The Comprehensive Crimson Kimono Guide

The Ultimate Crimson Kimono guide that introduces a new system on how to examine Crimson Kimonos and provide a tier list of all the Crimson Kimono Seeds & has references to why gloves are in their respective tiers.

Introduction

*DISCLAIMER*

***FOR THE TIER LIST, IT IS NOT IN RANKED ORDER.***

*** PATTERN BASED GUIDE - NOT FLOAT BASED ***

This guide is purely OUR OPINION & created by us. The way we classify Crimson Kimonos, how we rank them, diagrams & systems, and any terminologies were created by us, and our own opinion. We have owned some pairs of Crimson Kimonos on this list but can confidently backup their given tier.

At the end of the day, kimonos are preference-based. If you prefer full-high red patterns, you might think 515/692/699 would be considered the best pattern. If you like Max reds, you might think 560/684 is the best pattern etc. There isn't a clear cut best pattern for crimson kimonos. Thus, this guide orders patterns into their specific tiers.

*All Screenshots were taken from Skinport Screenshot Tool, Buff, and Broskins Screenshot Tool.

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Feedback/Concerns

Basic Crimson Kimono Primer

The Specialist Gloves | Crimson Kimono was first released on November 28th, 2016 as part of the Operation Hydra Case. Currently, it can be unboxed in 2 cases: Operation Hydra Case & Glove Case.

Crimson Kimono gloves are one of the few pattern based gloves in csgo. If you take a closer look at kimono gloves (check photo below), they are made up of these large awkward diamonds.

• When there's no red in large awkward diamond [RIGHT PHOTO] - they are completely gray with a red, threadlike outline on the kimono gloves.
  
• When the large awkward diamond is filled with red [LEFT PHOTO] - you’ll notice a faint/dark Black Dot or Black Diamonds (Small, Medium, Big) which all form starting in the middle of every large red diamond.

The glove pattern & float affects many factors of a Kimono Glove such as: red distribution of the glove, black diamond/dot distribution on the glove, wear on certain parts of the kimono, etc. (Check below).

Pattern affects:

• Red distribution
  
• Black Diamond/dots distribution on glove
  
• The wear on certain parts of glove (Example more wear on tortue plate or more wear on bumpers, More white dust on parts of Black Diamonds even in lower floats due to pattern wear, etc.)

Float affects:

• Brightness of red. Lower the float = the brighter the red.
  
• Scratches on different parts of the glove (Palm side of glove, tortue plate, finger, bumper, and missing red on finger plate outlines).
  
• As the float becomes higher, you may notice white dust/specs beginning to show on the kimono.

That means you can have a .22 glove (Less scratches on bumpers, cleaner Tortue plate, etc.) be cleaner than a .15 glove (as shown below). So both Pattern & float matters when it comes to how “clean” a kimono glove looks.

References

This section will provide references that will be used frequently in describing Crimson Kimonos and its patterns. You will need to refer to this when I explain my tier list minimum requirements later on.

Glove Anatomy Reference

This reference helps in understanding the different parts of a crimson kimono glove.

Keywords: Tortue Plate/Knuckle Plate, Bumpers, Finger, Finger platings, Black Diamonds/Dots

Glove Section Reference

Keywords: Top, Upper-Mid, Lower-Mid, Mid, Upper-Bottom, Lower-Bottom, Bottom

Black Diamonds/Dots Reference

*Top Black Diamonds - Black Diamonds forming from the Top section of the glove.

*Bottom Black Diamonds - Black Diamonds forming from the Bottom section of the glove.

Keywords: Black Dot, Small Black Diamonds, Medium Black Diamonds, Big Black Diamonds, Very High Top BD, High Top BD, Middle top BD, Low Top BD, Very High Bottom BD, High Bottom BD, Middle Bottom BD, Low Bottom BD, TBD 1 - 3, BBD 1 - 3

Check Photo below for examples.

Terminologies

In Relation to Black Diamond Symmetry:

• Notch - A unit of measurement used to describe a row difference between 2 adjacent rows.
  
