Gear review: The XMartial rash guard and endless design options
Grappling Insider reviews the XMartial rash guard. The company offers an incredible variety of unique designs.
A high-quality rash guard is an essential item for Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) or submission grappling. Whether you’re wearing it under your gi or just practicing no-gi, practically every grappler owns at least several rash guards.
Recently, we tried out one of XMartial’s trademark rash guards, and we’re now happy to share what we found.
If you do choose to buy from Xmartial, use promo code GRAPPLINGINSIDE for 10% off. Just follow this link and enter the promo code at checkout.
Pros:
- Tons of unique design options
- Rubber waistband
- Durable stitching
Cons:
- Only one IBJJF legal design
- No rubber around arms
Key feature: Endless designs
A quick look at the XMartial website and one thing will immediately stand out: the company offers an enormous amount of design options, many of which are entirely unique. At the end of the day, the incredible variety of creative designs is what sets XMartial apart.
Many of the rash guards feature BJJ-styled puns that play off of popular phrases or brands. For example, the rash guard we tried out carries what looks like the famous Starbucks logo. But upon closer inspection, we see the woman in the center throwing up the BJJ “shaka” hand symbol, and the words around the logo read “Coffee then Jiu Jitsu.”
The company offers dozens of other options, from a tuxedo rash guard, to a ninja turtle rash guard, to a “cuddle hub” design that looks similar to a famous adult website.
Not every design is a joke, though, and XMartial also has plenty of original designs, some with unique animations and others with simple and sharp lines and shapes.
Despite the massive amount of variety available, our one complaint is that XMartial only offers one ranked, IBJJF-legal rash guard design. Surely they can come up with a fun design and still make it IBJJF-legal?
We recognize that design is a matter of taste, and not every grappler will like every design, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention XMartial’s huge catalog of inventive rash guards as the primary selling point.
The specifics of the XMartial rash guard: Materials and construction
Given the wide variety of funny and unique designs offered, one might think that XMartial skimped when it came to constructing the garment. Admittedly, that’s what we expected, too, but were pleasantly surprised to try out a high-quality rash guard made of heavy-duty, durable materials.
Material: The rash guard is an 80 percent polyester, 20 percent spandex blend. This is certainly on the thicker side of most rash guards, but definitely not so thick that we’d hesitate to wear it on a summer day.
Stitching: We were also surprised by the rash guard’s thick, double stitching at all seams. The product is clearly made with an eye toward durability, and this stitching will ensure it lasts for years.
Other features: Another aspect that stood out was the rubber waistband. While it might not seem like much, the rubber around the waist ensures a tight fit and ensures the rash guard won’t ride up during sparring. We know how annoying it can be to fix a rash guard mid-roll, so we loved this feature.
But by that same token, we would have liked to see that same rubber banding around the arms to prevent a similar riding-up problem.
The bottom line
Ultimately, what sets most rash guards apart is the design, and XMartial specializes in eye-catching, unique designs that often incorporate pop-culture references, flashy animations, and practically anything else one could imagine. Don’t take our word for it, though. Check out their site for yourself and see everything they offer.
As for the construction of the rash guard, we were happy to see a thick, durable garment that’s been made with care. And even though we would have liked to see rubber bands around the arms, we were overall very pleased with the materials and physical design of the rash guard.
If you do choose to buy from Xmartial, use promo code GRAPPLINGINSIDE for 10% off. Just follow this link and enter the promo code at checkout.
