Just thought I'd post an update.
I had some money burning a hole in my pocket (I know, I know, that's a rare thing), and decided to get a premium pair of sai, since the generic pair that I bought from Century, ended up being horribly unbalanced. In addition to this, working the Yamanni Ryu kata that require smooth flowing movements, became a pain with these clunkers, literally. It wasn't unusual, that I would wake up the next morning, and have the hands shaking while trying to drink my morning coffee.
Anyways, I had looked at several sources, for a pair of stainless steel sai.
1) Shureido USA / Ryu Kyu Enterprises - Could have gotten a pair of their sai for about $175 + shipping at the time.
2) Agena - $275 + shipping
3) Murasaki - $300 + shipping
4) Worbington Steele - $175, shipping included.
In the end, I chose Phil Worbington's company to make me a pair of sai.
I found Phil to be a very knowledgeable fellow, and very pleasant to deal with, and that the man really takes pride in his work. We went through several measurements, to make sure that the pair of sai that I ordered would be the right fit.
I ended up getting a pair of stainless steel sai, that had the antique finish, pointed tips, and a blue cotton wrapping that feels ever so much better than the awful leather grips that my generic sai have.
They look identical to this:
http://www.worbingtonsteele.com/images/DSCN1149.JPG
with a blue wrapping.
Weight was slightly less than my clunkers, but the weight distribution is far superior, and that I can get a much, much faster "twirl" while handling the sai. Working kata such as Kyan No Sai or Nokan Nokari No Sai, has become much less taxing to the hands and wrists, and the flow of the technique has improved.
The guy really knows what he's doing, and it's actually a pretty interesting process when you can see the metalworking being done.
http://www.worbingtonsteele.com/shoptalk.html
Overall? I'm pretty darn happy with my purchase, and anticipate on keeping this pair until I'm no longer capable of using them. The fact that he took a good bit of time to make sure that I got exactly what I wanted, gives that "happy customer" feeling, and I will be recommending his works to all of my students who train in saijutsu.
On another note, he can make a pair of sai with a lighter steel, for those who may need the lower weight.
I had some money burning a hole in my pocket (I know, I know, that's a rare thing), and decided to get a premium pair of sai, since the generic pair that I bought from Century, ended up being horribly unbalanced. In addition to this, working the Yamanni Ryu kata that require smooth flowing movements, became a pain with these clunkers, literally. It wasn't unusual, that I would wake up the next morning, and have the hands shaking while trying to drink my morning coffee.
Anyways, I had looked at several sources, for a pair of stainless steel sai.
1) Shureido USA / Ryu Kyu Enterprises - Could have gotten a pair of their sai for about $175 + shipping at the time.
2) Agena - $275 + shipping
3) Murasaki - $300 + shipping
4) Worbington Steele - $175, shipping included.
In the end, I chose Phil Worbington's company to make me a pair of sai.
I found Phil to be a very knowledgeable fellow, and very pleasant to deal with, and that the man really takes pride in his work. We went through several measurements, to make sure that the pair of sai that I ordered would be the right fit.
I ended up getting a pair of stainless steel sai, that had the antique finish, pointed tips, and a blue cotton wrapping that feels ever so much better than the awful leather grips that my generic sai have.
They look identical to this:
http://www.worbingtonsteele.com/images/DSCN1149.JPG
with a blue wrapping.
Weight was slightly less than my clunkers, but the weight distribution is far superior, and that I can get a much, much faster "twirl" while handling the sai. Working kata such as Kyan No Sai or Nokan Nokari No Sai, has become much less taxing to the hands and wrists, and the flow of the technique has improved.
The guy really knows what he's doing, and it's actually a pretty interesting process when you can see the metalworking being done.
http://www.worbingtonsteele.com/shoptalk.html
Overall? I'm pretty darn happy with my purchase, and anticipate on keeping this pair until I'm no longer capable of using them. The fact that he took a good bit of time to make sure that I got exactly what I wanted, gives that "happy customer" feeling, and I will be recommending his works to all of my students who train in saijutsu.
On another note, he can make a pair of sai with a lighter steel, for those who may need the lower weight.
