I had purchased this staff as a Christmas gift and was surprised by the quality of the product. I had a few questions and the customer service was quick, efficient and polite. I recommend over other sites I've used in the past.  

Bought this for my son. It looks great. Perfect taper and well balanced. The oak wood is strong and I think this will last for a long time. My son takes traditional Okinawan karate and has to remember a lot of Bo katas. He practices with it at least 3 times a week. Very happy with this Bo.  

Gave to my son for his 16th bday. He loves it. Says it has a perfect taper and is well balanced. Very well made and the wood is gorgeous. He will be recommending to fellow friends particpating in martial arts looking for a well made, well balanced Bo.  

This is actually the second bo of this type I have ordered. My son uses the first which was ordered several years ago. It is nicely balanced and feels solid. I gave it a four this time around as it arrived broken in half. I contacted customer service and they were friendly as always, asked me to send a picture, and they would replace it. I did as was asked and was then told they had to work it out with the warehouse. It took a week and a few more e-mails for KD to have a new one shipped out (which came nicely packaged and whole). I do not mind having to send a picture, but when a customer pays for a product and it arrives broken in half, you have a new one shipped out immediately after verification. You work out whatver needs to happen with the warehouse separately and independently of getting the customer the product. Having said all that, a week delay in having something reshipped is not really bad service - just inconsistent with the normally quick ordering process from KD. Over the years, I have ordered multiple gi and obi, sai, bo, and other products from KD and will continue to do so.  

excellent product and the bow staff is very straight with no warpage in the wood, I am very well pleased with the construction and the value of it.  

Could there be a better image or a closer one for this product?  

I was disappointed by this staff. Not only is it very warped, it has quite a few chips and splinters on one side, along with a knot in the center. It will make a fine campfire poker.  

Very nice Bo Staff, really like the way it feels when using it. The weight is just right for me, it is lighter that my practice staff; which, is a bonus. For the price, I do not think you can beat this bo.  

The bo is pure oak and came in excellent condition. I showed it to my Sensei and he said that this was real Okinawan Bo. It is heavier so it feels very good. I am very hapy for my purchase.  

nice balance and weight, just perfect to perform kata and practice serious competitive kumite and bunkai I already bought 2 and i will buy the straight version also...   

We ordered it, arrived 2 days early, my son really liked it. He had a tournament 10 days later he came in 1st place with his new Bo in Kabudo. Needless to say it is his favorite item and wouldn't let anyone touch it after he won! Great product good wieght.  

This is a really sturdy bo staff and is of very good quality. For my first bo staff, I feel that I picked a good one.   

I bought 3 of these in different sizes for myself and my sons. They are very nice and well made. I personally find the 1.25" center a LITTLE too thick for speed and the hardwood is a little heavy, but they are sturdy and survive a beating when first learning and when moving to a thinner, lighter piece makes everything that much easier. I would recommend these for training or even bo-sparring, but for speed and accuracy, get a lighter, thinner carbon fiber or aluminum piece.  

Love this - good value for money. I was nervous buying this online, but was pleasantly pleased with the quality and finish. I have been telling others about Karate Depot! Please keep up your dedication to quality and competitive pricing.  

I just got the bo (6ft) and it's a really good bo in my opinion. A bit on the heavier side though. Which is a good thing. In some of my demo's, I have a bo and it gets hit fairly hard. Also, it is a good bo if you want to build arm strength. I'm sure after a few weeks or months time, it will be MUCH easier to be able to do the spins and throws and whatnot. :D Love it.
  

This bo staff is excellent for working on speed. Mind it did snap in two after about 2 months of hard training, but for the price buy a couple and it's no problem whatsoever. Definitely love KD now.  

The bo staff I received is very nice, quality good for that price and shipping was reasonable and prompt.
I will check KDepot website if I need other stuff. Thanks!  

I loved this Bo to death. Until I was doing my regular routine and spun the staff to close to my head. It split into three pieces from the impact. It was a Christmas gift from my sensei. Ever since I have been using a five foot metal pipe to make sure that I don't do it again. Believe me you learn not to hit yourself with metal.  

A great basic bo, with a great price to match!  

The weight and size of this staff is just right for me (6' 200lb). The shipping was quick and didn't present any problems. I thought that since it was 6' long it might take a while, but it didn't. For the price I don't see how you could do any better.  

Just opent my Bo and i got to say its great. tapering is awesome.   

I just got my Tapered Hardwood Bo... it came 7days before the estimated shipping date!! it looked like the tapering was a bit thicker on one side than the other, but it worked fine for a beginner bo user like me. with this wonderful staff i've already got the spinning in front and behind down. i look forward to shopping here again!  

