Which Bo Staff to Buy?

[PaperMage]

I have recently been doing a lot of staff work due to the purchase of my first bo staff. It is made of impact grade hickory and feels great when striking, spinning, and is an overall pleasure to handle. It is quite hefty, so it is good for working on technique and strength, but I am also looking for something lighter to do some speed training. It needs to be light, but also be able to withstand contact to a punching bag or other sticks. I did a bit or research myself, and I found that bamboo, wax wood and rattan are the woods that would fit my criteria. So my question is: what is the best staff that would fit my criteria, and where would be the best place to buy it?

Thank you for your help, and have a wonderful day.

 

[Blindside]

Wax wood or rattan would do you fine. If you are actually planning on hitting things I would go with a rattan staff, skin on, not shaved to make it look nice. Because of the hollow nature of rattan it will absorb impact vibrations when working on contact hitting. If you are working with a partner rattan is something of a safety mechanism for them, it doesn't transmit force as well as hardwood, so you are less likely to break a training partner.

 

[tshadowchaser]

I agree if your going to hit a lot I like Rattan

 

[PaperMage]

Thank you for your advice, it really helped a lot. Does anyone know a website that sells good quality rattan staffs? I did a bit of searching online and I am a bit suspicious about ones costing $18.00.

 

[Blindside]

Kombat Instruments Ltd.
These staffs are good quality and are essentially a finished product, Nick produces rattan used for full contact stick fighting, his rattan is pretty good.

Rattan is not used to give you an heirloom weapon, it is expected to be a training tool that will get worn out over time. So you may simple want a basic rattan pole, if so take a look here:
Bamboo and Rattan Poles

You will want to get it cut down to whatever length you prefer, and that will help you with your shipping as well. You will want to order the poles with the skin on rather than peeled. You will save a fair bit of money over KIL.