Any boken gurus out there??

[Gronk]

Hey folks, I need help with my boken selections, but this request goes a little beyond the usual "which sort of wood should I use?" type thing.

Basically I have noticed that there seems to be a huge difference in "Japanese white oak" bokens. I have seen some for as cheap as $25-30, and then other for up to $200 or even more! (Sorry that's in Australian dollars). So if they are all the same wood why do they vary so much in price? Is it just the craftmanship that goes with them or is there something more in the type of white oak it is?

Plus more importantly why does my instructor's white oak boken chew through mine and leave them splintered as all heck while his is fine? He also reckons he has never oiled it or done anything to it, it's years and years old and he paid about $110 for it, back in the day.

Oh and as for other woods as alternatives, over here we tend to mainly only have choices of red or white oak, and occasionally spotted gum (good Aussie timber!).

Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks.

 

[Aikilove]

Quality sometimes cost more, but not always. There are quite some variations in wood as well. A good craftman only select high quality white oak with fine grains and no cracks etc. He/She then dry it for a loong time at right conditions. The wood is then cut according to proper techniques and only if it's straight etc.
So yes, there are variations in quality of white oak bokken, due to the quality of wood (hardness and graindensity etc), drying process and crafting process.
How this correlates to prices is anyones guess. I always go with a store that has satisfied me in the past.

/J