, which represents a significant improvement to the collection, from my point of view, as in the tag-team review of the Predadora, my review partner and I both expressed reservations regarding the fit.

The Raptor is pre-shrunk and guaranteed not to shrink out of fit. I do not follow manufacturer’s care instructions and tend to wash my gi on a warm 60°C wash, rather than the recommended cold wash. As one might expect, a warmer wash did cause some shrinkage. As the pre- and post-wash measurements indicate, the jacket and trousers are pretty resistant to shrinkage with two notable exceptions – the ‘wingspan’ and the leg length, which lost 7.5CM and 4.8CM, respectively. The gi fit like a glove before washing and while the Raptor remains a comfortable fit after shrinking, it did go down more than I would expect for a pre-shrunk gi even on a warmer wash, leaving the trousers and the arm length a bit on the short side. For comparison, the Break Point women’s gi lost 5CM and 4CM from those measurements, while the Fuji ‘Victory’ lost 2CM from the ‘wingspan’ and no noticeable change in the trousers; these gi use similar materials for jacket and trousers. So if you are at the border of a size range and/or like to wash your gi on a warmer wash, then you might want to bear this in mind.
Measurement | Pre-wash (CM) | Post-wash (CM) |
---|---|---|
A | 157 | 149.7 |
B | 16 | 15.5 |
C | 71 | 70.5 |
D | 48.7 | 48.3 |
E | 57 | 54.4 |
F | 28 | 28 |
G | 90.8 | 86 |
H | 21.5 | 20 |
Raptor Performance

There aren’t a lot of feelings more pleasant than ‘shrimping’ along a mat in a rash guard lined gi top. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an overstatement, but nevertheless it is blissfully soft and while a soft gi weave may toughen overtime, a rashie will remain silky smooth (perfect for wearing with a sports crop top underneath if that’s your thing). The ability of the lining to keep you comfortable is compounded by its sweat-wicking properties. It’s marvellous to feel so dry even when working hard and this has practical implications for those with more sensitive skin; I can get very blotchy from salts drying on my skin, as the conventional unlined gi soaks the sweat up like a sponge and rests that sponge on the skin, whereas with a lined gi that sweat is largely kept off the skin. In this way the lining is both luxurious and practical.
Conclusions
Disclaimer
All reviews are based on independent observations. We have no formal qualifications, we are not sponsored by any company and we do not endorse any one brand. If you chose a gi based on this review, please let the manufacturer know that MegJitsu persuaded you. This will not benefit us financially, but can help us to get more gi to review. As always, thanks for reading.
Credits
Thank you to Predator BJJ for supplying the gi. You can find them on Facebook
(1) Originally the Raptor was listed at £99, however the slight increase for the finalised version represents a major increase in value for money as the construction and fit is much improved from the initial prototype.
(2) For reference, I am 166cm/5’5″, 60kgs/130lbs and have bust, waist and hip measurements of 86.4cm/34″, 68.6cm/27″ and 91.4cm/36″; this review is of the F3.
Black Eagle Raptor Women's BJJ Gi Review | MegJitsu
10 Mar 2012 @ 4:48 pm
[…] This is a pre-review based on the prototype. Read a review of the production version […]
14 Mar 2012 @ 12:11 am
I finally received mine yesterday. The rash guard lining is WONDERFUL and HEAVENLY to say the least. If feels uber soft, though I think nothing can beat the Fenom gi in softnessI have yet to train in this gi, though.
I have a very curvy hourglass figure and ordered F3 for both top and bottom. The pants fit extremely well, however, there is practically no overlap on the chest area; the overlap begins just below the chest.
Now, I am still new to BJJ and this is only my third gi. My blue Fenom gi in A1 covers/overlaps my chest completely. My Leticia Ribeiro Atama overlaps less so, but the Raptor would win if this was like
19 Mar 2012 @ 10:01 am
Hi Sky! Thanks for your comment and apologies for the delay in replying (missed the notification email).
Agreed, Fenom has pioneered really soft gi that tend to keep their softness even after lots of washes and line drying (though I have found that the line drying in the sun will harden up any weave). However, the advantage of the rashie inner lining is that it is even kinder on the skin than any weave regardless of softness and does keep the sweat off the skin. I tend to wear a sports crop top underneath my gi, and the lining is great with this combo.
Yup, all the tops fit differently (and fit differently on every body), with varying skirt lengths, overlaps, sleeve lengths, shoulder widths and so on. I really like the tailored cut of the Raptor and find that it does cover my chest, but my UK bra size (which is comparable to the US in my understanding) is 34B/36A depending on the brand – so less voluptuous than average (that’s confirmed by a Guardian report – http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/16/womens-breasts-are-getting-bigger). Pals who also tried the first prototype and who have more substantial racks than I do, did note that the jacket was a bit tight across the chest. It did seem more generous to me in this version, but this is something you might want to feedback to Predator BJJ; they are always looking to improve.
The trouble is, it is really difficult to fit the wide range of women’s shapes with an off the shelf product, which is one reason why it took a while for womens’ gi to really get on the market (as well as the slower build up of demand). But at this point, brands are including women’s line and seeking to make them fit with widest range of shapes. However, just like with street clothes brands, some brands’ cuts will work better or worse for different shapes.
Thanks again for reading and commenting and enjoy your gi!
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14 Mar 2012 @ 11:05 pm
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27 Oct 2012 @ 2:51 am
Thanks for the review. This is a nice-looking gi and I would agree that I am getting a little tired of flowers and butterflies. I will say that I am also getting tired of the care instructions that advise washing in cold water and hanging dry. We live in an age of superbacteria and cold water washing just doesn’t cut it. Furthermore, drying in the dryer kills a few more germs and the bottom line is that people have more disposable income (i.e. credit cards) now and they are not just going to own one gi in their lives. Gis don’t have to last forever. Chances are you will get sick of your gi before it falls apart. Therefore I wish the gi manufacturers would stop giving such ridiculous care instructions because a lot of people still believe them. Just preshrink the darn things or do whatever it takes so that people will end up with gis more or less in the size they ordered.
1 Nov 2012 @ 10:00 am
Sound commentary Deborah, and agree that non pre-shrunk gi are a bit of a waste of time. I always wash those babies on a warm wash to help kill the bacteria (mine and my training partners’!).