When I achieved purple belt, I felt that I made the transition into being an experienced serious Jiu Jitsu practitioner. To celebrate I decided to buy myself a nice custom Jiu Jitsu belt. My white belt was a no-name karate belt. I cherished my white belt, and I had a nice, ragged patina to it before I got to blue belt.
At blue belt, I upgraded to a Hayabusa belt which was a great mid-level belt. My Hayabusa blue belt was of great quality lasting throughout blue belt and minimally faded after washing after every practice.
After researching various belt companies, I landed on Kataaro for my fancy new purple belt. I read through many reviews and forums and found that most people were happy with their purchase and the quality was top notch from Kataaro. After checking out Kataaro’s sight I was sold by the ease of custom ordering and the amount of information the site has about all aspects of their belt. I leaped and ordered a belt and I have not been disappointed.
What belt I specifically ordered
The model of belt that I ordered was the Kataaro Deluxe Jiu Jitsu Rank Purple belt.
Specifics
Size: 8 – 130inch – A4
Width: 2.00 inches – 13 rows
Firmness: STIFF
Label: Yes
Custom Embroidered Logo: Logo – upload
Custom Embroidery: Name
Kataaro ordering process and customer service
The online ordering system is easy to navigate and there are drop-down selections to fully customize your belt. Just about every aspect of the belt can be customized. You can choose custom embroidery, production time, length, width, firmness, color, rank stripes, instructor bars, and if you want to include the Kataaro label. There is also a free text box where you can add special instructions to your order.
With the options that I choose including an embroidered logo and my name embroidered the total cost was $104.28 shipped after using a coupon code.
When adding custom embroidery, you can put in the text you want if embroidering a name and if you want a logo or picture, you upload it to the system. If you add embroidery the next step is for Kataaro to create a digital proof of your belt for review and approval. Belt construction begins as soon as you order, and the digital proof can take up to three weeks with the standard production option and one week for the rush option. I got my proof in about 18 days.
Kataaro’s customer service is top-notch. After I submitted some custom images for logos customer service reached out to let me know that they had some existing logos on file for my team and wanted to know if I wanted to use what they had. If you use an existing image that they’ve already digitized the cost is less. The existing logos looked great, and I agreed to use them, and they promptly refunded me the difference.
When my digital proof came in, I wanted to make a few changes and minimized the amount of stuff I wanted on the belt. I continued to work with the same customer service rep who was amazing and very helpful. I removed one of the logos and was again given additional credit back for taking off some of the embroideries. After a few more days I received my final proof and approved it. Hats off to Kataaro’s customer service, the service was great.
Kataaro Deluxe Jiu Jitsu Deluxe Belt Features
Kataaro belts are sourced and hand-made in America. Just about every aspect of Kataaro belts can be customized. Some of the features of Kataaro belts include 7.5-ounce weight outer fabric, heavy-duty stitching, sewn ends, and 100% cotton single and double core. If you have stripes, they can be sewn on by Kataaro and they offer free stripes for your belt as you earn them. When you earn a stripe, you ship your belt to Kataaro, they sew on stripes, and then ship the belt back to you. You pay only shipping costs.
Kataaro shipping and unboxing
It did take a while to receive my belt. I placed my order on 2/19/2023 and received it on 3/24/2023. This wasn’t unexpected and within their stated time frames. It is also understandable considering the belt is handmade and included customer embroidery.
The belt came rolled up in a plastic bag within a bubble envelope.
The belt was in perfect shape upon delivery.
Kataaro Jiu Jitsu Deluxe Rank Purple Belt initial thoughts
Upon opening the package, you can tell that a Kataaro belt isn’t some run-of-the-mill average karate belt.
The belt had some heft to it, and you can immediately tell that this is a high-quality customer item. The belt felt premium, and the stitching and embroidery were perfect. It was recommended to order a size bigger if you order a firm belt, so I ordered up.
When I first tried the belt on it was much longer than what I was used to with my old belts, and this included tying the belt via the super lock method. I was almost disappointed thinking I might need to send it back to get it shortened. After some research on their website, I found that you can make the belt wet, dry it in the dryer, and it can shrink up to 8%. I did this and the belt shrunk significantly and fit perfectly via the super lock tying method.
Using the Kataaro Jiu Jitsu Deluxe Rank Purple Belt
It did take some getting used to before I felt completely comfortable with the belt. I ordered a wider 2” belt and the firmer option.
These two features made the belt different from my previous standard limp and narrow belts. After using it for a few months the belt did break in more and was easier to work. I do have to use the super lock method of tying the belt as its firmness and width make it hard to use the standard knot and stay tight while rolling. The super lock does look better and stays tied longer.
The belt stands out and I’ve gotten many nice compliments about having my name and our team logo on the belt.
Kataaro recommends not washing the belt as it could fade and break down quicker. I do wash my belt and thus far it hasn’t been an issue with shrinking or fading.
Final thoughts on the Kataaro Jiu Jitsu Deluxe Rank Purple Belt
One of the things that makes Jiu Jitsu fun is the varied custom gear that you buy and make your own including No Gi Kits, Gis, and belts. Ordering and having a custom belt was a nice reward for making it to purple belt and Kataaro didn’t disappoint. The belt is high quality and customized to my very own specifications. Customer service is top notch and I’m confident that they can make you a belt that you will cherish throughout your rank. I’m also excited to take advantage of the free stripes for life program. I’ve always not liked having to replace raggedy medical tape and it would be nice to have permanently sewn-on stripes. If you want a high quality handmade customizable American-made Jiu Jitsu belt Kataaro will deliver.