Material..

[karatekaBR86]

This has been on my mind for a while...For bokken and jo's it is preferebly better to get white oak instead of red oak, because it is denser wood....But how come the majority of bo's out there are made out of red-oak?

[Pacificshore]

Overal cost perhaps and availability

[harleyt26]

I think it depends on the bo manufacturers location or wood supplier.Shureido does make their bo out of asian red oak,very nice dense species of oak.But the american red oak is not as hard or dense and I find white oak hard enough but to flexible.A good wood in my area is hickory it has an almost waxy surface that moves very well in your hands.Purple heart makes for a nice bo material but can get a little heavy.I think most bo suppliers use a cheaper imported red oak,most of the lower priced bo I have seen have places the manufacturer has filled with wood filler( putty).Many of the people in my dojo use some of the more exotic species like mordillo,cocobolo, jatoba and others for kata bo but for kumi bo the favorite of most would be hickory for its durability,weight and finish or rattan for its lightness and flexiblity.I own a Shureido red oak bo,A hickory kumi bo, a white oak bo and an african paduak bo.I like them all for different reasons.What do you prefer for bo material and why?