Many years ago, my father purchased a pair of Sai for me when I was in high school. He told me that if I watched my sister (who is 5 years younger than me) for the summer, he'd buy me a pair. Sure enough, at the end of the summer, he bought me the sai!
But I found that the metal that the sai was made out of was rather flexible. If struck, the sai's blade would actually bend. Not good. For a $35 pair, it wasn't bad for display, but it didn't really work well for actual use.
I told myself that one day I'd buy a custom made set that would not bend.
So recently, I found a company that made custom sai. The company is Worbington Steele. The owner, Phillip Worbington is a 7th degree black belt in Isshinryu Karate, but also a master machinist by trade. Not a bad combination for someone who makes custom sais!
Made of 304 stainless steel, the sais are sized to my hands and arms. The finish is an antique (natural) finish rather than a polished finish. I prefer this as it gives the sais a more authentic traditional look. I also wanted round blades as opposed to octagonal blades. This helps keep the sais from denting as much when hit together. My older sais are rather dented because they were octagonal.
I find the sais to be very well balanced and lighter in weight than my old sais. This will allow me to do a lot more "tricks" with these sais than the ones in the past. Can't wait to try out all the new moves I've learned!
