Southpaw MMA Optic Rashguard Review

Southpaw MMA Optic Rashguard Review

Brand

Southpaw MMA is a Dublin based brand, started when a group of training partners realised that the gear everyone around them was wearing consisted of old t-shirts and unsuitable gear. They focus on quality equipment and slick designs, and have a wide range of gym gear available.

About the Item

The Optic rashguard is the best selling of several rashguards designs offered by Southpaw, which are available from XS to 3XL. Southpaw sent us a few bits, including this rashguard, to give our opinion on.

Visuals

Visual design is a real focus for Southpaw – the brand was founded out of a desire to get rid of the old t-shirts and badly designed fightwear and replace it with clothing the looked great and worked well. The Optic rashguard definitely shows that they want to move away from garish designs – a simple tessellated geometric pattern, with ‘southpaw combat sports’ printed on the front, their wolf head logo on the back, and any customisation (they offer customisation on most of their gear) underneath it. The design is simple without being basic, and looks fantastic.

Materials/Craftsmanship

Southpaw apparently tested their choice of materials against 17 other variations before deciding which was the most comfortable and breathable. The result is an ultra-soft, four way stretch material that is super comfortable and feels great while you’re training.

The craftsmanship is great as well, clearly showing Southpaws focus on the usability of their product. The seams are as flat as possible to minimise friction and you can tell as soon as you put it on that its a well made product. What I like most is the printing method of the logos and customisation, which appear to be done in the same way as the actual pattern of the rashguard, which means they’re not going to be rubbed off or damaged during training.

Southpaw do have a warning though, that if you put it under too much friction or catch it on some velcro you can actually pull some of the fibres out of the material. They plan to release a new, extra durable rashguard before too long, but at the moment you just need to be careful.

Comfort/use

Like I said, you can tell as soon as you put the Optic rashguard on that it’s well made, it’s incredibly comfortable. I’ve come pretty close to going full John Danaher and wearing it with a pair of jeans when I’m out and about, which says all you need to know really.

The fit of the rashguard is brilliant (both Southpaw and I recommend going for a snugger size option, I normally sit between Medium and Large (I’m 6’3 and 85kg) and the Medium fits perfectly) which means that you don’t have to worry about getting your opponents limbs caught up in your clothing while you roll.

The only recommendation I would give is to include some high grip sections, like the Adairto compression tops do, which keep the rashguard in place during training. I didn’t notice this as a particular problem with the Optic rashguard, but it does happen and this is such a simple fix for the issue.

Cost

The RRP on the Optic rashguard is £42.55, plus a premium if you want to have it customised (Southpaw say the average is £25, but to contact them directly with what you want printed and they’ll get back to you with a quote). To me, £42.55 represents great value for money for a well made, well designed and super comfortable rashguard, and as long as you take care of it, it’ll take care of you.