meet the best manufacturers
of muaythai gear
Probably the best-known among the manufacturers of muay thai boxing equipment, TWINS/TWINS SPECIAL (established since 1992) is known (and sold) worldwide. Its main selling point is a large product range displaying innovative designs and colors, backed up by a great quality of materials and craftmanship. TWINS is 100% export-oriented but sells a lot in Thailand, too. Even though everything is manufactured in one factory in the outskirts of Bangkok, prices are quite expensive for Thai standards. The gear is just perfect for young fighters: fresh designs, colorful, cool. You'll find all TWINS products here, including those just out of the factory or made in limited quantities, kind of prototypes that may never reach distributors outside Thailand.
Personal ratings of the manufacturer: manufacturers
Style: 100
Quality: 100
Price: 70
Manufacturing time: 1 week - reliable - 100
Choice: 90
Final score: 92
MUAYTHAI
(established about 40
years ago) is virtually unknown outside Thailand but its
quality is, amazingly,
as good as
TWINS and the other top manufacturers. This
unregistered, obscure brand is well known in muay thai camps
throughout
Thailand
but has never been marketed abroad. This is perhaps due to
the
fact that the
owner is not interested in foreign
distributors, preferring instead to concentrate on
the domestic
market and on custom-made orders. MUAYTHAI is the only
manufacturer who still accepts to produce gear
for other brands. The
product range is quite large and surprisingly modern. MUAYTHAI
also can replicate any given item from
whichever brand
they
fancy, minus the copyrighted designs. MUAYTHAI's weak
point is the gear overall appearance: there are no fancy
designs, no colorful
screenings, no innovative concepts, only the classic
red/blue/black/yellow/white combinations of colors. But the
quality
of each MUAYTHAI product is
amazingly good. Everything is
hand-made by local artisans and the leather is top quality
cowhide
grade "A", the same used by TWINS
and FAIRTEX.
There are rumors that some big brand names occasionally
outsource
to MUAYTHAI's factory when
orders exceed their capacity. All items from MUAYTHAI are
available on this
site. In February 2008 MUAYTHAI launched
its first
fancy collection. They were very cool, unique,
innovative in
their simplicity. Now, they're collectors' items, as the
management stopped producing such fancy gear in 2010,
because
not many were sold. All MUAYTHAI products are available on this site.
Personal
ratings of the manufacturer: manufacturers
Style: 70
Quality: 100
Price: 100
Manufacturing time: 10 days - volatile - 70
Choice: 80
Final score: 84
nufacturers
Personal ratings of the manufacturer:
Style: 80
Quality: 100
Price: 40
Manufacturing time: 2 weeks - unpredictable - 30
Choice: 80
Final score: 66
Born in 2002 after a dispute in the TWINS family, RAJABOXING has been struggling to find its own identity on the market until 2007, when it launched a glitzy fancy line which is still around today. The product range is, unsurprisingly, pretty similar to TWINS, apart from the screened designs. RAJABOXING's craftmanship and leather quality is a notch below TWINS, TOPKING and FAIRTEX, but the gear is definitely of very good quality. Unfortunately, it is pricey. As TWINS sponsors Lumpini's fighters and has its shop there, RAJABOXING does exactly the same at Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium. Also, there are no new products on the market since 2007 and some of the old one are no longer in production. Not a good sign. All RAJABOXING itesm are available on this site.
Personal
ratings of the manufaturer:
Style: 80
Quality: 90
Price: 65
Manufacturing time: 10 days - reliable - 90
Choice: 80
Final
score: 81
Another sub-brand from the TWINS' family, KING was created in 2000 but appeared in a shop near Lumpini Stadium only in 2005. KING has its own very colorful, american-looking style, and is appealing. The quality is very good, being KING manufactured at the TWINS factory. There are no fancy screenings; instead, KING's style is about mixing many different colors. All gear is made with cowhide grade "A" and the quality is very good. In May 2009 KING splits with TWINS and becomes TOPKING, a totally independent brand with its own factory. The KING brand remains on TWINS, which still manufactures all items in KING catalog, but doesn't seem keen on reviving the product range. In facts, no new items bearing the KING's logo have been produced since 2008. All KING products are available on this site
Personal ratings of the
manufacturer:
Style: 90
Quality: 90
Price: 90
Manufacturing time: 1 week - reliable - 100
Choice: 70
Final
score: 88
In May 2009 KING management rebrands its new venture TOPKING,
with
a
slightly different logo and lots of new items and ideas. From
initial modifications on KING's models to fancy Kevlar
screenings
to the recently launched ultra-cool Superstar collection, TOPKING has
been the most active among all manufacturers. The gear is similar to
FAIRTEX: strong, perfectly made, of the finest quality, and with
screened designs to die for. TOPKING is hot with young nak muay
from all over the world and is surely growing fast in
popularity
and market share. All TOPKING items are available on this
site. manufacturers
Personal
ratings of the manufacturer:
Style:
100
Quality: 100
Price: 90
Manufacturing time: 1 week - reliable - 100
Choice: 90
Final
score: 96
Please be informed that since March 31, 2011 we no longer sell any BOON product
The small brand BOON (Thai word for virtue) is a very small operation but fits very well among the top manufacturers. BOON's items are the result of a good match between traditional Thai craftmanship and a new approach on stitchings, paddings and selection of materials. The quality of the cowhide is remarkable, and BOON trade mark is the "raw leather" look, perfect for belly protectors and kickpads. You'll find all BOON items on this site.
