Revgear Muay Thai Kick Pads £89.99

Revgear are relatively unknown in the UK however they have been involved with MMA since 1996 and until recently were the distributors of famous Badboy brand (and still are in the USA)

These Thai Pads arrived via our partners Yourmma.tv and we were immediately struck by the pretty sexy look of them in red and black with the Revgear logo down the side.  These examples are curved pads and a little smaller than standard straight Thai kick pads however our view on this is to compare  like with like and consider a curved Thai pad to be a different piece of kit to a straight one for obvious reasons. 

With a multitude of MMA brands trying to cash in on the Thai market often with fairly lousy results this pad gets a tick in the build quality stakes straight away using full leather (Unlike say Hayabusa or Venum versions) and from the off they haven’t spared any expense on making sure these pads are well constructed with a nice little touch on the straps putting a cover on the inside for added comfort whilst holding them.  

In use these pads are pretty good all round however I will say the handles are not quite as sturdy as say the Fairtex or Twins versions and when you get a really heavy kicker a bigger pad would certainly be a better option.  They are of a medium weight making holding them for 5x3 minute rounds none too painful however again bigger kickers seem to send allot of shock through the pads. 

In conclusion these are a decent set of pads and great for use with punch and kick combos, the slipping on the handles and medium shock absorption prevented these pads from a very good 4 out of 5 rating however they gain a pretty respectable 3.5 gained from excellent build quality and nice attention to detail.  We think for your average MMA guy they are good and will certainly last a long time however if Muay Thai is your game then you may want to consider a slightly bigger pad and maybe look to a Thai brand. 

Jaco Short Sleeved Rashguard

The pictures of this rashguard from the Brazilian company Jaco looked great and the one to the right of this review is straight of the website www.jacoclothing.com which is also a pretty cool website. I think I like this item but I'm not sure I should give it a good review, confused? So am I.

"This Loose Compression Rashguards ultra breathable Bamboo/Spandex blend provides a cashmere-like feel and comfortable formed fit that protects the skin during grappling and rolling." Says Jacoclothing.com.  "Ok does it do the bloody job? " Ask Brutalmmareviews.  I'll say this it is comfortable, very, very comfortable. Out of the packet it looks great too and if you like understated as opposed to the in your face brashness of say Venum then Jaco have got it right here in terms of thier design. 


"Bamboo construction naturally inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi and effectively wicks moisture " Does it? wow does it make the tea too?  I'm sure no one is going to make claims like this if they aren't in some way true but does anyone really care?  BMR Marketing bollocks award of the day goes to this product.  I've seen this moisture wicking claim loads of times and the new fungal barrier is pushing the boat out but in the gym after a two hour tough session in the June heat (Well it was 24 degrees which isn't bad for UK) My lovely Jaco rashguard is just as wet through with sweat as any other I've ever worn.  I'm going to make the assumption on the bacteria front that most people wash their rashguard after training in it on a daily basis (Or have several like me) and never wear it twice in a row without washing as thier training partners would possibly prefer to train with someone with a clean rashguard if not.  So bacteria thing surely is kind of irrelevant?  I don't know, sounds like psuedo science for the market schpeel?? 

Issue 2.  The lovely soft comfortable material doesn't feel half as tough as the usual lycra/polyester mix and when getting dragged across the mats and rubbed against my gi (later on in the testing phase) it doesn't offer the same protection as the rashguard normal material does in terms of guarding against scrapes and scratches, indeed rashes... This is part of the point isn't it?

Issue 3.  In the Wash. It says on the instruction "machine wash cold" so I have been doing so for the last few weeks.  Within a couple of washes my really attractive Jaco rashguard is looking a little worn.
Still perfectly functional but the material is not keeping the integrity of the type used by the majority of rashguards.  I still have an old Evolution Fightwear rashguard I used to use when I started BJJ around 7 years ago which no longer has its logo's on as they have long since worn off but the material is still 100%. 

Conclusions.  I have raised the issues I see with this type of garment.  Its nice to wear, it looks great but heavy duty it is not. The price is the same as any other MMA rashguard but if you are looking for a really functional and mores to the point durable item then I would maybe look elsewhere.  I will say I use this item all the time though and genuinely like it.  Confused? I still am.  I've given this one a 2/5 review but you can elevate it to a 3 if you are more concerned with looks and comfort that hard nosed functionality.  I wouldn't tell anyone not to buy this item just to be aware of the points raised.