The product I ordered was a pair of 36X1.25" sticks, which coincidentally are the same size as my swords when they are rattan blanks.
As you can see, I appear to disagree with Count Robin, who says that Durattan is stiffer than rattan.
I think I cover most of Sir Justus' questions below:
"Can I carve a grip on it like rattan?" I sure think so.
"Will it make my hand numb after a few shots?" It didn't do so for mine.
"Is it stiffer than a brand new piece of rattan?" Not my rattan.
"Does it feel like rattan when it hits you?" (getting hit by rattan is a subject I consider myself an expert on) Haven't tried that yet, as I've only had the stuff a couple days.
"Finally, can I break it, and what happens when it breaks?" That'll be the last test I do.
I will say that I ordered the stuff mid-week, and it was here by Friday, which is good.
But I wonder at this (bold is mine)
Can I fight Real Contact Stickfighting events with these sticks?
Because of its strength, Durattanâ„¢ most likely will not be approved for fighting events. While bone breakage is possible with rattan training sticks, bone is more dense than rattan. This yields a low percentage of breakage. Durattanâ„¢ however is more dense and has a greater possibility of breaking bone. We ask that everyone uses Durattan for what it is intended; stick on stick training.
The last I knew, density is expressed in weight per unit volume, so if it were denser, it would weigh more. It doesn't seem to weigh more to me. THen again, it's likely that he's an FMA guy, not a materials guy.
[/b]Because I needed a couple new pell sticks, and intrigued by the Durattan
discussion on AA, I went and got myself a pair. Kinda pricy in comparison to
rattan. I haven't hit anything yet, so all this is quite preliminary.
I wouldn't be surprised if they're some polyethylene variant -- they have
the same sort of sheen as UMHW, and have that rather greasy feel. As
shipped, I wouldn't want to use them much, as they're quite slippery. They
don't seem to weigh more than moderately heavy, skin-on rattan, though when
swinging them, they feel ponderous for some reason (then again, I may be
compensating for the slipperiness with my grip, and gripping too tightly).
Surprisingly, they are more flexible than my rattan (I had a new untaped
sword lying around, and the dimensions are the same). The 'slap-test'
(hitting the weapon into my palm with moderate force) doesn't seem to sting
more or less than rattan. There was some apprehension about being able to
shave them down in the handle area. Looking at the ends, I see that they're
saw-cut, and chamfered using apparently abrasive methods.
This sure won't change the world yet, but it's good enough to go on to keep
experimenting in the backyard. I'm particularly interested to see wear and
breakage. I don't think I'd use them without tape.
Oh, and I don't take their promotional video at face value. Most Filipini MA
guys bake the hell out of their sticks to lighten them up, which greatly
reduces their lifespan. My retainer Koha says that the head of his style
might go through 2-3 sets of sticks in a single match on a bad day.
)