Very good. Completely pleased. I removed the finishe with 80 then 120 then 200 grit sandpaper and trested it with lemon oil. Super!!! No knots or blemishes and very dense wood.   

Fantastic bo! When you dream at night of what a bo should be this is what you think of.

Straight without any knots or residue. Just the right weight for me, the non-tapered bo is a tad to heavy.

If I ever need another one I'll get this!  

I wanted a nice 6-foot Staff, so I ordered this...But I accidentally ordered a 5-Foot...But I got the staff about a week after I ordered it, and the second I picked it up, I fell in love...Sure, it's heavy - But that makes it perfect for practice. I hear a lot of people complaining about its weight, and here's the deal: Pay attention - There are regular Bo for sale, and then there are COMPETITION Bo. If you're going to spend money on something, pay attention to what it is.
Back to the staff! The tapering on mine was perfectly even and perfectly balanced - It was straight and solid, and again, I prefer the weight of this one to others because it helps you build strength (Just use a lighter one for Competitions and Shows)  

an amazing staff i totally love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I have mixed feelings regarding my double tapered 5 bo, mostly good. First the positive:
Karate Depot ships bos in heavy-duty tubes that give good protection. I like this. Ive received bos from other companies that use only paper wrapping. Also the shipping cost is most reasonable and I receive products in a timely manner. All are good selling points. And then Karate Depot has enough interest to inquire about my opinion of the product.

As for the bo, it is what I had hoped my other two oak bos would be in these respects: It feels good and lively in my hands. The overall weight is perfect for me. A subjective statement if there ever was one. It is heavy enough to be effective, and yet light enough to change directions of a strike quickly. The other two oak bos feel like dead weight. And in respect to the 6 straight bo you sent and I trimmed to eyebrow length, much dead weight. That sucker is heavy and in my personal opinion too heavy for combat, although the extra weight does have other advantages. The 1 diameter of the tapered bo fills my hands nicely and the stick feels solid and gives confidence. I started with the Shaolin school, but like the Kobudo school better as they go in more for thrusts. I have a tree that I practice penetration on and have found the following to be true: with the rattan 1 bo I get 1-1 ¼ penetration (and much flex), with your 1 ¼ straight oak bo only 3/8, if that much (but it really rocks the tree), with a 1 straight white oak bo 1 3/8. And with the double taper a whopping 2 ¼ penetration. This is probably due in part to the taper, giving a better grip.

I am interested in the bo for defense as opposed to sport. Robbers and dogs sometimes make sport of me and I carry a cane as my principle weapon. This could be a wooden Cane Master (my favorite) or a sword cane. Ive used both on dogs and men, so you could say that Im a veteran when it comes to street use. I have found that a thrust is faster and more difficult to counter than a swinging strike. Hence the interest in Kodubo school.

I find a 5 stick easier to manage in the streets than a longer one even though eyebrow length is my preferred length when space is not a consideration as it usually is, and in taxis that length is beginning to get unhandy. 6 is difficult even on a bus. I live in Centro America and the envelope people use here is smaller than in the States. In a spacious gym a 6 job would be great. Im 59 tall.

On the negative side Im disappointed in the quality. The 6 bo you sent had a slight waver that I called a wrap. I think now that I overstated it and should have called it a waver. It also has a couple of small knotholes, one of which appeared to have been filled. The tapered bo has a much more pronounced waver (it appears, like the first bo, to have a warp and then the warp reverses itself). It too has a small knothole that appears to have been filled. The knotholes in both bos are small and I dont think will cause a problem. However, the tapered bo has a fill almost at one tip the measures 18mm x 32mm. This causes me concern. The Shaolin school teaches ground strikes and with age I am afraid the patch may fall out. I sanded it smooth and whoever did a good job at colour matching, making it hard to detect. So appearance wise there is no problem. I did sand the entire bo finishing with 1200 paper and oil giving it a better feel.

Maybe the problem is that Im comparing your $20 bos with my $100-$200 canes and am not being reasonable in the quality that I expect. Perhaps Id be happier with your ash combat bo at $35. I know oak, white and red, Chinese and American. I know nothing of ash other than its a wood often used in hiking staffs.

Even considering the negatives I have no regrets in ordering the tapered bo although I do wish that it was straighter and without that large patch. I probably wont order the ash bo because by the time I receive it Ill have at least $75 tied up in the bo, and at present I have three serviceable oak bos. And while I think the bo is superior to the cane as a weapon I will continue to make a cane my primary weapon as it has many advantages that I wont go into over the bo. I do like bos and will continue to train with them with an occasional carry.  

