Bo Staffs--purchase

[Maggie]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to purchase 6-foot bo staffs that can withstand contact? What types of woods would be best? (Contact is bo-bo, bo-tonfa)

Thank you

Maggie Lowder

[Ken Allgeier]

Hello Maggie,



If you are looking for handmade/custom 'Bo', made very hard wood go to this webpage.

www.okiadventures.com


If you are looking for a Shureido made 'Bo' you can go to.

www.kamikazaweb.com





ken allgeier

[John Bowden]

If you are on a budget, the White Waxwood Tapered bos (the 1 1/4th inch thick) from Century are decent, light, strong and don't require oiling.

Shureido bos are nice, but they are expensive and they can break easier than the cheap waxwood bos.

If you want the toughest best handling bo for kumite, get a straight hickory bo from www.crane-mountain.com. Their white oak is also very nice.

Avoid american red-oak, ash and purpleheart for bos. Japanese red-oak is OK, but it's not as strong as Hickory or american white oak. It's very pretty though, and a better choice than purpleheart if beauty is a factor.

John

[Maggie]

Thank you!

I have to admit, it is rather disconcerting to have a bo split in the middle of a form... :(

Maggie

[Joseph Svinth]

Kim Taylor's article describing how to make a bo appears here: http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/bo.htm . Some of his thoughts on selecting woods appear here: http://www.uoguelph.ca/~kataylor/bokuto.htm .

You can also have him make you one (they are very nice). His catalogue appears here: http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/