The Ground Control Platinum 350 is a new design for the company. We've been testing one of the black 350s for a little over a month now and are really impressed by the quality of the gi, especially for the cost. It really is a great bargain for the money if you are looking for a lightweight competition gi.

click picture for additional photosGround Control has always offered good quality, but this gi has even better construction than the previous gi we reviewed. All of the construction details, including the stitching, the reinforcements, and the fabric weave show a high level of attention to detail.

Even after repeated washing and extended rolling all the stress points are holding up fine and the gi shows no sign of any problems. The arms do stretch just a bit during long training sessions but are back to normal after washing.

This particular gi is black with red contrast stitching. The pants are very lightweight cotton ripstop and haven't shown any pilling like some other ripstop pants do. The jacket is a slim competition fit with a short skirt. It is competition legal, but don't shrink it up in the dryer or it might be close. The entire A5 gi we tested weighed in at a remarkable 3.13lbs (1.4 kilos)! That is really light! The jacket is comfortable even without a rash guard, the fabric is smooth and relatively soft.

There are really no negatives to the gi, if you like the styling. Some folks aren't crazy about the logo but that's subjective. The only thing to remember is that the fit is snug so if you are close in sizing you should think about going one size up.