I teach the weapons class at our dojang, and recommend waxwood staffs to my students. They're not as durable as non-tapered hardwood, but they're an excellent compromise of strength, flexibility and weight.

You'll find it very hard to break a waxwood staff with anything less than full strength strikes against metal. Students--who should be learning to control their strikes anyway--won't be breaking them even in staff-vs-staff drills. Waxwood flexes a little when struck, so it's able to absorb a lot of impact. In the unlikely event that the staff does break, it will break cleanly--unlike hardwood, which often shears off into sharp splinters.

Waxwood is very light, especially these youth tapered bos. They're comparable to a basswood-filled graphite staff--that is, far lighter than hardwood, a good bit heavier than a basswood-and-laminate show staff.

I have yet to receive a waxwood staff that is perfectly straight, though they're all very close. One can counter-bend a waxwood staff to help make it straighter, and proper storage is important to keep it as straight as possible.

The wood crushes slightly when struck very hard, resulting in slightly yellowish blemishes and a slightly uneven texture in the striking areas. The wood will fade from white to slightly yellow over the course of a few months as moisture and oil are absorbed by the wood. The appearance can easily be refreshed by sanding, but a newly sanded staff will be a little slippery for a while.

In short, these inexpensive staffs are a great choice for general training. You'll only need something lighter if you're doing flashy modern patterns in a tournament, or something heavier if you're stressing hard contact drills.  

I thought this staff was nice and light, "virtually unbreakable" but the first time that I used it for sparring the first solid strike it broke in two pieces!
I think it's a good staff for demo but not for practical use!!!!  

Great Bo, very good quality. Arrived sooner than promised .  

Nice wax wood staff. I bought the 6 foot length and cut it (a little on either side) to fit my comfortable height (5'5") with a mitre saw and mitre box. Super light staff(!!!) and even lighter since it's tapered. I would have purchased a straight staff if there was an option. I love the speed I have with this staff to heavier solid red oak staffs in my collection. Note: My staff was seriously bent on one of the tapered ends during delivery (USPS). I spent a couple of days bending and shaping it back to straight. No worries. It's fine now :) Thanks Karate Depot for the best prices on online shipping!!!  

This is my first staff, so it will be good for my purposes and for the price. However, someone that wants high quality should invest in something more expensive. It is slightly warped, but it is smooth and balanced. Overall a pretty good bo and a good choice for any beginner.  

took very long to get here 13 days to be exact dissapointed in that and it is slightly crooked on one end but other then that it is a good staff  

This staff is very good quality, no bending or other imperfections. Smooth, flexible, and durable. The only thing is that I accidentally ordered the 4 ft. instead of the 5 ft. Bo. I decided that I'll use this staff as a short indoor staff instead.  

Looks nice however they sent me a 6 foot bo for a 8yr old. I was supposed to get the 4 foot. Will have to return.  

It look nice and shiny when I took it out of the plastic but upon closer inspection I found that it was crooked. maybe its just mine. the wood looks pretty durable but I cant really test it out since I'm going to exchange it for a different bo. :(  

This is a good one, after reading the that this is the choice of shaolin monks I changed my MSN nickname. This is a strong one, It has endured much, I bought 2 one for me, one for my apprentice, they are used for about 3-4 hours everyday, we do a lot of training but it lasts.