  
  
  
• Semi-Symmetric Black Diamonds - Black Diamonds between left and right glove are close to mirroring each other, with 2 notch difference between one another (may depend if BD are larger on one side).
  
  
• Near-Symmetric Black Diamonds - Black Diamonds between left and right glove are close to mirroring each other, with 1 notch difference between one another (may depend if BD are large on one side).
  
  
• Full-Symmetric Black Diamonds - Black Diamonds between left & right glove are on the same level and mirroring each other.
  
  
• Asymmetric (Not Symmetric) Black Diamonds - Two Glove with 3 or more notch difference between one another.

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In Relation to Red Distribution:

Red Distribution Symmetry

Symmetrical Red - Red distribution between left and right glove are the same.
Asymmetrical Red - Red distribution between left and right glove are not the same.

Note: Please note that kimono gloves can be symmetrical black diamonds, but asymmetric or slightly asymmetric red distribution. this will of course affect the tier of the kimono glove.

Red Distribution in Top Section of Kimonos

• High Reds - Red distribution reaches the bottom of the Top section of the Kimono glove.
  
• Full High Reds - Top section is fully red with little to no black diamonds/dots in between.
  
• Near Full High Reds - Half or a majority of the Top section is red, but not as much red as Full High Reds.

Refer to Glove Section Reference if confused.

Near Max Reds, Max Reds, Perfect Max Reds

• Near Max Reds - Close to High Red, Middle and Bottom Glove sections are fully red. Partial to full red finger.
  
• Max Reds - At least High Red, Middle and Bottom Glove sections are fully red. Needs to have near-symmetrical Top and Bottom Black Diamonds & Near-Full to Full red finger.
  
• Perfect Max Reds - All the properties of “Max Reds”, but have Very High Top Black Diamonds and Near-Full or Full High Reds. Near-full to Full Red Finger
  
  

TIER 1 - [9 Patterns]

Minimum Requirement for Tier 1

Red

> Must be at least a Max Red

• Symmetrical Red
  
• High Red, Middle, and Upper Bottom Sections are full red
  
• Lower Bottom section must be at least 40% red
  
• Symmetrical Top Black Diamonds (Check Near-symmetric exception)

> Must have Full or Near Full Red Finger on both gloves

Black Diamond

• High Top Black Diamonds on both gloves must be ON OR ABOVE TBD2 line
  
• Must be Symmetric Top BD. If Near-Symmetric, check 'Conditions/Exceptions'.
  
• Bottom Black Diamonds must be below Border Between Bottom & Mid Section

Conditions/Exceptions:

• If the Glove is Near Full or Full High Red with Very High Top Black Diamonds, Bottom Black Diamonds just need to be below BBD2 line (Ex.: 515, 699, 692).
  
• Having Top Black Diamonds Above (and on) TBD1 line on both gloves and have properties of a Max Red Glove immediately makes a glove Tier 1. (Ex.: 692)
  
• If gloves are Near-Symmetric, both gloves have to have small top black diamonds + very high top Black diamonds.

Tier 1 Patterns

*** Patterns are in Numerical Order. They are NOT in ranked order. ***

(*) - Denotes the best patterns in T1

Patterns: 458, 515, 559, 560*, 684*, 692*, 699, 866, 932 [9 patterns]

TIER 2 - [21 Patterns]

Minimum Requirement for Tier 2:

Red Distribution

• Partial to Full Red Finger
  
• High Red & Entire Middle Section of Glove is red

Black Diamonds

• Must be Semi-Symmetric Top BD
  
• High Top BD (Top BDs are between TBD1 and TBD2)
  
• Bottom BDs is on or below BBD2

Not near-symm Top BD, Not near-symm Bot BD, Top or Bottom Black Diamonds slightly passes the Tier 1 boundaries. [/i]

*** Patterns are in Numerical Order. They are NOT in ranked order. ***

Tier 2 Patterns

(*) Represents Pattern being ALMOST TIER 1 with one or more slight flaws. (Think Tier 1.5)

Patterns: 6, 79, 80*, 115*, 208*, 215, 241, 290*, 330, 385*, 402, 491*, 498*, 698, 721*, 753*, 841, 842, 866*, 958, 968. [22 Patterns]

TIER 3 - [49 Patterns]

Minimum Requirement for Tier 3:

Black Diamond Distribution:

• Top BDs cannot be below TBD3 line.
  
