In this post I return to two shops I had previous reviewed for Muay Thai equipment and custom shorts in Chiang Mai. You can find my original reviews, more than 2 years ago, here:
The Sportland Shop, Near the 3 King’s Monument: Where to Buy Muay Thai, Equipment, Gloves and Gear in Chiang Mai
Boy’s Twin’s Shop on the Kalare Night Bazaar: Where to Buy Custom Muay Thai Shorts in Chiang Mai
I really never meant to do a thorough review, so much as just share what I ran into. I needed equipment and had a bit of an adventure figuring out where to buy it, so it seemed reasonable enough to share with others where you can acquire these things in Chiang Mai. I’d had a hard time finding the 3 Kings Monument store (it kind of doesn’t have a name that sticks in your mind at all) and wanted others to not have the same problem. For Pi Boy’s shop I was really mostly interested in his custom shorts offering, even though he has Twins and Top King equipment for sale as well. Since doing these two reviews I’ve had a number people tell me that the Sportland shop had some pretty steep prices on some items, so when I came back to Chiang Mai for a few fights in February (2015) I visited both to see for myself the state of what they offered. They are both good shops, and depending on what you are looking for, you can find something good in each.
The 3 King’s Monument Sportland store has much more variety of brands and equipment offerings, but their prices on Twins gloves and a few other items doesn’t come close to what Pi Boy’s Twin shop at the Kalare Night Bazaar offers. I’m a little partial to the Sportland store because they sell my favorite gloves: lace-up Thai Smai gloves, which happen to be pretty affordable and hard to find anywhere else. On the other hand Pi Boy is a great guy to deal with, and if I liked velcro gloves I might go visit him instead. In short, if you are looking for Twins brand gloves head over to Pi Boy, to be sure. Not only are they less expensive, there is a lot more variety of color and design to choose from at Pi Boy’s shop. Add in that you can get very inexpensive custom Muay Thai shorts (really and truly custom; you can do anything) and you can’t miss. But if you need pads, sauna suits, unknown-name equipment, a gum shield/ mouthguard, etc. the 3 Kings Monument Sportland store is a good option. Also, I’ve heard that telling the folks at the 3 Kings Monument store offer a discount if you name-drop the gym you’re training at. I’ve never done this, so I don’t know what kind of discount or if it works with any gym or only particular gyms, or not at all. I guess give it a try; couldn’t possibly hurt.
Two Video Reviews
Pi Boy’s Kalare Night Bazaar Twins Shop
Prices
Gloves – base price: single color, 12 oz Twins velcro 1,800 baht ($56)
patterned design Twins gloves add 200 baht (+$6)
add 100 baht per 2oz increase in glove size (+$3)
MMA gloves 1,700 – 1,900 baht, by size (M, L, XL) ($53-$59)
prajaets (arm bands) – 350 baht ($11)
off the rack Twins shorts cost more than customized shorts as the prices are set by the Twins manufacturer/ distributor
Custom short prices are between 700-1000 baht ($22-$31)
3 Kings Monument Sportland
Gloves
10 oz solid color Twins gloves 2,350 baht ($73)
8 oz solid color Twins gloves 2,150 ($67)
8 oz lace up Thai Smai gloves 1,450 ($45)
Sportland bag gloves 480 baht ($15)
16 oz solid color Twins 2,800 ($87)
(color options tend to be red, blue, and black)
Shorts and Shin guards
Large Twins solid color shorts 600 baht ($19)
Thai Smai smaller shin guards 1,200 baht – 2,500 large ($38-$78)
FBT shin guards 2,300 baht ($72)
Twins large shin guards 2,500 ($78)
(color options again are red, blue and black. Groin guards, elbow and knee pads also available.)
Thai Pads and Focus Mitts
Sportland Thai pads 1,350 baht ($42)
FBT Thai pads 850 – 1,050 baht ($27-$33)
Sportland Focus Mitts 800 baht ($25)
Thai Smai Headgear 1,000 baht ($31)
Thai Smai wraps 300 baht ($10)
Boil and Bite mouth guard 90 baht ($3)
Thai style wraps 30 baht ($1)
All Sizes – Twins sauna suit 2,100 ($65)
(lots of anklets in solid color with some tribal design, about 300 baht ($10))
All baht prices are only roughly converted to USD for convenience using a rounded market price (4/19/15)
Where Are They?
One is in the Old City center, nearest to the “Chang Puak” or North Gate; the other at the Kalare Night Bazaar. The 3 Kings store is closed on Sundays and open during the day, until about 6 PM; Pi Boy’s shop is at the Night Bazaar and is closed during the day, opening in the evening and closes around midnight. They are about a 25 minute walk from each other, and about 7 minutes motorbike drive. Here is a Google Map of their locations:
Pi Boy’s Twins Shop is on Facebook as Thaikla Muaythai. You can also email him at No.1_boxing@hotmail.com He speaks and reads English, but I always advise short and clear messages. And go talk to him, he’s super nice and helpful.
The 3 Kings Monument Sportland store doesn’t have an online contact that works. However, when you go in to the store there are guys standing near the various aisles and sections to help you find whatever you need. They also have equipment and apparel for other sports: golf, soccer (football), swimming, tennis, dumbells, medicine balls, sit-up benches, sport pants, shoes, etc., if you need any of that stuff.
