Tokaido Karate Belt, Black Cotton Belt - JKA

I received this belt yesterday and after much thought on weather to write this review or not, I've decided to do so and in all honesty.I'm an old Yondan (4th dan) in Shotokan Karate Do. The reason I decided to purchase this belt was because my old belt which I've had for decades now is very worn and tattered and I was hoping to replace it. In the past, I have relied heavily on Tokaido brand uniforms (especially Arashi cut made in Japan) and the quality has always been excellent.In all honesty...having the Tokaido brand label on this belt, I was expecting something quite different. This belt is very low quality appearing to not even have a canvas core. The stiffness is (and believe me I know that most belts when new are rather stiff) almost to the point if being comical when tied and worn. The cotton covering is very thin and the stitching is flawed with loopes appearing on both surfaces of the belt.In summary and with all due respect to the manufacturer which I've now come to believe is Chinese...I cannot in all honesty recomment this belt to any SERIOUS practitioner of the martial arts. Also...I am concerned that Tokaido would allow its brand logo to be placed on such a low quality product.Greetings and best wishes to any and all seriouse practitioners of the martial arts who might have read my review.In summary; anyone looking for a good quality black belt should invest in a reputable distributor of the original product and pay more.Prax Lindsey, verified purchaser.

They suck