• Bottom BDs must be on or below BBD2 line.

Red Distribution:

• Partial Red Finger
  
• Middle Section on both gloves must be filled. Both gloves should be a “High Red” (Red touches the beginning of the Top section)
  
• 80% of Upper Bottom needs to be filled on both gloves

Conditions/ Exceptions:

> If Full High Red w/ Very High Black Diamonds on Both Gloves

• If Symmetrical Red + Near-Symmetrical BD: Red only needs to cover the mid section.
  
• If Asymmetrical Red (One glove is only red in mid section) , but Very High Top BD on both gloves, can still be T3.

> If One Glove is Full High Red :

• And other glove’s Top BDs is slightly below Top Section (1 diamond notch max), it must be be Full Red in all other sections (Finger, Middle, Bottom).

*** Patterns are in Numerical Order. They are NOT in ranked order. ***

Tier 3 Patterns:

(*) Represents Pattern being ALMOST TIER 2 with one or more slight flaws (Tier 2.5)

Patterns: 26, 37, 52, 81*, 91, 92*, 102, 129*, 130, 147, 152, 155, 182, 183, 184, 209, 224, 232, 233*, 285*, 305*, 317, 329, 357, 394, 447, 467, 497, 516, 576, 587, 591, 592, 655, 656, 679*, 731, 875, 881, 891, 892, 916, 930, 931, 952, 953, 954, 957, 973. [Total 49 patterns]

TIER 4 - [64 Patterns]

Minimum Requirement for Tier 4:

Black Diamonds

• Top BDs cannot be below TBD3
  
• Bottom BDs cannot be above BBD3
  
• Does not need to be symmetrical (BD)

Red Distribution

• Mid section of the glove must be mostly red (as the glove reference exhibits)
  
• Does not need to be symmetrical (Red)
  
• Does not need to have red finger

*** Patterns are in Numerical Order. They are NOT in ranked order. ***

Patterns:

(*) Represents Pattern being ALMOST TIER 3 with one or more slight flaws (Tier 3.5)

Tier 4 Patterns: 1, 2, 3, 32, 36, 45, 62, 67, 71*, 78, 90, 101, 122*, 123*, 151, 161, 162*, 185, 205, 228, 237*, 257, 279*, 288, 306, 307, 308*, 333, 334, 335, 347, 410, 440, 441, 442, 461, 462, 463*, 556, 575, 577, 590, 601, 602, 613*, 647, 657*, 658*, 732, 742, 748, 789, 797, 914, 915, 923, 924, 925, 955, 956, 979, 985, 996. [64 Patterns]

TIER 5 - [63 Patterns]

Any glove that slightly misses the tier 4 requirements that may be attractive.

*** Patterns are in Numerical Order. They are NOT in ranked order. ***

Tier 5 Patterns

Patterns: 24, 25, 47, 68, 72, 121, 164, 167, 168, 186, 187, 207, 212, 236, 250, 251, 260, 266, 269, 280, 289, 324, 325, 339, 348, 358, 365, 381, 397, 446, 466, 485, 527, 545, 553, 598, 646, 663, 680, 685, 686, 709, 715, 718, 726, 727, 728, 749, 754, 788, 845, 848, 885, 893, 906, 926, 933, 937, 940, 945, 976, 977, 978, 995. [65 Patterns]

MAX GRAY PATTERNS [31 Patterns]

Max Gray Patterns ***Not in Ranked Order***

* - Refers to patterns that we believe fit our definition of “Max Gray” better than other Max Grays on the list.

705*, 777*, 990*, 713*, 896*, 738*, 298*, 118*, 221*, 771*, 292, 295, 117, 127, 230, 313, 361, 417, 760, 786, 795, 850, 879, 989, 197, 449, 583, 812, 813, 817, 921 [31 Patterns]

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The diagram above is what we consider to be the standard for Max Gray Crimson Kimonos. More desirable Max Grays would have to be more symmetrical & more gray in the boundaries shown in the diagram.

