Does anyone have any good recommendations on sticks? Every pair I get, no matter what the quality level is supposed to be, always end up splitting and fraying by the 4th time I use them. I have gone through at least a dozen pairs of Doce Pares sticks, which I've been told are the best. I noticed the lacquered ones last a little longer, but the finish on them amplifies the vibration from impact and tears a lot of skin off my hands. The Dog Brothers sticks are supposed to be great, but i'm not willing to risk 20 bucks a stick on this claim. So, what are you using?

I just use good old fashioned rattan, but I pre-tape them quite thickly- you dont get that crisp 'click' on impact, but it does seem to make them last longer than waiting for damage before adding tape.

There is a brand called 'Durattan' which claim to offer a synthetic, hard wearing alternative to cane. They have some video footage if you type the brand name into Google video. I dont know anyone who has used them though, so cant vouch for them.

The Doce Pares sticks don't have the full skin on them, so they'll get soft realitively quickly. I tended to get a couple of months out od then, if I was carefull and didn't do too much hard siniwali.

If you want to stick with rattan, your best bet is to find someone who brings the stuff in to make furniture. You can oftem buy a length (3 metres typically) for the price of a pair of "finished" sticks. you'll get 5 sticks out of this. You'll have to cut them to length and sand down the knickles, but you have a hardy stick.

There are a bunch of different kinds of rattan. We find manau rattan is a good mix of stregth and density, although it may be a bit heavier than you're used too.

Another way would be to use bahi, this is the centre of the coconut tree. It's heavier than rattan and hits harder, but it's still fibrous, so won't split like hardwood. If you use it, your partner will have to too, because it will probably eat the cane up.

www.Durattan.com - - > click on Testimonials at the bottom for customers thoughts on the sticks. There are also a few reviews on other forums as well that are linked from the site.

Gruhn