# Any one know of a company that makes sai 22 1/2 inches long besides Shureido??



## chinto (Feb 7, 2012)

Any one know of a company that makes sai 22 1/2 inches long besides Shureido??

Shureido does, but they want $200 USD  for a pair!!  Rather not pay that much.  Sharp point or blunt is fine.


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## Bill Mattocks (Feb 7, 2012)

Woah, monkey-arms.

Just kidding.  I need 21 1/2 myself and I'm only 5' 10" so I guess I have monkey arms also.  I also cannot find cheap sai in my size.  Good luck!


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## Carol (Feb 7, 2012)

Is sai shaped for arm length?  Just asking because I have never trained with traditional Japanese weapons.


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## Bill Mattocks (Feb 7, 2012)

Carol said:


> Is sai shaped for arm length?  Just asking because I have never trained with traditional Japanese weapons.



They say your sai should be one inch longer than the distance from the tip of your index finger to your elbow.  That is because the sai is used in blocks, so you want it to cover your entire forearm down to the elbow.  I have had to make due with a set of 18 1/2 inch sai I got cheap online, and they stop about one inch shy of my elbow.

Also, then tend to catch in my gi sleeves when I unfold them.  I believe I could also fix that with either shorter or longer gi sleeves, but eh, I need the longer sai anyway.


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## Grenadier (Feb 7, 2012)

Are you the owner of the school?  If you are, then you can open up a wholesale account with Shureido USA, and you'll get wholesale pricing.  If not, you may want to ask your teacher to see if he can order them for you.  

As for length, anything +/- 1" from your elbow is about the proper length.  The disadvantage with anything less than elbow length is that you won't be able to do certain elbow strike techniques with your sai point, but those types of strikes are rare, indeed.  Thus, a 21.5" pair should be OK for the OP, as long as they have reasonably good balance.   

A premium pair of sai is an excellent investment.  You get better balance, and you'll be able to swing harder, faster, and not get nearly as fatigued in the process.  Also, your mechanics won't get distorted.


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## Bill Mattocks (Feb 7, 2012)

Grenadier said:


> A premium pair of sai is an excellent investment.  You get better balance, and you'll be able to swing harder, faster, and not get nearly as fatigued in the process.  Also, your mechanics won't get distorted.



All true, I'm sure.  People still have budgets they have to live within.


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## Grenadier (Feb 7, 2012)

Bill Mattocks said:


> All true, I'm sure.  People still have budgets they have to live within.



Times are tough, indeed.  In addition to the economies being stuck in neutral, the prices of metals keep increasing...  It used to be that a wholesale account with Shureido USA could get you a pair of their nice carbon steel sai for about 100 bucks (wholesale), maybe even a bit less, if my memory serves me correctly.  I suspect that the wholesale price is up to about 135 or so during these times.    

Still, I would strongly urge someone to find a reasonably well balanced pair of sai, since using an improperly balanced set will result in shoddy mechanics developing.  I've seen some people who have tried to self-teach themselves how to use the sai, and learned on a pair of junkers that were purchased off eBay for about 15 bucks (the ones with the skulls and crossbones, the red gemstones, or the images of Elektra engraved on them), only to see that they were suffering from inflammation of various tendons in their elbows.  

There are reasonably good sai available for people starting out, at low costs.  These:

http://www.sakuramartialarts.com/Martial_Arts_Weapons_Sai_Demo_Octagon_p/wea-9301-a1.htm

are the "demo" sai, which are a bit lighter than the usual steel ones that you find at AWMA, Century, etc., and have a decent balance point, while being easy on the joints.  Once someone gets good with this pair, that's when I'll encourage them to try one of the premium ones, such as Worbington, Shureido, Kensho, Murasaki, or (yikes!) Agena.  Even though they'll have a bit more heft to them, the perfect balance, when combined with a good set of mechanics, will really shine through, and students swear that they can swing harder and faster than they did with their demo sai.


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## Bill Mattocks (Feb 7, 2012)

Grenadier said:


> Times are tough, indeed.  In addition to the economies being stuck in neutral, the prices of metals keep increasing...  It used to be that a wholesale account with Shureido USA could get you a pair of their nice carbon steel sai for about 100 bucks (wholesale), maybe even a bit less, if my memory serves me correctly.  I suspect that the wholesale price is up to about 135 or so during these times.
> 
> Still, I would strongly urge someone to find a reasonably well balanced pair of sai, since using an improperly balanced set will result in shoddy mechanics developing.  I've seen some people who have tried to self-teach themselves how to use the sai, and learned on a pair of junkers that were purchased off eBay for about 15 bucks (the ones with the skulls and crossbones, the red gemstones, or the images of Elektra engraved on them), only to see that they were suffering from inflammation of various tendons in their elbows.
> 
> ...



That's not a terrible price.  However, I'm using the cheapies at the moment.  I removed the 'gold wire' wrapping.  Eventually I'll take the plastic wrapping off and use leather; or just by some like you linked to.  Fortunately for me, I have high-quality instruction.  I would not attempt to learn to use sai on my own.


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## Ken Morgan (Feb 7, 2012)

Email Kim Taylor, see what he can do for you,
http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/


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