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I'm thinking of getting myself a pair of 'real' Muay Thai shorts. A friend will be visiting Thailand in the near future and I'm going to ask her to get me a pair. Can anyone advise what is a fair price to pay, and what size should I get -I'm a UK 12 but I don't want them tight!

Thanks!

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I'll speak from my (small) experience.

Each brand has their own sizing, and the sizes are usually smaller than you would expect.

Fairtex has the most "western" sizes, so they are always bigger (Fairtex M would be another brands' L most likely).

Prices differ A LOT. I went to Action Zone in Bangkok, it's the cheapest place and the prices were from around 350 Baht for a local Thai brand and good quality, around 900 Baht for Fairtex and over 1100 Baht for Twins. Twins, Raja, Yokkao are from what I know the most expensive.

On Phuket in Fightlab, cheapest I found were 650 Baht discounted shorts and "normal" prices around 1100 - 1400 Baht, the most expensive being in quality similar to Twins.

I was looking mostly for the quality to price ratio and I'm happy with my Fairtex shorts. If they had the local Thai brand in my size, I'd take lots of them, coz the quality was really good too!

It would be best if you could try on different brand sizes back at home to give your friend an idea of what size you need. Or let your friend try on your shorts, so that they can remember how it fits them - I used this method to get shorts for some people. I knew more or less where they want it more loose or tight after I tried on theirs.

If you look on Google you should find size charts of different brands, this will give you an idea of how the sizes differ ;)

Keep in mind that not everything you see on the website or in the catalog might be available in the shop...

Places to check out in Bangkok for Muay Thai gear can be:

Boon Sport (near the BTS)

ThaiSmai shop (Sylvie was vloging about it recently)

Fairtex (list of shops)

ActionZone (near National Stadium BTS)

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My buddy got me a pair of FBT shorts in Bangkok that ended up being about $25US. The rest of my shorts I've ordered online from places like muaythaifactory.com or muaythaistuff.com for $8-20US (though they certainly have fancier, higher priced shorts as well).

 

I am a US 8 jean and usually wear a M thai short. I prefer a looser fit and would rather roll the waist over instead of getting a smaller size. Check the measurements for the brands online to compare. Also, retro cut shorts sit lower and seem to work better for me as a female with a bit of butt left back there.

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If you are in the possibility to go to ActionZone I would advise you to go there, yes.
You can design your own short if you want to (it takes 2-4 weeks to make it, under normal conditions) and you can pick the colors from a sample book.
Or if you want something specific you can mail them before going there so it is in-stock.

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There are different styles now, with a "short waist" and the classic waistband that's four or more inches wide. I like the short waist style, but it wears out quicker. The waistband is always very tight when you first get them and it will stretch out as you wear them. I also roll this part down for comfort and have had to have the elastic replaced on a half-dozen pair or so. But I'm wearing them often, so they wear out quickly.

$10-$30, as mentioned above, is the general range that's reasonable. If you get something custom, it will be around $30. The Nylon kind are cheaper than the "Satin" style (I don't believe it's actually satin, it's just thicker and shiny) and any kind of decal or snazz will increase the price a bit as well. Most fighters I know train in the nylon type, then have one or two nice (more expensive) shorts for fights. I like the nylon because it dries faster and is very light, but if you choose light colors with nylon it can be transparent when they're wet... so, be advised.

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  • 3 months later...

Just realised I should have updated this... I ended up buying Twins medium shorts online from the UK official importer (my friend wasn't sure whether she would be going near the official stockists near Lumpinee Stadium so I decided not to risk it). They were a bit tight but are beginning to loosen up now. Very pleased with them, but once they're broken in I shall save them for best!

Only annoying thing is of course the importers only have a very small selection from the whole range, and I had set my heart on one particular design... oh well! I feel like a real Muay Thai trainee in them!

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Most of my shorts are from www.muaythaifactory.com.

 

I prefer the cheap HAN shorts, but they have quite a selection. I would recommend people check them out. In stock items ship quite quickly from Thailand. I usually ask the boys if they want stuff and we all split the shipping, which to the US for some shorts is about $20. May be even cheaper for UK folks?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just realised I should have updated this... I ended up buying Twins medium shorts online from the UK official importer (my friend wasn't sure whether she would be going near the official stockists near Lumpinee Stadium so I decided not to risk it). They were a bit tight but are beginning to loosen up now. Very pleased with them, but once they're broken in I shall save them for best!

Only annoying thing is of course the importers only have a very small selection from the whole range, and I had set my heart on one particular design... oh well! I feel like a real Muay Thai trainee in them!

Hiya, I can recommend RDX if you are in the UK. Not all the way from Thailand but as close as you will get locally - ideal for general training. They dont have loads of designs but the ones they do have are nice and it's free postage also good price circa £ 15.00. they are made quite large, everything with RDX is, so I would suggest a medium if your uk size 12 and primark has lycra undershorts in for £4 juSt now.

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  • 2 months later...

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