Personal
ratings of the manufacturer:
Style: 60
Quality: 100
Price: 70
Manufacturing
time: 10 days - unpredictable - 30
Choice: 30
Final
score: 58
ULTRAFIGHT GEAR is also known as MASTER TODDY's in USA. The gear is almost the same, with a different logo, produced in Bangkok. Master Toddy's experience in USA, entrepreneurial skills and vision permeate every UFG item, which is personally enginereed and designed by the man himself. Therefore, UFG has REALLY unique products, made out of unique and original ideas, stuff that nobody else has ever made. Instead of focusing on colorful designs or elaborate styles, UFG goes for creativity: all items display tricks, improvements, details, shapes that make you wonder why nobody did it before. Trainers especially will find UFG gear invaluable. UFG stuff looks solid, but sometime rough. Raw stitchings and leather quality give the gear a hand-made flavor that may appeal to many. All UFG items are available on this site.
Personal ratings of the
manufacturer:
Style:
80
Quality: 70
Price: 70
Manufacturing time: 10 days -
volatile - 70
Choice: 70
Final
score: 72
my advice: if you are young, passionate about muay thai and with limited spending power, buy MUAYTHAI.
The Thai manufacturers listed below share common traits, such as: lower quality of materials, poor QC, unrealistic pricing, ageing product ranges, etc. They are not on the the same level as the top eight above, even though they are very well known and sold both in Thailand and abroad.
THAISMAI One of the first (established 1960) and original manufacturers of muay thai equipment, THAISMAI (pronounced thai-samai, meaning "modern thai") is very well known and respected in Thailand. THAISMAI was truly big decades ago, when TWINS didn't even exist and FAIRTEX was already looking abroad. THAISMAI was the main supplier of boxing gear in the 60's and 70's and the small, old-fashioned product range hasn't probably been updated since. THAISMAI sells predominantly to the low end of the domestic market, even though its prices are not cheap. THAISMAI has a loyal group of buyers abroad, too. The old-fashioned, messy and dusty shop is located in Charoenkrung Rd., near the river, and gives you the feeling of life in Bangkok in the "good old days" of muay thai, before both the city and the sport became worldwide attractions.
SIAMBALL also known as SBS, produces balls for basket, soccer, athletics, golf, etc. The factory where muay thai gear is made is large and modern. The gear is solid, well built, well stitched; every item is available in leather grade "B", PU and PVC. Whilst all items made with leather are of a disappointing quality, SIAMBALL's strong point is definitely PU. The product range is good and the PU gear is definitely worth the price.
FOOTBALL THAI (FBT) The biggest manufacturer of sportswear and sport equipment in Thailand, FBT was established in 1957 and is still is the most popular and most sold sport brand in the country. By selling nice, colorful stuff at very low prices and sponsoring every sporting event in Thailand, FBT is a giant and it's everywhere, from the most important events to school tournaments upcountry. Regarding muaythai equipment, FBT's product range is very small of the lowest quality, being made with PVC. The prices for muay thai gear are absurdly high.
NATIONMAN Established in 1981 with the goal of becoming Thailand's premier sporting goods manufacturer and steal FBT's spotlight, NATIONMAN has grown into a major force on the Thai sportswear market. NATIONMAN has an interesting product range for muay thai which looks very similar to SBS in terms of pricing and quality. For some obscure reasons, NATIONMAN has managed to dominate the foreign markets worldwide with only one item: elastic ankle supports, produced in dozens of different colors. But they have much more to offer.
