um id go with a cheap octogonal wood pair with a cord, i find a cord to be faster and a heck of a lot quieter, i use mine for self defence and practice, my sensei likes a short cord, bout 3 fingers in between, i like more palm wigth, and find someone who can teach u, btw ive only had one problem in 5yrs with chucks, while practicing my kata i had a piece of wood break on me, kinda inconvienint, but i still prefer cord over bearing cause of control.