adidas Karate Mitts With Thumb (661.23)
- Mid-range
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Experienced
- Sparring
- Competition
Image coming soon
Product details checked against available sources.
Specifications
Our verdict
A red or blue competition-pattern mitt from adidas, the one brand in this category on WKF's approved list for karate mitts. WKF names the brand, not this model, and most of what is known about the mitt comes from its UK retailer.
UK retailer Budo Online sells this adidas mitt as the with-thumb model, article 661.23, in red and blue, S to XL. The retailer describes injection-moulded foam padding, finger loops, a wrap-around elastic closure with a diagonal elastic, and CE marking.
adidas's own US store sells an "adidas WKF Karate Mitt 2.0" with a PU3G outer, I-Protech high-pressure (IMF) foam and two finger loops with a palm strap. That page prints no article number or thumb design, so we do not take it as this mitt's specification. We record only the closure from it, where the two agree.
WKF's approved list names adidas for karate mitts, and the images on WKF's adidas mitt entry have file names carrying 661.23. But WKF does not name the model, so the approval rests on adidas's and the retailer's claims. Check for the WKF logo on the mitts you receive. Under WKF rules, mitts in kumite (competition sparring) are WKF Approved, red for one athlete and blue for the other (WKF Kumite Competition Rules 2026, Art. 2.2.7(a)).
Karateka preparing for events run under WKF rules who want a mitt from a WKF-listed brand in the corner colour they need, and who will check it for the WKF logo.
You want the maker's own specification for this exact article before buying. You're a beginner who only needs a mitt for club sparring: see the Bytomic Red Label or Blitz Club Elite.
Pros
- adidas is on WKF's approved list for karate mitts, and WKF's adidas mitt entry shows images filed under this article number
- Red and blue, S to XL, from a UK retailer
- Injection-moulded foam padding and finger loops with a strap, per the UK retailer
Cons
- WKF names the brand, not the model: the approval rests on adidas's and the retailer's claims
- adidas's own pages do not confirm the thumb design, outer material or sizes for this article
- The UK retailer's size chart is an image only
Why we rated it this way
Protection (3): injection-moulded foam padding and CE marking are stated by UK retailer Budo Online. No mitt here publishes padding figures. Protection is rated on the published description, never on an injury-prevention claim.
Comfort (3): finger loops and a strap are described both by Budo Online and on adidas's Mitt 2.0 page, but there is no sizing basis in text.
Durability (3): no outer material is confirmed for this article, and there is no independent durability evidence.
Value (3): the mitt comes from the one brand WKF lists for karate mitts. Cimac, adidas's UK distributor, is the UK purchase route here. But at Cimac's price, the mitt costs noticeably more than the Blitz and Bytomic club mitts in this category. So it gets a mid-range rating for a WKF-listed brand at its full UK price, as the adidas gi and shin guards here do. The model-level approval is still to be checked on the logo.
Sources
- Other source — UK retailer Budo Online's product page and product feed (re-read 2026-10-22), the source of: the title "adidas Karate Mitts WKF Competition Gloves With Thumb", SKU 661.23-<colour><size> (feed), "With thumb", "Injection moulded foam padding", "Finger loops and wrap around elastic closing", a diagonal elastic strap, "WKF Approved" and "CE Approved" (the retailer's wording), red and blue, S-XL and a size chart published as an image. Budo Online is not on the UK dealer list WKF's adidas entry gives, so its descriptions are the retailer's.
- Manufacturer — adidas's own US combat-sports store (sold under the adidas Combat Sports licence; prices in USD, not a UK destination), re-read 2026-10-22: "adidas WKF Karate Mitt 2.0 (WKF APPROVED)" - PU3G outer, "I-Protech high-pressure foam (IMF)", "Two finger loops and a Velcro palm strap", red and blue, XXS-XL, "WKF Approved" (adidas's claim). The page and its product data print no article number or thumb design and its image files carry no code, so it is not tied to article 661.23.
- Technical documentation — WKF approved list (wkf.net/approved; no version printed): "ADIDAS - KARATE MITTS": adidas is listed for karate mitts; no model is printed, and the gallery images are file-named 661.23_* and 661.232.0_* (a file name is not a listed model). Checked 22 October 2026.
- Technical documentation — WKF Sport Items Homologation Process 2025-2028 (approval term 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028): approved mitts and shin-pad and foot protectors come in red (RED 032 C) and blue (PROCESS BLUE C), mitts with or without thumb protection and open on the inner side; the approved body protector is "of inner use (under the karategi)", protecting the front and lateral thoracic area and the abdomen, to EN 13277-3:2013; the female chest protector is a PU inner part with a washable white lining (EN 13277-6); approved items show the WKF logo in a clearly visible place; the WKF website publishes approved trademarks and a list of dealers by country. Checked 22 October 2026.
- Technical documentation — WKF approved list (wkf.net/approved; no version printed): WKF's adidas brand page names Double-D as adidas's worldwide martial-arts licensee and lists adidas's dealers by country; for the United Kingdom it lists "BLITZSPORT" (London) and "CIMAC" (Solihull). Cimac, the UK purchase route for the adidas kit here, is one of them. Checked 22 October 2026.
- Technical documentation — Governing body rulebook: WKF Kumite Competition Rules (Rules Version 2026.01, valid from 1 January 2026; note of 13 April 2026), Art. 2.2.7 and 2.2.10: compulsory kumite protection - WKF Approved mitts, red or blue (a); gum shield (b); WKF Approved body protector for males, and for females a chest and body protector or an integrated chest/body protector (c); WKF Approved shin pads (d) and foot protection (e), red or blue; WKF Approved groin guards for males (f); under-14s a WKF Approved helmet and external body protector (g). "All protective equipment must be WKF Approved" (2.2.10). Checked 22 October 2026.
- Authorised retailer — Cimac, adidas's UK martial-arts distributor (its own "Official UK Distributor" wording; the only UK entry on the adidas licensee's dealer map; an adidas UK dealer on WKF's list) - the UK purchase route for article 661.23, checked 2026-10-22.
Methodology: research-based (not hands-on tested) · How we review products
Last reviewed 2026-10-22 · Last verified 2026-10-22