Well sadly I got the sticker put on the Bo, but it only took about 20 minutes to get all of it off and the residue. I took the Bo outside and did about 20 minutes of full force contact sparring and it had no marks on it. Its got nice weight my scale showed it at just under 2 pounds. It has great balance in the middle and makes for easy palm spins. Will leave more feedback saying how long it lasts when it breaks which hopefully wont be for months.   

The shipping time for this product was amazing!
It arrived a full 6 days prior than the expected ship date.  

This is my first jhang bong staff (ATA) and I would say that it is very nice. It is a little heavier than the average staff, but that is helpful in building strength and improving the quality of motion for the techniques. I have been told that for actual combat or for forms compition a lighter staff would be better. The quality of the wood is very nice, and of course has a few small flaws that come with it but that is like anything made from real wood. The flaws though are not anything that causes a problem use wise or looks wise. I am the only one who knows those flaws are there only because I gave the staff a thorough inspection upon arrival. The stickers were on the outer packaging and not on the wood so that made me happy too. I would recommend this staff to anyone interested in it.  

The staff is of supreme design and manufacture. And it arrived an astonishing FOUR days before the scheduled delivery date.  

I didn't think this bo staff would be this heavy. It's good for strengthening your arms, but im a little nervous about bringing this 6ft staff to class in fear of losing control because of its size and weight. I don't recommend using this staff for tang soo do staff forms.  

I have been training since 1973 and teaching since 1977. I am truly please with the quality of this product and with Karate Depot in particular. Karate Depot leaves the rest behind and is second to none. My students and I thank you for such detail to us, your customers.  

I was extremely happy with the Bo's. The quality and finish was very nice. They are nicely balanced and light weight. I would recommend them to anyone.  

Even with the pock marks in the finish. Nice weight, price...well balance.  

I just received my BO from Karate Depot and I am very impressed with it. It has substantial weight and is very sturdy. I can't wait to take it to my dojo. My only concern is it might have been better to have bought the 5' version instead of the 6', I am 5'9  

It's really rigid. I will be getting the 4' and the 5' soon. This is the true weapon to learn and cherish. I will tell you from experience, stay and use this item only and you can become really talented with this simple but powerful weapon.  

A no-nonsense bo. Mine is beautiful...I almost hate to ever use it. The sticker was on the outside of the protective plastic on mine, so there was no glue residue. I cannot imagine anyone thinking this is too heavy. I'm very happy.  

I have owned this bo for almost 6 months. It has served me well until tonight, when at a demonstration in front of allot of people it broke about 8 inches from the end with no external contact. I sanded all of the finish off of this weapon, and then soaked it , totally submerged in oil for 2 weeks to hydrate the bo throughout. However it still broke. Very disappointing.  

Anyone who believes this class of stick is too heavy for competition needs to practice a lot.


When I judge tournaments and see grown men using toothpick sticks, I drop them at least a full point. I hate to see pretty sticks presented as real weapons and am unimpressed when I see a 6' , 200+ man whipping around a stick that would break the first time it hit anything. Most of the sticks would break during my staff forms.  

I love this bo for practice and sparring. Its a very sturdy, practical bo staff. Although its too heavy for competition, I use it to build speed and power.   

This is the first rod I have bought here and by comparison to the others I have, is the best one of them. It does not splinter, crack when hit, and best of all it still looks good after some use.  

This staff rocks. After 1/2 a year of having it, it still is in great working order. The only things bad about it is it is on the heavy side and if you do contact weapon sparring it may splinter like mine. It is very hard wood and I would recomend shining it and occasionally restaining it to keep it looking great.   

Good solid bo. Tapered to take away some excess weight. Great for kata, and holds up when banged against other weapons such as bos, jos, boken.  

This Bo arrived in perfect condition. Only thing I did not like was the warning/caution sticker that was glued to the Bo directly and not the plastic covering protecting the Bo. With some Adhesive remover, I was able to clean the sticker's residue off. The Bo is in between being heavy and being light. It will build arm strength as you use it but not as much as the straight hardwood Bo will. Speed exercises can easily be achieved. Will buy another one when the time comes.  

This bo is at least 30 or 40% lighter than the striaght hardwood bo of the same price, making it faster. This might be better for performance (speed) and the straight one for training (strength). This only lost a star because the one I recieved had a few tiny scratches on the ends. No big deal, it'll be getting plenty more from use anyway.   

I was totally disappointed when we open up the package to find a fat heavy in weight bo. My son is seven and was in need of a bo that was 5ft because even though my son is 7, he's tall and the child bo was too short for him. I thought about sending it back, but didn't want to deal with the hassle. That's what I get for trying to be so CHEAP! I must say that the price was right and was delivered in a reasonable amount of time.