Please note that full gray crimson kimono does not exist. Typically when referring to Max Gray Crimson Kimonos, they would be fully or near-full gray in the middle of the glove, and have some red usually a bit in the fingers, bottom of the glove, or the top section of the glove.

Most Valued Features of Crimson Kimonos (Opinionated)

These are my opinions after my experiences purchasing 5 pairs of Crimson Kimono Gloves (as of this guide being published) AND having spoken with various Crimson Kimono collectors.

*NO PARTICULAR ORDER of Most Valued features - all are very important.

> Red Distribution (All sections of glove + fingers)

• Full High Reds are generally more valued than just High Reds

> Symmetrical Top Black Diamonds & Bottom Black Diamonds

• How symmetric that black diamonds are is extremely important.
  
• Smaller Black Diamonds = more red = better.
  
• Less Black diamonds = more red = better.
  
• The higher the Black Diamonds the better, or having none at all because more red will show on the kimono glove.

> Float & Cleanliness of glove

• No scratches on Tortue plate in general, especially no scratches on Letter 'E'. This is actually REALLY IMPORTANT. High-tier Kimono collectors generally care about how clean the kimono glove in this aspect.
  
• Clean Bumpers are important as well.

Questions to Ask yourself when Examining Crimson Kimonos

Here are some questions you can ask yourself before buying Crimson Kimonos & How to examine them further:

• How is the Float?
  
• Is it Symmetrical? (Red Distribution + Top BDs + Low BDs)
  
• How clean is the Tortue plate? Is letter ‘E’ damaged/slightly damaged/ clean?
  
• How large are the black diamonds - They can make a kimono less desirable than another. Smaller Black Diamonds = More Red = more desirable
  
• How's the Red Distribution? Generally Full or Near Full High Reds are more desirable than just High Reds. Is the Lower-Bottom section of the glove Red?
  
• Are the bumpers clean? Finger Plating relatively clean? Are there scratches on the palm side of the glove?
  
• Is the finger fully/partially red? Is Left finger more red? (Left finger more red is better because right finger is rarely show on play side with the exception of certain knife/weapon inspects)
  
• How does the kimono look in different knife Point of Views? (How does it look with Karambit equipped, M9/Butterfly, etc.)
  
  ***Note: If you are in the process of purchasing kimonos, I strongly urge you go to a skin server and try on the glove with multiple knives. Equipping a karambit can actually make your kimono look better than it actually is - so try the glove with other knives like m9/butterfly as well. ***
  
  I also want to reiterate the point that a higher tier glove does not mean it is worth/costs more than a lower tier glove (Ex.: T2 gloves aren't always more expensive than T3 gloves). There may be cases where a lower tier glove can look a lot better than a higher tier glove due to how the glove wears on certain areas of the glove, may be lower float, or some other factor.
  
  Ex.: A T4 glove can be extremely clean (no scratches on Tortue plate, perfect bumpers, Full Red Finger) and symmetrical that it would be more valuable than a T3 glove that’s not symmetrical and might have a damaged “E” on the Tortue Plate.
  

[Dante]

it might be the stupidest shit i ve ever seen getting scammed for pixel differences XD

[Only Human]

14 is tier?

[x1na]

any thoughts on the #859?

[Líder Quang]

Hi, is 908 a good pattern? Thank you and very appreciate!

[aRgh]

280 is a T5 pattern.

[>=========>=========>]

is 280 a good one?

[PauloG]

Yeah! 666 is the one I purchased! I have it on my inventory now ahah

[CW]

I prefer 666, but 689 is nice if you dont mind the top black diamonds on left glove.

[PauloG]

Sorry to bother you again, 689 and 666, which one you think is better? the 666 has a little too much black diamonds in right hand, but full red in left, the 689 has just enough red in both hands, but neither is full red, i need to choose between these two

[CW]

666 is close to T5, but wouldn't count it just because the right hand top black diamond is a bit too low

It's like the inverse of 446, but not as good as the 446.